Indictments in SD!

09 Sept 08

Seattle cops indicted in SD biker-bar shooting incident:

Friends in Sturgis, SD tell me that their grand jury last week indicted, for aggravated assault, a City of Seattle, WA police officer in the wake of a shooting incident in a local biker-bar during Sturgis' annual Bike Week last month. Several other SPD officers in the same group have also been indicted on lesser charges, mostly for carrying concealed guns while drinking in a drinking establishment. Members of the Hell's Angels contingent who were involved in the same incident have also been indicted, also for aggravatedassault, and at least one for illegally carrying a concealed gun.

The grand jury has obviously said: "Enough is enough! When you come to our town (1) carrying guns and (2) obviously looking for trouble, don'tbe astonished when you find it, more than you ever wanted, and we don't care whom you are nor where you're from!"

The fight in question erupted in a notorious biker-bar in Sturgis during the equally-notorious "Bike-Week." Members of various biker groups, all displaying "colors," descend in droves upon Sturgis once a year for the one-week event. Local biker-bars, all but deserted the rest of the year, have standing-room-only during bike-week!

Wounds received by the Hell's Angel member who was shot were serious, but not fatal. Gun involved was a G22. Two shots were fired. Both hit. Brand of ammunition was not reported. No one else was hurt by gunfire.

It is unclear who "started it," but the SPD officer who shot the Hell's Angels member, at the moment of the shooting, was getting the worst of a physical fight. In fact, many consider the shooting to be legitimate self-defense, and, had it taken place anywhere but a rowdy bar, late at night, and amonga bunch of people who had been drinking, the grand jury likely would have seen it that way.

There will be criminal trials, and, of course, and the outcomes are anyone's guess, but this grand jury has apparently decided to put its foot down, hard! I'm not sure these indictments represent a "trend," those of us who carry concealed, and regularly travel out-of-state, need to take note!

Most otherwise perfectly-respectable franchises, like Outback, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Ruth Chris, Texas Road House, et al have bars and serve liquor, and, when traveling around the Country, I patronize all of them on a regular basis for the purpose of partaking of a nice dinner. I don't sit at the bar, and I don't drink, but I often find myself in a place that serves liquor, while I'm carrying a concealed pistol (usually several), an act which may or may not technically violate some local ordinance or state law, all of which may or may not be locally enforced. I usually don't know, nor is there any real way of knowing.

Sometimes, I'll elect to eat in a restaurant without a bar, like Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans, when convenient, and that, of course, solves the problem. But, while both serve wonderful breakfasts, you won't find a good steak at either, and sometimes, after a long day of flying or driving, I'm in the mood for a good steak!

Laws, and local police agendas, with regard to concealed carry vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, sometimes from season to season, particularly on the subject of carrying in bars and restaurants that servealcoholic beverages. In addition, many such laws and ordinances are so confusingly written as to be indecipherable! Enforcement is sporadic and arbitrary. Look at all the "charts" you want. They're mostly irrelevant, and all out of date!

My advice:

(1) Don't go to bars, particularly raucous ones that don't serve food, and most particularly when patrons are displaying "colors!" When in otherwise-respectable restaurants that serve liquor, don't sit at the bar.

(2) Stay out of the 'bad-part-of-town." Stay out of the entire town during events like Bike-Week! There is little to be gained from attending inherently seedy, frowzy, dangerous events and gatherings. Unless you really fit in with that crowd, it's a pretty stupid place to go!

(3) When carrying, you can't drink, not anywhere, not any amount, not even " a little!" An otherwise clear case of self-defense will rapidly dissolve into a muddled can of worms when it is subsequently revealed that you had been drinking prior to the incident. When you've been drinking, don't expect " understanding" from any jury!

(4) When traveling out of town, be always polite and congenial, but maintain a low profile and keep to yourself. Don't engage in animated conversations with people you don't know. Even an offhand and harmless remark about something as unimportant as a sports team can precipitate violent reactions on the part of otherwise "normal" people!

(5) Don't stay out late! Eat dinner early and get to bed early. Most violent events take place at night. Few happen during daylight hours.

(6) Dress so as to be "invisible." Avoid bright colors, stark contrasts, glittering jewelry, expensive watches, and particularly logo-patches and T-shirts with a "message." Dress conservatively. Be grey!

(7) Assure that your gun(s) stay discretely concealed. Don't talk about guns, yours or anyone else's.

(8) Stay alert! When you see "trouble-in-the-making," get up and leave without delay, no matter where you are, whom you're with, and even when it seems you're the only one who noticed. Get out of there before it gets any worse!

(9) When people you don't know approach and attempt to engage you in a conversation, politely dismiss them! When communicating with restaurant hostesses and servers, one to three-syllable commands and responses are all that are usually necessary. All others should hear something like, "I'm sorry sir. I can't help you," or words to that effect.

/John

Why Not?

09 Sept 08=20

A friend and colleague sends this about forward progress:

"'Why?' is known as the 'park-gear of the mind.' When maintaining status-quo is the goal, one always asks 'Why?' This is because asking that question does three things:

(1) It focuses on history. One does not ask 'why' about events that has not yet occurred, so the question itself presupposes a reference to the past.

(2) It's exclusively analytical. It focuses on the contribution of many small components. It thus smothers forward momentum and submerges everyone in the 'paralysis-of-analysis'

(3) It promotes blaming, rationalizing, and cover-up.

Conversely, when one wants to get things done, he asks 'Why not?'

Just as 'Why?' always looks backwards, 'Why not?' inexorably infers that we're talking about the future. It engages imagination, opens expanded contexts and possibilities, and motivates us to maintain forward momentum toward new and exciting possibilities.

'Why not?' also causes blaming and ass-covering to dissolveinto irrelevance!"

... and, after all is said and done, this reminder from Harry Truman:

"It doesn't matter how big a ranch ya' own, nor how many cows ya' brand. The size of your funeral is still gonna depend mostly on the weather."

/John