RE: Reducing Crime

["Hegge, Roy" <Roy_Hegge@adc.com>]

Lynn,

Are you saying the we in the US should become obedient sheep as well?  Should our government patrol the streets with protective gear and nightsticks with impunity?

I was just up to Banff last week for a vacation and while I was there I caught the some of the local news programs.  Lets see, there was a guy who shot at the police with a rifle.  Someone committed suicide with a gun.  There was a fire in a small business which included a suspicious dead body in the backroom.  A lady was shot by the police after she opened fire on them.   I thought that there was more going on up there than in my home town of Muderopolis, MN.

Roy

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Lynn Hauka [SMTP:lynn@evening-star.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, February 23, 1999 10:04 AM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list NOPRIVACY
> Subject:	RE: Reducing Crime
> 
> Hi Greg,
> 
> I lived in Germany for over three years in the late 70's and early 80's, and
> still go back for the occasional visit. Then, as I'm pretty sure now too,
> the gun laws were very, very strict. There's also a completely different
> attitude toward owning guns than in the U.S., generally speaking. There is
> not the cultural imperative "must have gun" (said in best Homer Simpson
> voice *g*) there that there is in the States.
> 
> Added to that, the police have quite a bit more latitude to deal with
> criminal behavior without the consideration of the same scope rights of the
> accused which prevail in the U.S.
> 
> They also pretty swiftly deal with what we'd all probably consider simply
> unruly behavior. I remember one night, walking back to my apartment from a
> beer fest, being astonished that a few of the local cops were patrolling the
> street in protective gear with nightsticks out, instantly collaring folks
> who were loudly obnoxiously drunk and rowdy and disturbing the peace of the
> residential area. They were pretty menacing and that wasn't the only
> instance I observed. As an idealistic young southern Californian, it sure
> made an impression.
> 
> My German friends - some of whom want to immigrate to the US or Canada -
> often describe themselves and their compatriots as obedient sheep. There is
> a lot of entrenched admiration of the Wild West, John Wayne, country western
> gunrack kind of scenario because it's so totally different to that culture.
> 
> So...do the tough gun laws make a difference? Probably although not solely.
> I really believe laws won't make a dent in crime unless we couple it with a
> big re-education in attitude.
> 
> P.S. Canada also has an extremely low crime rate compared to the U.S. and
> the gun laws are quite strict here too.
> 
> Take care,
> Lynn
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: noprivacy@essential.org [mailto:noprivacy@essential.org]On Behalf
> > Of Greg Peisert
> > Sent: Sunday, February 21, 1999 3:31 PM
> > To: Multiple recipients of list NOPRIVACY
> > Subject: RE: Reducing Crime
> >
> >
> > Interesting Discussion;
> >
> >   It seems that in Europe, the crime rate is far lower than in
> > the U.S. (I
> > don't have the stats handy). Same with Japan. What do they do
> > that we don't
> > do, and what would be the consequences and costs of doing it
> > here? Anybody
> > have some insight on that?
> >
> > --Greg
> >
> 
> >