I just got back from the range. It was time for my annual qualification shoot. Once a year I drag out my pistol and head with a bunch of other retired cops. I put one round in the white and three in the in the grey. A 95, I guess I’ll take that. First time visitors will wonder; why a can of peas? Long time readers will know I like to sneak up on things and point out the not so obvious, and make it obvious. Stick with me.
I used to could run high speed low drag, up until I retired in 2006. Back then I qualified twice a year and participated in additional training shoots. There wasn’t a week that went by when my fellow narcs and I weren’t banging doors or taking down felons at gun point. We were a little different. We relied on pistols rather than shotguns and rifles. It wasn’t unusual for the second of third element to go through the door empty handed. We learned that a gun in hand was a disadvantage when it came to a fist fight or wrestling match.
These days I have to root around in the closet to find a pistol, holster and ammunition. There around someplace, saw ’em six months ago….
Lately, my attitude has changed. The pistol is no longer hidden in the closet. At home it is where I can get to it. Who knows? There might even be two or three strategically placed. I find myself grabbing a pistol as I go out the door. I’m not looking for trouble. But I know that my plans and desires are only half of the equation. I’m an old fat white guy. Not physically imposing and can’t run. In other words the perfect victim. These days it isn’t necessary to go to the bad side of town, to get in trouble. A trip to the grocery store will work.
As you drive around look at the intersections you cross. How many serve as perches for supposedly homeless persons looking for handouts. I am not pointing to the homeless guy as a threat. Ask yourself, “Why is he at this intersection?” The answer is high traffic and high visibility. Ever seen an ANTIFA or BLM roadblock on a back street?
The bad side of town has been expanded to include anywhere where BLM or ANTIFA decides to show up. Now liberals and democrats will claim that a group of assholes who suddenly block an intersection, climb on cars, beat on them and break windows are only engaged in causing property damage. Back in the 90’s we called such activity carjacking.
Here are excerpts of two offenses as defined by the Texas Penal Code: Harassment and Obstructing Highway. I have supplied the links to the entire statute.
Harrassment
A person commits an offense if he threatens to commit any offense involving violence to any person or property with intent to:
(1) cause a reaction of any type to his threat by an official or volunteer agency organized to deal with emergencies;
(2) place any person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury;
(3) prevent or interrupt the occupation or use of a building, room, place of assembly, place to which the public has access, place of employment or occupation, aircraft, automobile, or other form of conveyance, or other public place;
https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._penal_code_section_22.07
Obstructing Highway
(a) A person commits an offense if, without legal privilege or authority, he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:
(1) obstructs a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, hallway, entrance, or exit to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access, or any other place used for the passage of persons, vehicles, or conveyances, regardless of the means of creating the obstruction and whether the obstruction arises from his acts alone or from his acts and the acts of others; or
(b) For purposes of this section, “obstruct” means to render impassable or to render passage unreasonably inconvenient or hazardous.
https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._penal_code_section_42.03
Yeah, so what? Both offenses are misdemeanors. You can’t shoot people for committing misdemeanors.
Ever play Poker? In order to get into the game one must first contribute to the pot. This is called the ante. Once the pot is right, then you get to play. What follows is an escalation as each player bets. Some players may hold a winning hand, others may have nothing and attempt to convince the other players that they have a winning hand. This is called a bluff. From a small beginning may come a big payoff. So it is with criminal conduct. Once somebody sets out on a course of illegal conduct they become responsible for all of the events that transpire as a result.
Going back to the roadblock which one of those folks that have surrounded your vehicle are bluffing and who really means it? ANTIFA has put out a how to manual. It details how to enter an occupied vehicle so that the occupants can be removed and beaten. Do you really want to trust the good graces of a guy beating on your car?
Any response to a violent confrontation must be “reasonable.” Reasonable is rooted in the law, one’s abilities, physical state, and experience. Which is a long way around to get back to the can of peas. and an automobile.
Can anybody cite a circumstance where a can of peas was opened purely to obtain the can?
