Thats because you have a very strange mentality when it comes to self defense and property defense. There seems to be some kind of illness in Yankeeland which causes you to believe that criminals should be able to ply their trade without risk.
After - thats why they got shot.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

Incorrect - there was a witness. A plainclothes cop no less, who was busily ignoring the felony in progress when the criminals broke into the home.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

No, that's why we have the police department. We spend a LOT of money training these people for just this kind of event.

But since we have a legally armed citizenry out there willing to do the job, I say we abolish the police departments once and for all. They just seem redundant in the light of people being able to kill people for the heinous crime of theft.

And i don't see my position as a "strange mentality" at all. If a neighbor can plug a couple of thieves because he thinks they are stealing something, he becomes cop, judge, jury AND executioner.

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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.

Well, if there ever was a law that clearly needed amending (or outright repealing), that would be it. Because, in the eyes of the law, if you are right, there IS an equality of the crimes if it's okay to kill someone for the commission of EITHER crime.

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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.

How?? How can it be a crime to kill a thief if its legal to do so? Your post makes no sense at all!

And yet the cop who was actually there and watching it happen just ignored it. Yeah - they REALLY handle that kind of event.

Scribbler, the cops cannot be everywhere and have neither the manpower nor the ability to actually stop a crime in progress most of the time.
I have no problem with that.
What I see as strange is the belief that people shouldn't protect their property.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

What you're missing is the distinction between a legal penalty applied after the fact by the state, and what a law abiding person chooses to do at that moment.

If the use of lethal force is the only way to stop them, then so be it. The CRIMINAL made that choice, not the victim.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

To him it does. I have met many people in my life who truly believe a criminal's life is worth just as much as his victim's.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

To be able to kill either a thief OR an attacker are the "equal" crimes I referred to.

Eric said there was no law stating burglary and assault were the same crime, but if the law allows a private citizen to take it upon himself to kill anyone who commits EITHER crime, then the law in essence sees the crimes as being serious enough to be virtually equal.

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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.

And what does he say about it?

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It all comes down to this on election day: Are you a racist, or do you look down on spastics?

Well, you haven't met one THIS time, except in your mind. I explained what I was referring to in my post to Traveler and it was a reply to you stating how if it is acceptable to the law to have a citizen killing anyone whether the crime is assault or burglary the law sees the crimes as relatively equal if the outcome is the same.

Is it any clearer THIS time?

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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.

So you judge ALL police by the poor performance of ONE? That's intellectually dishonest at the very least.They rarely DO stop a crime in progress. They can usually only REACT after one occurs. And that has nothing to do with what this guy did. My argument is approving the application of deadly force by a private citizen for the crime of burglary is insane.No surprise there, pardner. Evidently you didn't see that comment as sarcasm on my part when I said we should abolish the police entirely. I thought it was obvious even without the excessive use of smileys.
But the one mental picture I can't shake is what you yourself would do if you didn't have some trigger-happy fool living next door to you. Once you found your stuff stolen, what would be the FIRST call you made?Fair enough. And what I see as strange is you seem to forget the fact that they weren't HOME to protect THEIR property. IMO, they (and me, and you, and ever other homeowner) should have the right to blast anyone who breaks into their home, even if they don't steal anything. The issue is this cretin who decided to shoot those guys who were stealing somebody ELSE'S stuff, even before he left the house.

I'm half expecting to hear what happened when you went to get your lawnmower back from the neighbor who borrowed it last week, and HIS neighbor saw a chance to play Wyatt Earp. I'll bet you call the cops THEN, if you're still alive I mean.

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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.

The officer was not in a position to interfere before Horn deliberately committed homicide.

To enter the residence without backup would have been foolish. Waiting outside, knowing that backup was only moments away, was the prudent decision (and, I suspect, complied with policy). Horn went out and shot the two men before the officer was in a position to do anything.

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When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

No...we execute people for murder and treason, just because the punishment is the same it doesn't make the crime the same as well does it?

In this instance its the same level of action we can take to defend ourselves, against the crimes, not the severity of the crimes, that is the same.

No - that is NOT what I said. Read it again - carefully

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.