From: rpwhite@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (rpwhite)
Newsgroups: ba.politics,alt.activism,ca.politics,talk.politics.misc,talk.bizarre
Subject: Re: Activist shot at Berkeley Chancellor's home
Date: 27 Aug 92 21:55:39 GMT
Reply-To: rpwhite@cs.nps.navy.mil (rpwhite)
Followup-To: ba.politics,alt.activism,ca.politics,talk.politics.misc,misc.test
Organization: Monterey Bay Yacht Club, Monterey CA

Arthur_T_Hu@cup.portal.com writes:
>A 19 year old nutcase was shot after she attacked a cop with a machete
>after breaking into the Chancellor's home in Berkeley.

The first time I glanced over the headlines in the paper and saw this I
kind of smirked and went on to other things. Later on I reread it and
certain facts jumped out at me. Now the more I think about it, the more
I am bothered by the question: "Why did they have to shot her?"

Now before you go thinking "He's just another
wooly-headedbleedingHeartliberalpinkofagpacifist," let me tell you that
since 1972 I have, in various capacities over various times, been
prepared to apply deadly force in many various forms from .38 caliber to
100 kilotons. I have nothing against violence. Hell, I even admire it
when it's done with style and panache.

So back to the case at hand. As Mr. Hu noted she was a nutcase. As the
papers reported she was under five and half feet and weighed about 100
pounds. She was by all accounts armed with a machete. There appears to
be a discrepancy as to whether she brandished it or actually attacked
the cop with it.

So lets look at the layout. They had evacuated the Chancellor. They had
the girl cornered in an unoccupied wing of his residence. She wasn't a
threat to anyone's life in that situation.

So let's check out the cop. According to accounts he was an Oakland P.D.
K-9 officer. He most likely had a his disposal a trained attack dog, a
baton, a sidearm, and mace. With all that at his disposal, facing a 100
pound girl armed with a machete, he had to shoot and kill her?

Now they can trot out all the catchphrases that they do when they shoot
someone, but I say "GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK." I used to supervise a
security team of 20 or so sailors whose conducted their guard and security
functions part time in addition to their other duties and probably any
one of them could have taken that girl down quickly, without getting
himself hurt, and without killing her. 

Now the lunatic fringe may cry out that she was executed or killed to
send a message, but I think that this was just another case of an
incompetent asshole with a badge and a gun. Is it just me or does there
seem to be a lot more of them out there lately? I don't know if this is a
result of the "War on Drugs", but it's not unreasonable to suppose so when
you make war on your own citizens.

Anyway, I'll say no more about it except that the cop who did the
shooting is a most lucky individual. If he'd have been unlucky enough to
do my daughter like that I would be obligated to hunt him down and
kill him. Sometime, someplace, he'd be isolated and alone,
in an elevator or parking garage maybe. Probably wouldn't even think
twice about it until the Mk 22 Mod 0 pistol with silencer puts a 125
grain round nose lead slug into the base of his underutilized brain.

rp -- told you I have nothing against violence.
Newsgroups: ba.politics