TO AND FOR PEACE KEEPERS OF THE MILITARY AND ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AT ALL LEVELS AND ALL OF THOSE IN THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND ALL
WHO CARE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR WELFARE.
CHAPLAIN CORNER IS DEDICATED TO ALL PEACE KEEPERS, CURRENT AND
RETIRED, THOSE LIVING NOW... AND THOSE WHO HAVE PRECEDED US AND
PASSED ON FROM THIS EARTHLY SCENE. MY TERM PEACE KEEPER COVERS
ALL SECURITY, JAIL AND PRISON ATTENDANTS WHATEVER THE TITLE; LAW
ENFORCEMENT AT ALL LEVELS INCLUDING JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS;
MILITARY IN WHATEVER BRANCH; AND
THE SUPPORT SYSTEM PERSONNEL FOR ALL CATEGORIES IN WHATEVER
COUNTRY OF THIS WORLD YOU HAPPEN TO BE. YOU ARE VITAL TO OUR
WORLD AND MY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND I CARE GREATLY FOR AND
ABOUT YOU. YOU ARE THE MINISTERS OF RIGHTNESS IN THIS WORLD...
AND THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT COULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT YOU!!!
IN ADDITION IT IS FOR THE PEACE MAKERS OF THIS WORLD. SOMETIMES
THESE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE AS PEACE KEEPERS... SOMETIMES THEY ARE
NOT... BUT PEACE MAKERS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY AS
ARE PEACE KEEPERS NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT.
PRAYERS ARE SAID DAILY FOR ALL WHO HAVE REQUESTED MY PRAYERS...
FOR ALL FOR WHOM I HAVE PROMISED TO PRAY... FOR ALL FOR WHOM I HAVE
BEEN INSTRUCTED TO PRAY... FOR PEACE KEEPERS... FOR FIREFIGHTERS...
FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL PERSONNEL... DOCTORS... NURSES... TEACHERS...
COUNSELORS... AND ALL OF THE FAMILIES AND ALL OF THE LOVED ONES OF
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE... FOR LEADERS OF THE WORLD... LEADERS OF THE
CHURCH... AND FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPECIFIC NEEDS...
PLUS YOU ARE INCLUDED IF YOU ARE READING THIS MATERIAL.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<+>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
LOOKING AND SEEING...
This morning I was looking back over the past week... and the past career...
In the passage of all of the time and in the passage of the past week it is
obvious to me and to all who will look and see that most of the problems between
people, groups, governments, nations and the world hinge upon fundamental lacks
in our world... the lack of respect for the need for law and government... and
the lack of respect for those who must take the stand to enforce peace and safety
from it's most basic principles to the greatest demands that law and government
make upon us.
The most often manifestation of this lack of respect starts in the home... the
first place where every person should come into contact with basic law, government
and mutual respect. It begins when the respect and keeping of rules is not the
same for all family members... Or there are no rules at all except self indulgence.
If the family rule is dictatorial (whether by father or mother) and the same
rules of conduct and respect are not shown to all members of the family to and
by all other members of the family, a powerful resentment begins to take root
and grow. If the family leader does not follow rules of decency and respect
in their own conduct they will find it hard to enforce upon other family members
under their responsibility. If a father or mother is not willing to confess
that they have made mistakes and apologize, even to their children, they will
find it hard to force others under their authority to admit mistakes, apologize
and take responsibility for corrections. If children grow under this unevenly
applied system they will have a deep resentment for all authority figures from
school teachers to law enforcement and on through the whole system.
They become problems in the school system by being unruly and disruptive from
the beginning. The classic major attribute of these children is self interest
above all else. Nothing is as important TO THEM as self... to the destruction
and detriment of all other people... and the only people they can get along
well with is those people who submit to their dictation. It begins at home,
resisting any effort to control or direct them. Often they have a history of
conflict and disruption and, too often, wind up dead or in prison if nothing
gets their attention strongly enough to cause thought and change. Sometimes
they even gain notoriety as performers, writers and singers of songs... pushing
their rebellious, disruptive attitude of living... and being adored and worshipped
by others who want to follow the same self-centered path.
Every law enforcement officer must deal with this type of person from parking
tickets to breaking any law they want to violate. Their motto is "Do what you
want to do when you want to do it!" I grew up with a few of these. I have dealt
with millions of them in my 45 years in public service and in the business world.
Nothing ever controls such a person until they come into contact with someone
who is stronger, more powerful and physically, as well as authoritatively, capable
of enforcing the rules or dealing out consequences. In my career in peace keeping
many people have tested me to see just where I stood. Law Enforcement, courts
and corrections are the source of this combination of power that these citizens
will eventually have to deal with. Some will eventually conform and change...
Others will never conform and those usually die a violent death that ends a
comparatively short life. On the world stage it is a strong military power that
brings the destructive dictators into power so that they have the wherewithal
to control the lives of their subjects as the dictator pleases... Even to the
abuse and destruction of their own citizens... Until a stronger military power
intervenes and puts an end to the dictator and their power structure.
But putting and end to the power structure that abuses is not the whole answer.
When the power structure is ended it must be replaced with something better
or it will simply reproduce itself again from those citizens who resented the
previous rule and abuse.
Last night a couple of young people could not understand why they were not allowed
to be drunk and have a physical fight on a public city street. The attitude
was, we are a couple... we are in love... we had a disagreement... I was angry
so I hit him... She would not listen so I grabbed her... grabbing, jerking,
slugging, staggering... The man had no reliable memory... He could not give
the correct hotel name twice in a row... It was different every time he was
asked... She was inebriated but not nearly so badly as the man. It all started
because he had given improper, illegal attention to another female and ended
in the moving fighting battle that I observed as they proceeded along the sidewalk...
She wept when he was taken to jail... She was almost too bullheaded herself
and flirted very closely with going to jail herself. After he was transported
she then allowed other men (plural) to give her hands on, touching attention
rather than going into her hotel across the street as she had promised to do.
Another officer who had observed all of the process gave her an ultimatum, go
to your hotel or go to jail... She went to the hotel.
This week in my job as a Community Services Officer I had a couple of experiences
that reflect this attitude... Narrow street, barely two lanes of pavement...
No curbs... Grassy shoulders on both sides... Sign says "NO PARKING" with an
arrow pointing in both directions. In spite of all this there is a truck parked
on the pavement and has been there for several days.... Several local residents
were questioned to see if they knew who owned the truck and did he live on this
street... No one knew and the truck was registered someplace else across town...
Owner shows up and violently, verbally, threateningly resents receiving a ticket
for illegal parking... They only thing that calmed him was the threat of arrest
for disturbing the peace...
There was a similar incident with a beachgoer who stayed too long at the beach
and was parked beyond the posted time limit...
In all of these instances plus hundreds more that I have examined in my memory
this morning I find the same attribute manifest... "LEAVE ME ALONE... LET ME
DO WHAT I WANT TO DO... DON'T CORRECT ME... DON'T TROUBLE ME WITH RULES... DON'T
TROUBLE ME WITH LAWS... I WANT TO DO WHAT I WANT TO DO AND I OBJECT TO YOU DOING
ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!"
... Yet it is OK for me to take a position of danger and protect them if they
are in a motor vehicle crash... Or broken down on the highway... Or if someone
else hurts them or violates their rights in any way... It is all right with
them if I get run over as long as I am protecting them... It is all right if
I get their situation taken care of... Transfer gas to their
car that has run out of gas... Move their vehicle or get it towed to a repair
facility and give them a ride home.
People approach me on the resort strip where I work in a recognizable, well
marked chaplain uniform including a clergy collar. Why are chaplains here at
this late hour in front of these night spots? (I work until after 2 AM among
the crowds exiting the nightclubs) What is your job? When the understandable
answer is given they say, "Well, I never saw this anyplace else. Why do you
do it here?" No matter how much explanation is given they just cannot comprehend...
My job is peace and safety... (Every facet of my life reflects my love for peace
and safety). If I see someone doing something wrong that will lead to a conflict
with law I approach and explain the actions they are committing and the consequences
if they do not stop. Comply and get to enjoy the rest of your evening... Resist
and be dealt with according to law... Which would you choose?... Mercy or Justice?
Most choose Mercy... A few choose Justice... Then I stand between the officer
and the crowd, facing the crowd and protecting the officer until the action
is finished and the problem resolved... if the officer does not need my hands
on assistance.
When a violator objects to a ticket and will not calm I call for assistance...
(Assistance by multiple police units is a display of the power to bring peace
and overcome the unlawful activity... And it is necessary in a society that
must be governed by a system of laws and enforcement of those laws when citizens
do not voluntarily comply with the laws.)
Peace Keepers, you all have dealt with this attitude no matter what uniform
you wear or have worn. Many clergy that are not chaplains to peace keepers face
the same thing in the operation of their places of worship. Even the places
where peace and safety are preached to educate and guide people who need the
information and desire being there are not immune to actions and attitudes of
self-centeredness and disruption. I carry a legal code section in my bible that
states the leader of a worship place has the authority to remove any person
who causes disruption and will not be calmed... and has the right to seek whatever
assistance that is needed to accomplish the task. In a few places and a few
times I have had to read this law to an assembly in order to restore peace.
Peace Keepers, you understand that we do a very demanding and full job that
is necessary and vital.
Law enforcement... from parking tickets... to warnings for violations in order
to educate individuals... to investigations and apprehensions of perpetrators
of heinous crimes...
to incarceration... to trials... to sentencing and the carrying out of that
sentence, whether incarceration or death... IS OUR METHOD OF KEEPING PEACE AND
SAFETY IN OUR HOMELAND. Even the things that seem insignificant and do not matter
at the moment will accumulate into something else if not handled in the manner
available to us of warning, educating, charging or arresting... Whatever the
observed situation needs within the choices available to us... But never ignoring
an observed violation. Ignored violation make a person involved think that since
this is not important enough to be dealt with, maybe I can get away with other
things also.
Military and Contractors... Peace and Safety are your major commodities... Those
are the major reasons for your positions... PEACE AND SAFETY for numbers of
people from one... to hundreds... to thousands... to hundreds of thousands...
to millions and beyond... Some orders seem frivolous and silly... But every
lawful order has a purpose... And the ultimate purpose is always Peace and Safety.
There are no insignificant cogs on the gear wheel!... and each of us is a cog
on the gear wheel of life in this world. Each of us counts in the grand scheme
of life. Function at your best and we will be able to handle the task.
Peace Keepers, thank you for who you are and for what you do... Peace Makers,
thank you for who you are and for what you do... There would be no life in this
world as we know it today if it were not for people like you doing your jobs
as best you are able where you are... My Commander-In-Chief and I do so very
deeply appreciate your efforts... ETERNALLY WE THANK YOU!... And this appreciation
applies to all of those listed anywhere in the intro at the beginning of this
message.
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" Forever be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary!!! Take
the very best possible care of you as you care for and about others. See to
the strength and power of your spiritual welfare. It must be strong for you
to succeed and survive.
Call or write if I may be of any assistance.
As it has always been... So it still is!
"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu
ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!
WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job...
it means
doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties
to get
the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring
peace...
it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow
anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it
means that if
the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the
process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the
rest to God
or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection
of all
the things and people that we hold dear.]
I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and the Holy Spirit of
God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
VIRGINIA STATE POLICE ALUMNI,
RETIRED Police Officer, Certified Police Instructor,
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
=================================================
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