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horseMortar commented on the diary post “Some things never change”: Student protests at UC Berkeley by Jane Stillwater.
There were indeed cops from BPD and Alameda PD, but the mass of baton-thrashers were UCPD. No surprise. Even in times of relative peace on campus, the UC cops were always hyper-aggressive. I always suspected that their gung-ho bullshit was an expression of the beliefs they held, deep-down, that they were little better than mall [...]
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horseMortar commented on the diary post Wells Fargo Exec Gets a Mic Check by Phoenix Woman.
Bravo indeed!
Another squirmy, cowardly rat (no offense to rats) scurrying into his limo to avoid exercising the CEO’s “Executive Mastery” that supposedly earns him bonuses in the millions.
This was an incredibly inspiring video. Keep it up, y’all! Leaving for the East Bay now with camping equipment and fist aid supplies.
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horseMortar commented on the blog post Concealed Carrying Bystander Nearly Killed Innocent Man During Tucson Shooting
Having some experience with crowd control, and much experience with large, passionate crowds, my concerns about well-meaning citizens carrying weapons have always been how those carrying citizens could possibly manage to limit “collateral damage” to crowd members in a chaotic, swirling group of people experiencing terror.
I do shoot at a range, which has little bearing on the scenario of the shooting in Arizona. I have also been in the midst of two accident/shooting scenes in which chaos reigned and the crowd was immense enough to make a targeted “take-down” of one single unidentifiable gunman/woman almost impossible without, yes, I’ll use the term again, “collateral damage.”
I would also like to add that Joe Zamudio has been referenced in *earlier articles* as “hiding behind a post trying to figure out the scene.” It’s commendable that he paused long enough before firing. And I’m not being snarkey at all. Thank God he didn’t shoot wildly or without forethought. Kudos to him.
However, the true heroes of the situation were unarmed. The man who kept Giffords alive was one of her interns, trained in basic triage, Daniel Hernandez. Patricia Maisch, 61, WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN SHOT, was the first person to attack Loughner, grabbing his clip, and distracting him enough physically to interfere with a rapid reload. Her action also provided time and opportunity to the other two men who pinned and controlled Loughner.
Those two men have been identified as Retired Army Col. Bill Badger, 74, who was also wounded in the shooting (SHOT IN THE HEAD). Badger, a retired Army colonel, put his knee on the gunman’s arm and held his neck and rear to keep him pinned down. Roger Salzgeber assisted him.
After Louhgner was down, Zamudio, 24, threw himself upon the legs of Louhgner and the bodies of the other men. Zamudio’s firearm did *nothing* to control the shooter.
Again, the people who did contain the situation were not armed– with guns at least. They were armed with good sense, sharp instincts and the subconscious drive to protect the congresswoman and anyone else who was there in the crowd, regardless of risk to their own lives.
It’s great that Joe provided backup, but he wasn’t the gun-toting hero who saved the day or kept more people from dying. What was needed in this situation was courage, quick-thinking, intellect and the split-second instinct to sacrifice oneself for the greater good.
I have nothing against Mr. Zamudio but it sickens me to see the firm facts of the situation and the immense bravery exhibited be tossed aside in the interest of Hollywood “Might-Have-Been” outcomes which didn’t happen and which, if they had, would likely have resulted in many more dire injuries. Let’s give respect where respect is due. And honor the heroes, and their methods, that did contain this tragedy.
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