America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, because our citizen soldiers have volunteered and chosen to put their lives on the line in far off lands and upon foreign shores to keep America free. Now in Dallas one of those honorably discharged soldiers has taken up arms and assassinated five police officers injuring others! In Baton Rouge other police officers have been ambushed and murdered, not for God and country, but because some lunatic went on the rampage.
These are disgraceful acts of cowardice and mental derangement which demands that our military take greater care in evaluating those who it accepts among its ranks and especially provides follow-up care for all soldiers returning home from the War on Terrorism, that any post-traumatic stress disorder they suffer may be treated for the duration of their lives.
It is especially disturbing that law enforcement officers should be made the targets of anyone who has problems or issues. It does not matter what the color of your skin, your religion, ethnic or national origin. American law enforcement officers are public servants, working of, for and by the people. Our taxes pay for their service. They safeguard and protect us. It is shameful that anyone should lash out with sniper bullets at police who day in and day out are risking their lives for their fellow Americans, just as do soldiers at war.
As an Army brat, I was raised to respect authority figures, be they soldiers, police officers, or other elders. Why are not today's children being raised to respect their elders? What has gone wrong with America? Or are those who cry racial profiling and lash out at all law enforcement officers just what I've heard some call them, "trash, the scum of the earth," or by worse names that I dare not repeat or some lunatic may shoot me.
I support law enforcement, both here at home and across the nation. We need our police forces to embrace members of the community, the citizens they work for, to create trusting relationships. All communities should work to create safe neighborhoods where the police officers know the people in the community and members of the community know them.
I propose that right here we begin by establishing meet-and-greet days so that everyone may get to know police officers and they may also come to know those they work to protect.
Also I propose a website be established that will introduce police officers to the public they serve, that this may also provide educational materials and information that may help prevent crime and fight such plagues as drug abuse, spousal abuse and criminal behavior in general, especially among juvenile and young people who are impressionable.
I will help establish such a Meet-and-Greet Law Enforcement Officers (MGLEO) website if others will support this good cause. This would go a long way to preventing any future close encounters of the violent kind between the public and the police.
Although our small town is not Dallas or Baton Rouge where police have been killed by lunatics who were inspired by racial divides, such hostility broadcast widely could inspire others to take up arms. Indeed, police everywhere are justly paranoid when they see their comrades in blue shot down by crazed maniacs.
Just the other day while driving to the post office I was stopped on Church Street by a member of the QPD who scared the wits out of me. Blue lights were flashing as he pulled me over. He got out of his patrol car screaming, "Do you know why I pulled you over!" Of course I did not know. I had not done anything. But he scared me to death and my heart was pounding as I saw in the rear view mirror his hand go for his pistol as he approached from behind me.
The shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge were all the rage on the news. Just the evening before I watch on the news how a man had been shot by an officer after being pulled over. Was I going to die today? I said a quick prayer not having the foggiest idea why I was being pulled over. I wasn't related to the U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch; I was not black. Did someone think I was? Was I being racially profiled? Was I about to be shot by a paranoid police officer who had not the foggiest idea who I was or that I was a strong advocate for law enforcement and racial harmony?
Have you ever been pulled over by police not knowing why? Have you experienced an officer threatening you, his hand on his gun, knowing that you could be shot and killed if you did not say or do the right thing?
I guess God was with me as he answered my prayer. I had asked God simply, "Watch over me as without me my Angel Dog puppies will parish." It is not really important why I was pulled over. What is important is that when life presents you with adversity you pray. For God will answer your prayers just as he did mine. Life on this good earth is short no matter how many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or years we have left. Any of us could be gone on the next tomorrow. But if we go praying likely as not we will find ourselves in a better place when we open our eyes to the light and gaze into the face of God.
Terry Lynch
Quitman
