[StephenC]

Hi Agro 1!

I guess I'm one of those spineless enforcement officers you're talking to and I'm listening. After 25 years of spineless service to the people of the State of Michigan, I retired from the Michigan State Police as a First Lieutenant. I am now a spineless professional photographer about to order my first Cobra.

You know Agro 1, when I was a young trooper people like you used to puzzle me. I spent 25 years risking my life for people I didn't know. Whether it was driving through pouring rain or blinding snow to get to someone who had been injured or trying to comfort the parents of a teenager who I just told their son or daughter had been killed in a motor vehicle crash (I never found an answer when they asked "Why?), I always felt my chosen profession was an honorable one. I learned over the years that most people like you really don't harbor malice, they just don't understand the nature of law enforcement and the sacrifices it demands.

You see, the truth is that murderers, rapists, and terrorists aren't really all that common (at least in Michigan). And while most of us would have liked nothing better than to interact with these kind of folks and arrest them by the truckload, that just isn't reality. While our first mission is to protect and defend, we also are called on to spinelessly enforce the more mudane laws that "ensure the public good and order". Yes, these also include registration laws related to motor vehicles.

If you stop and think about what these spineless CHP officers were doing, you might realize that preventing fraud, investigating stolen car rings, and enforcing registration and safety laws within the replica car community benefits all of us. God forbid you ever need a spineless officer if you wrap that Cobra around a stationary object some day.

By the way, during my 25 years I watched far too many Michigan State Troopers laid to rest (please visit the Michigan State Police Fallen Trooper website). All were protecting the public and performing tasks that most people would never even try. All wanted to go home at the end of their shift and be with their loved ones. These did not make it.

Two troopers (Trooper Mahalik and Trooper Scott) were dear friends whom I miss and mourn every day. Visit our website, see how they died. You may call them spineless, and, if they were here today, both would smile, shake your hand, and forgive your ignorance. By the way, when I next see their widows or one of their children, I will tell them you said "Hi".

If you haven't been there, done that, and survived with honor, please be slow to judge those who have.

Best Wishes,

Steve C