Should the citizens of this state elect to legalize marijuana, I want those who voted in favor of it ask themselves a few questions: You go in for surgery and you realize that your doctor smoked a big bong prior to cutting you. You good with that?

Your family is involved in an automobile accident, and the person who side swiped them was under the influence of marijuana. Maybe not under the influence enough to be charged, but their reflexes obviously weren’t what they should have been. The police officer looks at you and says, “sorry”. You good with that?

Maybe your mother is placed into a nursing home and her nurse shoots out back and tokes a joint during her break because she can. You good with that?

We reap what we sow, and I encourage people to think of similar situations and ask themselves if they want the person helping them to be a marijuana user. Maybe it is your accountant, day care provider, or builder. Is that what we have come to as a nation?

Once it is legal, we are essentially telling our children it is completely acceptable. Nice message to send. Once it is legal, there is no taking it back. You won’t unring that bell, and down the slippery slope we slide.

The ACLU will get involved and support the tokers who are “descriminated” against because they can’t get a certain job because they smoke. That is already happening with medicinal marijuana patients.

I encourage people to think this issue through completely. We rushed through a medicinal marijuana bill that is not being used as intended, and legalizing it will not be beneficial to anyone other than those who need to get high to get by!

Some suggest we tax it. Are there things we can tax other than illicit drugs. Will that eliminate the illegal drug trafficking? Of course not! The traffickers will simply reduce their price or add things like LSD to make it more potent. I repeat, we reap what we sow!

As we progress through life, the mental attitude that we maintain has a lot to do with our successes and failures. If we believe we can achieve something, we probably can. If we have self-doubt, we often wallow in self pity and manufacture reasons and excuses why we probably won’t.

I lacked the necessary belief in myself when I was younger, and I’m convinced that limited my options as they related to career choices. Don’t get me wrong, I have no regrets, but if I can encourage others to “BELIEVE” at a younger age I’ll do it.

We have a responsibility as parents, friends, mentors, and leaders to empower our youth and get them to believe in their own potential. We have to explain that if they want more, they have to earn more. Let them fail and show them how to get back up.

I’ll admit that it is difficult to encourage hard work when so many get so much for doing so little, but let us remember what we can control! You can influence those around you by leading by example. Work ethic, dedication, and true belief in one’s self can be catchy.

Perhaps if we all encourage our youth and give them the opportunity to succeed, we can move from Generation Y (why?) to Generation How. Believe it can happen and maybe it will. Without belief we have no hope, and without hope we have nothing at all…..

Police officers see what is right and wrong with society because we are embedded with society. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly. We see abuses and are expected to halt them. We are expected to be referees, counselors, mediators, mothers, fathers, and babysitters.

Like politicians, we are expected to make tough decisions and we are usually criticized for making them. We can be correct, but we’re not always “politically” correct. Police officers see the world through unfiltered glasses, and we care more about right and wrong than political affiliations. We are expected to solve problems and find innovative ways to do so in a matter of minutes.

We don’t overthink things, we think things through. We try to use common sense instead of rallying around a common cause. We find ways to compromise without compromising our principals. For these reasons and more, I think that police officers would make great politicians.

Here is the flip side. Cops put the lives of others ahead of their own, and their interests take a back seat to those of the public they serve. Cops don’t do what they do for the money, or make decisions based on how it could effect their re-election. Their moral fiber trumps the morale of their party.

There are certainly some political figures who serve their constituents well, and hold office for the right reasons. Unfortunately, those folks are rare in today’s society. Cops expect people to be held accountable for their actions, and they favor a hand up over a handout.

I think police officers have the tools to hold political office, but I’m not convinced they have the stomach to hold it for long. What are your thoughts?

Should you be charged with a crime, you have the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. That may not be the case in some other countries. You have the right to an attorney, the right to remain silent, the right to face your accuser, and the right to appeal if you’re found guilty. Hell, you have so many more rights than the victim of your crime.

Crimes come and go like the ocean tides. It used to be illegal to possess alcohol but legal to possess drugs that are now considered to be illicit. Go figure? We have to decide as a community, state, and/or country what we find to be acceptable. We also have to decide what crimes are punishable by jail or prison. How can we raise our children and tell them something is bad when “society” tells us it is OK? We can’t incarcerate everyone, but some people we must to protect the innocent.

Those within the criminal justice system are tasked with interpreting, enforcing, and managing the laws that others hand down. When certain crimes are minimized, our stability is threatened and more chaos is imminent. What crimes should people go to jail for? You tell me.

There is interest in the law enforcement community because the laws related to this issue are quite ambiguous. The state says possessing the marijuana is legal, but the federal government has laws to the contrary. We are faced with ethical questions that nobody seems to have answers to.

The state tells me that you can legally have the marijuana, but the federal laws prohibit me from giving it back to you once I am in possession of it. Do I knowingly break the federal law so you can keep your state “authorized” illicit drug?

Very little thought was put into this law and even less oversight is being applied. There are more questions than answers and that does not make for an even playing field. I am bound to enforce the laws, but shouldn’t they have some clarity and purpose?

The general public doesn’t know this law has issues, but there is certainly compounding interest. The marijuana growers are interested in making a profit; the police are interested in how to deal with it, and the courts are interested in the legal rulings that are bound to come soon. Does anyone have the interest or the willingness to fix it?

Once upon a time, people in this country were expected to scatch, claw, and often actually sweat to provide for themselves and their family. Fathers made meager wages and lived a meager lifestyle. Mothers often stayed home to raise their children and accepted the fact that money would be tight. The American Dream was the opportunity to move up the social and economic ladder if one was willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices.

Pe0ple fought for what they had, and they maintained an inner pride that comes from perserverance, dedication, and persistance. Poverty existed, but neighbors helped neighbors and folks just found a way to get by. It wasn’t always easy, but is life always supposed to be?

Once upon a time, people came to this country to pursue the American Dream, not simply be handed it. Once upon a time, it was shameful not to perform some type of work for pay, but not anymore. It has become acceptable to stay home, collect a check offered by the state, and have no shame to go along with the lack of ambition. Those who can should, and those who can’t should be supported.

Once upon a time the word respect meant something. The rules have changed, the laws have changed, and we have gone from correct and incorrect to political correctness. There are so many things we want to say, but we just can’t.

We make technological advances that baffle the mind, yet we don’t look each other in the eye when we shake hands. Once upon a time your word meant something, but now we take our issues to court. Once upon a time there were men and women who build this country brick by brick. What would they think of what we have become today?

Those who refuse to learn from the past are doomed to make the same mistakes in the future. I vote for less entitlement, more opportunity, and a never ending desire to succeed. Once upon a time was not that long ago!

I loved the freedom and flexibility I was afforded, but I would like to think I didn’t abuse either. I put the job ahead of everything else and that almost cost me dearly. I was playing a big boy’s game that I felt I had to win.

Drug work afforded me the opportunity to grow as an officer and a man, but more than that, I learned the true cost of addiction. How it affects the addict, their family, friends, and anyone in their immediate circle. I learned that the war on drugs will never be won, but realize those small battles must continue to be fought for the sake of the next generation. I know that demand drives supply and one won’t exist without the other.

I believe a three-pronged approach is the only way to put a dent in the drug trade; education, rehabilitation, and enforcement. If these prongs were holding up a stool, it would fall over if one prong were to break.

Those brave folks who are conducting drug investigations today should be applauded for their extreme dedication. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency is forced to do more with less due to shrinking budgets, but you will hear no complaints, nor appeals for appreciation. They just do what they do because they know it must be done. The drug problem is a community problem. Don’t be afraid to get involved, speak your mind, and help make tomorrow a better and safer place!

Steve

We have become two countries, both acting like bickering siblings who can never get along. The Democrats want bigger government with more liberal individual oversight, and the Republicans want smaller government with more freedoms. Who is to say which party is correct? How about neither of them? Heaven forbid we compromise!

For 21 years I was blessed to be the President of the Maine Association of Police. MAP is the largest police organization in the state and we represent over 50 individual police associations across the state. We had to make decisions that would impact bargaining, arbitrations, our budget, and often individual careers. I’m sure that when the board sat around a table making these decisions we never polled the crowd to determine the political affiliations present.

We tried to make decisions based on what was right, what was fair, and what was in the best interest of the association. Novel approach I assume. I am so proud of my time with MAP and I wish some politicians would stop by a meeting and see how to infuse common sense into the decision making process. 

I may actually support a candidate running to take Snowe’s seat in the Senate, but I need to find that person who exudes confidence, common sense, and the willingness to find common ground. I sure hope they’re out there! I’ll let you know if I find

If you think you know such a person, please e-mail me at onepromisekept@gmail.com.  Tell me a story and explain why you think your person is the definition of courage. One catch, I need to be able to talk to the person you’re writing me about. Please share this post with all of your fb friends. I will check out the submissions I receive and ultimately decide who to interview. I believe in certain words such as integrity, determination, leadership, and sacrifice, but we begin with courageous. This could be the beginning of something great??? It will only happen with your help. Thanks

Steve

There are those who work hard and appreciate all that they have. They understand how lucky they are to be living in the land of the free. Those people will sustain us in the future. Unfortunately, there is a flip side to that coin. We have also become the land of entitlement. Those immigrants who landed here years ago struggled to survive and put food on the table. They didn’t ask for help, they made their own way and found ways to cook the same food several different ways. It was a struggle, but they counted their blessings.

There are still people who struggle, but that hand up has become a never ending hand out. Can someone explain to me how a family who depends on assistance from the government can afford a large flatscreen TV and cable? Kids who receive free or reduced lunch at school wear $200 sneakers and have an I-phone. Note: did you know that some school districts have 75 to 80% of their students getting free or reduced lunches?) We now give people debit cards and the use of those cards are not scrutinized. If there is abuse, there are few consequences.

There is no stigma attached to receiving government benefits, and some who receive them act as if they are entitled to them. We make it too easy for those who can work to stay home and get free money. I find it hard to believe that our founding fathers intended us to end up this way.

People must start accepting responsibility for their actions and they must be held accountable. We must protect the children and support the elderly. If those who can work do, those resources could be directed to those who really need them. We need to get back to the basics and give people an opportunity to succeed. If they pass on that opportunity, that is their problem.

I live in the greatest country on earth, and I’m proud to say I’m an American. In order to have any chance of sustaining what we have, attitudes, perceptions, and expectations much be altered. You are entitled to life, liberty, and opportunity; not a free handout. I have a strange feeling that young child who held his hand over his heart is going to turn out just fine. He gets it while others don’t.