City Councilman Charged with Assault

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July 20, 2005

City Councilman Charged with Assault

Jerry has a temper, and driving just makes it worse. Jerry can't stand it when he sees one driver harassing another, so you know what he does? He goes after the aggressor, though he doesn't know the victim at all. It probably takes a few people by surprise to see this random, angry guy gunning for them in a beat-up clunker he doesn't care about enough to avoid a crack-up. Suh-prahz! You just picked the wrawng moment in time ta act like a jerk on the road.

What's wrong with the above? Two wrongs make a right; right? If your irony detectors are magnetized enough to sense it, you'll know the above indicates that it's absolutely ludicrous to endorse reckless, aggressive driving just because it is intended to squelch another's rudeness toward, and endangerment of, yet another. Yet the scenario above must be similar, in motivation, to the actions by Councilman Leamon Pierce yesterday.

After all, who here wants to witness drug deals in his neighborhood? I'm almost certain that anxiety over "saving the victim" would propel many a person to commit similar aggression toward a suspect -- especially if said suspect had spat on them.

However, there is another argument that says "hitting the spitter lowers the hitter to the spitter's level." I mean, it'll wash off. And one can then walk away being clean of person and of conscience. I'm striving, too -- don't think I think I'm "there." Some idiots just really hack me off. If we are in a fit because someone else is flaunting the law, though, then by all means, let's stay within the law ourselves while we deal with that person. (If the person is already being dealt with by officers of the law, then it's best to just stay out of it -- though, around here, one might want to keep an eye on the officers, too, albeit from a legal distance.)

I'm not giving up on Councilman Pierce just yet. He's a human being, and I'll say the same for Mr. Jones. I know Rage personally, too. (We're old pals.)

But as I extend an arm of understanding to a brother citizen, I'm leading with a hand of admonishment on his shoulder.

[Hat tip: The Pulse Blog]

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