Posted on 10/26/2003 4:41:29 AM PST by lifacs
So they had haraassed the man before to know that he would overreact--
They were harassing him because they knew he would over react--
Looks kike you let the cat out of the bag.
It is well known that curfew violations carry the death penalty.
"What is so important that you are defending that you need a gun?" said Quiroga, the mother of two teenage boys, before breaking into tears.
At the same time, I have trouble envisioning not looking out a window, checking the door before getting ready for bed, etc. All opportunities to become aware that something is going on on the witness' street.
But then, I live in a 90 year old house, and used to tend bar in a biker bar where the clientelle was pretty laid back until some wannabe came in and started something, so I have an eye/ear for trouble brewing. Anything out of the ordinary becomes the object of investigation.
First off, who is to say having a firearm in the home renders someone other than "normal people"? In my State, not having a firearm in your home is abnormal, if you consider the majority "normal". Here, building walls around your property is only an accumulator for snow drifts in the winter and a grand way to cut off any summer breezes. Better to be able to see what is going on and act appropriately than cower behind a wall and be surprised. Note also, we have some of the lowest rates of violent and property crime in the nation..
That said, If the homeowner stepped outside and shot the fleeing kid in the back, it is murder. There is no justification for shooting someone who has committed no violent act and is retreating.
Alternately, other factors (death threats from another source, for instance) nay have prompted the homeowner to respond inappropriately to a mere prank. If this can be shown in court, the homeowner may have a defense.
The most dangerous people in the world are simply scared. To try and point the finger one way or the other in the absence of the full picture is being a bit premature.
I regularly have teens show up on my doorstep, but then, I have a teenage granddaughter. Some of these guys (and girls) look pretty freaky by our generation's standards, but their eyes are clear, and under the trappings of a youthful search for identity are some bright, decent adults-to-be.
I don't come to the door with gun in hand (I have other items in reach which will give me time to upgrade if necessary). But if someone tries to break that door down, the picture changes significantly.
Mistakes were made on both sides here. The kid should not have been ringing this guy's doorbell, for one.. The guy should not have shot the kid, for another... The courts will have to sort it out from there. Damned shame for all involved.
What I suggested was that certain "abnormal" people might well lie in wait for the unwary innocent person to foolishly ring the doorbell.
While this is a tragic situation, and the guy may be guilty as a Clinton, I really hate 'Trial by Press'.
tick bang bang tick. Time's up! You can shoot now.
Such situations commonly do not give a second or two.
Criminal perpetrators will not stop a couple of seconds, their minds are allready made up, there is no decision to be made. You can call it off right up until the hammer falls, but if you have reason to suspect a threat to your life, you'd better be ready.
A license to carry concealed, or even the possession of a firearm is not a 'license to kill', as many in the press would put it, but rather the enormous responsibility of protecting yourself and others without causing harm to the undeserving. Nothing will give as close a perspective on the responsibility police officers face daily as carrying a weapon in public as a civillian, where inappropriately producing the weapon can be considered assault with a deadly weapon.
With that in mind, most concealed weapons permit holders will be sure they have a situation in which deadly force is appropriate before the weapon is produced. You have to be aware of your surroundings to not be surprised.
IMHO, this guy was scared of someone and the kid happened to knock on the wrong door at the wrong time. It could be that he was overtired, neurotic, and shot out of aggravation or petulence, perhaps without intending to hit anyone. But then, this is for the court to decide. Otherwise, there remains a presumption of innocence in our court system, which many have forgotten here, and especially in the Press, who would take on the role of judge, jury, and executioner.
We were being kids. In a day and age where murder and mayhem were not splattered all over the TV screen, when high schools shooting made reference to the team's standings in rifle competition, before car alarms, and when you (or your dad) could order a rifle or pistol by sending a check to Herter's and filling out the form and get it in the mail, provided you were old enough.
As you said, we live in way different times. It is to the great benefit of politicians and industry alike to keep the people frightened and then produce the 'solutions' to the prooblems, which commonly they themselves create.
Columbine massacres, babies in dumpsters, widespread hard drug use, even street gangs were alien concepts to most of America until the Media brought all the bloody ills of the world into your living room. As we perceive ourselves, we will be. The pollsters best understand the self-fulfilling nature of their prophesies, by morphing the debate farther and farther away from what used to be regarded as traditional values.
Simply enough, the Press can't stand absolutes such as "abortion is murder" or homosexuality is an abombination to God", so they attack the core Judeo-Christian values which used to apply, at the very least in appearance, and continue to present aberrations of humanity as normal, everyday events instead of the horrorshows they are. Peoples' expectations change as well. The ability to shock someone over mothers dumping babies in trash cans wrapped in plastic has faded, so they need some more abberant headline, and our culture's perception of itself slides down thee scale another notch.
In reality, there are a lot of decent folks out there, doing their best, and the 'if it bleeds-it leads' headline fodder is the exception, not the rule. But some people do not realize this and will view the world around them with what has become a culturally acceptable level of paranoia, as others will play into that, drawn by the revenues to be made from 'protecting' the masses, or the empowerment of intimidation and lure of easy lucre.
I detected clear undertones of anti-gun sentiment in the tone of article, a media favorite because an unarmed populace is easily intimidated.
One of the things the media have changed (for the worse) is the perception that each generation is somehow a new wave of aliens, rather than our offspring, or our offspring's offspring. Beyond the trimmings, people are people, as they have always been, and human nature applies. Kids push the envelope, try outrageous modes of dress, tatoos, piercings (used to be just ears), different buzzwords and ways to talk, fast cars, a beer, cigarettes, etc. Welcome to Growing Up and Figuring Out Your Place in the World (and the local pecking order) 101. Hopefully, you will survive. Sorry, forget the Leave-it-to-Beaver reruns, the rules have changed....
Sorry about the rant, I just needed to say that.
If us ol' geezers want to push that pendulum back, it is time to start befriending and mentoring the younger generation, not viewing them with unwarranted derision and suspicion.
Unfortunately, it seems that someone, somewhere will have to pay the price for another generation of kids learning what not to do. I am neither condeming nor exonerating the homeowner (that is for the court to decide), just saying that in some instances actions have unforseen and tragic consequences.
It seems that every year someone was hurt or killed where and when I grew up, sometimes by the most innocuous acts. The rest of us learned that there are things we should not do as older and nearly adult people. As painful as this is, I hope the good that comes out of it is that people think ahead and realize when their actions could lead to calamity, and proceed accordingly. Note I am speaking of Adults as well as Teenagers. It only takes a few moments of stupidity to have a tragedy, or, like my friend's mom used to say "It is always fun until someone gets their eye put out."
I am sorry you lost your friend, and for the grief it has brought you all. I am sure Mr Levin is suffering in his own personal Hell as well.
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