Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Canadian Topics Police identify suspect in bus beheading

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25966835

Good Lord Canada? That's messed up!

I bet that the passengers remember that trip.

Yet another example of senseless knife violence. But, at least the passengers did as they have been conditioned to do in our increasingly wussified world -- they ran and left the victim to die while awaiting the arrival of law enforcement (i.e., the "clean-up crew").

Wonder if the outcome would have been different if even one person on the bus had been carrying a concealed handgun? Or had been willing to use the crow bar on the fellow instead of just using it to keep him in the bus until the clean-up crew arrived?;-)
Yours in bemusement,
Issodhos

I would hate to be on a bus with guns going off. 'Course I feel that way about planes, too, or any other small enclosed space.

Issodhos, nothing personal, as I'm sure you know - but being a Cold War baby, I have a tendency to place "your knife against his gun" discussions on one end of a sliding scale with hydrogen vs atom at the other end. A crazed person with a weapon, rock or derringer is a Very Bad Thing. I score rocks over derringers because they're slower; it's just a personal preference.

But it seems to me a comparison that never ends.


Iroquois has a knife, settler has a musket;
Sioux has a rifle, soldier gets a Gatling gun;
Gatling gun vs flame thrower
Grenade vs mustard gas
Mustard gas vs strafing
Strafing vs firebombing
Firebombing vs atom bomb
Atom bomb vs hydrogen bomb


"You got a jeep / I got a tank
Come on boy / you can take it to the bank
We're crazy men / always push or shove"

Issodhos, just for reference, have you ever been in a situation where you took vigilante action such as you expect these passengers to have taken?

You may have something there, Mellowiscious. There is probably something quite Zen-like about a nice quite knife, the only sounds to disturb ones special space being the rude gurglings of the fellow who is being beheaded.

But, I am not sure your, "just say no" to a progression from stone to nuclear bomb analogy would really deter the one wielding the stone from -- well -- leaving his stone at home and not crushing someone's skull. I do, however think that the beheadee would not have minded too much if someone on the bus at put two slugs into the goblin's chest, or at least used the crowbar to put him into a relaxed state until the clean-up crew eventually arrived.

I wonder how many of the people on the bus would have intervined if the goblin was raping a woman -- or would they again have scurried to the door and awaited the gendarmes? And would you be less offended by the sound of gunfire on the bus?
Yours,
Issodhos

By your misuse of the word, "vigilante", do you mean stopping an attack on a stranger by another? Yes. Do you mean confronting someone threatening another? Yes. No guns involved. Not a big deal.;-)
Yours,
Issodhos

I've done those things too, Isso...Once when I was 14.
I certainly didn't have a gun (or need one) but due to my youth it was a VERY big DEAL to me (still is).
I stopped a woman from hitting her child....again.

Have you ever stepped into a weapon situation?
I haven't.

If you mean a firearm situation, thought I had. Turned out I hadn't. Quite a relief. Can we get back to the bus incident, now?
Yours,
Issodhos

Iss, I used that word because under the law that is what it is. The problem comes with less bright line situations where it is less clear who is the offender and whether the actions are criminal or not.

A simple example is seeing one person attack another not having seen that the other person had actually initiated the attack and what was going on was lawful self defense.

I think you are unjustifiably harsh in your judgment of the people on the bus. After all, the attack had happened, the victim was clearly dead, and wisdom tells one to avoid more bloodshed by getting out of the way.