Shooting Alone

[Ronald M]

People think drugs are harmless. They are not and 90% of the crime is are a result of illegal drugs.

Mexico has 20,000 dead from drug wars in last 5 years. Gangs are causing havoc along the border. Gangs fight over turf, ie the right to sell on a certain corner. They recruit people by force to sell their junk. Good students are pressured to join or they face serious trouble,beatings or death. You see, the better the persons record, the better member they make.

And finally you get people committing crimes to get the money to purchase.

There are places in the national forest where pot is grown. Dogs, trip wires, and armed guards keep you away.

 

[jsrockit]

There are places in the national forest where pot is grown. Dogs, trip wires, and armed guards keep you away.

Yeah, this always shocked me for some reason... one from a "Balls" point of view and the other ... where I just imagine hiking in the woods and roll up on something that I shouldn't have (and the consequences of doing so).

 

[furcafe]

That simply raises the question of whether drugs should be illegal in the 1st place.

People think drugs are harmless. They are not and 90% of the crime is are a result of illegal drugs.

Mexico has 20,000 dead from drug wars in last 5 years. Gangs are causing havoc along the border. Gangs fight over turf, ie the right to sell on a certain corner. They recruit people by force to sell their junk. Good students are pressured to join or they face serious trouble,beatings or death. You see, the better the persons record, the better member they make.

And finally you get people committing crimes to get the money to purchase.

There are places in the national forest where pot is grown. Dogs, trip wires, and armed guards keep you away.

 

[Calzone]

People think drugs are harmless. They are not and 90% of the crime is are a result of illegal drugs.

BTW I don't think drugs are harmless, but there use to be a statistic that stated 90% of all violent crimes are/were alcohol related.

I do agree that even the guy who smokes a joint, who appears rather harmless, is committing a crime by breaking the law, and often there is violence that is supported elsewhere.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

There are places in the national forest where pot is grown. Dogs, trip wires, and armed guards keep you away.

I lived in the Santa Fe National Forest for a year and a half. It was a beautiful peaceful place that I often explored alone either by hiking or by 4 wheel drive. I was made aware of this danger, but I never experienced it. The real danger was being ambushed without warning and simply disappearing in such remote areas.

But just two days ago I looked out my apartment window and saw a group of perhaps 18 teenagers converging for a street fight. One fight broke out, others joined in, and then there was a second fight breaking out. Anyways, the violence ended as fast as it started.

What makes this violence rather dramatic and notable is that I live on the same block as the 23rd Precinct and the police in large numbers were less than a block away. Even in Manhattan where I live, when violence erupts you basically are alone. The problem is that violence can happen at any time and anywhere.

Also on a lighter note my girlfriend tells me that if I get stabbed or shot, Metropolitan Hospital, which is only a few blocks away from where we live, is one of the best places in NYC to get treated specifically because its a public hospital in a poor neighborhood.

Evidently their trauma center has lots of experience with such emergencies.

Cal

 

[Kent]

All the best for your student!

I often shoot alone, perhaps most of the time.
But I prefer to shoot with others, not because of the possible danger, but because it's more fun.

The only problem is coordinating the time.

 

[newspaperguy]

Possible message here:

If you're going to a hazard zone, don't go alone.

But, in all cases, your own sake - be aware of your surroundings.

Just an IMO - from a guy who worked for 20 years in DC.

.

 

[Mark A. Fisher]

Just a brief note about my student's progress. There was an opening last evening for an invitational exhibit of regional college/university art students, and he had 2 pieces accepted. There was a huge crowd, with some excellent work to be seen by all of these new young, eager, artists, including his - some wonderful photographs of an abandoned cotton processing factory. Eventually I saw him in the crowd, smiling and having a good time with some of his friends. Other than the staples still visible under his hair, you wouldn't be able to tell anything had happened! He says he still is being treated for a concussion and to keep an eye on possible swelling, but he's back shooting, both film and digital, and won't let the incident slow him down.

No word on his attackers...

 

[MCTuomey]

Excellent! A salute to your student and his unrelenting enthusiasm!