tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post8796231264047581818..comments2023-07-21T11:30:53.081-04:00Comments on SkepticalObservor: The Wimp SocietyJames Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15983017193858666436noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-60272059970740939222007-04-27T21:12:00.000-04:002007-04-27T21:12:00.000-04:00OK. First I'll establish my "credentials".About 5...OK. First I'll establish my "credentials".<BR/><BR/>About 5 years ago, I'm eating lunch with my family at the Old Country Buffet on 234 in Manassas, after a soccer game. My parents are with us.<BR/><BR/>A very large man (bulging muscles guy) in shorts and t-shirt walks in, walks to the back of the room. Then he walks out "with" a waitress. I've noticed him, and I see the waitress is not going willingly.<BR/><BR/>By the time he's to the door, I'm out of my chair telling my family "something's wrong". As I run toward the door, he's throwing the girl against a wall.<BR/><BR/>He then drags her to his van, and I arrive close behind. Close behind ME is the manager of the Old Country Buffet, followed by a few other people who caught on either directly or from my shout to them "he's got a waitress".<BR/><BR/>I stood there, doing nothing. but ready to block the man from driving off. The manager engages the man in conversation. Eventually the manager says or does something the man doesn't like.<BR/><BR/>The man floors the manager with one blow. He then starts kicking the man in the head. I jump between the man and the manager, with my back to the man, and my leg protecting the manager. (I'm 5'5", and have no muscles).<BR/><BR/>Fortunately, the man perceived me as non-threatening, and did not beat me to a pulp.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>OK, so I know what it means to foolishly throw yourself into a situation were you could get killed.<BR/><BR/>It's easy to say someone should have done something. I'd like to think I'd stand behind the door and slam it on him as he comes in.<BR/><BR/>But I'm reminded of the "realistic" films where some smart guy thinks he'll stop the gunman "like in the movies", and the gunman just shoots him dead.<BR/><BR/>One hero was an ex-marine on the 3rd floor, who came down the stairs intending to stop the guy on floor 2. He was found dead.<BR/><BR/>I've sat in the rooms at Norris. 15 people, spread out, anchored tables, guy walks in front more than 10 feet from you, and starts shooting with precision. It's more than 10 feet to where he is, but you have to go around the table or try to climb over it. He's got spread out targets a good distance away, and clear shots with two loaded pistols. <BR/><BR/>The people that survived are ALL people who jumped out the window, hid under desks, or blocked the door when the guy was outside the room.<BR/><BR/>There are stories of people who took other action -- those people are all dead.<BR/><BR/>The situation wasn't like a crowded room where you have access to jump the guy. 15-20 people in each room, with large rooms, it's not enough to charge the guy and have any luck unless you can coordinate, and there was no time as the guy started shooting as soon as he walked in a room.<BR/><BR/>We'll learn how well the story was told in time, I doubt the "people lined up to be shot" story, because the later stories I read I didn't see any room that was described that way. <BR/><BR/>The cowards are the adults who sit behind bulletproof glass past metal detectors and armed guards, with their own guns close by, who vote to deny the students and teachers in colleges the right to defend themselves against evil like this.<BR/><BR/>To then fault those who are disarmed because they did the only rational thing bothers me. I'd love to think that I would both have taken action against the man, and been successful. But I'm only alive today because the time I foolishly put myself in harms way, I was up against a man who, while mad at someone, was not determined to hurt everyone he met -- he had a rationality about him.<BR/><BR/>A man with no rationality? Imagine the first brave guy stood up and said "you don't want to do this", except he probably didn't make it through the sentence before being gunned down.Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04551264439871137611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-55522104907168478652007-04-23T11:01:00.000-04:002007-04-23T11:01:00.000-04:00I do, but I don't share them with anonymous coward...I do, but I don't share them with anonymous cowards, IP Address 68.15.139.#. Why bother?James Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15983017193858666436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-59605107007354149572007-04-23T10:58:00.000-04:002007-04-23T10:58:00.000-04:00Facts? You have facts?Facts? You have facts?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-64301926900485281472007-04-23T10:24:00.000-04:002007-04-23T10:24:00.000-04:00Your conclusions are unsustained by facts.Perhaps ...Your conclusions are unsustained by facts.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps you could identify yourself, and that would allow us to examine more fully our relative courage and decisiveness when action is called for.<BR/><BR/>Not that it it relevant at all to the point which Steyn was making. It is only relevant to your effort to insult. Bold effort from a demonstrable coward.James Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15983017193858666436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-2889139360667615332007-04-23T10:05:00.000-04:002007-04-23T10:05:00.000-04:00Do as I say--not as I have never done?Do as I say--not as I have never done?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-496181140245344472007-04-21T17:58:00.000-04:002007-04-21T17:58:00.000-04:00And why would that "help"? Frankly, it would seem...And why would that "help"? Frankly, it would seem to --- and probably would --- be braggadacio.<BR/><BR/>It seems that you would like to imply a flaw in failing to do so, one which would be rather bold from someone so fearful of the meager consequences that might be visited upon him that he fails to sign his name.<BR/><BR/>Maybe it would "help" if the likes of you were more interested in taking action to stop evil than in engaging in emotional exhibitionism.James Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15983017193858666436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559060.post-43635849006289238872007-04-20T16:38:00.000-04:002007-04-20T16:38:00.000-04:00Very pertinent.It would help if you could give a f...Very pertinent.<BR/><BR/>It would help if you could give a few persoanl examples of your quick action. Perhaps you had a similar experience/ Or a military situation?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com