dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
Mark, while I agree with you on the quote "Some people just need killin'", I disagree with you on who. I believe that I read that criminals will escalate their violence/seriousness of their crimes as they progress in their careers. I can't provide a cite for that, though. Anyway, every time a criminal gets away with a crime, he experiences validation that his action is OK and safe. If a few more burglars get killed by the Joe Horns of this country, I think you'll see the burglary rate drop as they learn that burglary is NOT safe.Now as to the sacredness of human life, the problem becomes more complex. I agree with a statement that is attributed to Clint Smith: "Some people just need killing." I don't think that Clint was referring to someone who steals your television set, but more than likely someone of the likes of Charles Manson or John Wayne Gacy. Whether the two bozo-brains who were killed by Mr. Horn fall into that category, is I feel, a question that is open to debate morally, even though not legally.
Mr. Horn's actions smacks of vigilantism, and would be considered as such in Massachusetts and most probably Ohio although not as previously stated in Texas.
We are becoming a very angry nation in my opinion. I see this anger manifested in so many different ways and it comes out in all shades of the political spectrum. Whether it is a kid that gets a criminal record for drawing a picture of himself shooting his teacher, and the liberal teacher feeling a sense of powerlessness has the kid arrested, or a decent upright citizen like Mr. Horn who finally had enough and blasted away a couple of illegal scumbags, it all seems to come from a common source: anger that things are falling apart, and frustration over a failing system that all the king's horses and all the king's men just can't seem to put together again.
There will be more Joe Horns down in Texas...if this type of action deters criminals from committing criminal acts, then he will be validated, if not then the fundamental question as to the moral acceptability of killing someone over property will continue to be debated.
By that definition, Mr Horn was NOT a vigilante, but rather a concerned neighbor who was responding faster than the police. I'd call him a GOOD neighbor, too. Shame that he's been put through so much crap over this, too.Wikipedia said:A vigilante is a person who ignores due process of law and enacts his or her own form of justice when they deem the response of the authorities to be insufficient.
As to us becoming an angry nation... Oh, man, do I ever have to agree with you there. From crowded highways to idiot politicians concerned more with lining their own pockets than actually doing the JOB that they were elected to do, we have a huge list things to be angry about! Frankly, I expect to see more evidence of this as time goes on - I will NOT be surprised to see a politician body count as it seems that there's a huge disconnect between our elected representatives and those who elect them. People mostly want to be law-abiding and follow the process that we've set up, I think, but they see how ineffectual that can be.
Look at what the Mayor and COP in DC are saying! They're trying everything they can think of to avoid having to do what the SCOTUS ordered them to do!! They're trying their best to circumvent that order. You think that people aren't getting angry over that? It's this "Mommy knows best" attitude that our pols have... and it's going to bite them in the ass.
The same goes for crime - the police say on the one hand that we shouldn't take the law into our own hands, and then arrive late. Or point out that they DON'T have a duty to actually protect any particular person. (I'm not bashing the cop on the beat... this is more aimed at COPs like Davis, Fenty, et all.) Again... this dichotomy is building up anger, not goodwill. Look at what happened in New Orleans - cops actually disarming people so that they couldn't protect themselves. Or, in the case of that town in Kansas, actually looting homes they're supposed to protect. But they're the only ones "profeshnul" enough to go into the devastated area and make sure it's "safe".
You're right... we're mad as hell. I just wonder what is going to be the breaking point where "we're not going to take it any more".