The Ultimate Sacrifice: Killed in the Line of Duty

[Katherine Brengle]

Some new additions:

Detective Keith Dressel,age 35. 14 year veteran of the Toledo Police force, was shot and killed on February 21, 2007 after he and his partner interrupted a drug deal.

Survived by his wife and two young children.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=6117576


Officer Anthony Holly, age 24, shot to death during a traffic stop.

Survived by his girlfriend, parents, brother, and stepsister.

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6110267&nav=HMO6


Officer Daniel Browne-Sanchez, age 27, shot to death while attempting to subdue an armed robber while he was off duty - he died trying to protect others even while he wasn't required to.

Survived by his mother.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/02/12/news/story01.html

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Not all police officers are good people. Not all soldiers are good people. Not all politicians are good people. Not all teachers are good people. Not all parents are good people.

Not all people with power are good people. But in the end, most people are good. And most people try to live their lives doing the right thing.

Please don't lose sight of that just because a police officer kills someone, or a soldier tortures someone, or a politician lies, or a teacher rapes, or a parent murders...

Most of US don't. Most of them don't.

And some of them do pay the ultimate price to keep you and me safe. Focusing only on the bad makes that sacrifice cheap and meaningless.

Pay attention to abuses of power. Do everything in your power to check theirs, and always question authority. Just keep in mind that these people are human just like you and me.

[atreides1]

1. Some do pay the ultimate price

But unfortunately we don't know what they did before that price was paid, did a police officer look the other way when a fellow officer did something wrong, did a soldier fail to report an atrocity that he witnessed?

Maybe they did nothing at all and are truly innocent, but we will never really know will we?

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who do nothing...." Albert Einstein

[genie_weenie]

2. Are you kidding?

What a comment: "did a police officer look the other way when a fellow officer did something wrong, did a soldier fail to report an atrocity that he witnessed?

Maybe they did nothing at all and are truly innocent, but we will never really know will we?"

After all we all *know* a priori those people are lacking some fundamental qualities and are raping and murdering at will.

[hfojvt]

3. None of us are truly innocent, but we are a mix of good and bad

Most of us do not volunteer to do the dirtiest and most dangerous work for any amount of money.

In spite of what Einstein said, I think the people doing evil are still more responsible than those who do nothing.