[Rhodes22-list] Prosecuted homeowner blasts officials

[Steve]

Well put; Roger.
Steve

--- Roger Pihlaja <cen09402 at centurytel.net> wrote:
> Rik,
> 
> My feeling re home and family defense is that the
> whole issue is a matter of
> choosing the least bad option from a bunch of poor
> choices.  I would rather
> suffer the potential legal consequences of shooting
> an intruder rather than
> permit harm to myself or my family.  All the police
> and lawyers in the world
> cannot undo an injury once it's been done, even if
> the judicial system works
> as it should.  Remember, I did not invite a burgler
> to break into my house.
> If shooting him before he can hurt me or my family
> means I might have to do
> jail time for manslaughter, then so be it.  I refuse
> to be a victim.
> 
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rik Sandberg" <sanderico at earthlink.net>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 6:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Prosecuted homeowner
> blasts officials
> 
> 
> > Well, if it had been me, he's have never made it
> out the window. Let alone
> > out to my stolen car. I wouldn't have to worry
> about him being alive to
> > testify against me.
> >
> > I think Colorado's got the right idea. someone
> comes into your house
> > uninvited, shoot first and ask questions later.
> >
> > Not too long ago three people, 2 teenagers and
> their mother, were beaten
> to
> > death by 2 dope heads with a claw hammer and a
> roll of duct tape in a
> house
> > about 100 feet behind mine. I wonder how this
> might have turned out
> > different if someone had pulled a gun and wasn't
> afraid to use it. About a
> > month after being caught, one of the killers
> committed suicide. After
> being
> > thrown in jail and finally coming down from what
> ever he was high on, he
> > realized what he had done and couldn't live with
> it. How unfortunate that
> 3
> > people had to die so horribly to rid society of a
> worthless piece of shit
> > like that. Thank God he found a way to kill
> himself, or we'd still be
> > screwing around with him. Too bad the other one
> didn't do it too.
> >
> > This mentality that we should wait for the police
> to "save" us is pure
> > bull. Most times, by the time they can get there,
> the damage is already
> > done. The police cannot preserve your rights and
> certainly can't give them
> > back, once the criminal has taken them. If you
> want to preserve YOUR
> > rights, you must prevent the criminal from taking
> them in the first place.
> > Why are people so afraid or maybe it's unwilling
> to defend themselves???
> >
> > Rik
> >
> >
> > At 04:21 PM 1/23/2004, you wrote:
> > >I don't remember who said, "There are lies, there
> are damn lies and then
> > >there are statistics." but nonetheless, here are
> some stats compiled in
> 1999
> > >put together by a gun owner's group.  Earlier I
> said I thought about half
> of
> > >US households have firearms.  I may have to stand
> corrected.  These stats
> > >indicate about half of Canadian homes have guns. 
> In the US, it's about
> > >12.7%.  (oh yeah, now I remember--it's half of US
> households have pets.
> 8-)
> > >Note:  they indicate that guns were used on
> intruders about 2.5 million
> > >times but only 8 % (200,000) actually shot the
> intruder.  Most of the
> time
> > >the weapon was merely brandished or warning shots
> fired.  I didn't see
> any
> > >stats pertaining to self-defense legal outcomes.
> > >
> > >Also, here's a link on gun safety that's well
> worth a look.
> > >
> > >Slim
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=homeowner+and+statistics+
> a
> >
>
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> e
> >
>
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> e
> >
>
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> >
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> %
> >
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> > >
> >
>
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> a
> >
>
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> > >m%2F%7Efrfrog%2Fsafety.htm
> > >
> > >On 1/23/04 3:01 PM, "Paul Grandholm"
> <paul at grandpower.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > A Chicago-area homeowner prosecuted after
> shooting an intruder has
> > > > written a letter urging local
> > > > officials to stop hindering citizens from
> protecting their families
> and
> > > > "stick to parade schedules and
> > > > planting our parks."
> > > > Hale DeMar, 54, of Wilmette, Ill., wounded a
> burglar who entered his
> > > > kitchen Dec. 29, shortly after
> > > > saying good night to his children upstairs.
> But DeMar was charged with
> > > > violating a local ordinance
> > > > banning possession of handguns.
> > > > Police Chief George Carpenter said the outcome
> "was very fortunate for
> > > > the homeowner."
> > > > "We much prefer, for the safety of the home,
> that a resident who finds
> > > > himself in this situation
> > > > immediately lock the door of the room he's in
> and dial 911."
> > > > In a letter to local officials published by
> the Chicago Sun-Times,
> > > > however, DeMar said: "Until you are
> > > > shocked by a piercing alarm in the middle of
> the night and met in your
> > > > kitchen by a masked invader as
> > > > your children shudder in their beds, until you
> confront that very real
> > > > nightmare, please don't suggest that
> > > > some village trustee knows better and he/she
> can effectively task the
> > > > police to protect your family from
> > > > the miscreants that this society has
> produced."
> > > > Morio Billings, 31, is accused of entering the
> DeMar home twice within
> 24
> > > > hours. He allegedly crawled
> > > > through a dog door in the garage then returned
> the next night with a
> > > > stolen house key. Prosecutors say
> > > > Billings crashed through the home's front
> window after he was shot
> then
> > > > drove himself to the hospital in
> > > > the family's SUV, which he had stolen the
> night before.
> > > > Billings previously had been arrested 30
> times, according to DeMar.
> > > > DeMar, a restaurant owner, will appear in
> court Feb. 6 to face
> > > > misdemeanor charges for violating the
> > > > handgun ordinance and failing to update his
> firearms card.
> > > > He sent the following letter to the Sun-Times:
> > > >
> > > > Village Trustees ... Stick to Parade Schedules
> & Planting our Parks
> > > >
> > > > Many of us have experienced a sense of
> violation upon returning to our
> > > > homes, only to find
> > > > that someone else has been there. Someone else
> has trespassed in our
> > > > bedrooms, looting and
> > > > stealing that which is readily replaced. Many
> of us, still haunted by
> > > > that violation, will never
> > > > again have a sense of security in our own
> homes. Few, however, have
> > > > awakened to realize
> > > > that they had been violated as they slept in
> their beds, doors locked,
> as
> > > > family dogs patrolled
> > > > their homes. For me, the seconds until I found
> my children still
> safely
> > > > tucked in their beds
> > > > were horrifying. The thought that a young
> child may have been hurt or
> > > > abducted was
> > > > incomprehensible.
> > > > The police were called and in routine fashion
> they came, took the
> report
> > > > and with little
> > > > concern left, promising to increase
> surveillance. Little comfort,
> since
> > > > the invader now had
> > > > keys to our home and our automobiles. The
> police informed me that this
> > > > was not an
> > > > uncommon event in east Wilmette and offered
> their condolences.
> > > > What is one to do when a criminal proceeds,
> undeterred by a 90-pound
> > > > German shepherd,
> > > > an alarm system and a property ... lit up like
> an outdoor stadium? And
> > > > now, he had my
> > > > house keys and an inventory of things he'd
> like to call his own. Would
> > > > the police patrol my
> > > > dead-end street as effectively the second time
> as they had the first?
> > > > Would my small
> > > > children be unharmed the next time? Would the
> career criminal be
> > > > satisfied with another
> > > > automobile, another television or would he
> feel the need, once again,
> to
> > > > climb the staircase
> > > > up to the bedrooms, perhaps for a watch or a
> ring or a wallet, again
> > > > risking little?
> > > > Would my children wake to find a masked
> figure, clad in black, in
> their
> > > > bedroom doorway,
> > > > a vision that might haunt them for years?
> Would the police come again
> and
> > > > fill out yet
> > > > another report, and at what point should I
> feel comfortable that the
> 'bad
> > > > guy' got everything
> > > > he wanted and wouldn't return again, a third
> time?
> > > > I went to the safe where my licensed and
> registered gun was kept,
> loaded
> > > > it for the very first
> > > > time and tucked it under the mattress of my
> bed. I assured my
> frightened
> > > > children ''that
> > > > daddy would deal with the bad guy ... if he
> ever returned.'' Little
> did I
> > > > imagine that this
> > > > brazen animal was waiting in the backyard
> bushes as I tucked my
> children
> > > > into bed.
> > > > Fifteen minutes after bedtime, the alarm went
> off. Three minutes after
> > > > the alarm was
> > > > triggered, the alarm company alerted the
> police to the situation and
> 10
> > > > minutes later the first
> > > > police car pulled up to my home, but only
> after another call was made
> to
> > > > 911, by a
> > > > trembling, half-naked father. I suppose some
> would have grabbed their
> > > > children and
> > > > cowered in their bedroom for 13 minutes,
> praying that the police would
> > > > get there in time to
> > > > stop the criminal from climbing the stairs and
> confronting the family
> in
> > > > their bedroom,
> > > > dreading the sound of a bedroom door being
> kicked in. That's not the
> fear
> > > > I wanted my
> > > > children to experience, nor is it the cowardly
> act that I want my
> > > > children to remember me
> > > > by.
> > > > Until you are shocked by a piercing alarm in
> the middle of the night
> and
> > > > met in your kitchen
> > > > by a masked invader as your children shudder
> in their beds, until you
> > > > confront that very real
> > > > nightmare, please don't suggest that some
> village trustee knows better
> > > > and he/she can
> > > > effectively task the police to protect your
> family from the miscreants
> > > > that this society has
> > > > produced.
> > > > This career criminal had been arrested 30
> times. He was wanted in
> Georgia
> > > > and for parole
> > > > violations in Minnesota. How many family homes
> had he violated, how
> many
> > > > innocent lives
> > > > were affected, how many police reports went
> into some back office file
> > > > cabinet, only to
> > > > become some abstract statistic? How is it that
> rabid animals like this
> > > > are free to roam the
> > > > streets, violating our homes and threatening
> the safety of our
> children?
> > > > If my actions have spared only one family from
> the distress and trauma
> > > > that this habitual
> > > > criminal has caused hundreds of others, then I
> have served my civic
> duty
> > > > and taken one evil
> > > > creature off of our streets, something that
> our impotent criminal
> justice
> > > > system had failed to
> > > > do, despite some thirty odd arrests, plea
> bargains and suspended
> > > > sentences.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ========================
> > > > Paul Grandholm
> > > > GrandPower Components Div.
> > > > C&H Technology
> > > > ISO9001 Certified
> > > > ========================
> > > >
> __________________________________________________
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> www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> >
> >__________________________________________________
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> >
> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> 
> 
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