COPWATCH.com

THE ENDLESS STRUGGLE AGAINST TYRANNY,
IMMORTALIZED IN POETRY



Illustrated


We first saw the following poem on the website of a Professor Simbulan of the University of the Philippines. UP is the Philippine equivalent of what Harvard used to be, before that formerly-admirable institution was beset by grade inflation and affirmative action (also, unlike most of his counterparts at Harvard, this professor is unabashedly patriotic). The poem was written by a well-known Palestinian poet, and reflects the horrific plight of Palestinians under the iron boot of Israeli occupation. Though not, as yet, completely analogous to the experience of Americans struggling against the forces of domestic oppression (except for that of the most recent “aboriginal” inhabitants of the region), the poem encapsulates the indomitable Revolutionary sentiment behind Copwatch.com.

We are searching for additional poems that inspire similar feelings of defiance. Please submit suitable suggestions here.


ENEMY OF THE SUN
by Samih Al Qassem

I may, if you wish, lose my livelihood,
I may sell my shirt and my bed,
I may work as a stonecutter,
A street sweeper, a porter,
I may clean your store
Or rummage your garbage for food,
O enemy of the sun
But, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist.

You may take the last strip of my land,
You may plunder my heritage,
You may burn my books and my poems,
Or throw my flesh to the dogs,
You may spread a web of terror,
On the roof tops of my village,
O enemy of the sun,
But, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist.

You may put out the light in my eyes,
You may deprive me of my mother's kisses,
You may destroy my history,
You may curse my father, my people,
You may deprive my children of their smile
And of life's necessities,
You may fool my people with a borrowed face,
You may spread a wall of terror around me,
You may glue my eyes with humiliation,
O enemy of the sun,
But, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist,
O enemy of the sun.

The decorations are raised at the port,
The exclamations fill the air,
The heart is a glow,
A sail is seen in the horizon,
Challenging the wind and the depths,
It is Homer,
Returning home from the sea of losses.
The sun has returned,
Together with my exiled ones,
For her sake, and his
I swear, I shall not compromise,
And to the last pulse in my veins,
I shall resist, I shall resist,
I SHALL RESIST!!!!





BELOW: The following poem was submitted by a learned member of Copwatch.com who hails from a very historic locale: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. This poem is a scathing indictment of useless bureaucrats, confiscatory taxation, gun control, forced income redistribution, and the spineless cowards who complacently accept such insults to their liberty. It's a call to arms and action that all men of strength and conscience must heed, whether they reside in England or elsewhere.



SONG- TO THE MEN OF ENGLAND
by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Men of England, wherefore plough
For the lords who lay ye low?
Wherefore weave with toil and care
The rich robes your tyrants wear?

Wherefore feed and clothe and save,
From the cradle to the grave,
Those ungrateful drones who would
Drain your sweat -nay, drink your blood?

Wherefore, Bees of England, forge
Many a weapon, chain, and scourge,
That these stingless drones may spoil
The forced produce of your toil?

Have ye leisure, comfort, calm,
Shelter, food, love's gentle balm?
Or what is it ye buy so dear
With your pain and with your fear?

The seed ye sow another reaps;
The wealth ye find another keeps;
The robes ye weave another wears;
The arms ye forge another bears.

Sow seed, -but let no tyrant reap;
Find wealth, -let no imposter heap;
Weave robes, -let not the idle wear;
Forge arms, in your defence to bear.

Shrink to your cellars, holes, and cells;
In halls ye deck another dwells.
Why shake the chains ye wrought? Ye see
The steel ye tempered glance on ye.

With plough and spade and hoe and loom,
Trace your grave, and build your tomb,
And weave your winding-sheet, till fair
England be your sepulchre!






ABOVE: Illustration courtesy of "Maryland Speedster".
Concept by Copwatch.com intern “Lolita”.



BELOW: Sadly enough, the following poem accurately encapsulates the attitude of the average police officer. Though written with soldiers in mind, it is actually more pertinent to police officers- (whether soldiers should question their commanding officers may be somewhat plausibly argued, but there is no doubt that cops are fundamentally obligated to disobey unconstitutional and/or immoral orders). Police do not face foreign enemies, but fellow citizens- their primary duty is not to kill us, but to keep the peace. Instead of exercising personal responsibility, independent judgment, and free will, they demonstrate blind, unquestioning, doglike obedience to authority, regardless of the immorality or unconstitutionality of the orders they receive. Some of our more optimistic readers insist that cops would cease to be unthinking automatons if they were ever ordered to enforce an obviously illegal order. Unfortunately, the police daily demonstrate this contention to be false.


THE [POLICE OFFICERS'] CREED
by Ernest Crosby

Captain, what do you think," I asked,
"Of the part your soldiers play?"
The captain answered, "I do not think--
I do not think-- I obey. "
"Do you think you should shoot a patriot down
And help a tyrant slay?"
The captain answered, "I do not think--
I do not think-- I obey."
"Do you think that your conscience was meant to die
And your brains to rot away?"
The captain answered, " I do not think--
I do not think-- I obey."
"Then if this is your soldier's code," I cried,
"You're a mean, unmanly crew,
And with all your feathers and gilt and braid
I am more of a man than you;
"For whatever my lot on earth may be,
And whether I swim or sink,
I can say with pride, 'I do not obey--
I do not obey-- I think!'"






BELOW: The following poem was chosen by Timothy McVeigh as his final statement before he was put to death. The poem’s title means “unconquerable” in Latin. Say what you will of him, McVeigh was not a stupid individual.


Invictus
William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.






BELOW:This poem speaks more to self-reliance than liberty, but is apropos nonetheless, since one cannot maintain freedom without self-reliance. If you depend on anyone else (including the police, or “the government” at large), to secure or preserve the liberty you desire, you will inevitably end up in chains. (Emphasis added).


The Village Blacksmith
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long, His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And watch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought!














COPWATCH.com HOME









Click Here!















Help copwatch fight police brutality. Bad cops must be prosecuted. Police corruption is a major problem - copwatch will root it out. Dirty cops threaten the criminal justice system. Police misconduct is an epidemic. Police abuse innocent citizens all too often. Police harassment is a frequent occurrence. The blue wall of silence protects bad cops, and police culture must be reformed. Deviant cops must be fired. Police deviance cannot be tolerated. Last year saw a bad cop arrested for rape, a dirty cop charged with extortion, police corruption involving drug distribution, a criminal cop jailed for brutality, a disgraced police chief sentenced for domestic abuse, a convicted sheriff guilty of theft, moonlighting police disciplined for misconduct, convicted cops fired for sexual assault, a guilty cop suspended for harassment, a discredited cop charged with perjury, and a law enforcement officer suspended from duty for being on the take. Police corruption is common across the country. Such activities are a disgrace to the badge, and dishonor the uniform, so the offending cop was forced to turn in his badge. Subsequent reports revealed a state patrol officer investigated for arson, a highway patrol officer indicted for fraud, a state trooper jailed for assault, a top cop ousted for brandishing his weapon, a Police Sgt. fired for bribery, (while another Police Sergeant quit the force), a Police Lt. pressured to resign (the Lieutenant is accused of murder), child-molesting police, and a Police Commander crashed his squad car in a high speed pursuit. The police department engaged in a coverup to hide evidence of misconduct, refusing to release relevant public records and public documents, despite the open records law and the submission of a public disclosure request. Finally, Serpico breaks ranks. As the bad cops close ranks, good police put their lives on the line, while an overzealous county mounty (or mountie) is an embarrassment to the force. An ex-cop turns in his gun. Learn how to prevent police brutality. The Police Benevolent Fund manufactures support for the police department - a department under fire amid accusations of misconduct. The Police Guild negotiates a new contract for its members. The Police Union demands raise in overtime pay. Funds are increased with the seizure of drug money. Forfeiture proceedings are instituted, and the police seize the property of alleged drug dealers, including cars, homes, planes, real estate, guns, and drugs. At the same time, police raise funds for charity and participate in public service programs. Community policing resulted in ride-along programs for local citizens, and increased participation in police Explorer programs. But the broken-window, zero-tolerance program is difficult to evaluate. A gun-buyback program was successful, with cops collecting a variety of firearms, including assault rifles, handguns, Saturday night specials, automatic weapons, shotguns, tec-9, glocks, taurus, S&W, .45 caliber, .44 caliber, .357 caliber, 9mm, all military style. The guns were auctioned off or melted down. BATF agents were investigating the sale of handguns. The FBI conducted a background check, so citizens interested in the militia movement attended gun shows, where they were able to purchase handguns from vendors. Issuance of a concealed weapons permit was allowed, and this gun permit allowed the man to use his handgun for concealed carry in a shoulder holster. The national law enforcement memorial fund is a beautiful tribute to the boys in blue who have made the ultimate sacrifice. To serve and protect is their honorable motto. Duty and honor is another. The LAPD scandal tarnishes public perception of police officers. Police brutality is a major issue in minority neighborhoods. Neighborhood watch programs were quite effective in reducing crime statistics and increasing neighborhood safety. Cops shoot suspect, and then the cops shoot suspect again. The suspect is wounded, and then the suspect dies in police custody. This pattern is called custody death syndrome. Positional asphyxiation is often blamed for the death of prisoners, after the prisoners are pepper-sprayed, maced, beaten, handcuffed, and thrown in the back of a police car. Suicide by cop is another term that is becoming popular, as police seek to blame the victim and excuse their unprofessional behavior. These police cover-ups are ineffective, and police brutality is found to be the cause of death. Cops and robbers is a nice game, but when the cops kill or fatally wound a suspected robber, the circumstances are often suspicious. Many cops are drug abusers, some police are drug addicts, many officers are alcoholics. Cops on steroids often exhibit roid rage when police abuse steroids. Amadou Diallou was sodomized by police on steroids. Police brutality and racial profiling are two issues that often arise at major metropolitan police departments. Bill Sheehan created a website revealing the social security numbers, home addresses, and home telephone numbers of Kirkland Police Department (KPD) officers. SPD info was scheduled to go live on April 1st. Civil rights abuses probed. Officer convicted of drunk driving. Man killed in police raid. At the N30 demonstrations, cops without nametags beat nonviolent protestors without provocation. The direct action network, DAN for short, was created in response. During the Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday celebrations in Seattle, a roving gang of black thugs beat Kris Kime to death as he was attempting to assist an injured women, and the police stood by and did nothing. This murder is on the hands of Mayor Paul Schell, who refuses to prosecute the perpetrators for hate crimes. Some people have argued that a database of bad cops should be developed. Many authoritative academic studies examine the psychological profile of police officers. There are many deviant police officers. It is a useful two wheeled scooter, self balancing, called the segway, built by kamen. The segway has a top speed of 17 miles per hour (mph), and a range of 17 miles per charge. It is supposed to run on 3 cents of electricity a day. The segway (it) will cost between $3,000.00 and $8,000.00. Some police departments foster a culture of police deviance. Where is a free punk music concert? Kids like to thrash on their skateboard. Snowboarding, or boarding, is enjoyed by straightedge skinheads. RATM is phat. The swat team, equipped with military gear, broke down the door and swarmed into the apartment with guns drawn. Dynamic entry police raids are dangerous to citizens. Police brutality is a growing problem.


1