I will not allow people to hijack my blog and transform it into their own personal billboard. After a number of people posted adverts (you being one of them), I said recently I will ban people who abuse my blog. I don’t mind if you comment on a post and add a reference to something else in closing or in the signature, (note the words ‘reference’ and ‘in closing’) but you have simply posted a 2000 word article promoting your commercial venture.

If I went onto an engineering blog and posted a couple of chapters of my thriller, I wouldn’t be upset or surprised if it was deleted and I was banned. Why do you think your comment is acceptable here?

At the right time, in the right place, such a comment - IF far more concise AND far less of a sales pitch - would be welcome, but if this happens again, you will be banned. Final warning.

I do NOT appreciate my time being wasted!
Steve

I couldn’t agree with this article more, if I had written it myself.

I too was a victim of a crime…I received a threat on my life. I called our emergency Police telephone number. It took the Police 3 days to show up at my office. In the meantime, I had to have someone with me every day.

I asked our infamous Boys in Blue why they were showing up 3 days after the incident considering that I could have been dead already. I asked if they had arrived to attend my memorial.

They weren’t very impressed with my sarcastic remarks and were threatening to take me into custody until I reminded them that in Canada, I am still allowed freedom of speech. It is not against the law to speak my mind but it is against the law to threaten to kill someone. I informed them that they should be taking the individual who first threatened me into custody and to stop wasting my time. After this statement, they took down the particulars and left. I never did hear of the outcome.

My husband says that the following is now revelant in our so called free society “We are free to do as we are told.”

With much respect,
Sue

The issues, though, should not be clouded by whether I should or should not have kicked the car. The issues are:
1) that I had my rights denied
2) that property is often thought more important than human life/safety
3) that is we agree human rights are paramount, then shouldn’t that apply to every one, not just our neighbours and countrymen.

Thanks for adding to the conversation and for your concern, Denise.

Tim, we’ve spoken of these matters before, haven’t we? And while it saddens me to imagine all the anguish and heartache you must have gone through, it amazes, and heartens, me to hear you describe all the positives it has brought to your life. If only other people could be so philosophical in such situations. Indeed, many would probably just step under a bus without even trying!

You obviously a very special mindset to have survived such circumstances and come out a better person. I doff my cap to you, my friend. I hope others can glean something positive from your experiences if they are suffering hardship at the moment.

Thanks for sharing, Tim.

You’re spot on, Nikolas. There is no justice except that which can protect the interests of those who ‘have’ compared to those who ‘have not’. And no guesses for who has the most to have the most influence! Yep, you nailed that one, my friend.

Yes, England might have birthed modern democracry and rights, but it’s sadly going backwards nowadays. We don’t have anything like The Patriot Act, but things still aren’t too good - as you’ve gathered from my post. The reasons are manifold - too many to mention here so may be fodder for a follow-up post. Suffice it to say that statistics and targets, together with today’s dumbed-down consumer worshipping society do not make a just world. But then you obviously don’t need me to tell you that.

Thanks for adding your thoughts, Nikolas.

Steve

To address the point you’re making, with which I heartily agree; Money, the pursuit of money, the protection of one’s money, the worship of ‘things’……yes, this is what causes the vast majority of the evil that takes place in this world. The apostle Paul said it is “the love of money” that is “the root of all evil”.

It was a bit over 18 months ago when I had my life wiped out….or so I thought at the time. I lost my health, my mother passed away, I lost my career as a chef (too sick to work), I lost my house and damned-near everything in it, I lost my car and my driver’s license (too sick to drive). I’m surviving on the kindness of friends, but primarily the grace of God.
After I’d lost all those ‘things’ and all that ’stuff’, I discovered that the materialistic part of me had gone. It has been replaced by a deep hunger for spiritual things. The tiniest things mean so much to me, because I have so little. I have learned what is REALLY important in life, and those things are not tangible; love, peace, joy, contentment, laughter; caring for others, being a help to someone else, just listening to someone, on the phone, when they’re going through something troublesome or difficult. I have so little, but there is so much I can do, and it doesn’t cost a penny.

If people could put everyone else ahead of themselves, and stop living their lives “Me First!”, this would be such a wonderful and peaceful world.

Brightest Blessings to all,
and a Warm, Happy, Joyous
Holiday Season!
Tim )O(

I hope you report your treatment, as maybe you can get some sort of compensation for th epolice going against what was in that leaflet, i.e., the law.

Yes, Dave, I’m sure that’s part of the problem. And I’m sure my case isn’t an isolated one.

I suppose there were other ways I could have dealt with the situation, yes, except they would all have involved me turning a blind eye to a dangerous driver who refused to accept responsibility for what she’d done. Anyone whose read my blog before knows that was never going to happen.

And why should people be allowed to get away with such things? It makes the world more dangerous for all of us.

Alternatives?

The police wouldn’t have been interested as I wasn’t hurt - though my knee has been playing up since.

A civil case would’ve been extremely costly and I had no witnesses anyway.

And let’s face it, I didn’t assault her, only a piece of metal.

Like I told the police - her car him me; I hit her car. Where’s the problem?

But of course the problem is that I damaged property, and property is all important as it’s much harder to replace than a human life!

Thanks for your taking the time to share your insight into police life, Dave.
Steve

In England pedestrians have right of way, too. Many motorists, however, are very busy people who can’t have their lives hampered by such technicalities as the fact they might kill someone by running them over. As you’ve seen from my story, the police don’t think too highly of that law either!

The thing is, if the law doesn’t protect you, the authorities shouldn’t blame you if you then take the law into your own hands. Sadly, they do. They forget you are the real victim. As in your case, not punishing those responsible only adds to your injury and makes you an even bigger victim. It’s awful what the criminal element of society is allowed to get away with. Awful.

Thanks for contributing what must be a very upsetting personal tale, Kim.

Arlette, that’s a horrendous story!

Years ago I was arrested for something I hadn’t done just because, like you, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, so I know just how you must have felt.

And for those who don’t know - the police don’t really care they’ve got the wrong person. There’s no great apology, remorse, or compensation. Oh no, they’re only interested in results to further their personal careers or to meet the targets they’ve been set and present a nice set of statistics to their bosses. If they arrest the wrong person, then it’s simply part of the job - like a secretary putting a document in the wrong file or a store clerk giving someone the wrong change. They really are so blase about it.

I’m glad to hear that you took something positive from the experience, Arlette. If you dig deep enough for long enough, there’s usually something you can take away from most unpleasant episodes.

Thanks for sharing your story. And I’m pleased your employers were sympathetic.

Thanks both of you,
Steve

Your experience unfortunately is much more common that people might imagine. I consulted years ago for a County Sheriff Dept. and found that officers often take their frustrations of the criminal justice system out on many who they arrest. The thinking is that they are guilty or they wouldn’t have been arrested.

Having said that, I think you also need to take some responsibility for your reaction of kicking the car. I understand the reaction all to well as I actually kidked a car once myself that just missed hitting me while I was crossing the street in a cross walk.

Though I was never arrested for that incident like you I have come to see that it was not the best reaction to the situation and in today’s world could have easily escalated to something much worse. Unlike you I was fortunate enough to have two brothers with me who witnessed the car almost hitting me where you seemed to have been alone with the impossible situation of explaining why you were kicking this woman’s car.

Your insights on the arrest are helpful. I think equally helpful might be the insight that there may have been a better way for you to respond to the situation.

Dave Randle