Who was Carl Drega?

[tracysaboe]

I'm sorry, but killing innocent people does not a liberty justify...

Oh, I agree. He went bonkers. Some folks go bonkers under pressure. No justification for his killing innocents, just a sadness that the Gov pushes folks beyond their limits.

What innocents? Seems to me the only people he killed were cops. Cops by their very definition are parasites on society. Their' entire paycheck comes from state sponsored theft, and for the most part they've killed inocent people themselves.

I don't cry when an officer dies. He probably deserved it. Just like I don't cry when a Gang banger or a Terrorist dies. They're just two opposing sides of the same ilk.

Tracy

[tracysaboe]

The mere feeling that the laws of a society you choose to live in shouldn't apply to you doesn't make enforcement of those laws harassment.

Drega did not agree to those laws and yet he was harassed anyways.

Tough shit. Drega chose where he wanted to live, and unless you're going to buy an island and live by yourself, there will always be laws you disagree with.  Wasn't he free to run for office and try to change the laws, or to move to a place that better suited him?

So if Drega had moved to an area controled by the Maphia everything the Maphia did would be considered legitimate at least as it related to Drega?

There's a lot of legal positivism in your statement.

Tracy

[Russell Kanning]

We shoot guys that use phrases like "legal positivism" in these parts.

[Lloyd Danforth]

And our Mafia take offense at having it's name misspelled!

[JonM]

So then why did he kill Dennis Joos?

There is no justification for what Carl Drega did.  What a man pushed over the edge did is not nearly as disturbing as people who think what he did was justified.

[AlanM]

The US military has been killing many innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Were is the condemnation? Why are folks not calling the military scum? Oh, that's right, it is "collateral damage"

[Mark]

I'm sorry, but killing innocent people does not a liberty justify...

Oh, I agree. He went bonkers. Some folks go bonkers under pressure. No justification for his killing innocents, just a sadness that the Gov pushes folks beyond their limits.

What innocents? Seems to me the only people he killed were cops. Cops by their very definition are parasites on society. Their' entire paycheck comes from state sponsored theft, and for the most part they've killed inocent people themselves.

I don't cry when an officer dies. He probably deserved it. Just like I don't cry when a Gang banger or a Terrorist dies. They're just two opposing sides of the same ilk.

Tracy

He also murdered a judge who presumably had nothing to do with him getting a ticket for his truck, and a newspaper guy who tried to stop him from murdering more people.  I don't know where you're getting the idea that "for the most part" cops have killed innocent people. I think a little research would show that most cops have never killed anyone, let alone innocent people. It's very, very rare in my neck of the woods to hear about an officer firing his or her weapon at anything other than a wounded animal. I don't know about the two troopers you're talking about, but I've seen nothing that said either had ever killed anyone.

[Mark]

The mere feeling that the laws of a society you choose to live in shouldn't apply to you doesn't make enforcement of those laws harassment.

Drega did not agree to those laws and yet he was harassed anyways.

Tough shit. Drega chose where he wanted to live, and unless you're going to buy an island and live by yourself, there will always be laws you disagree with.  Wasn't he free to run for office and try to change the laws, or to move to a place that better suited him?

So if Drega had moved to an area controled by the Maphia everything the Maphia did would be considered legitimate at least as it related to Drega?

There's a lot of legal positivism in your statement.

Tracy

What you're missing is that the legitimacy of his treatment by the government isn't really all that relevant. Let's say he was right and they were wrong. Does that really justify murdering people who weren't involved in his problems? Most of us get pissed off at the government now and then. Most of us manage not to murder people. He controls his reaction to that treatment, and there are any number of things he could have done instead of murdering people. If you think the cops and the judge deserved it, that's fine. That still leaves the unarmed man he shot in the back, which by itself would make him trash in my book.

[tracysaboe]

I never said it "justified" it.

I'm just saying they weren't inocent.

Most judges are corrupt too. I don't know the full story. If and when I do I find out that this judge was a pure and noble person, then I'll recant. But until then, the benifit of the doubt goes to Drega.

We can condem Drega for shooting the reporter person.

Tracy

[tracysaboe]

How is it that some people can only spell the big, unused words?

[TackleTheWorld]

What if you were Carl Drega's friend and he confided in you the day before he died:

"This town's public servants have gone too far. All I wanted was to be left alone on my own property, but for ten years they've been ordering me to spend money where I can't afford it.  They've been commanding me to appear in court over a truckload of gravel.  They've been pulling me over for rust in the bed of my pickup.  I can't swallow it anymore."

"You know, people like you have kids and family to provide for and can't risk getting in trouble.  People like you are afraid to stand up to the authorities because they could take your vehicle, then you couldn't get to work.  You're afraid to stand up because they may put you in jail, then you'd lose your job.  You're afraid because they may take your house, then where would your kids sleep?  I understand, I used to be afraid of all those things too."

"But you know what?  I'm not afraid anymore, I'm way beyond fear, I'm angry.  I'm so angry I'd pick up my whole farm - house, barn, and the top twelve feet of topsoil - and dump it on city hall if I could.  I'm so angry I'd give up my life to see those tyrants bleed."

"What do you think?  Am I insane, am I a criminal?"

[Lloyd Danforth]

I would suggest that he employ stealth and devise a plan where, without getting caught or killed, he make it dangerous (preferably) or deadly to be the people his enemies are.

[Tom Sawyer]

I would suggest that he employ stealth and devise a plan where, without getting caught or killed, he make it dangerous (preferably) or deadly to be the people his enemies are.

(Note to self... don't screw over Lloyd)

But, beside the joking. A couple of things that I've wanted to mention, but didn't 'cause I didn't want to be called a murderer (again).

Unless you are up in age (like I'm starting to feel) and if you don't have kids and such to keep you restrained (like I do). You aren't viewing the terrible situation through the right perspective.

Imagine you don't have another 10 years and the resources to flee and start a new someplace else. And you've seen the relentless advance of the freedom thieves. You've scraped together your piece of paradise in a rural setting where they don't have intrusive rules. Yet in this final retreat position the thieves advance on your humble dream and wear you down through years of battling in the system that is tilted against little guys like you. Under these conditions you must view this mortals actions. And view it for what it appears to me to be... a suicide, taking some of the tormenters with you.

The other thing that keeps coming back to me is the fact the police cruiser had two officers in it. I think from my experience that is a very unusual case, especially in a small town department with a limited budget. It suggests that the defective equipment pull over was a pretext.

[CNHT]

I'm sorry, but killing innocent people does not a liberty justify...

And the lefties are trying to align you people with Drega to discredit you for sanctioning his actions or something.
Most of you had never even heard of him before...
Don't give those idiots over at DFNH any more ammo.

[Russell Kanning]

"What do you think?  Am I insane, am I a criminal?"

I would tell him that he is not insane.
I would agree with him on many things but would try to talk him out of killing people. Maybe no "bleeding" part. "How about we dump dirt on the town hall when noone is in there?"