Back in The Saddle

So, back in July while I was in what a friend likes to call "Blog Rot" I was on my way to work which takes me up this windy on-ramp that has you merge with the left lane, a.k.a. the "fast" lane on the freeway, so as you can imagine we move along this ramp at a crawl. This is not a scenic drive, and the ground immediately off the road is steep and tucked under the freeway above, which we are all trying to get to. It's also the area where homeless souls sleep off the troubles of their day. Needless to say it gets pretty trashy and a couple of times per year individuals who are participating in public service at the direction of the Corrections Department do some yard work.


So, there I am sitting in my car hating my commute (I'm not even 2 miles into it) and I look up at these guys in blue jumpsuits doing their civic yard work. This in and of itself is not noteworthy. Until of course, I notice that the law enforcement officer is holding a bullwhip and after further inspection I realize he is not Tommy Lee Jones, nor are Nicholas Cage or George Clooney wearing one of the blue jumpsuits. So, this is a real guy, and this bullwhip is part of his "real" work stuff?

Now, I am sure that it is not an easy job to try and supervise people who's liberty has been curtailed whether it be due to their own misdeeds or poor jurisprudence. However, a bullwhip? I mean, what is the circumstance in which the use of a whip in the workplace, in 21st century America is reasonable ? Is it OK to crack it on peoples' feet if they aren't picking up trash fast enough? Perhaps, it's OK to use it as a pointing device. You know, crack it over some one's head and then point to a piece of trash they missed. No. Of course not.

The answer is there is no time where the use of a bullwhip is acceptable. And yet there it was. And, I didn't know who to tell. Who to write? Our Congress is still arguing about whether or not water-boarding is torture, and if torture is really so bad we shouldn't participate in it. (You know I am still so dumbfounded by this it's hard to type it.) But the good news is that by finally writing this out I realize what it is I do need to do next, even if it's four months later: 1. Post this, and 2. Call the King County Prosecutor's office tomorrow and start asking some questions. I'll keep you posted.