Sunday, October 01, 2006
Officer Houts Didn’t Make It
Officer Houts of the Montgomery Police Department was shot in the face last Thursday during a routine by-the-books traffic stop. It didn’t look good for him since his spinal cord had been severed. Sadly, he died last night. I didn’t know the family; yet, this seems so personal to me. I don’t know what we can do. There are some really evil people out there. I pray they stay away from my family and yours.
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9 comments:
Based on my feelings if I had been in Officer Houts shoes and facing the rest of my life probably in a vegetative state and totally dependent on others to care for me, I would consider it a blessing to pass and go to a better place.
With his death, at least now the crud that shot him will be charged with at least murder rather than just attempted murder, and can face the death penalty as a result. If convicted he will join the 193 inmates now on death row. The other side of that coin is that Alabama taxpayers will pay for his upkeep, and all that goes with it, probably for years. There are two convicts on our death row that have been living at taxpayer expense since 1978. If we're to have the death penalty we need to have it carried out much faster than it is now.
Don, I hope Mario Woodward gets a speedy and fair trial, but frankly, I don't think he can get a fair trial in Montgomery. This is just too personal for many of us.
It was sad about that policeman losing his life Sheila. Unfortunately it seems that far too many criminals are "trigger happy" these days, particulary in the U.S., at least that how it seems to us Brits. I know there have been some warnings issued here to Brits holidaying in Florida as there is a lot of gun crime there, if you wander into the "wrong areas".
Well, Naomi, it must look a lot like the Old West to you Brits. Americans do love guns. At least twice a year here in Montgomery there are gun shows. One time a spectator got shot accidentially when a gun went off at a show--maybe that was somewhere else. You never know who has a gun under the front seat of a car or in his house. Just be on the safe side and assume everyone does.
The National Rifle Association is so powerful that hardly any gun regulation gets by them.
A couple of my aunts have guns and know how to use them. They live in the country and I can see that maybe they might have to protect themselves before any law enforcement could arrive. Most people though don't really need the guns for protection. And I think it's criminal for parents to keep them in the house. I had a young cousin killed in a gun accident. I don't like them.
I'll bet the police would like to see fewer guns and tougher restrictions. They never know what might happen as in this sad case with Officer Houts.
Sheila, as far as having a gun for self protection goes, I would rather live where I do in a semi-rural area without one than where you live in Montgomery with all the crime there. Even your mayor recently advised law abiding citizens to have one for self protection. I agree that people with children are negligent if they don't take every precaution to keep them from harming themselves or others, as well as to instruct them in gun safety as they mature. I hunted from a very early age until I became too infirmed, and used several different types of firearms in my military career, but I've never been around an accidental shooting of anyone.
Don, you are right about what Mayor Bright said. At the time I thought it was funny that the mayor would say such a thing, kind of a lack of faith in the police department if you will. I think our police department probably does as good as they can. That's my impression. But at times it's a "catch and release" issue.
I feel safe enough though never totally so, and I'm not going to get a gun although people in my neighborhood have them. I still wish we had fewer guns especially with all of these shootings lately getting national attention. Curious children, emotionally disturbed teens, crazies, evil-doers and revenge-seekers need to have to look harder to find a weapon.
You are old enough to remember Archie Bunker's answer to airplane hijackers. Give everybody a gun when he gets on the plane. If it were only so easy.
Now that I'm no longer physically able to hunt (not for the thrill of killing, but to put meat on the table) I would sell my firearms, or give them to my grandsons who hunt, if only the bad guys didn't have guns.
It's not so much the rifles for hunting that are the problem to me. It's the small, easily concealed handguns, that are so dangerous. I suppose someone might say that a shotgun or rifle can be just as deadly. They, however, are more noticeable. And if you hunted to actually eat the meat, I applaud you. I don't see the fun in killing animals just for the "sport" of it. If someone wants to shoot guns, just go to the firing range. Of course, this is coming from a "Bambi" loving animal lover (not of the PETA sort).
Sheila, I respect your position, but even a certain numbers of "Bambis" must be harvested for the table each season because the herd of deer would suffer loss of health due to human encroachment on their land with the resulting loss of food for them which leads to disease. Many caring hunters harvest the excess and donate the meat to food banks to feed the less fortunate among us us.
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