Back in the Old West on the Texas frontier, shooting a person in the back was not only considered murder -- it was the epitomy of cowardice, and it wasn't tolerated. But frontier values don't exist anymore here in Texas. Our state's Republican leadership has seen to that.
It seems that now a little back-shooting can make you a hero, especially if the victims have brown skin. Take the case of Joe Horn (pictured above) for example. Horn saw his neighbor's house being burglarized and called 911. But Horn didn't think the police were fast enough, so he took his 12-guage shotgun and dispensed his own brand of justice by killing two men.
Horn told police the two men attacked him and he feared for his life. He said he shot the men in self-defense. Sounds heroic, doesn't it? But there are a few problems with that story.
*The 911 operator begged Horn not to go outside and confront the men.
*A police detective had already arrived, and had to duck when the shots were fired because he was afraid Horn might shoot at him, too.
*Both of the men shot by Horn were unarmed.
*Both of the men Horn shot were shot in the back.
The crazy part is that if the police had shot these men in the back, they would have been charged with a crime. Police aren't allowed to shoot people running away from them. Also, I believe if Horn had been African-American or Hispanic, he would already be on his way to prison.
But Horn was white and the victims were brown, so the District Attorney and the Grand Jury decided that no crime had been committed. Let that be a warning to anyone thinking of visiting Texas. Don't anger a Texan, or he might have to resort to "self-defense".
Sometimes being a natural-born Texan is downright embarrassing.
Our state's Republican leadership has seen to that.
ReplyDeletePardon me for carrying water Replicans, but, in the interest of fairness, what does that have to do with anything?
Whether you disagree with the law in regards to Joe Horn's actions or not, he was allowed to do what he did.
The laws he tested weren't put on the books by republicans either. Laws like that have been on the books in Texas since 1850.
I fail to see how this era's piss poor Republicans are responsible for his actions or the laws Joe Horn tested. Could you please explain.
"Sometimes being a natural-born Texan is downright embarrassing."
ReplyDeleteMost of the time being white in the south is embarassing.
I read about this first on DP's There Already site. I was so aghast that I didn't leave a comment for it.
Some stories make me angry. Some make me sad. Few, these days, make me smile. There are no words for this story. I was stunned.
It used to be that you could shoot someone stealing your cows in Texas and be pretty sure that you'd spend no jail time. Now, apparently, you can shoot someone of color and feel the same assurance that white legal establishments will ignore the fact that you shot them in the back if that back is brown or black.
I can't even really blame this on the south. Those men who shot the groom a bazillion times were from New York, right? So, it isn't ONLY a southern phenomena but we sure do seem to have more than our share of these stories in the south.
Do you think human beings are EVER going to get some of this crap right? Are we ever going to get past the color of skin as being an indicator of anything of importance?
Mick
Who gives a shit where he shot them? They will never commit a crime again, they were robbing that house remember? Now my tax dollars won't be used to defend or house two pieces of shit that no one misses! Black, White, Yellow who cares? Race has nothing to to with being a low life and if you don't understand that, maybe you should go and try to rob his neighbors house! lol
ReplyDeleteSo you think the death penalty is appropriate for all crimes? No wonder you want to be anonymous!
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you right now, if the gunman was black, you would never have heard of this story. That's what the media does, whip people into a frenzy over race, when that is not the issue. Take all color out of this equation. They robbed someone, and they were, if I heard correctly, armed. Should he just let them go, so they could rob and maybe hurt someone else later? This wasn't a pack of gum they were stealing. Or maybe yell to them to turn around, so they could shoot toward him, two against one? What he did was right, and if more people thought this was the likely consequence for taking someone elses property, I do believe crime would go down. I live in this liberal toliet bowl called Chicago where no one can have a gun except the criminals. I wish we had Texas type laws in this city. Don't change a thing down there. If you shoot me in the back because I'm running away from you with your neighbor's TV, then I deserve what I get.
ReplyDeleteIf the gunman was black (or anything but white), he be in prison now convicted of murder.
ReplyDeleteHey Joe, and anyone like you out there. Any time you see someone burglarizing my home, please feel free to shoot them in the front, the sides, or the back! Then walk over, give 'em a kick, and if they move, shoot 'em again!
ReplyDeleteThe contention that this was a racially motivated matter is conjecture, nothing more, and unfounded at that. What's clear and uncontested is that the two guys on the receiving end of the buckshot were robbing some poor guy's home. Seems pretty cut and dried to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of a messed up world do we live in when home invaders are glorified as unfortunate victims? It's not like these guys were standing on a corner minding their own business. They were robbing someone's house, for cryin' out loud! Why shouldn't they get shot? Why should they expect a right to security and safety while they're in the process of violating someone else's?
So burglary is now a capitol offense? Please. It doesn't matter that the burglars were Black, but it does matter that they were murdered. Joe Horn had no right to play the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Especially since it wasn't his home being robbed or person being threatened. And I daresay if the shooter were Black he would be in prison right now. Just ask the man in NY who was threatened by mob of White teenagers over a fight between them and his son. I didn't hear anyone proclaiming his hero status for defending his home and property. In fact, just the opposite and he's now sitting in a prison cell.
ReplyDelete