I was driving home from a store last week when I had to stop at a checkpoint that had been set up by law enforcement at the corner of Highway 99 and NW 136th Avenue. There were numerous cars in front of me so I had to wait my turn to get to the checkpoint staging area. The closer I got, I realized the place was swarming with Marines. I had to look closely because it was dark, but they were clearly Marines. I couldn't really believe my eyes. I'm 53 years old and I've never seen Marines performing duties in the towns of the U.S. I've heard about it but I had never witnessed it personally.
I finally got to the area where the police, apparently under observation by the Marines, had me stop and roll down the window. The cop asked me for my ID. I asked him why I was being stopped. He said they were conducting a McDonalds checkpoint exercise to make sure people weren't out harming their bodies by eating too many quarter pounders. I know the stories about interactions with law enforcement, so I politely replied, "No sir, I haven't been to McDonalds in years". I had instinctively puffed out my chest and pulled in my stomach, so when he glanced down, fortunately he saw I was probably telling the truth. He let me pass, and I slowly moved out while taking a last glance at the Marines who were watching me as I drove off.
I was so glad I had followed the government's advice on taking better care of my body. I realize now that it's really only a good thing for me and for society. Society is a much better place when people do the right thing. Imagine how many people may still be overeating if it weren't for these patriotic cops and marines out there insuring we are safe.
That reminds me of the earlier times in society when there were still people who opposed the seat belt laws (for adults). They couldn't see the forest through the trees. They complained about such things as this:
http://www.stevequayle.com/...
Now some people were upset about the fact that military police were actually participating in activities regarding citizens on U.S. soil. And some people were upset that the government was stopping people to ensure they were keeping themselves safe by wearing a seatbelt. Some people even said they weren't really interested in checking seatbelt usage, but to find terrorists! Well, they missed the point. These good people were ensuring every citizen was wearing their seat belt. I just can't for the life of me understand why that's not a good thing. I for one, even though I missed Survivor one night because of the line I had to wait in, am willing to put up with the inconvenience to make sure everyone keeps themselves safe.