Posted on 08/18/2008 6:06:46 AM PDT by marktwain
June 28, 2008, was a defining moment in my life. It was the day I shot and killed a man in the defense of my life and the lives of others. We all have defining moments. They might not be as tragic as taking another man's life, but they are events that change the way we look at things -- or even, perhaps, how we live our lives.
Before that muggy Saturday evening in June, I would have said my defining moments were many: graduating from high school; enlisting in the Army; getting married; having children; getting run over by a tow truck; and especially, meeting my fiancée, Maria. All of these events, and more, have happened in my life and changed me.
* * * On June 28, only two days after the Supreme Court announced its 5-4 ruling that Washington, D.C., citizens have the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, I found myself standing in a pool of blood in York, from a man I had just shot. It was not my intent that evening to test the Second Amendment or kill somebody, but events unfolded to make it necessary for me to draw my weapon to defend myself and others.
My fiancée Maria and I had spent the day showing real estate investors our investment properties in York. We were driving to nearby Hanover to visit my mother when we came across what looked like a rear-end traffic accident.
Instead, a man, Douglas Need, had been driving recklessly when he swerved in front of a car and was hit in the rear. In a fit of road rage, he stormed out of his car, went back to two young women and a baby in the car that hit his, reached through the driver's window and started beating the driver very violently. She was able to break free and drive her car to the only place she could go -- the parking lot next to the street. Need ran back to his car, squealed his tires into the parking lot and looked as though he was going to broadside the women's car with them still inside.
At the last moment, he swerved his car around and blocked hers from going anywhere. I pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car and yelled at Need to leave the women alone while Need's passenger was in the parking lot. My gun was still holstered by my side. The woman got out of her car and escaped into the store. He followed but only moments later exited the store back into the parking lot. Both Need and the man with him were uncontrollably enraged and seemed deranged past the point of caring who they hurt.
As they continued to threaten that they had guns and were going to kill people, for some unknown reason Need ran to the driver's side door of my car and started pounding on the window, shouting at my fiancée who was inside the car with the engine running. Fearing that Maria's life was in danger because of his previous death threats, that's when I drew my weapon. I ordered Need to step away from my car, which he did. He then returned to the center of the parking lot, according to witnesses, and continued with threats and deranged behavior.
I went to my car and stood at the driver's side door. Need turned back to me and started coming at me with his arms waving and shouting "just shoot me." I ordered him to stay back, but he kept coming. Then, when he was about four or five feet from me, he put his hand into his pants pocket, and that is when I fired my first shot into his left thigh. It didn't stop him from coming at me. He grabbed my shirt, ripped off the top button and grabbed my right arm. That's when I shot him the second time point-blank into his thigh. I was told later that the bullets had severed his femoral artery and he had bled to death at York Hospital. I was truly sorry he died, but knew I had made the right decisions.
* * *
There is an aftermath of emotions and events that follows even the justifiable taking of a life. Being taken in handcuffs to the police station is traumatic. Waiting for three weeks to find out the district attorney's ruling on your case is also something not easily endured. Even knowing the truth was on my side with several witnesses backing my testimony, it is still unnerving.
There's a feeling that
everything in your life needs to be put on hold. You feel remorse over what happened and second-guess yourself as the entire scenario is played over and over again in your head. The question of "what would I do if I actually needed to use my gun" is answered. There's anger at the perpetrator for compelling the use of deadly force, and at times yourself for the realization of your capacity to use deadly force. Lastly, there is the fear that your loved ones and friends will not trust your judgment in needing to protect yourself and others from grave harm.
Our brave soldiers in the Middle East seem to be expected to somehow handle the killing of others better that we "regular citizens." We expect that since they kill enemies of the United States it somehow makes the taking of a life more palatable. However, killing another human being is not something to be taken lightly, no matter how corrupt or evil the person might be. What gives us the strength to deal with what we've done, whether soldier or civilian, is the understanding of the greater good we performed by our actions. We were responsible for the safety and welfare of other innocent lives. This is comforting.
* * *
Criticism has come from both sides of the gun control issue with Second Amendment advocates saying I should have shot to kill him in the first place. People not in favor of the individual right to bear arms have both criticized me for stopping to help the women in distress and in using my weapon to defend myself and others.
Online commentator "Computer Steve" responded to a newspaper article saying, "His concealed weapons permit should be revoked. You cannot just intervene on behalf of someone else." He went on to say, "I witness crimes and call 911 on a weekly basis and there is nothing I can do but watch the crime take place and relay the information to 911. If I had known that I was able to intervene I could have stopped a violent sexual assault in front of the YMCA on Tuesday evening. So what's the law? Are we intervening on our own now or what?"
Another online respondent, "Forgot to Mention," implied that the women deserved what they got by becoming involved in a road rage encounter. This respondent commented, "I would never engage in road rage or pull over to fight with someone who did. Why did that women (woman) place herself and her passengers in such a dangerous situation?"
Nothing could be more ludicrous, given the facts and the innocence of the women who were victimized.
In the Supreme Court's majority decision, the court said, "It is not the responsibility of the police to protect the individual, but society as a whole." I take this to mean that any American who witnesses the wrongdoing of an innocent has the lawful right to intervene on behalf of that victim. So how can people like "Computer Steve" and "Forgot to Mention" possibly live with themselves knowing they could allow heinous crimes to take place before their very eyes and just sit and watch without intervention?
This does not mean I am advocating vigilantism and want all Americans to rush out and purchase weapons. A great deal of responsibility comes with owning and carrying a gun.
The York Daily Record editorial dated July 24 posted the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act laws regarding the justifiable and non-justifiable use of firearms by civilians. Not only should gun owners know and understand these laws, they should have the motivation and desire to practice with their weapon on a frequent basis to become familiar and proficient in its use. Even then, to go out looking for trouble just because you have a firearm is dangerous and irresponsible.
In my almost 51 years on this earth, never have I come across a situation as violent as the one on June 28 and hopefully, I never will again. When I was assigned to the 709th Military Police Battalion in Frankfurt, Germany, I would occasionally observe the MPs perform their duties on patrol. The most I saw in the form of violence was an occasional bar brawl or domestic violence situation between a husband and wife. But nothing had ever escalated to the point where deadly force was needed. However, the MPs on the military installations had a similar problem to cops in the U.S. Response times were delayed for lack of staffing and the sheer numbers of people they had to police.
Our police officers here at home are taxed to their limit. We complain that there is never a police officer around when we need one and joke how you can always find a cop at the doughnut shop, but fail to realize that many communities are under-staffed with officers. In York alone, there are only about 100 officers to police a city with a 42,000 population. As with other communities in the state, some of its officers are National Guard or Reserve members and have been deployed to the Middle East. This makes it even more difficult because those officers are guaranteed their jobs upon return from military service and cannot be replaced.
However, it will never be possible for a police officer to be immediately available in every instance that someone is in danger or in need of help. I believe that it is our personal responsibility to care for each other as Americans. A person doesn't have to own a gun to help an elderly man hit by a car lying in the middle of the street while cars swerve to miss him and pedestrians stand on the sidewalk and stare at him like he was road kill. That seems heartless to me, and we Americans are not a heartless people.
* * *
I stepped into a dangerous situation to protect the lives of two young women, a baby and my fiancée, and some have said that makes me a hero. I'm not sure what I did was heroic. I did what I did for the same reason other Americans do what they do when any tragedy takes place - it is the right thing to do, we step forward and rise to the occasion and if that's heroic - then OK. Our military men and women, our police officers and firefighters, however, demonstrate this every day and for that we should truly be thankful because they are heroes.
There has been an outpouring of responses that have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. On the other side are people who seem to have a belief that no private citizen should carry or use a gun. One responder to my story, with the screen name "He is no Saint," claims to know me and has accused me of murdering someone's son. This person says, "If Mr. Fentiman would have never stopped, a bystander or the police would have brought justice to that man."
I was the bystander who stopped to help. If I had not, and everyone had waited for the police, what would have been the cost to Need's victim? I did not intervene with my gun waving in the air. I pulled it only when my fiancée was directly threatened. Furthermore, it was not my intent and not the job of the police to have "brought justice to that man." Punishment for crimes is for the court system and a judge.
"He is no Saint" writes without taking into consideration the exact sequence of events that evening. Apparently, they also mistakenly believe I would not have stopped if I had no gun. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Anti-gun advocates argue that the more guns off the streets, the fewer deaths by gun fire. Somehow they believe that if a legally permitted gun carrier flees from a life-threatening situation with an out-of-control perpetrator this will defuse the danger and stop the criminal from causing harm to others. The problem with this argument is it assumes the criminal element will realize their mistakes, repent and give up their guns during one of the many amnesty gun turn-ins cities have in an effort to reduce gun-related crimes.
In reality, what usually happens is the innocent become victims of gun crimes and the perpetrator isn't caught, or if he is, only goes to jail while the victim lives for the rest of his or her life with the consequences of the crime. This imbalance of justice should not be acceptable to any American.
I believe that those of us who grew up in the'60s and'70s have been lax in protecting each other and have passed this attitude on to our children. Some of us developed this complacent attitude that someone else, especially the government, is responsible for supporting us or solving our problems. But they are not.
The fact is that guns in the hands of good people can help deter the crimes of bad people. Good people with legal gun permits do not suddenly turn into villains and go on killing sprees because the gun feels so good in their hands. They also don't holster their weapons and cruise the streets looking for bad guys. They are hard-working Americans who either carry because of their exposure to the criminal element from their jobs, or they keep a gun in their house to protect their families.
For me, my job exposes me to a criminal element that can be out of control. I carry to protect myself, my fiancée and my customers from the squatters who might be drug addicts or dealers working out of the vacant properties we buy in York, Harrisburg and Reading. To ignore this potential threat would be irresponsible to the people I love, honor and care about.
People might ask why we choose sometimes dangerous inner-city areas to buy distressed properties to renovate. In addition to being a source of investment income, transforming derelict houses into comfortable and safe homes has a tremendously positive impact on the many good people who live in these communities. We love the cities where we work and are proud of what we do to make them better.
I never thought I would be threatened in a situation outside my job or need to come to the aid of someone else being threatened. However, I would have been devastated had I awakened the next morning and read in the newspaper, or watched the television news, to see that one of those young women had been beaten and killed by Mr. Need because I chose to drive by and not intervene.
Bad people make poor choices and do bad things. The guns and other weapons of bad people have typically been obtained illegally and will most likely be used to commit crimes. We know what a weapon in a criminal's hands will do. As long as there are bad people, no gun control law will prevent criminals from obtaining all the guns they desire.
The America we live in today is not the same country my father and mother experienced. Dad was a World War II veteran and recipient of two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts, and Mom was a "Rosie the Riveter" who built ships in Long Beach, Calif., during the war. They were a generation that helped each other. They were neighbors who watched out for the interests of their neighbors. A large part of the population was involved in WWII, and they had to depend upon each other for their very survival. Sometimes the only thing these military men and women had in common was the fact that they were Americans. Yet they cared for each other.
We live in a dangerous society where the criminal element seems to have no regard for human life, let alone the ability to leave people alone. We need to take a more courageous attitude toward the safety and welfare of our fellow law-abiding citizens and teach our children to have the same values. And if it is deemed that carrying a firearm is necessary to protect ourselves and others - then so be it.
America's greatness won't fall because we fight enemies who commit atrocities. Our greatness will end if we tolerate the atrocities of our own against ourselves. Decay starts from within - and so does the cure.
Brian Fentiman lives in Allentown.
RECENT NEWS Fred William Minnich, 38, of the first block of Kings Arms at Waterford in Springettsbury Township, was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct by engaging in a fight and public drunkenness. He had been a passenger in a car involved in a road rage encounter June 28 in York.
Douglas Allen Need of Hellam Township was shot and killed by Brian Fentiman, 50, of Allentown, during the encounter.
The York County District Attorney ruled the shooting justifiable.
Minnich remains free on his own recognizance pending his Sept. 5 arraignment in York County Court.
ON THE WEB Know your rights and responsibilities as a gun owner under state law: Read the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act at www.acslpa.org/pa_uniform_firearms_act.htm.
And if you can't say these things with a clear conscience, you have no business pulling the trigger.
Always remember to say why you did something, instead of specifically what you did. "He was going to kill me" is much better than "I was tying to kill him." And per Clint Smith, always demand that the perp be arrested, especially if you're making the 911 call. Just because you may have neutralized the threat doesn't mean an arrestable crime was not committed. If it goes to court, you want the officer stating that you wanted the individual arrested, even before a medical condition was determined.
Absolutely. Say, “I was in fear for my life” instead of, “I shot him.” After that it’s, “Speak to my lawyer.”
I guess. I remember the first time I ever killed a deer. I was in college & in Army ROTC. The year was 1977. I had him real close. Close enough for us to look into each others eyes in tight brush. I started to shake. Classic case of Buck Fever. Then I settled down, closed my eyes and concentrated on believing I was looking at a Russian soldier. It was dead easy after that. One shot. One kill.
I've spoken to other folks who've had that moment you mention but the first one was instantly followed by numbers two through eight. The first one didn't cause any problems thereafter, except possibly for those who've been raised by liberals and democrats and all those issues. OTOH, I also knew a guy whose first kill was an insurgent he was forced to kill silently and he did so with a knife. I think that one caused him some sleepless nights but mostly because he was thinking how easily the roles might have been reversed.
Well said. Even if they’re all different it’s the first one that’s hardest.
Did I ever use the words “remorse” or “sadness”? All I was saying was that killing in real life is not like the way it’s shown in the movies. I’ve talked with veterans who say it was a big deal the first time they had to take a life. I have a friend who’s a captain in the LAPD. He showed me the police psychology studies which showed that the action which has the greatest mental impact on an officer is having to shoot someone in the line of duty. I’m not saying that any of those people felt guilty or thought they did wrong by having to kill a dangerous criminal or an enemy soldier. I’m only saying that killing is not something to be taken casually. Look at my home page. I’m a real anti-gun, Reagan-hating, Code Pink-loving liberal (extreme sarcasm).
You’re attacking the wrong person. We’re both on the same side. When a soldier, cop, or citizen shoots someone in self-defense, they deserve our full support, because there will be hordes of lawyers, politicians, and liberal talking heads going after them. If they do feel an emotional impact after shooting someone and we just dismiss that with, “Oh, you’re just being a liberal wuss,” that’s not supporting them. We should tell them, in a tone that shows 100% support, that they did the right thing and they shouldn’t let guilt eat away at them, becasue they’ll need all the support they can get, especially in places like California.
You might still disagree. That’s fine. But there are civil ways of disagreeing. Screaming that something that you disagree with is “unadulterated crappola” is not the way to win arguments.
And don’t ever compare me to a liberal reporter who cries when terrorists die. I’ve actually been flamed by others here for being “too happy” about the death of that Hamas slimeball in the wheelchair.
Every bullet is lethal, no matter what caliber or where it impacts, so every shot is a shot to kill in theory. Of course, you should be thinking “shoot to stop”, but don't say anything-read on!
No need to explain at all, in fact, no need to say anything other than “name, rank serial number” to the cops, it is their job to figure it all out. Remember, anything and everything you say can and will likely be used against you.
The only thinking I recommend anyone involved in a shooting (or any matter unavailing the police for that matter) is simply:
“My name is John Smith, I live at 123 AnyLane, Anywhere USA”. Here is my CCW certificate (if appropriate), I will be glad to answer questions after I have spoken to my attorney”.
Stick to it no matter what! The 5th Amendment is not for crooks or criminals-it is to protect you, the law abiding citizen from injuring yourself over any legal matter.
Once you have spoken to your attorney, have him present during all interviews (PC for interrogations)and better yet, do not say anything at all. Let the facts be shown by investigation.
As to the placement of his rounds, the gentlemen involved was 100% on target-he aimed low CM and hit with all of his shots; having been in the dark moment myself, it is sometimes amazing that you can do much of anything at all, let alone precisely deliver rounds from a handgun. I quickly traded up to a M590 shotgun and an M249-probably was the best armed FG officer in my element. The M9 was just baggage.
Well done, sir.
God Bless and MOLON LABE
“My name is John Smith, I live at 123 AnyLane, Anywhere USA”. Here is my CCW certificate (if appropriate), I will be glad to answer questions after I have spoken to my attorney”.
Stick to it no matter what! The 5th Amendment is not for crooks or criminals-it is to protect you, the law abiding citizen from injuring yourself over any legal matter.
Once you have spoken to your attorney, have him present during all interviews (PC for interrogations)and better yet, do not say anything at all. Let the facts be shown by investigation.
Well worth repeating.
It's also exactly what my ex police chief instructor advised. Tell the police what you've laid out, then SHUT UP!.
In defense of Jill and the rest of the poor innocents that 'feel' that way, that is how they are taught. How many times have you seen a story of a kid in Grammar or High School get murdered or killed, and the first thing out of those who think they are in charge is "We will provide Counselors for all ...". None of that happened when I was in school back in the late 50's and Jimmy got murdered or Willie and Wanda wrapped a tree, yet I didn't see anyone falling apart. The feminization of our society begins in the public schools, and we're all poorer for it.
thinking= thing
unavailing= involving
My, the spell checker is ruining my day!
THAT Is exactly my point! I excerpt a recent freepmail I sent in this regard:
There is a huge difference between combat killing and killing by police officers and much of that is a result of mental indoctrination acquired in the public & private schools over the last four decades by the liberal agenda, especially in the applications of law enforcement.
Soldiers who kill are prepped for the act from the moment they begin training. Even in ROTC we’d sing the “jodies” or running songs to stay in step while running in formation. Catchy stanzas like: “See the commie dressed in black? He’s got my KA-BAR In his back! See the commie dressed in Red? He’s got my bullet in his head!” College students about to graduate and become commissioned officers as I did.
It seems to me that the indoctrination taking place in both public and private schools is very effective since it is repeated over and over from first grade thru the post grad levels but it also seems to me that an effective antidote is military training sweetened with a good dose of danger and a dash of camaraderie.
My perception is that some posts are referring to soldiers as being angst ridden about being forced into life taking. Nothing could be further from the truth. It makes a difference in how that act is initiated and under what circumstances. Civilians who take lives in defense of self or family and come from the public school curriculum's are the main victims of others who are equally indoctrinated. Cops are the next most vilified and victimized since they're conditioned to believe their job is to protect and to serve, while any possibility of taking a life is minimized. See how quickly they are fed to the wolves when they are forced to take a life.
“Don’t think the same thing doesn’t happen after a successful self defense by anybody besides a liberal who feels the gawd awful guilt trips laid upon him by spineless sniveling vermin who would rather knuckle under and crawl before they’ll hurt any living thing.”
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Let me get this right. You are saying that if you were to kill someone (even justifiably and legally) you would have absolutely no problems at all? And that those of us who would feel a whole range of psychological type responses - denial, guilt, justification, remorse etc - are just a bunch of liberal wimps?
It took me quite awhile to square being a born again Christian with carrying a gun to church and nearly everywhere else until I realized that my personal status had shifted from protector of the nation (soldier) to protector of the flock (Sheepdog) and that entire philosophy is aptly expressed here: I ONLY HANG WITH SHEEPDOGS Now I fully recognize this status and embrace it without feeling either superior or judgmental of others. So no, I don't judge you in the least! Everybody will deal with a crisis in different ways.
In 1986, I was the Officer in Charge of my little detachment of FL National Guardsmen attending the US Army School of Jungle Warfare at Fort Sherman, Panama, C.A. We were sharing the school with a battalion from the 82nd Airborne. One night I was leaving the combination officers club and NCO club with a bunch of folks when we stopped to watch a friendly game of pickup basketball by the troops on the lit courts. As usual, it was hot, like AFRICA HOT. One of the kids from the 82nd followed a loose ball into the weeds and while there he cussed and reached down to slap at his leg. Then he returned to the court and took the ball in for a goal. In seconds he was flopping around on the ground in severe convulsions.
We ran over. I rolled him over on his side as he began to vomit and aspirate that vomit into his lungs. I cleared the air passage and his mouth. Then I gave him to an NCO to continue first aid as I sprinted to the commo shack where I kicked open the door and ordered a DUSTOFF (MEDEVAC mission) be sent to Sherman's parade field. Then I sprinted up to the top floor of my barracks and fished out the emergency strobe light from my rucksack. I got some of the school's permanent party folks (Instructors) and told them to put the quarter tons (jeeps M151A1) onto the field in an inverted "T" formation with their service drive lights on so I could vector in the chopper flight. Within moments I heard the heavy WHOPPA WHOPPA of UH1H blades and I shoved that strobe light up at the end of my fist blinking. The bird settled down onto my field expedient LZ and the sergeants dashed the victim over. As they were putting him aboard, I knew he was dead by the wet dishrag disposition of his body and other signs.
I went back to my bunk, put out the lights and shook and shivered for hours wondering if there had been anything else I could have done. I didn't cause his death but I wondered if there was something I could have done to prolong his life, despite the fact that everything was on automatic for me. I wasn't actually thinking and cognitively processing. I was running all on training.
The next day there was an airborne memorial service for the 18 year old paratrooper with the previously undetected heart murmur. There was an inquest and I gave a written deposition. I was commended on my actions for that night. Funny, it didn't make me feel any better.
Everybody handles that terrible moment differently, so NO I'm not judging.
L
I ONLY HANG WITH SHEEPDOGS Now I fully recognize this status and embrace it without feeling either superior or judgmental of others. So no, I don’t judge you in the least! Everybody will deal with a crisis in different ways.
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I just read that link. I understand that philosophy now. It came over loud and clear. So dont tell me you arent judging.
Oh come on! “There is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog”...twaddle! That’s like doing a docu-drama about President Mush and Secretary Hainey, who invade a country called Iral, and then printing a disclaimer that “this is a work of fiction and any resemblence to real people is purely coincidental” You can’t say something like “there is nothing morally superior” and then spend the rest of the article trying to illustrate EXACTLY the opposite! The whole article drips with contempt for “sheep”.
I’ll tell you another phrase. Don’t p**s down my back and tell me its raining...
Perhaps, but I am what I am. I can tell you that the only folks who will show the level of outrage that you display are themselves: "sheep." I guess I struck a nerve, huh? The only thing I find contemptible about sheep are their constant efforts to defang the sheepdogs who will not only always stand between the sheep and physical danger but will indeed lay down their very lives to keep the sheep safe. Why are you so angry?
I’m angry at the duplicity being exhibited by a group that blatantly insults others but attempts to cover it up by a cowardly disclaimer to the contrary. You yourself admit this - you stated at first that there is no moral superiority involved, but then agreed that you “am what I am” at the assertion that the whole article drips with contempt for “sheep”!
Besides, why should I not be angry? Being compared to a sheep is not generally considered a compliment. Who enjoys being insulted? As for this ridiculous assertion you make:
“The only folks who will show the level of outrage that you display are themselves “PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH ME”. There, fixed it for you. :)
I have nothing but respect for warriors. I think that those who daily put their lives on the line for the rest of us are worthy of nothing but the best, the utmost support, and the greatest of commendation. I have absolutely no desire to “defang” them. Quite the contrary.
I know enough about war to know that I would make a very bad soldier. I am what I am too. A man should know his limitations. I do what I can by working in the defence industry, and I stand my ground against all the peaceniks and well-meaning do-gooders that think that makes me unprincipled and possibly an accessory to murder. There are all kinds of battlefields.
You see? You are a type of Sheepdog! Most freepers are sheepdogs of one type or another, by the nature of the type of individual this forum attracts. You may not choose to wear a firearm but that doesn't make you any less the defender of FREEDOM! Sheeeesh, you work in an industry that would eat me alive. There are folks in your area who work actively everyday to destroy this great country using every tool and point of leverage at their disposal. You stand up to them. You bring their dirty little secrets into the light of truth. That's one hell of a fine example of a sheepdog, if you ask me. I salute you, sir and I'm not kidding, either.
I'm but a simple school teacher. I work in an inner city high school. My job unfolds each year in a generally linear fashion. I pretty much know where the folks in my school stand, politically and I also know they can't harm me in any way, either directly or not. Except the Principal. Even then it only extends to the amount I allow. I can always transfer to another school.
Your job, otoh, defines the terms: Assymetric low intensity conflict. You have to wage guerilla warfare just to survive. You don't know anything about the folks with whom you work. At least at the start. You have no idea who the yellow bellied peace-niks are or who wants to replace our representative democracy with an authoritarian socialism. It might be your boss, in which case you have to reign yourself in very tightly and constantly look for the hidden traps and pitfalls that may have been set just to make you look or feel badly in front of your peers.
I'll say it again, I couldn't exist in your jungle without pushing the wrong "personality button" which is a terrible fault in my character, I admit. I find the pet peeves and skewed mindset in liberals and exploit that to drive them all crazy. Eventually, that would catch up to me and I'd be dead meat.
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