I have been watching a show on Discovery Live, called Shock Trauma: Edge of Life. It is filmed live inside of the emergency room of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. It is considered the best Level I Trauma Center in the United States, was the first hospital to use helicopters to transport trauma victims from the scene to the ER, and the model by which all trauma centers in the US are based. Also, my sister works there.
The season only started in the new year, so there have only been five episodes so far. The fourth was the most interesting since it was filmed during the Baltimore riots. So far, there has been at least one shooting featured in each episode. This is not surprising as Baltimore is listed at the No. 19 overall (No. 2 for US cities) in the top 50 cites in the world for homicides at 54.98 per 100,000. On a side note, there are four US cities on that list, St. Louis (No. 15), Baltimore (No. 19), Detroit (No. 28), and New Orelans (No. 32), and you might notice a trend in which way these cities lean politically.
So far, only one of the shootings what gang-on-gang violence. What caught me off guard was the number of people who were shot AFTER being mugged or were the victims of random violent crime. One girl was shot in the belly by a guy in a convenience store, another guy was shot in the arm and his brother killed by some teen with a gun for being on the wrong street. You watch these people tell their stories and by every account (including that of the police) the did everything “right” according to the school of “just give the criminal what he wants, you won’t get hurt if you resist” thought. They didn’t resist. They got shot away. Their life’s were forever changed because of it.
The lesson to take away from this is: there is no “right” thing to do. Give the mugger your cash, your watch, everything you have, and he’ll still shoot you if he wants. This “your money isn’t worth your life” attitude puts you 100% at the mercy of the worst people. There is no guarantee that capitulation will lead you be being unharmed. Is your money worth fighting back for? No, but your life is.
Amen. I try to tell people that the liberal mantra of “give them what they want & do what they say” puts a lot of trust in untrustworthy people. They project their beliefs of “I wouldn’t hurt anyone” on people who don’t give a hoot. You need to look at the animal kingdom. Fight like a cornered animal.
Fascinating, isn’t it, how they project “I wouldn’t hurt anyone” when the perp is the issue, but when a gun owner is the subject, the projection changes to how they’d kill anybody who looks at them cross-eyed. I used to scoff at the “liberalism is a mental deficiency” trope, but the older I get, the more I’m willing to consider it. Those brains simply don’t work right.
Saw this on tv 30-odd years ago. A 7-11 clerk gave the asshole the money, and was shot anyway. Changes your perspective. I’ve always tried to convince anti-gun folks that compliance is not a viable option but they never listen.