[PLUG-TALK] O.J. and guns

[Keith Lofstrom]

I did mention Nicole Brown Simpson carrying a gun;  in actual fact,
she was not the sort of person who would do so.  Sadly, she appears
to be the sort of person that let other people take responsibility
for the safety of her and her kids.  She was beaten numerous times
by O.J., and threatened with death.  In some cases, these threats
were recorded by the 911 operators that typically blew her off.  
Rich football players have more authority in L.A. than blond
"bimbos";  the first are a source of valuable autographs, while
the second are replacable and in abundant supply :-(  :-(  :-(


Seriously, if you are threatened with domestic violence (and that is
guys half the time, so there may be a few victims among this mostly
male group) then you will have to do SOMETHING, because most times
the police will NOT help you.  In most places, police avoid domestic
violence situations, because they are not trained to handle them and
there is a high chance of unpredictable violence.  Police prefer
criminals that are less threatening, such as CD copiers.  There are
communities that are exceptions, no doubt, but not around here.

Restraining orders are counterproductive in situations involving
lethal rage.  Practical responses involve (1) leaving, and (2)
depending on some capable source of surveilance and intervention,
backed by a credible and lethal threat.  In the best case, this is
a private agency trained in domestic disputes, stalking, and so
forth.  However, for those of us without tens of thousands of
dollars to spend, the blue collar approach is a firearm along with
considerable (and still not cheap) training in its use.   A
firearm without appropriate training and precautions is indeed
a dangerous device, and not a good idea. 

Again, I suggest the book "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker,
which describes the nature of domestic violence in accurate detail. 
De Becker also does not like private ownership of guns, so that
should entice those of you who disagree with me on the subject.  But
the fact remains that there is an incredible amount of media-spread
nonsense about violence (TV is a mechanism for creating and then
delivering fools to advertisers).  It is better to learn from
sources with actual experience in the subject.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom           keithl at ieee.org         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs