By the day, this country of ours is becoming more and more of a police palace. Not that I've been known to be the most innocent person in the world, but I, on numerous occasions, have been harassed by the police, when I wasn't doing anything illegal. It used to happen much more frequently, since I had lived in a suburban Connecticut town and I was a teenager. I guess I was an easy target for cops who had nothing to do. Now, I live in a semi-urban borough in New Jersey and most of the police force is too busy dealing with traffic and parking violations to pick on my 23-year-old self. A few weeks ago, however, I was standing outside in the rain, listening to my iPod (yes, in the rain) and I noticed a police car slowly creeping up the street with an officer at its wheel (and I have no better way to put this) "grilling" me. He crept farther up the street and pulled a u-turn. He then sped back down the street toward me and rolled down his window. He proceeded to ask me what I was doing and I explained that I was just standing. He couldn't understand why I would voluntarily stand in the rain."In the rain?" he asked, bewildered.
"Yeah." I was wondering why he had even stopped to ask me anything at all.
"Where do you live?" he asked, intrusively.
I knew I didn't legally have to respond to that question. I was not breaking the law, but I wanted him to feel retarded so I turned and pointed directly behind myself and condescendingly responded "Right there."
I know that the best thing to do in situations such as these is to just smile and say "Yes, officer. Would you like me to lick your balls now, officer? Yes, officer. I'd be delighted to, officer," but I have too big an ego for that. I know doing the opposite of this can lead to unjust but likely consequences, but I would love to receive that sympathy after being the guy who was arrested for standing outside his house in the rain. The media would have a field day with that.
Anyhow, he noticed I was being obnoxious. It wasn't as if I were trying to conceal that. After all, I wanted him to feel retarded. Realizing that I was probably the type of young fellow who knew his rights and probably knew more about law than he, the officer agreed to end this invasive interrogation and gave me a sinister look and said "All right. Don't get wet now."
Of course, I did not want to let him have the last word so I asked, very curiously, "Is that against the law?"
Knowing that he had a badge and I didn't and my response was due to my disgust at his overestimation and abuse of his vested power, he got out of the car and gave me the "I'm just trying to look out for the community" speech, which I mockingly nodded to.
This was not the topic I wanted to focus on today. The real topic, however, reminded me that I've been in situations in which officers of the "law" took advantage of their minimal, but still excessive, power. Just ask my friend Rob about the time I got thrown up against a car for smiling at an officer at 7-11.
Today, my sister told me that she had read a group of articles, one about a 4-year-old boy in Jackson, Ohio, who was possibly facing charges for shooting his babysitter with a shotgun. My first thought was that this was an accidental shooting. She proceeded to tell me that it was an act of revenge. Apparently, the babysitter inadvertently stepped on the boy's foot. The boy then threatened to shoot the babysitter. Though several people were present, no one took this boy seriously. After all, he was only 4 years old. This boy definitely meant business. He ran to the other room, went into a closet, grabbed a gun, opened a drawer, took out a shell, loaded the gun and fired it at the babysitter. I'm assuming the child knew what he was doing, but the fact remains that he is a 4-year-old. I later found out in the article that the police are debating whether or not the child should be charged. Babysitter Shot by Angry 4-Year-Old.
In another article, a 5-year-old girl was arrested for having a tantrum in her kindergarten class. I remember being in kindergarten and I remember committing far worse kindergarten crimes and the worst that ever happened to me was I'd have to take a visit to the Principal's office. If I had known I could be taken out in handcuffs, I'd first, refrain from ever doing anything wrong and secondly, I'd begin to wonder why they would even manufacture handcuffs in my size. Honestly, if police want to start infiltrating elementary schools, they should bring the Catholic schools up on charges for racketeering, extortion and money laundering. No one likes magazines enough to have magazine drives. Handcuffed 5-Year-Old Sparks Suit
Another article revealed that a 10-year-old girl in Ocala, Florida was brought up on weapons charges after bringing a steak knife to school to cut her steak during lunch. I understand there is this zero-tolerance policy in certain areas of the country, which state that no student is allowed to bring a knife to school. I understand that it is permitted to pack a plastic knife with your lunch in these zero-tolerance zones, but I will guarantee that anyone who tries to cut a steak with a plastic knife will feel like killing someone with it by the end of the day. Furthermore, I'm sure anything can be construed as a weapon. I've heard of a person spooning another's eyes out. Should little Timmy be escorted from his first grade class in handcuffs for trying to eat his yogurt? 10-Year-Old Arrested for Cutting Her Lunch with a Knife
A straight-A student, Allen Lee, 18, of Chicago, was arrested for "disorderly conduct" after completing a creative writing assignment, an assignment his teacher found to be disturbing. Students had expressed to the Chicago Tribune that the teacher had "encouraged students to express their emotions through writing." I found a reconstructed copy of Lee's homework assignment and I must admit that it was rather disturbing. What would literature be worth without disturbing the reader? Dr. Seuss was never brought up on charges, at least not for writing Green Eggs and Ham. I actually find that immensely more disturbing than Lee's work. Here is what his homework assignment said:
"Blood sex and Booze. Drugs Drugs Drugs are fun. Stab, Stab, Stab, S…t…a…b…, poke. "So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone…, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did." Umm, yeah, what to wright about…… I'm leaving to join the Marines and I really don't give a (obscenity) about my academics, so why does the only class that's complete Bull Shit, happen to be the only required class…enough said. The model citizen would stay around to vote in new board member to change the 4 years of English policy, but no one really stays around to vote for that kind of local crap, so whoever gets there name on the Ballet with a pretty face gets to do what the (obscenity) ever they want with local ordinance. A person is smart, but people are dumb selfish animals. We can't make rules for ourselves so we vote others to do it for us, but we can't even do that right, I meen seriously, Bush for President? And our other option was John Kerry who claimed to parktake in Vietnam Special Forces missions that haven't been declassified….(obscenity) Bull Shit. So Power Flower Super Mario. Pudge, hook, rot, dismember "Fresh Meat." Mostly new/young teachers are laid back, and cooperative with students as feedback and input into the curriculum and atmosphere. My current English teacher is a control freak intent on setting a gap between herself and her students like a 63 year old white male fortune 500 company CEO, and a illegal immigrant. If CG was a private catholic school, I could understand, but wtf is her problem. And baking brownies and rice crispies does not make up for it, way to try and justify yourself as a good teacher while underhandedly looking for complements on your cooking. No quarrel on you qualifications as a writer, but as a teacher, don't be surprised on inspiring the first cg shooting."
When I first read this, I was thinking 'Wow. Chicago must be really fucked up if this is the work of a straight-A student.' I then remembered reading Flowers for Algernon, in which the author writes in the first person perspective of a mentally retarded person. The author was actually, in fact, a genius. Whatever the case may be, all the kid was trying to do was complete a homework assignment as he had been instructed:
- Write nonstop for a set period of time.
- Do not make corrections as you write.
- Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, "I don't know what to write."
- Write whatever comes into your mind.
- Do not judge or censor what you are writing.
- If your free writing is neat and coherent, you probably haven't loosened up enough.
"Authors Note: This production of writing is done in the most accurate manner I can depict of the original writing. Grammar and spelling mistakes are included at the best accuracy possible. The first phrase in questions is in fact a Green Day song. The second reference to drugs is in relation to the schools history of drug problems. I am personally clean of all controlled substances. The statement in quotes is done so as a non personal statement as I would have done in reference to a character for a story. The reference to the gun P90 is from a video game, combined with a reference to necrophilia as a comment regarding a seriously messed up situation. A situation such as the rape of villagers during a raid by U.S. troops in Vietnam. I really do not care too much about by continuing academia as in relation to grades. I do however believe on continuing my personal education, and I am actually still working for my classes. My views on the graduation requirements explain themselves. The reference to Mario and Pudge( a DOTA character) are completely random as is this essay. The reference to a person being smart and people being dumb is based on a quote from "Men in Black." I generally do believe the public opinion is best. The rest of the essay is rather self explanatory, the main statement in question I have already released a comment online about. I request that all information I have released is read together, and nothing given separately or as an excerpt as the administration has seen fit to do.
On an additional note, I have completed the MEPS (Military Entry Processing Station) examinations, and yes a psychiatric evaluation is included in the process. If I'm qualified to defend the country, I believe I'm qualified to attend school."
If anything good came out of this, it's the excuse that high school students will have in that school for several years to come. If asked by their parents "Why didn't you study? Why didn't you do your homework?", they could always respond with "I didn't want to end up in jail. The way I divide my fractions might be disturbing to my teacher." THREAT LEVEL Prediction Comes True: Student Arrested for Creative Writing Essay
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