If you're not a Marine, Fire Fighter or member of the SWAT or DEA etc., don't be a poser and wear their garb. In some cases, you could be breaking the law. In others, you could be dangerous.

When someone is in need of a LEO or emergency team member and sees you playing dress up, they could waste valuable time running you down for help only to find out you're just trying to look cool. If it's shoot a cop day in the local gang, that SWAT shirt could cost your life. While baby Jessica is stuck in a well, she doesn't need someone with good intentions wasting time on some jerk-off wearing a Search and Rescue shirt because the logo looks neet. I'm not looking for my house to burn down because the neighbor saw you in a Fire Fighter cap and thought you were the real deal. Find something else to wear or join up.

Being a poser is also a disservice to those really in service. You may find yourself in a real emergency situation. The shit just hit the fan at Walmart and the local responders are being overwhelmed. They need more trained help and see you wearing that PARAMEDIC or CERT shirt and call you into action. Now what, Mr. Trendy? You think cribbing is something to lay a baby in. The real guys are bleeding to death and you don't know how to open the bandages even though your shirt says you do. Help these people distinguish who's who by dressing like what you are, not like them because you think it's cool.

These people also have standards of behavior. A cop is not supposed to be getting drunk in uniform in front of the 7-11. But you, you wanted to impress the chics. So you put on that SWAT shirt and got you a bottle of Mad Dog. Now, the citizenry sees you and thinks this is what their cops are doing. Nice job, poser.

Now, I'm not saying you can't wear camo. I have lots of it. Mil surp at that. It's way cheaper and often better made than designer brand hunting clothes. I do not though, wear Army patches on it. No one is going to reasonably mistake me for a Marine or soldier because the 60's era field jacket I wore fishing has an Iron Sides patch on it. It doesn't. I cut it off when I bought the jacket at a flea market.

If you want to wear something to show your support for so and so service, great. Those guys and gals love your support. They have shirts and hats and stickers that say, "I support...". Wear that.

OK, I'm at a loss. Is this a serious problem in America? It is something that never happens here. The only time someone who isn't a nurse wears a nurse outfit is for something in the bedroom, or possibly a fancy dress. Similarly for firemen outfits.

As for people in SWAT shirts drinking outside stores, over here it is illegal to sell alcohol to policemen, abulance crew or firefighters in uniform. So if someone came in wearing such a shirt and tried to buy alcohol to look cool for chicks, they'd be disappointed, sober, and single.

In the situations I've given, not very often at all. Rarely even and not with such dire consequences. It's just something that irks the hell out of me. I do see people playing dress up in police and such gear quite a bit.

What is a problem is how this coupled with another activity is undermining the public trust in police officers and endangering us all.

People dress up as cops, often in a POLICE t-shirt and cap, and put flashing lights in the grill and windows of their cars. They pull over motorists and rob, rape or kill them. People think it's a real cop, see. Well, as a result, if anything short of a full dressed squad car were to try and pull me over, he'd be trying till we got to the police station. This could cause him to think I was public enemy number one fleeing from him. Now, we have a high speed chase. Especially if I'm on my motorcycle and can't call 911 to verify the situation. It hasn't happened like this yet, but it's coming. A cop is going to try to pull someone over. They won't stop, thinking he is a 'blue light bandit' and it's going to end real bad.

Now, this doesn't happen everyday or even every month. It has though happened enough to warrant great caution when being lit up by a police officer in less than a full dress squad car. Here for a while, Dallas PD was telling people to put on their hazards and go to a well lit populated area, like a store or police station, if an unmarked car tried to pull them over.

Yes, Aint, impersonating a cop or a state patrolman in order to be able to stop a car has led to some rape cases around here, which is scary.

I've often wondered where people find the very authentic-looking 'costumes' they wear?

This must be a southern thing.

I distrust and fear cops far more than pretty much anyone I run into on the street. They're an incredibly conniving, dishonest bunch and I've come to believe that the corruption revolving around our police is more the rule than the exception.

When I first began driving, at 16 my father taught me to NEVER pull over for anyone...including a cop! He instructed me to drive to the nearest gas station, store or police station. One night I was driving..I was 17 or so, and I was pulled over by a cop (I can't remember why?). I drove to the police station, about 2 miles away...he was angry I didn't pull over, but understood my actions.

As it turns out, one way Richard Rameriz the serial killer caught his victims was posing as a cop.

Posing as a cop or otherwise is no a huge problem in this country. Australian's respect the law from the corner of their eye. I always ask to see ID, in fact I ask them to hand me the ID. That way they can't cover anything up. Not that I get arrested too often, but in course of RBT or Safety Checks? ALWAYS ask for clear ID.

You have the right to ask, and they have a legal obligation to oblige.

So Aint, does this mean you don't want me wearing my FBI(female body inspector) shirt anymore?

See now, that's obviously a gag shirt. It's also the kind of shirt that says 'I'm a cheesy perv.' So, you go ahead and rock that out. Women will appreciate the truth in advertising.

That brings me to another topic. Logos on clothes and vehicles.

My grandpa once refused to buy a new truck because the dealership put their stickers on the bumper and tailgate. He wanted them to either pay him for the ad space or take them off. It took some arguing but, they took them off. He wasn't too keen on having the make and model plastered all over his vehicles either. He figured they charged him for the truck, now it's his, he can charge them for the advertising.

On sneakers, I'm talking about you, Nike, the makers logo is a prominent part of the design. They pay pro athletes millions of dollars to wear their shoes. It gets their name out and some people will buy them because so and so wears them, so they must be good shoes. Well, I'm a professional, too. Maybe people will see me in my shoes and buy them on the same merit. That's worth a few bucks a month.

T-shirts. I have loads of them with logos and other advertising on them. I got each and every one for free. They wanna clothe me for free, I can do a little advertising for them. But they better not piss me off or I'll do something really objectionable in their shirt.

I'll be damned though if I'm paying $30 for a plain white T with Tommy Hilfiger across the chest in 5 inch letters. Ol' Tommy boy can pay me for that.