The weather being clement here in Brooklyn today (it won’t be for long; see here and here and here and here) I went out for a constitutional in Prospect Park. I found myself walking behind a police officer. I was so struck by her appearance that I snapped a photo (forgive the poor quality; it was taken in haste). Here she is:
As you can see, this is a tiny woman. Her arms are like twigs. I had a good look at her as I walked by, and I’d estimate her height to be about 5’4″. I’d say she weighs no more than 105 pounds.
Now, I know a thing or two about human types, and about both the physical and psychological aspects of violent conflict. Can you imagine this sylph having to subdue a large and enraged man? Someone my size could dispatch her into the next world with a casual swipe of his paw. She would have a single option: her pistol, and the hope that she could draw and present it before being smashed to atoms. And — key point here — she’d be far more likely to have to fire it than someone who had any realistic chance of using non-lethal force.
There was a time when it was obvious common sense (how often I seem to say that these days, and about so many things!) to have our police officers be large, rough men who could intimidate violent troublemakers (who themselves tend, overwhelmingly, to be rough men as well) by their mere physical presence — and failing that, who could grapple and pound them into submission without having to shoot them. (Indeed, I should think that the humiliating prospect of being publicly subdued by this wisp of a girl would have, on the testosterone-addled, status-crazed, low-IQ, XYY types who so often need subduing in this world, an effect that would be precisely the opposite of intimidation.)
With this in mind, there used to be minimum standards for size and strength. Yes, it was a disappointment for some young men that they were too small to make the cut, but that’s the way of the world: the only reason we have a police force, after all, is to rein in chaos and enforce the law, with violence if necessary, not to provide jobs and psychological uplift to the puny. (It is, of course, possible that the young lady pictured above is a Hsing-i master able to bench-press three times her bodyweight, but I’d need some convincing.)
If there are any remaining physical requirements for joining the police force these days, after seeing this specimen on patrol today it’s hard for me to imagine just who they could possibly filter out. Stephen Hawking, maybe.
George Orwell said:
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
Pleasant dreams, all.
52 Comments
My my my.
Brooklyn sure ain’t Arkansas. That Girl cop wouldn’t even make the dispatcher cut here (and, just limiting to the ones I know, not even a 911 operator). I’d type a story about a Woman Arkansas Game and Fish Investigator/Game Warden I enjoyed a relationship with (no Henry I wasn’t getting arrested, another sort of relationship) but I’m thinking placing personal medical records on a publicly accessible website is a no-no. Well that and maybe because she ain’t retired yet.
But what got my attention leading me to post a comment was “I went out for a constitutional in Prospect Park.”
Malcolm, should you ever come down here for a weekend do not call up room service asking where a park is because you’re wanting to “take a constitutional” because you’ll be finding out what the difference is between what down here is called “a wisp of a” or the far more prevalent, “a corn-fed of the female variety Arkansas lady-cop.”
Oh, I just couldn’t resist it! I got challenged to a tennis match last week. A forty something, six foot man versus little me. 5’6″ and 120 lbs. Evidently, he used to play footy. Very well. He lost. 6-2, 6-1.
He said to my husband afterwards, “why didn’t you warn me you bastard?” Laugh!
As if self respecting badasses hang around tennis courts.
Laugh!
The thing is JK, this guy thinks he is an all round jock. He was quite humiliated, and yes, that is funny.
Also, the tennis court was on his property, so I don’t think you can say that he was hanging around.
JK,
Since you mentioned my name in one of your comments, above, I will contribute just one item that may be relevant to this thread:
As I recall, President Harry Truman used to take what was referred to as his “constitutional” every morning. His pace was brisk, and some of the reporters who followed him had to scramble to keep up.
Nice quote Henry, but I fail to see the relevance. You must explain for the benefit of the intellectually challenged.
“The weather being clement here in Brooklyn today … I went out for a constitutional in Prospect Park.”
Oh right. Thanks for that.
Don’t tell me what I can and can’t say, JK. I’ve got my constitutional rights.
Okay Musey we’ll switch posts so to continue.
Lemme see if I can find something to go with what I happened to notice somewheres else … sounds of rummaging through paper and other stuff …
Musey? Happen to note Malcolm’s mentioning his constitutional took place in a public park? And just leisurely taking in the photo our host provides (noticing the size of the leaf detritus on the street scaling the “officer’s stride-length” – the flashlight I recognize from experience comparing all in relation to her sidearm – very likely of no interest to you Musey, I note also the shadow length the little squirt (I’m puny myself so in anyplace other than where people choose tennis courts over gardens … well I am .. was a MD’s kid – anyway, me labeling one of Blasios’ Best “a squirt” he can sue me) anyway I’m seeing from the crappy photo to that yellow structure [personal property? residence?] … yes Musey I’m aware Wiki almost certainly would clue me I’m looking at roundabout 300 acres or so.
So Musey you “beat” a former footballer (only queers and whoever originally came up with soccermoms would … oh I forgot I’m in the less than apparent United States) anyway Musey your “quite humiliated” doesn’t strike me so much as “quite the accomplishment” had you after that feat typed, “I hitchhiked from the tennis match to Tulsa without so much as an unkindly nary.”
Musey just in the offchance you are unable to decipher my words on this comment
Your attestation you “quite humiliated” anybody given your description leaves me unimpressed.
You’re not alone though – scrawny little me doesn’t much humiliate even my closest friend’s chihuahuas.
JK, I love you.
Nothing more to say.
You’ll Henry remember of course Harry (Met Bess) and haberdasheried in that great state (I include that simply owing to the fact I live in a dry county … don’t tell MO dot gov)
Otherwise known as Misery.
And, I’m figuring – given whats what – “some” of the reporters chose to as you say, “scramble.”
I love you too Musey.
I hate all this “love” stuff. But that’s just me.
:)
Yup, good ol’ “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours” State of Misery.
That’s okay Henry. I don’t love you.
Thanks for that, Musey.
Oooh, just read the last comment. Do show me yours, Henry.
Sorry, this is a PG-rated blog. But if you meet me in St. Louis …
Oh Gosh! I am beside myself. Could you meet me in Sydney because I’m a bit short of funds right now. I’ll buy you some fish and chips at Watsons Bay, and then you can show me the goods.
Here’s a sneak peek:
[img]http://www.powerlineblog.com/admin/ed-assets/2013/07/Weiner-Billboard-copy.jpg[/img]
I love it!
Good night all. It’s been fun.
BigH
Does this Musey implicate me’n your’n er through?
(Antidisestablishmentarianism Henry! Here I was thinking all was like every Miss America, “Home by Christmas and Peace in the Middle East.”
An’ here I wuz Henry considerating you was a more or less sort of dependable kinda person who (you might be in’trested Musey has a job won’t let him outter our borders whereas mine – requiring on blogs at any rate, me to “Talk gibberish, but can’t expect to get a cogent response from those who do not have a clue what I’m talking about”)
Leaves me open to appearing on this radar “fairly” frequently
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR191.loop.shtml
But then. I don’t play tennis.
JK, that is classic. I think everyone else has gone to bed. Not me though, it’s 6-40 pm here, so the night is still young, hardly started.
I look forward to hearing from you fairly frequently. It’s always fun.
As I begin this Musey, it’s 12:22 GMT (+1 depending on where you actually are) but here in hillbilly Arkansas USA it’s either 0622 2014 or, 0622 1819AD.
I hope you can thus, understand how I might reasonably type as a person given to understand I’m supposedly getting my checks [cheques] absolutely in the sunshine but, nevertheless it seems, everything’s dark.
I “sort of” appreciate our coming around to appreciating one another, then again I “kind of” appreciated you typing JK, I’ve never attempted communicating with extra-terrestrials much less an Arkansas hillbilly of the lowerest IQ percentquile which means to my [your’s] understanding you [me] are an imbecile.
Meanwhile, I [me] know where your [Australia’s] ships are.
And we argue about tennis.
Sorry, JK, but despite a good-night’s sleep, my Hillbilly aint good enough to decipher that one.
This one neither.
Happy Dad’s Day (if that’s applicable).
I’m off to bridge (duplicate).
Y’all be cool now.
BigH
Okay: can we, as a matter of general comment policy, please try to stay on topic?
Thank you,
The Management
Please Sir, It was that Henry wot started it. Also, I think that JK called me an imbecile, and although I am not quite sure if he meant to be so nasty, I would appreciate you sorting him out too.
A formal introduction to your management team would be good because I’m beginning to think that you are a one man band.
Malcolm,
I understand your desire for having commenters stay on topic. But if the topic has been abandoned by everyone, what is the harm in having a pleasant conversation linger on?
Sometimes it all gets too serious. Henry, JK and I were just having a laugh. Furthermore, if staying on topic is compulsory this precludes JK from saying anything at all, ever. That would be a great loss to this blog because his eccentric take on things is sometimes quite thought-provoking.
Sorry, I don’t mean to gang up on you Malcolm.
Well Henry, I used that word as a replacement for hillbilly “astonishment/bewilderment” that you would be interfering with mine and Musey’s newfound appreciation of each other.
(But had I used the regular big ol’ long hillbilly word I knew I’d leave first Musey, being from Australia as she is, lost in the way outback and you Sir, as I’m thinking you’re in Arizona, somewheres out in the Superstition Mountains – so I went with the longest word that came with my dictionary figuring … since I was bewildered/astonished myself … might as well have you out alongside me.)
No Musey, I didn’t call you a imbecile, I was simply putting words in your mouth. For you to utter in my general direction.
We alls friends an’ everything y’all know.
An’ Malcolm I’m certain now’ll be happy I got us all back on the topic of that skinny Brooklyn lady cop.
JK,
I am astonished that you would think I would interfere with your friendship with Musey.
I know that facetiousness is difficult to convey in text messaging, so that is why I ended my remark about “hating love stuff” with a smiley emoticon.
Well Henry, since Microsoft let out its latest batch of “fixes” & “improvements” my browser no longer displays emoticons. Or rather emoticons do appear its just that they’re run through some kinda routing algorithm requiring me to go through Google Translate rendering ’em into Mandarin then back into proper Hillbilly.
Just so’s you got some idea what I mean Henry, and being as I don’t quite yet have the hang of getting pictures to post since the updates just click the link and look at the picture – its what I see from here whenever an emoticon gets tossed:
http://warontherocks.com/2014/06/the-best-of-frenemies-the-dual-strands-of-us-china-relations/
What a long way we have all come, since all we did was hurl insults at each other. I’m always alive to the possibility of facetiousness Henry, possibly on occasion, seeing it where none was intended and the emoticon does clarify things. Like JK I don’t have the emoticon option so I pretend that my precise, carefully chosen, words leave no room for ambiguity! An exclamation mark also helps.
Until the next time we disagree, and it surely won’t be long, we can continue with the love-in.
JK, I don’t think that certain kinds of intelligence get picked up by IQ tests. Certainly your unusual thinking would confuse any attempt to put it into a box. I think you are probably super-clever. My IQ is a closely guarded secret, and seeing as I have had two very different results, I put no store by it, though obviously the higher score was most accurate!
On topic, that police woman was a bit skinny, but do be very careful when walking close behind taking photos with your iphone. She may be quick on the draw.
JK & Musey,
I used an old fashioned smiley emoticon, constructed from 2 standard keyboard characters, a “colon” and a right paren, viz.
:)
I don’t understand why neither of you can see it.
Yes Henry, but I used to have a facility to choose from many different emoticons. The colon, bracket option is a little dull.
Musey,
Trust me, he is — more so, even, than I think you suspect. I also suspect that he is not of this earth.
Indeed, she spun around just as I was snapping that shot, which is why it’s a tad blurry.
This Musey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NavVfpp-1L4
I watched JK. I live with a Pink Floyd fan, but I can’t find the secret message. Malcolm says you are even cleverer than I thought you might be, which is great! Where is that smiley face?! Tell me more.
Of course, you may just wish I was there.
Have a good day, JK.
If this doesn’t render large enough Musey, hold down your ‘Ctrl’ key and turn your scroll wheel in the appropriate direction.
☺
That is a real smiley face. The problem with the colon/bracket is that it isn’t a smiley face unless you have your head on sideways.
The original emoticons were all constructed from standard text keystrokes. They were all meant to be viewed by tilting your head toward your left shoulder. The smiley was the first,
:)
closely followed by a smiley with a nose,
:-)
and then a smiley with a nose and moustache,
:-{)
which I used extensively, for the obvious reason.
Much more elaborate emoticons were invented by clever manipulators of key strokes.
All this, of course, was taking place more than two decades ago, before new-fangled emoticons were provided for newer generations of email users, who couldn’t be bothered with such stone-age emoticons.
I’ve been using computers for 50 years now. You wouldn’t believe how primitive computing was back in the day.
Oh. Okay Henry. It’s just I use alt-codes.
And. Since my moustache ends dangle onto my chest, for an also obvious reason, I somehow missed your implicating. (And I got my updates seated against the gaskets so I should be rectified until the next time Microsoft inevitably reunrectifies me yet again.)
I guess I orter’ve seen it earlier Henry but as Musey points out I had my fan wafting the currents in the other direction and what, with my moustache billowing it had my head tilting in the wrong direction leading me to think you was sending me “a furrowed brow” which misconstrued my interpreting. … Oh and Henry by the bye, now aware you play Bridge:
http://www.wired.com/2014/06/bridge-quantum-mechanics/
Peace in our times?
Oh and Musey?
Malcolm actually sent you a clue utilizing, in his mysterious manner – which I’d reckoned you’d very likely get what with me then adding my small touch (also using a Pink Floyd reference) … you did notice Malcolm leading his next post of links with Comfortably Numb?
My oversight I’m reckoning in misreading something in a comment you’d posted awhile back – I thought you were the fan not – as it would appear … you merely live with one.
Hope this rectifies you Musey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7MsnxnJRUw
JK,
Thanks for that interesting piece of whimsey on bridge QM. Nevertheless, the author’s premise about his QM procedure, to convey information to his partner (without informing his opponents of same) being legal, is completely false. All information conveyed to partner during the auction (via partnership agreement) must be disclosed to the opponents via an alert and an explicit explanation if requested. If it is not alerted and/or explained correctly, that constitutes cheating.
The purpose of conventional calls in bridge is to utilize the limited vocabulary of bridge auctions so as to cram as much info within the confines of [all-pass] and [7-NT redoubled] thereby reaching the optimal contract, and doing so in the face of complete disclosure of the meaning of each call during the auction.
Admittedly Henry I wouldn’t know as, the two card games I’m generally to be found playing are either Blackjack or Slapjack. About the only thing I know about Bridge/bridge is, the one attempt I experienced with the capitalized first learned me I’d very likely be more profitably engaged in sticking to making my way on the type not involving cards.
“Comfortably Numb”. Is there a question mark? I think it rings a bell, maybe, now you say. I would never have picked up on it, not being a fan. Not that I don’t like the music, but I was never introduced. I thought Malcolm was talking about his teeth, or his gums.
Henry, you are older than me. I like the new, colourful emoticons. Do you know that I could wave, cry, sneeze, or vomit. I particularly liked the vomit. Also, there is a little red devil who bounces around holding a pitchfork. Loads of other stuff as well. All gone. Sob. There was an emoticon for that.
:(.
Talking about cards, I am the champion at “Cheat”. I haven’t played for years, and I don’t know if it’s a widely played game. All I remember is, if you have got the required card, put a worried expression on your face and someone will scream ‘cheat”. If however, you don’t have the card, slap it down with a smirky smile. It works every time. Bridge is a bit too intellectual for me.