“MAKE IT A PERMANENT SOLUTION”
by OPOVV, ©2014
(Dec. 21, 2014) — As far as I know, there’s been only one person (Jesus Christ) who had His act together. This man’s philosophy was one of peace: do unto others as you would expect them to do unto you (Golden Rule).
A couple of years ago I was at a grocery store, and as I was walking up an aisle I noticed something fall out of a lady’s purse just as she went around the corner to the next aisle. It was a bank envelope filled with cash, and since it was a Friday afternoon, I surmised that she was just at the bank, cashed her paycheck, and was doing next week’s grocery shopping.
At the time I was a single parent and sure could’ve used an extra $300-400, but I just picked up the envelope, turned the corner and said, “Excuse me, Miss, but I believed you dropped this” and handed her the envelope filled with cash.
Now I’ve seen those nature films where they time the quickness of a rattlesnake’s strike, or of a gecko’s tongue, or even Muhammad Ali’s double tap) on Sonny Liston’s chin, but nothing could’ve topped this lady’s hand flashing out of nowhere and returning it to her purse. Couple that with the look of contempt, disdain, and repulsiveness and you can understand any possible regrets that I may have had.
But my good deed was in the books; a done deal. Upon reflection, I believe I witnessed what’s been known through the millennium as a true “She-Devil.” I fought the Devil and won, is how I like to remember it.
There are times, however, where temptation is just the cost of business. To not take the bribe offered can be construed as an insult, or maybe even quash the deal. In many instances it’s just good manners to accept the money and go on doing what you would’ve been doing anyway.
Also, bribes can also be construed as ‘tips’. Establishments that serve coffee 24-7 give away their goods free of charge to cops because, if you want protection, you got to pay for it. It’s one of those “quid pro quo” things, where one hand washes the other.
A hardware store owner, or any other business owner, may give a Christmas card filled with money to the cop that drives by a couple of times between midnight and sunrise. A tip. A “Thank you for keeping the low-life thieves away.” I’m good with that.
The bottom line is that none of us is perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t at least try. And because we may not be perfect, it sure doesn’t give anyone the license to sneak up behind us and blow our brains away, like what just happened to two cops in Brooklyn.
The job of a policeman can’t be an easy one. Imagine, if you will, dealing with malcontents, people a can short of a six-pack, every day. Maybe if people, even the nut cases, would act just a little more civilized, our country could get back on track. Maybe if our politicians would wear the Blue for a week, or go over to Afghanistan and go out on a patrol operating under the current ridiculous ROE’s or coming across a “She-Devil,” they would offer a little more support and show a little more compassion to the Men in Blue who are doing their best to keep the beast away from the rest of us.
The one thing that each of us can do to make the policeman’s job easier is to be armed so you’re able to protect yourself and not rely on people who are stressed-out enough without our bothering them with our petty problems. Someone wants to mug you? House invasion? Steal your car? Deal with it yourself, and make it a permanent solution so our Men in Blue won’t have to bother with them in the future. Let’s do our fair share in solving the crime problem. Embrace our 2nd Amendment.