Passenger Beheaded on Canadian Bus
What is happening up in Canada? First the mysterious feet, now this. CNN reports that:
“There was no rage or anything. He was like a robot, stabbing the guy.”
I’m sure it’s completely unrelated, but the Canadian ice melt is also in the news. It’s in the environment section of CNN.
It’s the passenger that made me think of Iggy, though.
Explore posts in the same categories: american culture, the bizarreTags: Add new tag, beheaded, canada, environment, global warming, ice melt, iggy pop, passenger, the feet
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Mikeb302000 
August 1, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Good thing there was no gun on the bus, someone could have been killed, eh?
August 1, 2008 at 1:37 pm
You got me there, Bob. The truth is, I wish someone on that bus had been armed and could have taken charge of the situation. And another thing I recognize, before you even say it, is here’s an example of violent murder that didn’t require a gun – the old “people kill people” thing.
Nevertheless, as a general overall utopian theory, I’m against guns.
August 1, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Mike,
What I don’t get is why you are against guns?
I’m all for stopping criminals. I would favor gun control laws if there was supporting evidence that it would reduce crime, but I haven’t found any evidence that it does.
England’s violent crime rate is sky rocketing. Civil liberties are being violated daily; in the misguided goal of keeping people safe. People can’t be kept safe from criminals by the government without a complete totalitarian state. Then the people are in danger from the government.
I asked in a previous post if you would fight back if someone was mugging you, robbing you, I ask again; would you?
If you answer yes, then why not support the most effective means to equalize the physical difference that can and often do exist between criminal(s) and victim?
August 1, 2008 at 2:49 pm
+1 Bob…this goes double for the fact that most lawful people (I for one, I’m guessing you two as well) spend most of our lives minding our own buisness. Yet whenever I read about somebody being arrested for assault/robbery/rape, they have other assault charges and disturbing the peace ect ect.
What does this mean? While we both have fists and feet….my attacker will more likely know how to use his to beat the tar out of me, than me to him.
Without a gun I have no rights in a scenario like that. And it is not an unrealistic scenario. One that doesn’t happen to everyone, but one that happens multiple times each day.
August 1, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Odd place, Canada…
I blame the weather 😉
August 1, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Frighteningly shallow dismissive attitude….
August 1, 2008 at 7:37 pm
The excuse for not doing something by saying the man was dead anyway, is no excuse. It’s this “follow the crowd, screaming out of the bus” mentality that has made us a society of sheep.
Having been in the military myself, and having served overseas in three combat arenas, I know (not from personal experience) that cutting a mans head off is no easy task. There is a lot of back and forth going on and then there is the the spinal cord to deal with.
What was everyone doing while all this was going on? The perp must have been giving it his full attention, it would not have been that difficult to find some type of deadly weapon and save the court system from a lengthy trial that’s going to result in a “crazy” plea with life in a hospital at the tax payers expense.
And don’t think that if someone had stopped, hurt or even killed the perp, they would have been prosecuted. They wouldnt have.
August 1, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Bob, On the other thread I just mentioned that I don’t put too much stock in the statistics because your side has them proving your point and so does the gun control side. I just go by what seems to make sense to me. Let me ask you, and the other gun advocates, a question. You know a lot of people who own guns, right? Most are men, I presume. Among those men, your hunting buddies, work colleagues, neighbors, whatever, aren’t there some who scare you? Aren’t there some who are a little irresponsible, who suffer from rage attacks, who abuse their girlfriends or wives? Any group of men I’ve ever known contains all those types. Isn’t it frightening that some of them own guns? Now, if you grant me some of these points, I’d like to point out we’re talking about law-abiding citizens. How much worse it is with the fringe criminals or the professional criminals, all of whom, the law-abiding citizens and the bad guys, have easy access to guns. For me it’s bad news.
August 1, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Mike,
Let’s take this in pieces
First, responsibility.
Ask yourself the same question about those that you know don’t own guns, what would your answer be?
I’m sure it’s the typical bell curve, some one either end will be ones that shouldn’t be left unsupervised at all.
Does it scare you that the same fringe people are allowed to have 2,000 pound weapons at their use every day in the form of a car?
How about knives, the same people who abuses their spouses, kick dogs, suffer from rage are seldom far away from edged implements.
It’s a tool, nothing more, nothing less.
Now, let’s turn it around. With those same folks out there, with or without guns, doesn’t it scare you that gun control advocates want to disarm people? Taking away the most effective means that a typical female victim can resist a typical male attacker?
My wife and daughter are average…5’7 or so. I won’t tell their weights, that might get me assaulted, but it’s normal. I’m 6’2 and 220 pounds. Who wins in a physical fight between me and one of the ladies?
Here is a link showing the usage rate of firearms in violent crime? Care to guess before checking it?
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/percentfirearm.htm
The answer is about 10%, why force the victims to be completely disarmed because 10% of the criminals use firearms?
Second. Easy access to firearms.
I don’t know your age, but I’m in my mid 40s. I remember shopping as a kid in Sears and looking at firearms. Most hardware stores had a cabinet of firearms and knives. What documentation was needed to purchase a firearm? In most areas, nothing.
Today it is harder then ever for law abiding folks to purchase firearms. Review the procedure that Washington D.C. is trying to make people do to have a firearm in the home…how easy it that?
Third, should the possible risks outweigh stripping everyone of their rights?
That is the real question here. Cars kill people more often then firearms, want to save lives, ban cars.
Swimming pool accidents kill more children then firearm accidents, are we going to ban swimming pools?
Baseball bats have been used in murders, should be ban the sport and production of bats?
Water is the leading factor in drownings, should it be banned? See it can get pretty ridiculous quickly.
There are approximately 270 million firearms in America and less then 20,00 firearm murders each year. Is the risk really that high that firearms are being so mis-used?
August 1, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I know plenty of women who own guns as well as men. Also all my personal gun-owning friends are the most level-headed people I know. I know OF some gun owners who might not fit into that category…but I’ve never met them, and I go to about 3-4 club-sponsored shoots a year where the head-count is in the 200+ range. I’ve never seen an argument or harsh words (even about gun-banning politicians), never seen a fight or an argument, never seen a gun drawn in anger.
One big reason why? Well to expand on the car analogy, I’ve been in auto accidents, I’ve gotten speeding tickets, and the only thing that happened was I paid my fine and got a bump to my insurance rate.
If you make a comparable mistake with a gun, its GONE, and so goes your right to ever own a gun again.
Period.
This state its even worse as you can have your permit revoked for any reason, even it its an illegitimate one. (One example was a fellow who was walking back to his car with a soda in one hand, a hotdog in the other. The wind caught his coat and exposed his gun. A police officer was writing parking tickets and asked the see the man’s permit. The man presented it, and the officer asked him to be more careful and let him go with no tickets or charges filed **FYI none COULD be issued, as open carry of a firearm is perfectly legal in Mass given that you have a permit** his police chief revoked his permit anyway citing the man for “Bad Judgment”, and all his guns were confiscated. It took this gentleman the better part of a year, and THOUSANDS of dollars in legal fees to get his permit and his guns back. All this with NO CRIME COMMITTED!
This is in a gun-unfriendly state, but still in most places carrying in a prohibited place (Post office, Bars, Restaurants that serve alcohol, Schools, public parks ect) drawing a gun in public, discharging a firearm in a town with an ordinance, discharging a weapon within 100 feet of a residence or house, pointing a gun at a person intentionally, all of these offenses and many more are felonies, and if convicted of them there is no lawyer on earth that will get your guns back. DO NOT PASS GO!
Also note that even in the most gun friendly states to get a carry permit it requires a fee, often a training course, and a VERY extensive background check, and you have to submit to background checks every time you buy a gun from a dealer….also if you buy a gun from a private person you need to know ALL the laws because if the sale isn’t 100% legal either one of you can be convicted of a felony weapons transfer/possession. This will take away ALL your guns, and you’ll never own another. If your background check turns up a youth conviction, or any prohibited status, no matter how old (see my other post on the GCA of ’68) no guns, no license, and if somebody sells you a gun anyway, they’re looking at loosing THEIR guns, their right to keep and bear AND a hefty time in prison.
This is nothing to sneeze at, so as a general rule the more immature people I know don’t bother (if they have interest at all) and actually I see a lot of attitude changes in people who start owning guns (I saw the same thing with myself….not that I was “Scary” or “reckless” to begin with, but I’m more serious now because I can’t afford to slip up EVER)
So I’d ask you how many gun-owners you know? And what gun laws you don’t think are working?
Seems to me its an enforcement and an incarceration issue. The people committing the crimes don’t have licences, almost all are prohibitied people, many are underage to even own a gun even if they had a clean record. Meanwhile the people I know don’t commit crimes, don’t do stupid things like succumb to road-rage, or confront an asshole on the street ect.
I fail to see how more gun laws would do ANYTHING but take guns away from good people, while leaving the people who are causing all the problems with all the guns and weapons they want.
Not the world I want to live in, but I welcome new information that will prove me wrong.
August 2, 2008 at 10:36 am
Andrew, Thanks for picking up on my intention with this post. As irreverent as it sounds, I was trying to bring some levity to this grisly situation.
Weer’d and Bob, You guys do bring up some good points, which although I don’t find completely persuasive, I promise to consider them. I really don’t like stats, but that 270 million firearms vs. 20,000 murders is hard to resist. About the laws, I don’t know. Actually, I never said anything about gun laws one way or the other; I don’t think I did anyway. Mine has always been a type of utopian wish, fewer guns, safer world.
August 2, 2008 at 1:39 pm
“Mine has always been a type of utopian wish, fewer guns, safer world.”
Lofty aspirations, but something that has never been obtained in reality, and the path is littered with the bodies of the innocence.
Speeches by Stalin about “Worker’s Paradise” come to mind.
Meanwhile areas exist with SHITLOADS of guns per capita (Hell the vault right beside my desk is full of the damn things) yet NO crime or violence exists.
I don’t know where you’re from, but there are places (usually ones with a strong hunting culture…tough the “Free State Projects” in New Hampshire also come to mind) Where near EVERY house has guns in it. And not just the guns arbitrarily declared “Scary” guns either (mind you a gun is NEVER scary…..but the “Wrong Hands” with a gun in them is never a good thing) but semi-autos, Military-style, high-powered, Scoped rifles often demonized as “Snipers”, and handguns galore….yet no crime, and no violence…..then my reference to prisons where no guns, no weapons….but lots of violence….often with made weapons.
And its not like guns are really that hard to make if you aren’t concerned with quality or durability:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sten
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FP-45_Liberator
And you can get even more simple and “Ghetto” with home-made guns. Hell a Potato cannon can quickly be swapped to fire a deadly bullet….
You can ban guns…but you can’t erase the theory of them.
August 2, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Mike,
I don’t know your situation, your location, your marital status, but how many of your friends or yourself have had arguments with their significant others?
How many of those arguments have turned deadly? Every household is full of deadly weapons, knives, hammers, screwdrivers, etc–if the concern is that an ordinary argument will turn deadly due to the presence of a weapon, how do you explain the lack of violence most of the time?
Thanks for keeping an open mind and an open blog, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issues rationally. I don’t understand your issue with statistics, especially since the stats tend to support personal experience. Look at the history of concealed carry; Florida was the first state to liberalize it’s carry laws. Blood in the streets, wild west shoot outs every day, road rage turns violent every time and those predictions just didn’t come true. Are there Concealed Carry license holders that break the law, yes, but at what percentage?
Here is a link to the Texas Department of Safety’s conviction rates for CHL holders.
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/convrates.htm
More stats I know, but these are things that I live, I live in Texas. I don’t have my CHL yet, it’s in the process. But I live, work, shop, and interact with people everyday who carry. It simply isn’t an issue. For most people it’s like carrying a fire extinguisher in your car. You hope that you never have to use it, but are darn sure glad to have it when it’s needed, right?
I would appreciate an chance to address more of your concerns in specific details. Also, I don’t know your experience with firearms but if you haven’t shot before I would like to extend an invitation to go to a range with a “gunny” for some basic instruction. Again, I’m don’t know where you live, but we can find someone in your area willing to take you to a range. Gun rights folks are some of the most generous around and are usually willing to provide an introduction to shooting.
August 2, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Bob S., You’ve given me a lot to think about. You too, Weer’d.
August 2, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Hey Bob, that reminded me of when the wife and I took a cruise together out of Galveston TX. I was having a cigar one evening in the cigar bar, and all the people in the bar were from Texas, and amazingly when the subject came to guns, even the guy who was arguing FOR gun control had guns at home.
Maybe a cigar bar is an odd sample set, though when I lived in Central Maine the amount of guns in every household (most often in a glass-front cabinet in the living room or a bedroom, no lock, no key, and the ammo was usually stored in the same room) yet there was near ZERO crime, and let me tell you, no group of people like to argue more than Mainers!
That was really what turned me on the gun control issue (I was originally all for the Clinton Assault Weapon’s ban, and generally disliked guns) But there is simply NO corrilary with LEGALLY held guns and crime, or violence.
Now ILLEGALLY held guns are an entirely different issue….but making them MORE illgegaller is definitely not a solution, and frankly if one of those guys finds me before the cops find him, I’d kinda like to have a gun with me, wouldn’t you?
And I think I speak for Bob, here too, but we really appreciate the open mind you’ve given us. There are far more prestigious blogs that quickly turn to name-calling, and/or comment screening fairly quickly when heated issues like this pop up.