Why did this whackjob even leave the country, then?
So there was this letter to the editor of the Calgary Herald from an American tourist a few days ago. You have to read the whole thing to get the full flavor:I recently visited Calgary from Michigan. As a police officer for 20 years, it feels strange not to carry my off-duty hand-gun. Many would say I have no need to carry one in Canada.
Yet the police cannot protect everyone all the time. A man should be al-lowed to protect himself if the need arises. The need arose in a theatre in Aurora, Colo., as well as a college campus in Canada.
Recently, while out for a walk in Nose Hill Park, in broad daylight on a paved trail, two young men approached my wife and me. The men stepped in front of us, then said in a very aggressive tone: "Been to the Stampede yet?"
We ignored them. The two moved closer, repeating: "Hey, you been to the Stampede yet?"
I quickly moved between these two and my wife, replying, "Gentle-men, I have no need to talk with you, goodbye." They looked bewildered, and we then walked past them.
I speculate they did not have good intentions when they approached in such an aggressive, disrespectful and menacing manner. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ they did not pull a weapon of some sort, but rather concluded it was in their best interest to leave us alone.
Would we not expect a uniformed officer to pull his or her weapon to intercede in a life-or-death encounter to protect self, or another? Why then should the expectation be lower for a citizen of Canada or a visitor? Wait, I know - it's because in Canada, only the criminals and the police carry handguns.
Walt Wawra, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Very first reply FTW:In Canada we don't shoot each other because someone asked us a question and we didn't like their tone of voice. We don't shoot them for wearing hoodies either.
BTW, Nose Hill is a fairly upscale neighborhood.
The Herald has confirmed that this letter is 100% real. It's transpired that the two "gentle-men" were handing out free passes to the Calgary Stampede. And Walt Wawra has become a laughingstock across Canada. The hashtag #NoseHillGentlemen has plenty of lolz, including this sign on the sidewalk in front of a Calgary restaurant:
And then there's this macro via
arthur_sc_king, who is Canadian:
The thing that unnerves me, though, is thinking about all the suspects Wawra has had to deal with in his 20-year career as a cop. This isn't the sort of person who should be trusted with a gun and badge, but unfortunately he's highly representative of American police departments.
Unlocked.
This entry was originally posted at http://ms-daisy-cutter.dreamwidth.org/1866320.html. Please comment there using either your DW account or OpenID.
Yet the police cannot protect everyone all the time. A man should be al-lowed to protect himself if the need arises. The need arose in a theatre in Aurora, Colo., as well as a college campus in Canada.
Recently, while out for a walk in Nose Hill Park, in broad daylight on a paved trail, two young men approached my wife and me. The men stepped in front of us, then said in a very aggressive tone: "Been to the Stampede yet?"
We ignored them. The two moved closer, repeating: "Hey, you been to the Stampede yet?"
I quickly moved between these two and my wife, replying, "Gentle-men, I have no need to talk with you, goodbye." They looked bewildered, and we then walked past them.
I speculate they did not have good intentions when they approached in such an aggressive, disrespectful and menacing manner. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ they did not pull a weapon of some sort, but rather concluded it was in their best interest to leave us alone.
Would we not expect a uniformed officer to pull his or her weapon to intercede in a life-or-death encounter to protect self, or another? Why then should the expectation be lower for a citizen of Canada or a visitor? Wait, I know - it's because in Canada, only the criminals and the police carry handguns.
Walt Wawra, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Very first reply FTW:In Canada we don't shoot each other because someone asked us a question and we didn't like their tone of voice. We don't shoot them for wearing hoodies either.
BTW, Nose Hill is a fairly upscale neighborhood.
The Herald has confirmed that this letter is 100% real. It's transpired that the two "gentle-men" were handing out free passes to the Calgary Stampede. And Walt Wawra has become a laughingstock across Canada. The hashtag #NoseHillGentlemen has plenty of lolz, including this sign on the sidewalk in front of a Calgary restaurant:
And then there's this macro via
arthur_sc_king, who is Canadian:
The thing that unnerves me, though, is thinking about all the suspects Wawra has had to deal with in his 20-year career as a cop. This isn't the sort of person who should be trusted with a gun and badge, but unfortunately he's highly representative of American police departments.
Unlocked.
This entry was originally posted at http://ms-daisy-cutter.dreamwidth.org/1866320.html. Please comment there using either your DW account or OpenID.