Washington DC hi-speed car chase
This has not been one of our best weeks though we’ve been able to say that a lot lately. At any rate, here are some random thoughts on some of the more significant events.
On the high-speed chase from the White House gate to Capitol Hill. While we don’t know what motivated 34-year-old Miriam Carey from Stamford, Connecticut to use her car as a dangerous weapon yesterday, it is clear that she was mentally unstable and likely suffering from delusional thinking. The fact that she had a baby in the car tends to confirm this. That said, it appear from this vantage point that Capitol Police and Secret Service agents had no choice but to shoot and kill her. The videos that have been released thus far as well as Metropolitan Police reports made it clear that she was acting willfully and had evaded two attempts to corral her. There was – and is- no way to know what were her ultimate intentions, but clearly, she was intent on serious violence and given her targets, officials seem totally justified in taking no chances.
One more thought on the subject. If her weapon of choice had been an automatic firearm, there most likely would have been significant death and injury.
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The high-speed chance and altercation in New York between a group of bikers and the driver of a Range Rover SUV on the West Side of New York is a tragedy all the way around. NYPD are trying to sort out the situation now, but from the available videos, it seems that at some point, for whatever reason, the biker directly in front of the SUV stopped suddenly, causing the SUV to an emergency breaking maneuver, which still hit the biker. The other bikers then reacted threatening and violently to the SUV driver. In an attempt to escape and protect his wife and child, he lurched forward through the surrounding bikers, injuring one seriously as he sped off. They continued chasing him and eventually caught up, smashing the SUV, slashing its tires, dragging out the driver and attacking him.
From a legal standpoint, deadly force is only justified if an individual feels his life or safety is threatened. It would be difficult to argue that this was not the case here.
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As the Congressional debacle continues and political hypocrisy reaches the boiling point, a friend of mine who works at the State Department – and is not working at the moment – suggests that one effective way to get these guys to stop acting like spoiled children would be to mandate that whenever any budget is to be voted on, a separate line item authorizing that Senators and Congressmen be paid must always be the last voted upon and cannot be considered until all other budgetary items have been considered.
The only problem with this fine idea is that the Congressmen themselves would have to approve this change. And you know what the chance of that is.
On the biker story, it sounds like the SUV was following too close. Having been, in the distant past, a motorcycle escort rider, and a dirt biker before then, I can tell you that bikers of any kind have drive as if they are invisible. While a uniformed escort rider with badge and beacon, I had several intentional attempts to try to run over me or pretend that’s what they were going to do. I would be holding a light, and some clown would start yelling and then lurch the car out of the line straight towards me. There’s absolutely no respect for motorcycle riders and that only compounds the problem of them being at times invisible to drivers. So bikers are by nature defensive and these did overreact and were out of line, but so did the SUV driver if he continued to plow ahead. Whether he had a kid in the car to me is immaterial. You cause, you stop and take the consequences. You don’t hit and run. Anytime there’s any type of car wreck there is going to be someone red hot to deal with. You call the police, stay in your car and wait.
I think that’s where the problem is – the people who go to doctors and such are trying to get help – bc they know something is wrong – Andrea Yates – same way – tells people for years she is fighting ‘destructive thoughts’. With some diagnoses especially the violent ones – they should be followed up on and not just let go. Anybody can go to therapy even hospitalized and after you’re done – not one phone call is made to u – and you can disappear. Also a truth is you will need many, many more physicians – psychiatrists/psychologists but didn’t you already and nobody has come up with a plan for that yet.
Unfortunately, all very true, Ramesses.
By her general appearance and facial expressions she looks like the nicest person she could be. However, and I do believe this, if u evade police becoming a danger to the public – u run the risk of being shot to car wrecks injury etc – running over people etc
The woman – 2 hr drive/no weapons taken
Obviously something did set her off – but when – it seems like a sad story in one way or another.
I always agree that u run the risk of being shot and killed by evading police or dangers to the public. I just want to know if she was ticketed before arriving. – it all seems weird to me. I’m glad no police were hurt life- threateningly – but I do feel sorry for the woman.