Tweet
<span style="color: #CC0000">If they kill the cops in the morning</span>...
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
It would seem that we have become so inured to the daily murder toll that the killing of five policemen in 36 days, or one cop a week so far, has hardly brought a tear or ruffled a feather.
But as a nation, we had better awaken from our slumber. If policemen, who are expected to be armed and trained in the art of combat, stir no fear in our criminal gunmen, then it must truly be asked of whom will they be afraid?
Our law officers represent the final barrier between innocent law-abiding citizens and the lawless renegades who roam our streets so freely. While they roam and rampage, how can we go to bed with any sense of calm and security?
Until it is proven that policemen are killed for untoward activities, we must assume that they are killed because we have employed them and set them to watch over us. This is a job that is becoming more deadly every day. And it requires the backing and support of the entire family of Jamaicans.
We dare not leave our men and women alone on the front line of crime-fighting. It is clear that as a nation we have to do more to shore up our police force, especially at this time when their morale is bound to be low.
For that reason, we had expected that our national organisations would have jumped into action, would have been screaming bloody hell for action to end this attack on our state.
We had expected that our Government would have been mobilising our people to make a stand against these heartless villains, that our churches would have been doing more than praying, that our political parties would have been doing more than waiting for elections.
No one can disagree with the sentiment expressed by National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips on Sunday that the murder of the five cops is "untenable in any country where decent, law-abiding citizens make up the majority of the population".
The country must stand with our police force. The murder of members of our security forces is too painful a sacrfice for their families to bear alone.
This is a time for action. Not a time for sitting on the fence, playing politics, or for hoping that it will all go away. Because it will not.
If they come for the cops in the morning, they will come for the rest of us in the evening.
Thanks for coming, Serena, Venus
Their visit was all too short, but we are grateful to tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams who graced us with their presence for three days.
Jamaicans have shown their love for these two stars who have a phenomenal 13 Grand Slam titles between them. We hail them for the pride and joy they have brought to us as they slugged it out with the top women tennis players of the world.
Of course, we understand the disappointment of many, especially the little ones who attended the brief clinics, and who hankered for more from the stars, but they should also understand that these are people with hectic schedules and a little is better than nothing.
We also gather that the trip did not go as smoothly as hoped, but would like to encourage Mr Patrick Nelson of Visions Multimedia Incorporated (VMI) who hit upon a good idea, to try again.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
It would seem that we have become so inured to the daily murder toll that the killing of five policemen in 36 days, or one cop a week so far, has hardly brought a tear or ruffled a feather.
But as a nation, we had better awaken from our slumber. If policemen, who are expected to be armed and trained in the art of combat, stir no fear in our criminal gunmen, then it must truly be asked of whom will they be afraid?
Our law officers represent the final barrier between innocent law-abiding citizens and the lawless renegades who roam our streets so freely. While they roam and rampage, how can we go to bed with any sense of calm and security?
Until it is proven that policemen are killed for untoward activities, we must assume that they are killed because we have employed them and set them to watch over us. This is a job that is becoming more deadly every day. And it requires the backing and support of the entire family of Jamaicans.
We dare not leave our men and women alone on the front line of crime-fighting. It is clear that as a nation we have to do more to shore up our police force, especially at this time when their morale is bound to be low.
For that reason, we had expected that our national organisations would have jumped into action, would have been screaming bloody hell for action to end this attack on our state.
We had expected that our Government would have been mobilising our people to make a stand against these heartless villains, that our churches would have been doing more than praying, that our political parties would have been doing more than waiting for elections.
No one can disagree with the sentiment expressed by National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips on Sunday that the murder of the five cops is "untenable in any country where decent, law-abiding citizens make up the majority of the population".
The country must stand with our police force. The murder of members of our security forces is too painful a sacrfice for their families to bear alone.
This is a time for action. Not a time for sitting on the fence, playing politics, or for hoping that it will all go away. Because it will not.
If they come for the cops in the morning, they will come for the rest of us in the evening.
Thanks for coming, Serena, Venus
Their visit was all too short, but we are grateful to tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams who graced us with their presence for three days.
Jamaicans have shown their love for these two stars who have a phenomenal 13 Grand Slam titles between them. We hail them for the pride and joy they have brought to us as they slugged it out with the top women tennis players of the world.
Of course, we understand the disappointment of many, especially the little ones who attended the brief clinics, and who hankered for more from the stars, but they should also understand that these are people with hectic schedules and a little is better than nothing.
We also gather that the trip did not go as smoothly as hoped, but would like to encourage Mr Patrick Nelson of Visions Multimedia Incorporated (VMI) who hit upon a good idea, to try again.
Comment