On Oct 23, 8:12 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
So they all started carrying in 1991, after the restaurant shooting? Nobody
started, say, in 1988, when the number of homicides started increasing?

No, of course, I knew quite a few people in the 1980's who would carry
in their cars, but very few on their person, none I can name
personally carrying at all times. After Henard, it became personal,
and they began carrying on their person. But there were many different
initiating event back then to, and each persons decision was personal,
but many in the same time frame.

My wife had some occassion to go to the bus station in 1991. As she
walked away from the bus station alone (this is down town Dallas,
broad daylight, heavy traffic, lots of bystanders), a black man
started following her and yelling at her, "Hey bitch! How 'bout I come
over and slap you up side you pretty head!" She's a tiny thing, so she
fled, she darted across the street through traffic, and he was
advancing. She looked around at the passing traffice, the other people
around the bus station impassively watching the drama without any
concern, and realized, if he caught up with her, she had no hope of
defending her self, or any of these other people around her coming to
her aid.

Another event about the time the law was passed was the Dallas
Cowboy's Super Bowl parade, 1994 iirc. I had been called for jury duty
that day. So I was inside the downtown court house, sitting in viador.
I was released from duty, and dumped out on the streets in the middle
of a riot. I was also disgruntelled, because I was unarmed that day.
They have metal detectors in the courthouse. So I went stomping off to
my car, upset about the obvious bias I'd seen in jury selection,
boiled by the sound of sirens, and wondering what was going on. I was
uncomfortable, because I noticed many people (blacks) staring at me as
I walked, having no idea of why they looked so intent and angry. I'm a
big guy, so no one bothered me, and I got in my car and drove out of
the carnage unaware, save the sirens and the squad of police streaking
past me on bicycles. I half chuckled and sneared to myself, always
something happening downtown. It wasn't until that evening I found out
a race riot was on down there. Many whites had been pommelled by gangs
of blacks for no apparent reason, as was shown on the evening news
that night. I think that also caused many people to start carrying as
well.

Yes, I don't expect to convince anyone with these specific cases, but
for me, I have no doubt of the timing of things, when the bulk of the
people who carry began, and the sudden drop in crime, as well as the
passage of the law - we were demanding it.

Thank you for your kind wishes and concerns. Yes, it is horrible,
neigh unbeleivable here. The very fact most can't imagine is why I
tell the story. However, we have managed to remain safe and unharmed
through it all. Like the early settlers, we tough it out, and for the
same reasons. Our land, and we won't let the bad guys drive us off it.
The real story here is the unacceptable stance of Dallas to act as a
provider of law and order while ever raising property taxes without
providing adequate services. Yet we often hear of the payoffs and
corruption among the City Counsil members. Clearly our saftey and well
being is not on the forefront of their minds:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...129b687ca.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...79327518_x.htm

No, I don't expect you can imagine living here. One of the things I
mentioned to the mayor in the letter with the 45 lbs of glass, was, I
felt safer in a third world country (PI where I started a PCB layout
design company) than I did in Dallas at the time.

But if you can't imagine it, you can't imagine what a state of mind
James Walton was in, either. Besides just getting this off my chest by
complaining about it, I hope I can impart the idea that James deserved
better treatment at the hands of the news. If any of you think he was
over reacting, or playing cowboy, or goes around armed to the teeth
and bragging about his needed killin' job, you need to try on his
shoes. Or mine. Or my wife's. Because if you can't understand the
situation out here, you can't understand how patient and reasonable
James has been, and why when they are stealing food out of his
refrigerator (one of the things he remarked to me about having
happened), the problem is way beyond just an issue of just defending
property, but they are encroaching on life, liberty, and literally the
pursuit of his next meal.

Randy