Qui Custodes

That's OUTRAGEOUS!

I'm not kidding either.  I don't usually use this blog to vent but this article in the Washington Post about animal protesters  recounts some absolutely outrageous behavior.  Some animal rights groups are deliberately terrorizing researchers. They are even targeting the wives and children of the scientists.  Now I don't care if you agree or disagree with what the scientists are doing. But to terrorize their wives and children?  This is abhorrent and disgusting.  What's even worse are the people supporting these domestic terrorists.  Jerry Vlasik is quoted in the article as saying "If killing them is the only way to stop them," he said in a telephone interview, "then I said killing them would certainly be justified."

WOW.

All I can say is that I'm glad I'm writing this blog.  I guess now scientists have the same worries as lawyers and counselors.  Who would have thought it?

A Really GOOD article to read

I almost never see good articles about what to do to protect your home.  Many of the articles I do see are filled with urban legends or unhelpful "stuff" mixed in with good advice.  But I found the most amazing article on Burglarproofing Your Home.  If you care about how to protect your house, you should definitely read this article.  It truly is very good. 

Weapons and stupid

I'[ve been reading two different stories about the same event in the Washington Post  and the New York Times.  The stories seem to agree somewhat but what a difference! This is going to be a long post so bear with me.

Apparently a group of young men in their souped up cars had an argument with another young man. So they decided to go to his home and challenge him to fight.  Great!  Like he's an idiot.  Like it's gonna be a fair fight?  Right.  So they get there and are shouting insults and challenges to the young man.  They are coming up the driveway to the front door.  So what happens?  Dad gets his gun and goes out to run them off.  (This may or may not have been smart on Dad's part (see below) but ...  WHAT WERE THESE KIDS THINKING?  THAT THEY COULD TERRORIZE THIS FAMILY WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES?  These kids are lucky Dad didn't just hole up and start shooting under the belief that he and his family were in imminent danger from this small mob.)

It's not clear what happened next because the witnesses' stories differ and so do the newspaper articles description of events.  But 1 kid lunged for Dad's weapon/slapped the weapon away and got killed when the weapon went off.  It's not clear if the shooting was accidental or deliberate.   I think this happened on Dad's property, in the driveway, because  the NY Times article indicates that the prosecutors said that's what happened.   (BTW:  if you have a long-distance weapon like a shotgun or pistol, why are you in arms-length distance from your target?  If you do that you give up your advantage.  Remember what I've said so many times before about how firearms are NOT a magic wand, even though TV makes them seem that way.)

The next thing that happened is that Dad is prosecuted for voluntary manslaughter in the 2nd degree.  Now I don't know exactly how NY defines this crime, but, in essence, Dad is being prosecuted (and was convicted) for protecting his family instead of calling the cops and waiting for them to show up and shoo theses little cherubs away.  If the little cherubs stuck around to be shoo'd. 

What would you have done?  One thing I wouldn't do is go outside.  Both legally & for personal security reasons I would not go out--I would make them come to me.  I would also call the cops.  But thank God I live in Virginia where you can protect yourself against a mob of cherubs in my driveway shouting and screaming threats against my family.

O, one more thing: Would it change your mind if you knew Dad was black and the little cherub he shot was white?  Dad swears up and down that they were using the "N" word in the threats too.  Does it matter?  Would it affect his fear level and state of mind?

Cold weather

With winter upon us (and especially the snow & ice storms) I thought it might be a good idea to post a few tips or material about cold weather survival.  First of all, the Centers for Disease Control has a very good site for how to cope with Extreme Cold.  You should read it to get a basic idea of what goes on and what you should do to protect yourself and your family. 

Call them back

I was just reading about another of the various credit card or bank scams that are going around like a flu virus.  But they all have 1 thing in common:  they try to get you to give them information over the phone.  Don't do it!  But it can be hard to resist.  So try this:  tell them that you will call them back.  But DO NOT ask for a telephone number.  Please do not ask for a telephone number.  No, no no!!

Be responsible and careful instead.  You call the customer service number on your credit card or for your bank. That way you know who you are talking to and have some confidence that your information will not be misused.

Funny thing, too:  you never, ever get the person you were just talking to.  It's always a scam.  So, don't talk to them-call them back!

Identify Theft

We all are becoming more sensitive to Identity Theft.  One day I'll blog about the physical security issues linked to identity theft but most of us are more worried about theft of credit and those consequences.  We're so sensitive, in fact, that we don't like giving out our Social Security Numbers.  We're told not to give them out.  Well, here's the story of one person's attempt to get telephone service without giving out his SSN. 

I couldn't say it better. 

Home Burglary

I ran into this a couple of days ago in the Washington Post.  It is a graphic of Home Burglary tips and useful information.  You should check it out.  Among other things, it points out the 3 most common places to hide valuables (closet, freezer and drawer) and points out that thieves know this too. So you should hide your stuff somewhere else.

Hope you find it interesting and useful.

ladders

I think I've posted about this before but a story in today's Washington Post has brought it back to mind.  A neighbor keeps a large ladder outside his house and the neighbors are upset--they think thieves are using the ladder to break in to their apartments.  Now I don't know if it's true or not, but thieves do look for ways to break in to homes and a ladder, kept outdoors, is like giving them a key to your home. 

For the sake of your neighbors, if not for yourself, bring the ladder in.

ladders

One thing which used to be common (I don't know how common it is today) is that people would leave a ladder outside their home, lock up the ground floor, and leave the 2nd story open. Of course, an intruder need only find the ladder and climb it, bypassing all the locks etc.  So if you have a ladder put it where a stranger cannot get it. 

More on windows

I've been amazed at the ability of determined intruders to penetrate homes through attic crawl spaces, pet doors, vents, etc.  When you are securing your windows, be sure you secure these other entry/exit points too.  And do it the same way.