Friends I would ask that you would pray for me and my two essays. I am quite tired and should get rest, but I am also unwilling to go to bed without first posting for you.
Every day, thousands of police officers suffer injuries and risk self-harm so to save lives and injury of innocent folks like you and me.
Police officers are paid very well, in bigger cities police sheriffs may earn up to $700,00 and average officers may earn up to $150,000 annually with roughly the same amount for pension upon retirement until death. Police officers are granted great, great power to keep the public safe. They are allowed to lie, manipulate and use great physical violence to coerce people to follow the law and to keep the peace. Unfortunately this creates the possibility for the abuse of this power.
For example, there was one middle-aged woman who was arrested on suspect of driving under the influence. You can watch the YouTube video here, but be warned that it's kind of shocking and sad. The woman in custody was taken back to the Police offices and there she began to get unruly, demanding a phone call to speak to her lawyer. Meanwhile all of this was caught on videotape. The woman tries to go towards the door, not really complying with the officer and the guy, in turn, starts to really manhandle her. He slams her into the wall, cuffs her and sits her down. At this point she's crying/hysterical and the officer goes and turns off the camera. When it is turned back on, she is lying facedown in a pool of blood on the ground. A picture of her injuries are truly heartbreaking (she also broke several bones I believe).
What transpired next is interesting. At first the officer is fired and the woman successfully sues the force for $400,000 to cover her costs/experience. Then the officer who had been fired, was reinstated. The officer who violently assaulted an unarmed, defenseless woman (and under normal circumstances would get several years in jail) was put back on the job to protect the peace.
Because there are so many police officers out there, and because there is the possibility for the abuse of such power (poor training, reinstating of poor candidates, low expectations and requirements) similar cases can be found a dime a dozen online.
Another story.
On President's day a woman named Hameda Hassan wrote a letter to Barrack Obama, asking her to commute the rest of her prison sentence. To read the letter, click on this link here Hameda's letter tells of a single mother caught between an single motherhood, an abusive ex, poverty and a hard place. In escaping her abusive boyfriend, Hameda began to do errands and wiring money for a relative, in order to support her two daughters. The relative was running a cocaine drug ring, and when it was broken, Hameda found herself convicted to prison for life. The sentence has since been reduced to 27 years, of which she has 10 years left. Now a grandmother (she's probably in her late 30's/early 40's) Hameda asks Obama to commute her sentence in orde that she may right what was wrong and be involved in her children and grandchildren's lives.
What bothers me most perhaps here, is that Hameda never assaulted or murdered anybody. In her letter she acknowledged and recognizes the errancy of her actions, which she takes responsibility for—but to give a life sentence to an errand running single mother seems just a little, a little too harsh. A little outlandishly horrendous if you ask me.
Another story.
In a press meeting this last Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney revealed his preference for the use of torture. Story is here The fact that we had a Vice President who supported...and still supports the use of physical and psychological violence to induce pain and panic in order to coerce someone into supplying information. I won't go into the utilitarian argument against torture, that it is not a technique that reliably provides truthful/reliable information, but I would like to go into the moral argument.
Cheney is a member of the Methodist Church
Three questions for you readers before I go to sleep.
1) Seeing as the current police force is an example of the exact opposite of "turning the other cheek" and "hand them your coat also" what kind of alternatives are there to "keeping the peace" from a Biblical perspective? What does the Bible say about bringing peace to earth and being a light to men? Should Christians continue to endorse and employ the police force as a utilitarian solution to crime, or should we follow in the footsteps of our Lord who espoused a peacekeeping message that sounds suspiciously like the tactics of non-violent human shielding?
2) I'd like to talk about this later too, especially since it ties into what was discussed and promoted at Urbana 2009. But seeing as our justice system is (more often than not) without compassion or grace, how can we be a voice and a support for those who live a life of crime out of desperate desire to survive?
3) What does it say about us as Christians when the second most powerful man on Earth we elect, claims to be a member of the Church while proclaiming the exact opposite of the words of Jesus?
I may here, say a few words of grace and compassion for Cheney who I believe actually cares about the lives of Americans. Unfortunately I don't think he cares about the lives of everyone which is what Christ taught. I do see a paralel between Cheney and Simon Peter though...both mistake their enemy as something they can and should physically challenge. This perspective, in context with Christ's words and teachings, is completely erroneous.
Matthew 26:50-52
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
May we go into the world as living, breathing examples of peace.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment