Squidball and Housefly

it always feels more like a violation of your rights and your person when a traffic enforcer stops you for an honest mistake. driving into an unfamiliar area, not realizing it was a one-way street, we got stopped by a street patrol person just as we were about to make a u-turn and go back the way we came. he flags us, steps up to our window and tells us, counterflow po kayo. we didn’t see the sign, we reason, and there were no cars anyway. it was only 8 in the morning of a Sunday. he talks into his radio, saying, gusto mo bang ma-nicket? this housefly-look alike of a man with the wires of his dentures showing out the sides of his front teeth asks Bubba for his license just as his comrade (who suspiciously resembles the squidballs i have for merienda at the office) sputters in with his motorcycle. i tried to explain to squidball, plead, whine, but he wouldn’t hear of it, saying, ma’am, ignurance op dee loh... that’s all he said. he never finished his sentence. housefly man just snickered. Bubba said that’s all well and good, but you guys better do your job. He pointed out that when someone snatched my bag last year (which was near the area) he and his crew couldn’t do anything about it. Squidball says, ay, pulis matter pu yan. And Bubba pointed out, well aren’t you the police? You’re confiscating my license. The problem with you people is, you don’t go after the real criminals; you victimize the innocent and law-abiding citizens like us.

which was true, really. they charge us with recklessness but they don’t go after the thieves, the muggers, the rapists. they prey on those who pay their taxes on time, stop at the red light, and return excess change. it’s a symptom of how sick the system in this country is. just do anything, just for show, just so you’ll feel superior. take advantage of those who try to follow your rules. we can change it anytime and they’ll be at our mercy. that’s how the law works here. whatever’s convenient for those who are in power is what will be carried out.

how can you live in a country like that? how can you grow, practice your rights and make your nation a better place? they won’t let us. they’ll just get what they need from us: their quota of catches for the day, so they’ll have something to show for it at day’s end. no listening to reason. no explanation accepted. no compassion or consideration. ignurance op dee loh is not a useful argument. we were going to turn back. that doesn’t make us ignorant. we realized it was a one-way street. that doesn’t make us ignorant. we know the law that’s why we were correcting our mistakes. but squidball and housefly man just ignored reason.

after all, with their “laws” to back them up, who needs reason? they can invoke their authority to hit me if they wanted to. there’s no need to listen and understand the people they’re supposed to be working for—us, the citizens. it looks like their job doesn’t require them to BE people themselves. just mindless robots of a rotten system eating itself from the inside out.