Sorry Roger, I must have had a humour bypass, I don't
find this funny at all.
Make your point using fictional events, not the recent
death of a man who (I hear) was not wearing body armour
but went to the assistance of his colleagues under attack
(who were wearing body armour).
The men being questioned were not handcuffed, in obeyance
of EU human rights legislation. This may seem madness, as
may the majority of British police being unarmed, or British
troops wearing berets instead of helmets in certain conflict
zones. These approaches are used to minimize overall risk
of injury and loss of life. They seem to be based on The
Prisoners' Dilemma in Game Theory where the best outcome is
a win:win situation: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."
>From dramatisations we're familiar with the opening gambit of
a police interrogation, where the officer suggests what will
make things "easier for all concerned". There was a 60s/70s
police series on British TV called "Softly, Softly".
Knife attacks are a growing problem in the UK, mainly confined
to certain sections of the community. Self-defence experts
state that a close quarters encounter with an inexperienced
gunman is unlikely to be fatal, whereas a knife can easily kill,
leaving the murderer to silently melt into the shadows.
The recent killing in Manchester was accomplished with a kitchen
knife. People can be killed using many common objects, with
varying degrees of efficiency. I don't think it can be denied
that the appearance or accepted function of an object can alter
the frame of mind of the user, such that the possession of an
over the top design of knife, an aggressively designed sports
car or even a bicycle or skateboard used for stunts can lead to
tragic outcomes.
Best regards,
Jake Young
======= On 2003-01-15 at 14:06:00 Roger Turk wrote: =======
>London, January 14, 2003. A police officer was stabbed to death during a
>raid in connection with the ricin poison investigation. Scotland Yard Chief
>Inspector, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, stated that this conclusively proves
>knives are dangerous weapons and kill. Commencing January 1, 2004,
>possession of knives of any kind will be banned from all of England. Anyone
>who can prove that possession of a knife is a necessity will have to obtain
>an annual permit from the Queen.
>
>When asked what happened to the wielder of the knife, Gildersleeve stated
>that he was set free as it was the knife that killed, not the wielder. The
>knife has been taken into custody.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
