Lots of sun today, lots of wind too in our neck of the woods.  Carla was hoping to finish burning today, but it is just too windy.

Simmered the turkey carcass for almost 24 hours and am now pressure cooking the broth, will be using it in soups, stews and when I cook rice I add it to the water to give it more flavor.

I used to freeze it, but this way it keeps longer and frees up the freezers for other things.

We have a sandwich or two left of the turkey.  We cook for left overs.  Dad never liked them so Mom always cooked just enough for the meal.  Of course Thanksgiving was different, but that was the only time.

We cook enough stuff that those that eat with us can take home leftovers – now that it is just the two of us, we couldn’t possibly eat all that before it spoiled.

We let the kids do the dividing up, and everyone seems happy with their lots.  Me, I am just glad they do that AND the dishes!

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Chapter 20, The Measure of a Man, continued:

Chris pulled up in his car towing a small trailer with the generator in it.  The back of the trailer identified the trailer as belonging to an Explorer post (that was sponsored by the Sheriff’s Office.)

We stopped off at Madras for breakfast and then continued our journey to Portland.  We were on Highway 26, the main highway between Portland and Central Oregon.

We went through Warm Springs, up the hill and onto the flats.  I didn’t know it at the time, but most of the flats were in Wasco County.

As we hit that long straight stretch we came up behind a 1967 Chevrolet with Washington license plates.  They were going just under 55 mph so Chris passed them.

As we drove by I looked into the car, saw the driver and two front seat passengers; the driver was tipping a bottle of beer.  That was a violation; you could not have an open bottle of alcohol in the car.

I told Christ that they were drinking beers.  He continued the pass and pulled in front of them.

Chris looked in his rear view mirror and called the license plate into the Jefferson County dispatch, a female responded. 

A few minutes later we hear a male voice come onto the radio and asked if that was a blue 1967 Chevrolet and asked if it was possible the plate was different than given by Chris.

I looked at Chris and said, it looks like we have more than an open container.

Chris wanted to be sure of the plate, so he slowed down enough for the car to pass us and then read the license plate, he had transposed a number and the plate that was read to us by the dispatcher was the correct one.

He radioed that it was correct.

The dispatcher said, it is a stolen car out of Washington, there are three people who are wanted for escape and there are weapons in the car.

I was ready to pull them over, there were two of us in the car, both experienced officers, I figured we could do it.

Being a city officer, I was used to back up being available almost immediately and didn’t even think about how far it would be out there; even still I should have known better, this would be a felony stop and the more officers there at the time of the stop the less lethal it would be.

He pointed out we were pulling a trailer and if they ran, we couldn’t run after them.  AND, he wanted to see where our back up was.

The dispatcher, was checking for us and said that Warm Springs didn’t have a car out, Wasco County deputy was too far away and OSP’s nearest car was in Gresham – two hours from where we were.

I remembered the comments by the Portland officers that did undercover work for us – back up is far away.  I now finally realized just how true their concerns were, back up was far away; so we just kept following them.

The dispatcher said that OSP had a resident trooper in Government Camp, an hour away.  They would be sending someone from Gresham and wake up the resident trooper to assist us.

There are two intersections that come onto Highway 26, Highway 216 that branches off and goes east towards Maupin; and Highway 35 that branches off and goes north towards Hood River.

Chris said that if they take either we wouldn’t follow them; feeling that it would make them suspicious and it would allow the other agencies to head out and make a stop.

They continued past both intersections, still heading towards Portland. 

Frankly, that was a long hour; but they didn’t have a clue.

We approached the community of Government Camp and as we did so the resident trooper was coming out of the highway department’s garage area.

The car saw him and instead of continuing towards Portland they took the exit into the business are of the community.  Chris slowed down and motioned to the trooper that the wanted car was right ahead of us.

The trooper pulled in behind the car and turned on his overhead lights.  The car continued a short distance and then turned into a gas station lot, just past the building and lot.  They couldn’t go around it; the building was right up against the mountain.

We pulled into the lot, between the pumps and the building with the car crossways right in front of us.  Both of us got out with guns drawn and stood behind our open doors; Chris had a shotgun and I can remember thinking where in the world did that come from?  The Trooper also had his gun drawn and was behind his door. 

Christ did the commands.  The driver was ordered to drop the keys out of the car and then get out on his side of the car and put his hands on the roof; where the trooper watched him.

He then ordered the front seat passengers out and told them to put their hands on the roof.  The passenger closest to the door immediately complied.

The passenger in the middle, a female, did not, she kept trying to reach into the back seat area – it took several orders before she finally complied.

While Chris covered the two passengers I went around to the driver’s side and covered the Trooper as he searched the driver and put him into hand cuffs.

Just as the Trooper was going around the car to search the passengers I heard a car coming up behind me coming to a screeching halt, I looked at Chris – he wasn’t concerned, so I figure it was the OSP Trooper coming from Gresham – it was, the man was huge, well over 6 feet.

As the Trooper search both the male and then the female passenger I stayed on the driver’s side watching the driver.

The Trooper started searching the female, (in the approved manner) and she yelled at him and told him he couldn’t do that.

I said, yes he can!  The Trooper looked at me and finished the search.

She asked me why they had been stopped, I told her it was because the car was stolen.

She said, no it isn’t we borrowed it from a friend, in a tone that said can you believe that?

I said no it wasn’t you guys stole it.

Who told you so? She asked.

I said, NCIC – meaning the National Crime Information Center that all agencies used to put their warrants on people, stolen vehicle information and other criminal information to be used nationwide by law enforcement agencies.

Her eyes opened wide and she shouted, “The CIA?”

I don’t know what the OSP officers had been told about us, but both of them stopped what they were doing and gave me a quizzical look, like they hadn’t realized we were ‘CIA.’

I said, ‘No, the NCIC, the National Crime Information Center.’

We found a knife in the trunk and I kinda remember, maybe a gun.  The female wasn’t reaching for a weapon, but for her shoes that were on the floor in the back seat – but she almost got herself shot – and would have if one of those shoes came out too fast and could be mistaken for a weapon.

We gave the Troopers our business cards and let them take the suspects into jail and impound the car.

We continued heading to Camp Whithycombe.

Where we arrived without further incident. 

We parked at the equipment garage and then headed to the Commanding Officer’s office.  Chris knew him well and had worked with him through the years.

As it happened this was the last day there for the commanding officer, and his replacement was there in the camp.  He had him come into the office.

He introduced him to Chris.

There are many ways to measure a man, honesty is one of the biggest and what the commander said was one of the greatest tributes to a man I have heard.

The commander told his replacement that he could leave Chris in his office and never worry about anything being taken, not even a pencil.  But, if you negotiate with him you will end up losing everything.

We got the new generator, had lunch then headed back home, by way of Salem.

We went back over the Santiam Pass, rather than Government Pass.  We were a very few short miles from Sisters when we came upon an accident.

A car was off the road and lying on its side, as was the trailer it was towing.  The ambulance was on scene and there wasn’t any problem with traffic, so we continued on without stopping.

We learned later that the driver was an elderly lady that had gone to close to the shoulder and went off the road.  Her husband was killed in the accident and she was in serious condition.

While I road with Chris after that day, none of those patrols had anything unusual happen.

Kinda disappointing.

Copyright November 26, 2017 Art Labrousse

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1 Peter 2:17  KJV  “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

We read the second chapter of 1 Peter and see commands like these throughout. 

They are hard to swallow; and even harder, sometimes, to obey. 

I can understand giving honor to all men.  I have run into some that I have had to wrestle, to arrest and to testify against, but I always tried to treat them fairly.

Some responded in respect, others not so much.

But even still how do we honor all men, when what we are often facing, as Christians, is hate and attacks on our beliefs.

Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Loving our fellow Christians comes a lot easier, although we may not agree with them and we clash in many areas, they are fellow believers, fellow forgiven children of God.

Still it is sometimes with difficulty.  Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Fear God.  This part of the verse is a good reminder to us.  We sometimes forget that God is in charge.  When we talk to Him daily, we can become complacent and forget that He is in charge and to not obey can bring dire consequences.

It is like being the friend of a judge.  We spend time together, eat together, share common interests, but if we commit an offense against the government we have to stand before him and accept the penalty for the offense.

Unlike an earthly Judge who may give friends a break or who may remove himself from the case and we have to go before someone else, or decides to look at circumstances and gives a lighter sentence, God makes the decision.  Period.

The only thing He is going to look at is did we fear him enough to obey and accept His Son’s sacrifice for our salvation.

We need to always be aware of who His is, alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Honor the King.  Now, that is a tough order.  We look at how many leaders have treated their subjects, Stalin, Hitler and other dictators killed people by the millions for no good reason.  How can we honor them?

Listening to some people today denigrating the President because of what they believe he is doing – others had the same problem with the last President, and the list can go on, Senators, Representatives, State officials, county and city officials.

How in the world can we possibly be forced to honor people like that, people that we disagree with, passionately? 

Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

We have to remember, also, that the God’s Word is just that, written by man, but dictated by God.

2 Timothy 3:16  KJV  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

We cannot use the excuse that we disagree with the leaders, and we cannot say, but God, look at how ill-treated we are, you just don’t understand.

The Roman Empire was a violent, oppressive and hostile governing body, the Jewish people suffered badly and the Christians even more, yet, in the middle of all this Peter writes that verse – as inspired by God.

Yes, we can stand against the government when it orders us to do things that are against His Word – but, we must be sure of our grounds.

Acts 4:18-20  KJV  “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

For Americans with the feeling that freedom of speech allows them to criticize anyone and everyone, no matter what, this part of the verse “Honour the king” is the most difficult.

How can we do that?  Alone, we cannot, it is only allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us that we can strive to obey this verse.

Later, Art (-: