Theodore Sturgeon

[Mal7]

Theodore Sturgeon’s science fiction story “Like Yesterday” was first published in Rolling Stone magazine in 1979. It seems relevant to the present direction of the police in the USA today, for example the crackdown on small-farming operations with the new Food Safety bill. The story is about a conversation between a Chief of Police and an officer who is being groomed to be the next Chief of Police. It is set in a future where tobacco has been made illegal. The Chief of Police asks the junior officer why he wanted to become a police officer, and he responds that he wanted to uphold the law, help people, make the world a better place. The Chief of Police makes him realize that his and others' real motivation for becoming a police officer is the desire for power, and to be respected and feared, but not liked. To be Chief of Police, he needs to understand this.

“Guys who really want to help – “ (he made the word scathing with mimicry) “- wind up in the fire department.” He spat on the carpet.
"If you know that about the force, and if you're the only one who does, you got a handle on them. You know who to order into what action, you know who has the most to prove and needs to prove it the most. That's how you make your appointments and promotions, and that's all you need to handle things inside."
[. . .]
“I’m going to give it to you straight; if ever a time comes when there ain’t enough crime around to maintain a police force, somebody will make new crimes, or make something everybody does or eats or drinks or rubs on their belly a crime [. . .]”

The story finishes with the example of making the medicinal plant aloe vera illegal.

“You don’t mean . . . but – there’s nothing illegal about it!”
“Yet.” The old Chief rocked slowly back and effortfully raised his eyes. “There’s a lot of heavy money don’t like the aloe vera a bunch. It snuck up on ‘em; nobody saw it happen. Cosmetics. Pharmaceuticals. Ethical drugs. Doctors. All we need is a medical opinion, it causes infantile sexuality. All we need is a Bible scholar discovers the snake hid it in the Garden. All we need is a DOA with his stomach full of aloe vera infusion. All we need is a little panic an’ aloe’ll pile up in the street like snow; mind you, I know; folks ain’t been scared in a long time now. Then all we need is a Board of Health Condition Red: rotting aloe can cause the plague.”
“You’ll never get a doctor or a priest to – “
The hating eyes open wide for a terrible moment, and then half closed. “Want to bet?”
[. . .]
So began the aloe busts, the frisk for half-healed scrapes, the nose-trained dogs, the piles inspections, the choked court calendars, and the police walked proud, respected and feared, and, in time, the babies were named Noodlemix.

[Noodlemix was the name of the junior officer who became the new Chief of Police and began the aloe raids.]

- Case and the Dreamer – Volume XIII: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon. (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2010)

Theodore Sturgeon wrote over 200 short stories, mostly in the science fiction genre, and some longer works. He also wrote scripts for two of the original Star Trek episodes, and was the writer who came up with Spock’s motto “Live Long and Prosper”.