It is just natural for parents to want to protect their children from harm. We take medicine in order to protect ourselves from certain ailments and diseases. Horses are given protection by being corralled to keep them from straying. A house is built with walls and a roof to protect its inhabitants from the elements. Why, then, would we want to do away with those protections? All of them are being applied for a preventive purpose.

Society needs the same type of protection in order to be safe from the overwhelming number of atrocities and vileness that could and do cause it harm.

That protection comes in the shade of blue being worn by trained, devoted, caring, professional, diligent and sometimes heroic law-enforcing officers and sheriffs.

Most people cannot begin to consider the many dangerous situations that law officers encounter on a regular basis and, through their authority, the difficult and quick decisions they are forced to make. How many people want to daily undertake such responsibilities?

A roof could have a leak — the situation can and should be fixed. The same applies to a police officer doing something that is not right. But how many times are the police forces blamed for using force or other methods because people choose to deliberately resist arrest?

With respect and gratitude, we should do whatever we can to help those courageous administrators who are guarding our well-being and security.

In discussing those issues, we must choose our words wisely. Words matter.

Neil Bourgoin, Jay