Posted on 05/09/2005 1:06:18 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
You stated that people wish Wilbanks had been murdered. Pretty sick stuff.
My point was that for the vast majority of people this type of story is a soap opera. It's not news, it's entertainment, and the Spring Season of the Jennifer Wilbanks trial-of-the-century-of-the-month just got cancelled.
I don't see how anybody can look at the loopy excesses surrounding this story and not come to the same conclusion.
If you do not have a responsibility to be aware, it is not possible for you to have a duty. How can you be held responsible for something you cannot be expected to know?
If people are to be required to have a duty to intervene in police responses happening halfway across the country, they must have a responsibility to make a reasonable effort to monitor them.
As far as fire alarms are concerned, that is a horse of a different color. A fire alarm is a report to the fire department, and a request for help. That is, quite properly, subject to penalty if done falsely. That did not happen here, at least during the period all the money was being spent.
As far as yelling "fire" in a crowded theater is concerned, nobody yelled anything here. There was no hazard created, so that does not really apply, either.
It is my understanding she called the police after she knew everyone was looking for her?
She is free to call the police, of course. In fact, it is better for all concerned that she did. She was not legally required to do so, however.
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