A little off-topic

[Bill of Rights]

Found this on Yahoo News just now:

83-year-old woman foils purse snatcher

Sat Mar 15, 5:59 AM ET

An 83-year-old great-grandmother thwarted a would-be purse snatcher with a gas nozzle and an iron grip.

Bernie Garcia said a young man approached her at a gas station as she was buying fuel for her van and asked for money. When she told him she had spent all her spare change on gas, he tried to grab her purse.

"But I had it wrapped around my wrist twice," Garcia said, and he was unable to pull it away.

She fought back, spraying his shirt with some gasoline. Both of them kept hold of the purse, and he pulled her to the ground and dragged her a short distance until another man confronted him.

The second man demanded, "Turn her loose, you something something," Garcia said.

The would-be mugger jumped into a nearby vehicle and fled. But a witness got the license plate number, and minutes later, police stopped the car. It had been reported stolen from Espanola, said Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Aric Wheeler.

Garcia and a witness identified one of the men inside as the attacker. He and two other men in the car were charged with robbery and conspiracy.

"They got caught and I'm so glad," Garcia said.

She said she felt fine after the attack, and police say she declined medical attention at the scene. But when she got home, she said, she felt faint and went to bed and woke up Thursday very sore. Her son, a former firefighter, checked her out and found no broken bones.

"My son said, `Why didn't you just give (the purse) up?'" Garcia said. "`Hell no,' I told him. That was my purse. I was fighting for what was mine."

I like her attitude in fighting for what's hers. Too bad she didn't have a cigarette lighter when she sprayed the perp with the gasoline. The son's attitude, however, I can't believe. Sure, he'd rather have his mom than whatever she had in the purse, but firefighter or no, "just give them what they want"? Who is this mope, Paul Helmke?

Cogito, ergo porto.
Porto, ergo cogito.

Blessings,
B

[VegasGeorge]

Good story, good ending.

Here where I live we've had a rash of purse snatchings at our local grocery stores. Some jerk(s) on motor scooters have been racing through the parking lots, taking women's purses out of their shopping carts while the women are busy loading their groceries into their cars.

[magnum]

The son's attitude, however, I can't believe. Sure, he'd rather have his mom than whatever she had in the purse, but firefighter or no, "just give them what they want"? Who is this mope, Paul Helmke?

B

Don't understand what you mean. The son had asked why she did not just give the purse up.

[Bill of Rights]

The son's attitude, however, I can't believe. Sure, he'd rather have his mom than whatever she had in the purse, but firefighter or no, "just give them what they want"? Who is this mope, Paul Helmke?

B

Don't understand what you mean. The son had asked why she did not just give the purse up.

I mean that given the possibility that the thief might have killed her to get the purse, he'd rather she give up the purse and stay alive, but she judged this to not be a life-threatening situation and decided to keep what was hers, and given that, it sounds like he thinks she was wrong to do so.

As for the "Paul Helmke" part, the Brady Bunch has long held that a crime victim should "just give them what they want".

Blessings,
B

[magnum]

I mean that given the possibility that the thief might have killed her to get the purse, he'd rather she give up the purse and stay alive, but she judged this to not be a life-threatening situation and decided to keep what was hers, and given that, it sounds like he thinks she was wrong to do so.

Blessings,
B

ok, I follow you now. I understand what you are saying and agree. Its always better to give the thief want he wants - if that is all that they want.

[Bill of Rights]

ok, I follow you now. I understand what you are saying and agree. Its always better to give the thief want he wants - if that is all that they want.

Well, now that's the real trick, isn't it, reading their minds? I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to entrust my family's or my property, safety, dignity, or lives to the whims of a criminal who is willing to steal what s/he has not lawfully earned.
In other words, I ain't givin' up squat unless I was unobservant enough to have been caught in Condition White.

Blessings,
B

[magnum]

Some guys tried to take my car from me (or worse, intent is stil not known). I never had to display my gun to them, just the mear attitude that I had one and was ready to use it was enough to send them packing.

Anybody that takes my property is going to have to do so while I am a sleep and don't know it (I know I need a dog).

[junglebob]

ok, I follow you now. I understand what you are saying and agree. Its always better to give the thief want he wants - if that is all that they want.

Well, now that's the real trick, isn't it, reading their minds? I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to entrust my family's or my property, safety, dignity, or lives to the whims of a criminal who is willing to steal what s/he has not lawfully earned.
In other words, I ain't givin' up squat unless I was unobservant enough to have been caught in Condition White.

Blessings,
B
Give the thief what he wants, that is the kind of advice given by the Illinois State Police website. Of course they also suggest women can defend themselves with keys and rat tail combs. They also suggested that women that thought they were going to be raped to throw up on themselves, to make themselves less appealing. After some flak they removed their moronic suggestions.

Being able to read the thief's mind would be very useful. My wife is a nurse and I remember an incident several years ago where a father and son, I believe, were robbed. After robbing them the thief tried to blind them so they couldn't identify him. They ended up in the emergency room.