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I left off the (/sarc) tag, because I thought I really may be missing something.
Only in the likes of Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 do the firemen (not firefighters) arrive BEFORE the fire. ;)
Only in the likes of Equilibrium, Minority Report, NKVD/KGB-controlled Russia and STASI controlled-East Germany do the police arrive BEFORE the crime. ;) x 2
That approach no more works in the movies than it does in real life. At least not for free men.
"The fear of imminent justice" WORKS. It is the fear that "accounts will be settled right here and right now and justice will prevail." It is the psychological mechanism that causes you to NOT lay your hand on a red-hot stove: the 100% certainty that you will get burned right and right now and it is going to hurt and that hurt is going to last a long time.
Predators choose the weak sheep instead of the old rams for a reason. I do not in any way advocate that anyone "take the law into [their] own hands." I do advocate taking responsibility for your own personal safety and that of your loved ones. There's a joke about someone being asked why she carries a gun and the woman says "Because a cop is too heavy." In a perfect world, no one would need to carry any form of weapon; in a perfect world there would be no need for law enforcement; in a perfect world there would be no need for laws. Just the same, I'll take this flawed messed-up world any day over the make-believe land of the Teletubbies and Boobahs. Yes and GLADLY, warts and all.
"No contact" means do not put yourself in proximity to the victim, call, write, email, communicate in person or through other parties, etc. Given the legal (ILLEGAL) status of the perps and their "region" of origin, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they, their associates, or their associates' associates have gang affiliations. These people do not play nice. A little intimidation of the victim or her family can work wonders in convincing her that she suddenly realizes she is absolutely certain that she did not see what she once thought she saw. There are additional reasons more unsettling and to the point. Hence, the "no contact" order.
Maybe that helps.
Thanks for your reply. I agree with your reasoning regarding being armed. That is one of many reasons I decided to become an NRA instructor.
The Founders understood why the first experiment in a republic of sovereign citizens had to be a republic of armed citizens. “In such manner is tyranny kept in check”.
Your last paragraph held the data I needed. I didn’t even think of a gang member using the gang to intimidate the victim.
Now, I am beginning to feel I have grown up in a different land, based on what I see around me. Fortunately, that is true only for the various “Big Sh*tty” areas. Much of the rest of America still seems quite similar to the America in which I grew up.
I hope we bring back bounties. They once worked, and can work again.