Soft Targets

We have plenty of protection for politicians. They are well defended by layer upon layer of private and military and quasi-governmental strongarms. So bully for the politicians. But what about the rest of us? In a perfect world Sheriff Andy and Constable Phyfe would be right around the corner ready to talk down bad guys in thirty minutes. The real world isn't quite that cut and dried. People who live in rural areas, small towns and even in remote gated resort style retirement communities often have to rely on whatever muscle is available. If they can't afford to hire private security firms, they count on local constables and the sheriff. It's not that crime doesn't happen in small towns, it's just that with a smaller population, it's not as likely. Why have a fully staffed police force if you seldom need it?

This is the "why" behind the gun issue. Most folks who have guns know how to use them. They are every bit as much of a tool as a tractor, a truck or a harvester. Farmers and ranchers living in remote areas know that some fools try to eak out a living making meth or stealing equipment and they know that the law isn't going to get there in time. Most folks who own weapons respect them enough to care for them and not wave them around like idiots.

 If you want to know who is in the most danger of having a gun tragedy not directly related to crime, look no further than the very same cities that have the strongest gun laws. These cities often have the largest amount of crime, largely because an unarmed population gives criminals power over people. Single women, living in places that due to their low income are not as safe often feel that to protect themselves and their kids that they buy guns, sometimes unlicensed, stolen guns, just to have peace of mind. These women often work two jobs, leaving young kids alone at home. One of them finds a gun and tragedy strikes. But it isn't the gun that causes the problem-it's the crime and the unwillingness by politicians to admit that we have a real problem when it comes to gangs, and the mentally ill, and in keeping bad people locked up.

There are those who honestly believe that taking away guns will make us all safer. Just the actions of the last week have refuted those claims. A crazy man wielding a craft knife attacks 14 in a Houston community college, a pressure cooker laden with bearings placed by persons unknowns kills three and injures many in Boston. Neither incident featured a gun. Both incidents were the product of people actively seeking soft targets-places where they can attack unimpeded by police or other officials. We've seen this happen over and over-every school shooting from Columbine to Newtown-every mall shooting. Aurora features Holmes as a known crazy who was supposed to get "counseling" but who instead was allowed to be free long enough to amass a startling amount of weaponry. Lanza had a mother who, bless her heart, was blind to the monster her son had become until it was far too late. Every time, it's another seriously deranged person, allowed to roam free because we the PC public are not to judge, ever.

Political correctness will kill us yet. The imposition of attitude that insist we can't call people out for obvious features, attitudes or behaviors is allowing all kinds of criminals and crazies have free rein to act out in dangerous and sick ways. Just this past week's unwillingness by the media to say that the guys who probably placed the explosives was more likely than not Middle Eastern continues to play into this "oh we're not biased" game. Like it or not, for all of Napolitano's tapdancing, profiling grandmothers and seven year olds is not going to stop these problems.

Soft targets will continue to be hit by a variety of actors because the artificially imposed sensibilities of the Left won't allow them to recognize a perpetrator when they see them. The Leftists are the ones who rail about single women who lock their car doors when they see a group of young minority males-but they ignore the stories when a single woman is attacked by a similar group. These same Left leaning groups support every manner of "freedom" by any number of groups in escalating order of radicalism, but never seem to see the impact made when members of those groups victimize others economical, physically or emotionally. As a nation we used to have a fairly clear view of who our friends were and who our enemies were. I guess the old Pogo cartoon was right "I have met the enemy and he is us."

A Tragedy of Unintended Circumstances

A Tragedy of Unintended Circumstances
People in Arlington Texas thought they were going to see a baseball game yesterday. Instead they saw a man die. And now the rest of the world is trying to find fault and nail blame. People have been going to baseball games for decades now. But life’s a funny thing. Sometimes through the fault of nobody a whim, an odd twist of fate causes bad things to happen.
How it happened was this. Toward the end of the second inning, Josh Hamilton, a Texas Rangers outfielder, saw an unaccounted for ball in the outfield. On an impulse, an impulse inspired by generosity and a desire to please the fans, he tossed it into the outfield bleachers. Back in the old days, the wall underneath the bleachers was the edge of the outfield. But because of the interference of overzealous fans with balls still in play, many fields, including the Ballpark in Arlington established a buffer zone that would prevent fans from snatching a fly ball that maybe could be caught. When Hamilton tossed the ball into the stands, it was with the idea I am sure that someone would catch it and take it home as a cherished souvenir.
Instead what happened was that a man, with his young son in the front row, reached for the ball, caught it briefly and then lost his balance going head first over the railing to the area between the stands and the outfield wall. Fans and players watched in horror. Fans near the young boy held him to prevent his view of his seriously injured father. A relief pitcher heard the man ask someone to take care of his son as he was carried away on the gurney by EMT’s. Sadly, the man died of cardiac arrest.
To say the man’s family is distraught is an understatement. But in this case the fans and players were also witnesses to the tragedy. Knowing the basic decency of Nolan Ryan as a person, it’s a sure bet that the Rangers organization will take care of this boy and his family. Unfortunately down the line lawyers are going to come into play. They will sue the Rangers. They will sue the Ballpark in Arlington. They will sue Josh Hamilton. And because of the way our courts are these days, they will win. The end result will be that other than homeruns hit into the stands, major league baseball, and maybe even other sports as well, will cease launching tee-shirts, souvenirs and yes, baseballs, into the stands. Those days are gone.
In the aftermath, we are going to have to start thinking about how far we are going to provide a safety net for the individuals at sporting events or in life in general. Nobody ever wants to see anyone hurt, but people get run over by cars every day with nobody suggesting we stop driving. People do bear some responsibility for their actions even when things turn out badly. Life is a chancy thing. Anyone can be hurt at any time. And while this does fit the definition of freak accident, it’s not the only one. People have fallen, been pushed or stumbled over railings at almost any ballpark or stadium you care to name. Going to any event has its own inherent risks. That so many of us seem ignorant of that fact points to how safe our society in general must be. But it’s not perfect and short of wrapping us in bubble wrap and locking us in our houses, there’s no way we can prevent every single accident. That’s the nature of accidents. Life comes with no guarantees. Lawyers and courts and countless others try to mitigate that fact. But it is a fact and the sooner we all stop seeking to blame, the sooner we can move on as a society.

By Ellen K, July 8,2011