Posted on 12/09/2005 9:36:27 AM PST by george wythe
A Florida man who was fatally shot by U.S. air marshals at a Miami airport was a quiet, caring man, said Oklahoma missionaries who spent last week with him handing out eyeglasses to the poor in South America.
Joy Sanders of Stillwater worked closely with Alpizar in the eye clinic and recognized him immediately when she saw the news reports of his death. Though the clinics were crowded and sometimes dirty, Alpizar was always patient, she said.
"I remember looking over so many times and seeing him squatted down on these little tiny school chairs and bent over, leaning toward the patient, listening intently," she said. "I just remember the look on his face as he talked with people and the care and concern he showed."
(Excerpt) Read more at tuscaloosanews.com ...
Alpizar, an American citizen from Costa Rica, was part of the eyeglasses team. Because he spoke English and Spanish, he had a special connection with the patients, said John Wilson, president of Faith Medical Missions: "He took the extra time to make sure the glasses fit right and that they liked them."Sanders' husband, Dr. Ron Sanders, the team's medical director, echoed her sentiments: "He was a very soft-spoken, gentle, caring man who was eager to help."
Yeah, a "quiet, caring man" who went apeshit on a crowded airliner, ran for the front of the plane knocking other passengers over left and right, all the while screaming he had a bomb.
Those marshalls did exactly as their duty and training required. I wouldn't have hesitated for a New York second in capping this bozo either.
Oh? They said Mohammed Atta was a warm, gentle man too. In a post 9/11 world, Air Marshals cannot take chances.
I'm sure he was a very nice man to those who knew him. However, when I fly, and I fly a lot, I expect the Marshalls on the plane to take down anyone who runs down the aisle with a backpack screaming, "I have a bomb!!"
I did not pay for my seat and expect to provide mental health screenings, nor did I pay for a seat and expect to be terrorized by someone who didn't take their medications.
Very sad situation, the Marshalls did the correct and proper thing.
I expect the true culprit is the wife who didn't bother to monitor his medication intake, and the guy himself who thought he could do without it.
Dear Family and Friends in Christ,Our trip to Ecuador was a great success!! We gave away a lot of glasses, treated many sick, and had over 800 salvations!! Several villagers were brought to us needing surgeries. Vicki and I have stepped out in Faith and decided to help them. The cost of the surgeries will be approx. $4,000.00. The Ecuador medical team raised about half that amount and we are asking for help with the rest of these expenses. We did not want to turn anyone away.
As the funds come in we will be sending them to Diego Trujillo in Ecuador who is coordinating with the local pastors and hospitals to establish the exact cost, provide transportation, and pay the bills involved in providing these treatments. These special requests include two infants who were born with club feet. This condition is correctable, but without it, the babies will be handicapped for life. Their parents simply cannot afford to get this medical care. We have made arrangements with local hospitals to perform the surgeries and treatments needed for all of the patients who were brought to us with these medical conditions.
As always, we will keep you informed. Thank you for helping those in need. May all of you have a very merry and blessed Christmas.
John and Vicki
I find no fault at all with the Air Marshals. I find almost the entirety of the fault to fall on the shoulders of the guy's wife. Seems like he left for Ecuador without his meds. Okay, we've all forgotten something when we travel, and getting a scrip refilled in Quito probably isn't the easiest thing in the world.
But when this guy starts acting squirrelly, she needs to do something. He's effectively incapacitated, making actively bad decisions, and she decides to take him on the plane and see what happens? Moron. He's nuts, that's his excuse. What's hers? She wears his blood on her hands.
Owl_Eagle
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"
I was watching the most trusted name in shoes (CNN) last night, for a couple of minutes. And did my usual loud fungulo at the set, when they started a distant hazy blame of the shooting, on the marshall ("how are officers trained to handle the mentally ill?").
Sounds like the deranged man was a nice guy. Hardly the fault of the officer. It is encumbent upon those who realize the negative societal potential of the mentally ill, to take precautions. Both for the safety of individuals so afflicted. And those they may come in contact with.
There are no winners in this story. But I'll be guldern if anyone tries to muddy the life of a man who was doing a dangerous job, in dangerous times. Saving lives.
Very sad, all that. But imagine the uproar if they held fire, subdued the nut, restrained him and discovered no bomb.
The same hive would be buzzing "Should have shot him!!" Wouldn't they?
bump
You're right.
I posted this thread not to attack the air marshals, but to remember a Christian missionary who had a troubled mind.
He tried to help as much as he could with his limited resources, both material and mental resources.
After reading this article, I am encouraged to join another mission trip. I have done charity work in the past in Latin America, but I have been slacking off lately.
The media is going to turn this guy into a saint.
Why didn't his wife see that he didn't travel if she knew he wasn't taking his meds?
Pity they didn't rent a car and drive home from Miami.
See it's posts like these that make me avoid FR for weeks. The guy acted crazy on a plane, the wife should have been more responsible and the Air Marshall did what he had to do. It's unfortunate and sad, but what other choice was there? That's the crux of it.
But taking enjoyment out of this man's death is just sick.
"But imagine the uproar if they held fire, subdued the nut, restrained him and discovered no bomb."
It takes less than a second to set off a terrorists vest, or a pack.
Do you want to take that chance on a crowded plane? I don't.
This is one man. There were many other at risk.
Oh, I am not questioning that is was a "good shoot." I was speaking to how the MSM can jump ugly no matter what happens. It's what they do.
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