Behind the badge
Law enforcement officers are often seen only through the lens of the uniform they wear. Before the badge is pinned on and the shift begins, they’re people just like everyone else. They wake up early, tie their shoes and drink coffee before heading out the door.
The difference is that when law enforcement officers leave for work, they do so knowing there’s a chance they may not come home. They step into uncertainty by responding to unpredictable situations and placing themselves in harm’s way to protect others. It’s a reality that demands courage, strength and sacrifice.
Jan. 9 marked National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a time to pause and recognize the individuals behind the badge, an opportunity to remember that those who serve are not just law enforcement officers but parents, spouses, children, friends and neighbors.
There are many ways to show appreciation for law enforcement officers in your community, including:
● Sharing a positive story about the role of law enforcement in your community.
● Posting on social media using #BackTheBlue or #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay.
● Sending thank-you cards or notes to your local department.
A genuine thank you, a kind word or a brief conversation can go a long way in reminding law enforcement officers that their service is seen and appreciated.
On behalf of Pennsylvania’s law enforcement community, we encourage everyone to take a moment to recognize the people behind the badge and thank them for the risks they take to keep our communities safe.
Joseph Regan
Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Lodge
Keep sewage out of the creek
I live near Pennypack Park, and I enjoy walking in the park for recreation, exercise and to enjoy nature. Part of the enjoyment is walking next to the creek in the park – the only slow-moving body of water that I know. Sometimes when walking I see sewage in the creek. This is not good for the environment and enjoyment of the park.
On far too many days, the Philadelphia Water Department has allowed huge amounts of raw sewage to empty into our waterways. In various areas of the Pennypack Creek, there can be up to 125.7 million gallons of raw sewage released up to 36 times per year. This harms our environment, prevents the public from having a safe place to fish and boat, and causes illness to both people and wildlife.
The solution, per a recent study by Penn Environment, is for the Philadelphia Water Department to rein in their combined sewage overflows. PWD needs to dramatically increase its efforts to keep our local rivers and creeks clean by investing in infrastructure to prevent these overflows. This would ensure a cleaner, more beautiful, more healthy park for all our citizens.
Judith Kotler
Rhawnhurst
Avoidable confrontation
Maybe there wouldn’t be a Jan. 6 plaque if Pelosi would have approved the use of the National Guard. The additional enforcement wouldn’t have left the Capitol Police out to dry. When is the liberal media going to admit this? It’s common knowledge just like only one person died that day. You know the one who was shot by the overworked Capitol Police.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
Terrible Tim
Why is it that all the Never MAGA-Trumpers always complain how terrible of a job Trump is doing, but they never criticize the actions of their own party.
Sunny Hostin of The View compared the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to be “an atrocity and one of the worst moments in American history,” but never acknowledges that the summer of the George Floyd riots was an atrocity in itself, especially in Minneapolis, when 700 buildings were damaged, burned or destroyed that included 360 local businesses, causing an estimated $55 million in damages.
Wasn’t it Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor at the time, who allowed the riots to happen, all for the sake of the people to have the right to a “peaceful protest,” but instead allowed extreme destruction to happen and did nothing to stop it by dissing Trump’s National Guard.
So now Sunny Hostin is completely ignorant to the fact that the real atrocity today is the billion-dollar fraud scam that gave away billions of dollars to Somalians in Minnesota, by yours truly, the one and only, Gov. Tim “The Thief” Walz.
I would definitely say that this is the worst moment in American history when our own American citizens were deliberately ripped off by Benedict Arnold Gov. Walz.
Some VP pick from the fraudster herself, Kamala Harris, who herself left the DNC billion dollars in debt.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota: You stole our money.
While Congress is battling over Social Security benefits for the much-needed senior citizens that’s supposedly going to run out in 2030, that billion could have gone to rescue the millions of senior citizens who rely on their monthly checks to survive. Not only did he steal from child care, Walz stole from grandma.
And I guess they don’t mind that Joe Biden will pocket his retirement pension of $500K, the largest paid out to any US president, for all his mishap years in office on the open borders, the debacle pullout of Afghanistan leaving highly expensive US military weapons behind and the death of our American soldiers, as well as squandering off billions to illegals who walked unopposed past open borders under the watch of a fake border czar Harris.
We the people, for the people, it’s time for all of us to cry out, “We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore.”
Al Ulus
Somerton
