[ExI] usage question

[John Grigg]

Olga wrote:
Wayne Martin, an official at the Atlanta Housing Authority, had this to say
about the Gates flap: "I'm wondering when it became illegal to be angry at a
law enforcement official."
>>>

It's always been extremely unwise to show anger toward law enforcement
officers.  They get to be judge, jury and executioner (*especially* when
there are no witnesses around, and remember, they will often park their cars
at an angle so the built-in cameras don't record what is going on, lol).  I
realize there are some really good cops out there (I've known a couple of
great ones), but there are also many self-important, uncaring and mean/ even
criminal ones.

When I was twelve and growing up without a dad, a friend from my church who
was a self-made millionaire, pulled me aside to talk to me about something
important.  I thought to myself, "this must be the birds and the bees
speech!" lol  But no, instead he spoke to me about dealing with police and
how potentially dangerous even a seemingly innocuous stop can be.  I was not
a trouble making kid and it turned out he explained these things one on
one, to many of the young people in the congregation.  As he put it, "cops
only trust other cops, if that, and are usually the most dangerous people
you will ever run into during your life."

A friend from church who was my own age became a police officer.  And even
as a good man, the personality transformation he underwent was painfully
amazing.  He built emotional walls around himself and would order people
(including me) to give him space and leave him alone.  I would see him
sitting by himself, lost in thought.  I wanted to help but did not know what
to say.  I knew one guy, a tough as nails railroad employee, who was able to
knock the young cop off his pedestal of solitude and occasionally get him to
have fun and at least partially let down his guard.

John
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