Monday, October 5, 2015

Protecting the Protectors

Dan Patrick argues in an article published by Christopher Hooks on The Texas Observer titled, "Dan Patrick: Cops' Lives Matter Most of All", that the lives of the people who serve law enforcement matters most of all, just as the title points out. Patrick mentions in his article about the Shooting of Darren Goforth that occurred in Cypress, Texas in August 28th of this year. He argues that all lives matter to him and that he feels empathy for the cops that have died in shootings but he says, "All lives do matter and particularly law enforcement."

Patrick begins to contradict himself when he says that he cares for everyone's lives but that those who serve in law enforcement, their lives are even more important. I don't agree with Patrick wholeheartedly but I do understand his empathy for the cops' lives. The job of a law enforcer is not an easy one, specially because peoples' lives may sometimes rest in their hands and security completely and this can cause a great deal of pressure and stress. Although this is acknowledged, Patrick should understand that the law enforcers knew what they were signing up for when they chose to be a police officer as a career. This does not mean we should disregard their lives, but we can't treat theirs like the most important because everyone's lives mean something.

The publisher asks the audience in the first sentence of the article, "Who will protect the protectors?" To respond to that, I believe that it is the duty of the law enforcers to protect us and not have them being protected by some other entity, but if they can't protect themselves how will they protect others. Patrick is obviously upset that some people don't "understand that it's the bad guys who are the bad guys, not the good guys", as many people have come to criticize cops but he is making an assumption that a lot of people think this way with generalization, which makes it an invalid argument.

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