6 Dec 03

From a friend and student:

"The recent abduction/disappearance of a North Dakota college student and th e murder of a federal prosecutor illustrates, once again, the three deadly omissions:

(1) Inattentiveness (2) Unpreparedness (3) Defenselessness

Inattentiveness: If you are routinely unaware, you can take steps to make yourself even more so by talking on a cell phone as you walk in dark parking lots. How common, and how foolish!

Unpreparedness: Perceiving, in time, a set of circumstances that are suspicious is always the first step. Failing to have a plan makes it all fo r naught! In the absence of a plan of action, most people, when confronted with criminal violence, panic and lapse into a state of mental paralysis. While they dither, the predator makes his move,

Defenselessness: When a physical fight is unavoidable, you need to be able t o fight effectively. The unwillingness or inability to fight effectively is a virtual death sentence when criminal violence comes your way. If you allow yourself to be tied up, taken by force to a remote location, etc, your chanc es of survival are essentially zero. You need to be prepared, equipped, and willing to 'make your move,' when making your move still has some li kelihood of success.

All of us, even those of us who don't routinely carry concealed guns, can have OC spray with them most of the time. All of us, in most places, can car ry a serious blade. Not having such easily carried defensive instrumentalities o n your person all the time is silly.

Most people's ONLY 'defense' against criminal attack is the perpetual hope they will not be selected as prey by a predator. Deselection strategies are surely an important part of any plan, but effective fighting is a part of ev ery legitimate plan too, and most of us do not think about such things nearly enough. Like discussions of smoking, drugs and AIDS, such topics are uncomfortable. But 'thinking about the unthinkable' is a lot less un comfortable than what these two most recent victims went through."

/John