Dear Editor: “In Valor there is Hope”
“In Valor there is Hope”
America is unique in the world because Americans are law abiding. We are a country that is defined by the rule of law. Law-abiding citizens are considered good and honest.
Not all people have our best interest or the common good at heart.
Standing in the winds of conflict, the barrier between good and evil, the harbingers of peace and tranquility are our peace officers. It is a monumentally difficult job to communicate effectively among so many cultures, levels of education, races and religions and to accomplish the many responsibilities and tasks we ask of them. And we just give them more to do with less. How can they win? How can we win if they can’t. And frankly, there is no situation or justifiable argument for any citizen of worthy character to gloat, cheer for, or facilitate the failure of our first responders in their mission to win. They have to be given the tools, the training, resources and the support to win — every day — to remove bad guys from the better good, and to maintain the peace and tranquility — lest we decay into chaos.
There are so many stories I could tell about cops who went way beyond what is expected of them to make a difference — and there was the time that we had a serial burglar breaking into occupied houses every night or two — people awakening to a predator standing in their bedroom. Even off duty cops came to work, riding their bicycles around town just for a chance to catch him.
When a Chief of Police plans to hire new cops — it’s one of the most strategically important things he can do for the long-term welfare of a community. The selection process is arduous — sometimes taking months to complete. Law Enforcement leaders will seek to hire the smartest, most enthusiastic, motivated, honest, courageous, empathetic and compassionate candidates that can be found.
In all organizations, including Law Enforcement, it only takes one bad apple in the bunch to make all the good ones and the good work go unnoticed.
There is nothing more important in policing than motivation and enthusiasm. Yet my friends, these are strange and challenging times. And always, when politicians tell the Police how to do their job, or worse, to not do their job, it seldom goes well.
Why in San Marcos would any city councilman adopt the leftist agenda to villainize our police? Why would you take the tools of discretion away from the policeman’s tool box? And most importantly, why would you do anything that demoralizes the Esprit De Corp of our champions?
“A Texan wanted to buy a dog – the meanest, fightenist, most loyal dog he could find. He searched high and low and finally found the dogs of his dreams with a breeder in Louisiana. When he walked in the door, sitting on the living room floor was the most beautiful dog he’d ever seem. He went to the kennel and looked at the dogs, but all he could think about was the dog he’d seen on the living room floor. Tell be about the dog in the house, he said. In a Cajun drawl – "That was my best dog. He was the meanest, fightenist most loyal dog I ever had – but I screwed with him, and screwed with him until finally one day, I broke his spirit. And once I broke his spirit, I couldn’t get him to do nothin'.”
Carl Deal
San Marcos
Dear Editor,
Our community is under attack by some partisan political players. This is evidenced by the passing of the “cite and release” ordinance by our city council. This ordinance was designed and written by a newly powerful local political group and it passed with the approval of four out of seven council members.
I believe this action taken by four elected officials is dangerous on its face. Some of the offenses covered in the ordinance are victimless but most (voyeurism, graffiti, theft, theft of service, criminal mischief, etc.) are not. This means the crime was interactive. Victims were involved. Until any of these four council members has walked a mile in the shoes of a law enforcement officer, they should not be able to specify a “field” response to any situation they could never understand. While no industry is void of “bad actors,” by and large our law enforcement officials are good, hard working folks who put their lives on the line every day they get up and put on the uniform.
Our first responders go through critical and detailed training. Being told how to act in the field by folks without that training should concern all of us. By doing so, they put any given officer in harm’s way at any time.
While I am in favor of “cite and release” options available to officers in the field, a mandate by council members, uneducated in the industry, is dangerous and possibly life threatening to our beloved folks in blue. Imagine our community with no law and order. It should scare all of us.
Sincerely,
Gary Germer Jr.
San Marcos
Editor,
In reference to the post office move to a bad to worst spot: It was rumored earlier on after Dick's Classic Car Museum closed, the U.S. Postal Service was interested in moving to that building. Having said that, there's plenty of room. It's a 5-acre tract of land. It would be the Taj Mahal of all post offices in Texas. Something San Marcos could be proud of. Just an idea. There's no need to go backward, the post office in San Marcos is not up to par for its residents' needs. To whomever makes those decisions.
Bob Warren
San Marcos
