[mbynack]

In the Panama City case, the husband showed the deputy the text message on his cell phone and the wife was arrested.

[Puppage]

Toni Brown of Washington, DC, had an order of protection, believing that would ward off the escalating threats by her former live-in girlfriend

FYI Toni.......it's a PIECE OF PAPER!

[Tamar1973]

So if restraining orders aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, what can abuse victims who fear for their lives do to protect themselves?

Get a 20 gauge shot gun with some buck shot and learn how to use it!

[MrEdd]

Well, Carey Roberts if you weren't as stupid as the post the placed turtle boy Obama on you would realize that Protective orders serve to

A. Exhonerate whoever takes care of the object of restraint. and
B. indicate a crime has taken place in the event of violence by the person the order is against just being near the victim.

No, it doesn't protect you physically, but it gives you some legal leeway in the event you or another must employ force. It also makes it easier to punish the person if they hurt or kill you anyway.

It's a good suplement to a side arm.

[fml]

and facebook breaks up marriages, guns kill people etc...

[ottbmare]

1. Some people, not all of them female, believe that if an abusive person knows he runs the risk of arrest, he will do nothing to increase the likelihood of arrest. If we are dealing with calm, law-abiding people, this is probably true. The threat of arrest may protect a person from being mildly harassed by some innocent but harmless lovestruck soul who does not realize that persistence can equal harassment.

2. In many jurisdictions, the cops can do more to protect someone who has a restraining order on file than someone who just calls 911 out of the blue and says “this guy is bothering me, come and arrest him.” The restraining order permits them to act far more swiftly and decisively. In the area where I live, anyone who complains of harassment, stalking, or endangerment is required to seek a restraining order. This is in a sense a protection for the accused, because it means that both parties must appear in court before a judge, who can make some determination about whether (for instance) an innocent man is being accused by a vindictive wife.

3. Anybody of either sex who is really being threatened would be insane not to obtain a gun and undertake serious firearms training, spend lots of time on the range, make real security upgrades to his/her home, and let the perp know that s/he will blow his/her head off. Keep a weapon on you and be prepared to use it whether your state allows you to or not; it’s better to be judged by 12 than carried by six.

I am very glad that more and more people, especially women, are getting weapons and seeking formal firearms instruction. They realize that the best police force in the world can’t always be there for them, round the clock. You can’t depend on government to solve all your problems for you.

[ottbmare]

"So if restraining orders aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, what can abuse victims who fear for their lives do to protect themselves?"

Hm. Gosh, that's a puzzler. So hard to figure out. Let me think. (think think think.) Okay, here's an idea: how about obtaining a big-ass gun and blowing the perp's head off if he tries to kill you?

Just a suggestion.

[GraceG]

Restraining Orders = The Fiat Currency of Protection

[goldstategop]

Yup... for men, its another example of how the courts enforce women’s wishes on them. And when you consider fewer than half the cases involve allegations of domestic violence, men feel free to show their contempt for the court and police taking sides (against them) in a domestic dispute.

[RobRoy]

>>“Everyone knows that restraining orders and orders to vacate are granted to virtually all who apply…<<

Yep. For my divorce in 1997, my ex got a restraining order as a matter of course. There were no allegations of anything. No history. No nothing. It was a case of, “if you kick a guy out of his house with no prior notice he might get angry and do something”.

Actually, it was almost funny - and very, very sad.

[RobRoy]

Restraining orders prove their own irrelevance. If they work, it means they weren’t needed. If they don’t work, it means they are infective.

In either case, they are irrelevant and worthless.

[RobRoy]

>>So if restraining orders aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, what can abuse victims who fear for their lives do to protect themselves?<<

I can only assume that is a rhetorical question. Either that or the author is a complete idiot.

[GOP Poet]

my experience that restraining orders can and do help in certain situations, especially by inserting an authority over someone who thinks they own and control the person who is issuing the order. it is a power play against someone who is deluded that they have unlimited power and authority. it also says to that person (if they are either un narcissistic enough or un deluded enough) that others are now watching them. Whereas before the person was acting out in such a away they had no fear of others knowing.

I know that there must be other situations in which if one is going to kill barely nothing can stop them.

[kearnyirish2]

Many of these restraining orders are simply the first step in separating a man from his children; those who abuse them should be jailed & branded on the face so nobody believes them about anything again (men as well as women). This nonsense, as well as the legal structure of marriage today, are why men aren’t even bothering to do it. Not only will you probably end up maintaining an ex at a level you yourself probably can’t afford (bizarre, considering all of the advantages women are given today), but if you’re fortunate enough to have children there will be some other guy (or multiple guys, or another mommy) living with them instead of you (and you have little recourse).

[Spok]

Restraining orders have their place, but women shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security by relying on them, or their greedy lawyers, or the elitist judges; they can’t micro-manage other people’s lives.

[SandRat]

The only TRO or PRO that actually defends the victim is a .38 cal or larger with two quick shots in center of mass.