Althouse: "People will be afraid to walk the streets, or go on the tube, or carry anything in their hands."

July 23, 2005

"People will be afraid to walk the streets, or go on the tube, or carry anything in their hands."

The man the London police chased down and executed point blank with five shots had nothing to do with the terrorist bombings. I'm sure the real terrorists are delighted when things like this happen. Now everyone can be afraid of the terrorists and the police. More fear, more dispersed. What a shame!

UPDATE: I have a more positive outlook the next day.

12 comments:

Ann Althouse said...: John: I'm willing to defend the police as having done the right thing.

You know, there are always some people wearing heavy coats in the summer. These people are crazy, but they do walk the streets. They probably aren't too good at behaving rationally when confronted by the police.

It's really a shame.

I heard Michael Medved on the radio yesterday praising some Israeli citizen who once shot someone in a store who looked suspicious. It turned out the guy really was a suicide bomber. Medved concluded that more citizens with guns would make us safer. Seemed to me that Medved was failing to consider a few factors that didn't fit into his equation.; 7/23/05, 2:43 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Matt: I think the terrorists would love to drive a wedge between the government and the people. If some terrorists actually get shot down in the process, well, what difference does it make? More martyrs.; 7/23/05, 2:58 PM
Robert said...: Ann, this doesn't drive a wedge between the people and the government. The people that would be susceptible to such a wedge are people who are already opposed to the government.

The guy came out of a house known to be in use by the bomber's terrorist cell. When approached by police, he fled. So they brought him down.

Other than that it's a shame they weren't able to take him alive for interrogation, what's the problem?; 7/23/05, 3:06 PM
C R Mountjoy - GDF said...: The tragedy of the train rider who took a few in the head and chest is boiled down to three facts:

A) Don’t look like a suspect (dress like you’re not carrying a bomb in a train!)
B) Don’t run from the police
C) Don’t hang-out at a house where bad guys live

This man who was shot may be innocent, but that does not mean he should not have been treated as a suspect. And that is exactly what Scotland Yard did, and rightfully so. This guy was tagged as a probable baddie since he was in the same house as other known bad guys. And in these days of heightened tensions, this guy could have been the Pope and still should have been ‘Hooked and Booked’ if he ran from the Bobbies or came waltzing out of a known safe house for terrorists!

Oh Well – Terrorist 52 / Good Guys 1; 7/23/05, 4:17 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Isn't this what Tasers are for?; 7/23/05, 4:22 PM
Robert said...: Tasers have a maximum range of 30 feet (and that's pushing it). The suspect was also wearing a bulky jacket. That could cause a taser to not function, and also could mean that the man was carrying explosives. You really don't want to shoot electricity at a guy wearing explosives; bullets, ironically, would be much safer.; 7/23/05, 4:46 PM
C R Mountjoy - GDF said...: If the police in England can't carry guns, are they allowed to carry tasers? You're right, though. If the Brits had tasers, he might still be alive. I posted a bit about tasers on my site in realtion to the Atlanta Courthouse shootings several months ago. I suspect, however, that the outcry against tasers would be deafening in England. Why? Here in the US the outrage against tasers is greater than guns from all the victims right's groups.; 7/23/05, 4:49 PM
Robert said...: Mountjoy, Scotland Yard has had tasers since around 2002 I believe.; 7/23/05, 4:55 PM
C R Mountjoy - GDF said...: Thanks...I did not realize they had. Oh Well!; 7/23/05, 5:04 PM
goesh said...: - guy with a coat in warm weather, at the time the bombs had gone off, running, ordered to stop, refuses and he gets blown away - the cops had to make an instant decision - did he have a bomb and was he running to a crowd to detonate? Did they think he was reaching inside the coat to a switch to detonate? How wrong and liable the cops would have been had he run into a crowd and killed a dozen or so. One can imagine the howls of rage and protest and the litigation had they not shot him. The only shame here is the double standard police are held to.; 7/23/05, 6:30 PM
Ann Althouse said...: So I guess this is not what Tasers are for...

Again, note: I'm not condemning the police.; 7/23/05, 8:03 PM
Robert said...: Ann, this is in fact what tasers are for, its just that they aren't much good yet.

Tasers are the first step on a long road that leads to Star Trek. Cops (well, good cops) would love to have a safe "phaser" that they could just use to stun people. It would make stopping fights a thousand times safer. Riot control becomes a breeze. And yeah, they could sure use something like that in a case where someone could be dangerous, but it isn't for sure known that they are - which is just a terrible position for the law enforcement guys to be in.

I know that you're not blaming the cops.; 7/23/05, 8:42 PM