SELF DETERMINATION / DEFENSE: Bullies, fools and decent folk

Michael M. Butler (butler@comp*lib.org)
Mon, 15 Dec 1997 08:59:19 -0800


Thanks for this.

I had a somewhat similar experience while living with a
partner-of-six-years in the then very peaceful and rather Scandinavian town
of Minneapolis, though nowhere near as harrowing as what you describe.

Ours was a second story apartment, with a "blind", dimly-lit set of
catwalks linking all the back floors of seventeen separate dwellings. The
first contact with the bad guy was his filching my partner's purse off of
the (unlocked but "landlord-chained"--after all, the back gate was locked,
right? and everyone in the building knew and liked each other--very similar
to a college dorm in that way) back door knob, through the crack afforded
by the affixed chain.

Doesn't sound so bad, right?

Nothing like this had ever before happened to anyone in that building,
according to the (trustworthy) resident manager.

I'll spare you all the gory details; suffice it to say that the cops
managed to catch this guy and his wheel man/partner, and still in their
possession was _the newly-minted key of the just-changed locks_ that would
have permitted these two creeps free access to all seventeen dwellings. And
yes, they had long long arrest records.

Even though neither one of us directly encountered this goblin, the sense
of violation lasted a long time.

++

I'd like to add a few metacomments, if I may, about this entire thread and
the related particular element of world (certainly not just USA) culture:

1) It is an observed fact that bullies and fools frequently have use for
firearms.

2) It _does not therefore follow_ that decent people have _no_ use for
firearms. Even ugly ones.

This sobers me, but I've come to terms with it. I am even able to consider
a third point relatively coolly:

3) There is no magic in a uniform (or a job description) that transforms a
bully or a fool into an honest (let alone a _decent_) person. Where is
Wonder Woman's Golden Lasso when we really need it?

Peace,

MMB

At 10:03 AM 12/15/97 -0600, you wrote:
>About twelve years ago I had an experience

<snip>

>In that instance I realized that personal protection via a police force
>was at most a partial illusion. I realized I had no means, except a
>kitchen knife, to protect myself and my loved ones.

<snip>

>People are kidding themselves if they believe they can delegate their
>self-protection to a police force. I am sorry. But we, as a society,
>have not, yet, reached the point where we do not need to assume
>responsibility for the protection of ourselves and our families. To
>think otherwise is dangerous. I wish it were false.
>
>The jungle is still full of lions, tigers, and bears.
>
>SP
>
>
(NOTE: Robotlike replies to the above address will fail;
*noncommercial* communications are welcome; kindly
substitute a hyphen for the asterisk in the above address.
Sorry for any inconvenience.)