I have to hand it to Texas...they know how to ACQUIT a man (they also still remember how to EXECUTE them as well, unlike states that would rather have taxpayers foot the bill for lifetime incarceration).
***Take the case of old Joe Horn, who was initially charged in the shooting deaths of two would be burglars. At 62 years of age, he took his shotgun and pump these perps full of 12 gauge justice after he called 911 to have the police come to the area.
While dispatch advised him to remain inside and do nothing (something too many people wind up doing, and then wondering WHY crime is doing so damn well), Joe grabbed his shotgun, went outside and told the two men to stop. When they didn't Joe helped them. He shot both men in the back...DEAD.
The Harris County DA said: "The message we're trying to send here is that the criminal justice system works". From where I stand...it works DAMN WELL.
Lemme do the math on this:
-old guy w/ shotgun
+2 burglars dead
=old guy is not convicted
Yeah, it works for me too.
Mr. Horn's attorney said that Joe never wanted to hurt anyone (yet it takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, and NOT tolerate crime...and if that means the criminal gets one in the back...so be it. I like head shots myself).
Interestingly enough, the two burglars killed by Horn were UNEMPLOYED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from Colombia. Riasco Torres (one of the two killed) was deported to Colombia in 1999 after a 1994 COCAINE-related conviction. And this thug STILL got the hell BACK INTO America.
Now why does this NOT come as a shock to me?
Betcha Riasco won't be coming or going back ANYWHERE (except to that nice piece of 3 x 3 x 6 chunk of real estate he "inherited").
Of course this episode fired up all the civil rights advocates who said the shooting was racially-motivated (and who says likewise when it's minorities doing it to WHITES?), and that Horn took the law into his own hands. Like I said, the police are mere MINUTES away, while your gun is only SECONDS away.
Texas law allows people to use DEADLY FORCE to PROTECT themselves if it is REASONABLE to believe they are in MORTAL DANGER. And while it wasn't clear that the neighbor whose house being burglarized at the time of the shooting actually ASKED Joe to watch it, I'm sure they damn well APPRECIATE it.
I know I would!
Joe Horn stated that if he had to do it all over again, he would simply stay inside and DO NOTHING.
Gee, isn't what too many people are doing ALREADY every single day?
S'OK, Joe..."you done good. You done REAL good".
Lesson learned here, kids, is that crime doesn't pay...everyone clear with that now?
***Another interesting tidbit -
In London (Oh, those wacky Brits are at it again), a high school student received credit for writing nothing but a two-word obscenity on an exam paper because the phrase expressed "meaning", and it was also SPELLED CORRECTLY!
OOOOOoooookay....
Wonder how that would shake out in the FWCS classrooms?
The phrase (f$ck-off) garnered the student TWO points out of a possible 27 for the test (What? he got NAUGHT for a correct name? What a travesty).
The teacher said: "It would be wicked to give it zero because it DOES show some VERY BASIC skills we are looking for (perhaps in the porn video arena), like conveying some meaning and some spelling. It's better than someone that doesn't write anything at all".
The teacher went on to say that the student would have received a HIGHER mark had the phrase been PROPERLY PUNCTUATED.
AHHhhhh, well, that would make sense.
Just imagine the score if the student had said f$ck off in FRENCH (foutre le camp). That has GOT to be worth another TEN points, right?
Seems someone needs a good swift one in the BOLLOCKS on this one, eh?
*** Lastly, to come to the defense of the Brits (but not for their educational nuances), I have to say that the (newly-acquired thanks to FiOS) BBC AMERICA channel has some damn good shows that are really MUST-SEE.
When I think AUTOMOBILES, I no longer think of the SPEED channel. Sorry folks, pimping whatever for some "entertainer" isn't my idea of motoring about. They used to have good shows on there (like the repair shows or the rebuild shows for older cars), but no longer. And the old MOTORWEEK show is too long in the tooth for me (and they always seem to highlight cars I wouldn't WANT to drive, nor could EVER afford unless I wanted to sell the house).


BBCA has a show called TOP GEAR, hosted by three lads who are as funny as the "Tappet Brothers" on NPR , while also being as engaging as any GOOD reporters. They showcase their (mis) "adventures" (travelling to America's south while bashing NASCAR and having gay rights slogans on their POS cars - too funny), as well as driving tests (even laps by UK celebs), and the obligatory super car heaven, classic car retrospects, and those daily drivers we've come to love (or detest).
They even participated in a 24 hour race...and managed to PASS someone (well there were a few with mechanical problems worse that theirs).
All in all a fantastic show, brilliantly executed.
The other program is RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES. If you've ever seen HELLS KITCHEN, you already know about chef Gordon Ramsay, and his often rather "blue" lexicon. Well this BBCA show goes one step further. It highlights REAL restaurants in the UK that are having "difficulties", and Gordon comes to the rescue, ctriticizing (and sometimes praising) anything and everything from menus to decor to cooking staff. And in the end, he does it to turn the place around and make the place an eatery that people WANT to come to (often), and will SUCCEED, rather than fail. It's a honest to God good watch, and I don;t say that lightly with the current channels to choose from.
This show will be coming to US network in the fall, and if it's ANYTHING like it's predecessor, it will be a good hour of television...even for us "Colonials".
Now... about that tea we were going to dump in the St. Mary's...