This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock, powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watch this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress, and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door, I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After work, I drive my NHTSA bar back home on DOT roads, to a house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log on to the internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post of FreeRepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right. (Source: SilentBobSC & GranitePics)

Now, as i do with most articles i find interesting, i read through the comments on one of my favorites news sites, Digg.com. Scrolling through the comments, i came upon a comment by a fellow named “Sutley” wondering why everyone was so happy the robbers didn’t get away with the crime. Actually, click the thumbnail below to read the entire thread.

Obviously this guy has never been outside or stepped foot into the real world. I’m not sure how he came up with the delusion he spouted off at the end, but i can tell you that in the real world shit happens. While the idea that by simply giving in to the robbers demands will guarantee your saftey sounds good, its not always the case. And because its not always the case, one can not simply assume that by giving your money to the thugs they will go away. This guy has obviously never heard of gang killings or mentally ill (Not in the same way as David Prater) thugs with nothing better to do than kill innocent people. I’m sorry, but i will never just assume that if i give my money to the thug shoving a gun in my face he will go away. For this reason, i support the actions taken by the brave 23-year-old man.

So there you have it. Idiots do exist. And there is the proof.

When i started this blog thingy I decided that i didn’t want to stray into politics or religion because those topics seem to cause problems. But I’m compelled to write about one story in particular that has been on the news recently. A few days ago, two armed men attempted to rob a pharmacy. According to the victim (the pharmacist) after one of the gunman shot at him he pulled out his gun and fired back. He hit one of the gunman and chased after the other. After realizing the second gunman got away, the owner returned and reloaded his gun. When he went to see what the first gunman was doing he found him still alive and shot him again. Those shots killed the gunman. Because of those actions by the store owner he is now being charged with murder. (Did i mention the gunmen was 16?)

Now, in my opinion the store owner had every right to protect his store. If two men burst into my store or house I would not hesitate to do the very same thing. The matter at hand is that the store owner, after a short chase with the second gunman, came back in and shot the first gunman while he was still on the ground. Now in hindsight its easy for us to see that the store owner probably didn’t need to shoot the first gunman a second time. However i think its important for us to put those few minutes into context and try and understand what must have been going through this war veterans head. (Did i mention that the victim was a decorated disabled war veteran?) For all he knew the first gunman still had a gun and was about to shoot him. There are a million possibilities. What actually happened was not capture on camera as it took place off camera. What we do know is that the gunman on the ground had already threatened the victims life and demanded the victims money or his life. I think the victim had every right to see to it that his store, his employees, and most importantly himself was safe from danger until the police arrived. Until that moment, the store owner (in my opinion) had every right to do what he felt necessary to keep himself safe.

I just think its very dangerous for us to send this kind of message to would be criminals. I just don’t get how anyone can sympathize with the gunman in this situation. He committed a violent criminal act. He attempted to rob someone AT GUN POINT and threatend to take the victims life. You don’t point a gun at someone unless you intent to kill them. Anyone with any sense knows the risks involved here. You can’t tell me that the gunman wasn’t fully aware that the owner might have a gun and that his actions MIGHT result in his death. I think that part of the story is what keeps criminals awake at night. It is what makes them think twice about committing crimes.

But NO! Now we have power hungry district attorneys who are in it only for the conviction. All they care about is the little number beside their name showing how many people they’ve put behind bars. These people could care less about justice. And now they are telling us that we should THINK TWICE about our actions in that kind of situation becuase we too could be put in prison for defending ourselves?

As i said earlier, its easy for us to calmly watch the video from the safety of our homes and critique the store owners actions. Its easy for us to say “Well he shouldn’t have gone over there the second time and shot him.” But believe me, when you are in a life or death situation just as this store owner was, you won’t have that luxury. Its life or death. You have to think fast. The gunman has already made it clear he will take your life without a second thought. And I for one will make the choice to live.

For those interested in reading or watching more about this story, click here. You can read the full story and watch the surveillance video there.