High Plains Drifter comes to St. Paul.

This is the legacy of our society - as long as it's not happening to me, standby and watch.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I'm not justifying anyone's behavior, but people are afraid to get involved with authorities. Somehow it reflects on them and they become suspect. Not so long ago we could call the police, they showed up and just seemed to do the right thing. It's all very complicated now. The trust is gone. What a shame. Anna

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

have terrorist ties or become very violent. Many that have moved to Minnesota are the Somalia type of Moslems and they are used to very violent and choatic lifestyle. Native born Americans are afraid because many of these immigrants are very violent. Other normally law-abiding members of the same tribe/religion are afraid to involve police. Often the Moslems exact 'their own brand of justice' in private Islamic courts at their mosques and through social retribution. So theydon't like to involve authorities, especially if they are illegal immigrants.

So while personally I would step-in and help I would encourage most people to do the safer option, especially if you aren't armed, and call the police. Or even call the FBI due to the assailent's residency and background. At MINIMUM call the police, though intervention might have helped the victim more.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Blackout? Murder? Rape? Walk down to any police department and ask them what drug most of their captured violent criminals were on when they committed their crimes. (They'll probably say methamphetamine - but then ask them about alcohol).

What's the number one date-rape drug in America? No, not that GHB stuff - alcohol. Despite all this, cannabis is illegal. Everyone knows prohibition didn't work for alcohol. What drug is actually anti-violence? Cannabis.

Hmmm... could it be that GW Bush and the ruling elite prefer a violent rape culture in America? See:GI Accused in Rape of Iraqi, Killings, AP 2006

Note - the AP doesn't use the word 'murder' or 'slaughter' - no, these were 'killings'. Corporate media has buried the Abeer Qassim Hamza story pretty well... (the AP story refuses to mention the victim's name)

"On the day of the attack, the document said, Green and other soldiers drank alcohol and changed out of their uniforms to avoid detection before going to the woman's house."

Sexual Assault Statistics

* In 1997, 40 percent of convicted rape and sexual assault offenders said that they were drinking at the time of their crime. 5

* In 2002, more than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault in the U.S.

* In those violent incidents recorded by the police in which alcohol was a factor, about nine percent of the offenders and nearly 14 percent of the victims were under age 21."

The alcohol lobby does it's best to ignore the rape issue, and no doubt the corporate media will follow along and focus on the fact that it was a black man who committed the rape, and will ignore the involvement of alcohol even though:

"About 81% of rape victims are white; 18% are black; 1% are of other races."
and
"in about 88% of forcible rapes, the victim and offender were of the same race."

It appears that if this guy hadn't been drunk, this would never have happened - not that this means he shouldn't be hauled off to the slammer for a good ten years.

Alcohol is not an excuse!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

According to the abovementioned AP story (in the third sentence) the police were responding to a call.

Unless they have mental telepathy or spider sense, somebody in the building called them.

Let's think a little before we jump to conclusions about people "standing by." Plainly someone didn't. One can argue over whether someone should have played hero, but it's been my experience that that can end badly. I wasn't there, but let's not go all half-cocked about the callousness of our society. (If I hear Kitty Genovese's name I will officially go batty. The facts of that case are accessible to anyone who bothers to check. They aren't nearly as clear an indictment of the neighbors as legend would have it. For a good introduction, see www.snopes.com or better yet, Jimmy Breslin's book).

NONE OF THIS EXCUSES THE MAN'S BEHAVIOR, HE IS A MESSED UP WHACK JOB WHO NEEDS TO BE IN JAIL.

(Before a bunch of people start flaming me calling me an apologist for a rapist. I am not. If you don't get that read the above sentence a few times).

Dammit, I am outraged about this guy as well, but f'r chrissakes lets get the context right for once.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

They should charge those that didn't call with aiding and abeddng!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

>According to the abovementioned AP story (in the third sentence) the police were responding to a call.

It actually reads, “responded to a call.” Past tense. Sorta like all those cameras in London. They might help you “solve” the crime at a later time, but sure as a pant load won’t stop the crime in progress.

> Let's think a little before we jump to conclusions about people "standing by." Plainly someone didn't.

Well, plainly, upwards of 10 people did nothing while the attack was in progress, some of whose smiley faces were captured on the surveillance camera. Of those 10, we assume someone called the cops. Why can’t we assume there was at least one of those residents capable of stopping the crime in progress? Maybe like the guy who walked in on it, and “observing what's going on, then turning and putting up the hood of his sweatshirt.”

Wouldn’t we all feel a little a little better about ourselves and fellow citizens if, when the cops showed up, the other apartment dwellers explained how, after beating the living crap out of this guy and throwing him down the stairwell, said, “Well, he fell down and hurt himself.” You know, stopping the crime in progress? A basic display of simple humanity shouldn’t be defined as calling the cops.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

I say charge the bystanders with aiding and abetting the rapist. Maybe if each person had to spend 90 days in jail for not doing anything to help, then this wouldn't be a spectator's event in the future.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]