My guess is that Paul Harvey could not write that little ditty today with same level of enthusiasm, knowing what we know now about the American police culture, the Minneapolis force being shamefully among the worst. It is the one part of this great city of yours we must all fear.
Harvey's piece was written over 50 years ago. Even then, he knew he was underestimating the corruption and violence behind the Blue Curtain, protected by the best to preserve the worst. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul -------- > From: "Mike Nelson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 00:08:38 -0600 > To: "gemgram" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Anne McCandless" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Community > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "gemgram" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> I think we, as a community, cannot tolerate either police misconduct > or the >> false accusations that seem to be so prevalent. > > Well said, Jim. > MN here, with something I heard on the radio recently. It appears to > have been written some time ago, as I haven't heard the Police called > "fuzz" in at least thirty years. > > What Are Policemen Made Of? > By Paul Harvey > Don't credit me with the mongrel prose: it has many parents-at least > 420,000 of them: Policemen. > > A Policeman is a composite of what all men are, mingling of a saint > and sinner, dust and deity. > > Gulled statistics wave the fan over the stinkers, underscore instances > of dishonesty and brutality because they are "new". What they really > mean is that they are exceptional , unusual, not commonplace. > > Buried under the frost is the fact: Less than one-half of one percent > of policemen misfit the uniform. That's a better average than you'd > find among clergy! > > What is a policeman made of? He, of all men, is once the most needed > and the most unwanted. He's a strangely nameless creature who is "sir" > to his face and "fuzz" to his back > > He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between > individuals so that each will think he won. > > But... > If the policeman is neat, he's conceited; if he's careless, he's a > bum. If he's pleasant, he's flirting;if not, he's a grouch. > > He must make an instant decision which would require months for a > lawyer to make. > > But... > If he hurries, he's careless; if he's deliberate, he's lazy. He must > be first to an accident and infallible with his diagnosis. He must be > able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and, above all, be > sure the victim goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued. > > The police officer must know every gun, draw on the run, and hit where > it doesn't hurt.He must be able to whip two men twice his size and > half his age without damaging his uniform and without being "brutal". > If you hit him, he's a coward. If he hits you, he's a bully. > > A policeman must know everything-and not tell. He must know where all > the sin is and not partake. > > A policeman must, from a single strand of hair, be able to describe > the crime, the weapon and the criminal- and tell you where the > criminal is hiding. > > But... > If he catches the criminal, he's lucky; if he doesn't, he's a dunce. > If he gets promoted, he has political pull; if he doesn't, he's a > dullard. The policeman must chase a bum lead to a dead-end, stake out > ten nights to tag one witness who saw it happen-but refused to > remember. > > The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough > guy and a gentleman. > > And, of course, he'd have to be genius.... > For he will have to feed a family on a policeman's salary. > > Good Day > Mike Nelson > Central > > REMINDERS: > 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
