Delftsman

WHOO HOO!

It's been said that a man that brings a knife to a gun fight is a fool, but when thats all you have, ya gotta work with what you have, and Thomas Autry proves that desperation can be the edge that wins the day, even against 4 to 1 odds.

Result? One goblin dead, one in critical condition, and two others sitting in the greybar motel awaiting charges.

They just picked the wrong Marine as a victim of their predation, and received a just result from their efforts. One thing that bothers me....seems that the survivors will be charged with aggravated assault and robbery...I believe that they should also face murder charges. In every jurisdiction I'm familiar with, when a death occurs as the direct result of the commision of a felony, those committing the crime are held responsible for that death.

The fact that they were armed with firearms, and in at least one instance, discharged their weapon, it becomes even more urgent that they face this larger charge. From my understanding of the facts so far, none of the miscreants were even legally allowed to possess a weapon in the first place, being underage.

They should just be thankful that Cpl. Autry had chosen not to carry a firearm himself, or they would not be having the luxury of a trial.

Cpl. Autry says he is not a hero, but I beg to differ.

"The heroes are those guys out there fighting for us every day and not getting respect," he said, referring to military personnel fighting in Iraq and elsewhere.

That [killing the attacker] wasn't admirable, it was fight or flight and I tried the flight."

No, Cpl., You did the prudent thing as a basicly unarmed citizen until you had no other choice. Attempting flight against 4 to 1 odds is not cowardice, and when you no longer had the option, you stepped up in the true tradition of the Corps and overcame the enemy.

The enemy isn't just on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, unfortunately, they also roam our own streets, and all too many citizens fear to make any effort at their own defense against these predatory animals, putting their trust in the fallacious belief that only the Police can protect them.

You stood up to the threat, and in my book, that makes you a hero.

One other point....I'm somewhat reluctant to bring up, but it's the truth as I feel it would have been.....

I'm glad that everyone involved was black, I am sure that had Cpl. Autry been white, he would have had a some press coverage painting him as an evil racist murdering a poor black girl, making what was undoubtedly a very traumatic incident for him even worse.

If that perception on my part makes me a racist, so be it. But all I can go by is past events, and it seems that every time it's a white/black situation, the white side of the equation seems to have to overcome at least a hint of presumption of guilt. I hate feeling that way, but the news as reported these days keeps reinforcing that ugly feeling.

Posted by Delftsman3 at May 30, 2006 06:02 PM | TrackBack