Discretely launched water balloons? Bag of badgers?Originally Posted by OrigamiAK
Discretely launched water balloons? Bag of badgers?
In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
It makes me wish I could vomit on demand. Then I could go ask to bum a smoke but puke on them instead. That would be pretty sweet. But no, that would essentially be heading down the same road I don't want to be on.Discretely launched water balloons? Bag of badgers?
Bar probably closes at close to the same time every night... drop a few of these outside before they come out.
Time flies when you throw your watch.
Ah, gotcha. Before I respond, let me vent a little bit about people (not you, I'm sure!) who can be prone to victim-blaming. All the risk inherent in that situation was of Sumdood's making. If he'd have pulled his revo and gotten shot, that's like saying he jumped off a cliff and broke his legs. I'm deeply offended by the common insinuation that a victim, acting in a legal and ethical manner to defend his life, limb and property, is in any way to blame for the terrible outcomes that sometimes result from the battle between order and chaos. And while I appreciate tips about improving SA, there's a certain level of paranoia I won't rise to. We all take a calculated risk every time we step out the door, and if our calculations yield different outputs, that doesn't mean any of us is doing it wrong. Maybe our calculations have different inputs, and the valuable thing to do is discuss them without blaming anyone but the perp.
Now, about your post, that's a good point. I hadn't thought about SA as part and parcel of my ROE's, but to an extent, setting your SA to an appropriate level is part of the game plan that sets up how the ROE's come into play. How aware do you feel you should be? Just like ROE's, I guess everyone will have their own answer, and I guess it depends on the situation. In my scenario, I wanted to enjoy some outdoor air and sunshine while I sipped coffee and read email. I chose a busy but not crowded coffee shop in a decent part of town (though in Miami you're never too far from a crappy neighborhood.) I deliberately chose not to sit by the sidewalk, with a couple of exit paths for myself in case of shenanigans. That's about it, though, in terms of my SOP for sitting in a restaurant/etc. I'm not willing to live with a much higher level of paranoia, in fact I thought it was a buddy who was playing a practical joke on me until I turned and saw the thief. As much as I like to prepare for the occasional asshole, my life is full of joy and wonder and that is usually where my head is at.
Now, consider: I'm not a small guy, and I'm fit enough to catch up with a 20yo punk running for his life. There were 20+ witnesses to the snatch. As I was giving the cops my info, they were clarifying things with dispatch and I learned that 10 minutes before my incident there was an identical laptop snatch at a coffee shop a few blocks away, with identical MO and perp descriptions. All of this to say that if I wasn't task-fixated on my email, I would probably have failed the victim selection process. But since reading email was the express purpose of my visit, I don't see how I could have avoided that particular risky behavior.
I would love to hear specific tips to increase my SA, but reading email in the outdoor patio of a popular cafe is a calculated risk that I am comfortable with. I will probably go to that same cafe at some point this week, and sit in the same spot. (Any buddy that plays a joke by yanking my laptop is liable to get an aggressive surprise.) And while we all try to keep control of the situation by setting our SA and SOP's appropriately, I think we can all agree that at some point you may lose control of the situation anyway - at that point, it wold be, ah, advantageous to have a robust set of ROE's to guide your quick, adrenaline-drenched decision-making.
But what I'd really like to hear about are the theoretical ROE's that we decide on before an incident, and how the lessons from live incidents evolve those ROE's. For example, I bet SouthNarc evolved his ROE's and SA-type practices over time, even within the strict parameters of his job. Yet another reason to sign up for his classes...
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
I should have put a disclaimer on my last post:
Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, instructor or expert in way shape or form. Just confident in the fact of what I know, and as time marches on, I become more confident in the fact I know much less than I did the other day.
Resource is your laptop, and the control is the fact Sumdood was already moving away from you with your laptop. You were in pursuit mode and Sumdood had control at that point. My "maybe" was based on what I would have possibly noticed if I was in that situation. In other words would I have been observant about my surroundings prior to the theft. Which might have given me more time to confront Sumdood and protect my resource and defend my self if it escalated.
However, it is only my view of a possible situation that I tried to put myself in, with out understanding the location, terrain, environmental effects (lighting, snow, rain etc.), how many people were around etc etc.
EDIT: I posted before reading your reply. You are giving a little more details, so I can form what I would see and what was there. I had a much different view of where you were......
Last edited by ezthumper; 01-29-2013 at 08:16 PM.
Sorry if it came off a little condescending, that was most undoubtedly not my intent. I used to be a laptop toter and traveled quite a bit to different cities with different problems. My solution to that particular issue... "they call it a laptop for a reason", someone much wiser than I told me. Sit behind your table, with the best possible view, and put the laptop in your lap. That way you have at least 3 to 5 ft more stand off from people. Granted, this also lowers your eye level, so you need to keep your eyes moving.Ah, gotcha. Before I respond, let me vent a little bit about people (not you, I'm sure!) who can be prone to victim-blaming. All the risk inherent in that situation was of Sumdood's making. If he'd have pulled his revo and gotten shot, that's like saying he jumped off a cliff and broke his legs. I'm deeply offended by the common insinuation that a victim, acting in a legal and ethical manner to defend his life, limb and property, is in any way to blame for the terrible outcomes that sometimes result from the battle between order and chaos. And while I appreciate tips about improving SA, there's a certain level of paranoia I won't rise to. We all take a calculated risk every time we step out the door, and if our calculations yield different outputs, that doesn't mean any of us is doing it wrong. Maybe our calculations have different inputs, and the valuable thing to do is discuss them without blaming anyone but the perp.
Now, about your post, that's a good point. I hadn't thought about SA as part and parcel of my ROE's, but to an extent, setting your SA to an appropriate level is part of the game plan that sets up how the ROE's come into play. How aware do you feel you should be? Just like ROE's, I guess everyone will have their own answer, and I guess it depends on the situation. In my scenario, I wanted to enjoy some outdoor air and sunshine while I sipped coffee and read email. I chose a busy but not crowded coffee shop in a decent part of town (though in Miami you're never too far from a crappy neighborhood.) I deliberately chose not to sit by the sidewalk, with a couple of exit paths for myself in case of shenanigans. That's about it, though, in terms of my SOP for sitting in a restaurant/etc. I'm not willing to live with a much higher level of paranoia, in fact I thought it was a buddy who was playing a practical joke on me until I turned and saw the thief. As much as I like to prepare for the occasional asshole, my life is full of joy and wonder and that is usually where my head is at.
Now, consider: I'm not a small guy, and I'm fit enough to catch up with a 20yo punk running for his life. There were 20+ witnesses to the snatch. As I was giving the cops my info, they were clarifying things with dispatch and I learned that 10 minutes before my incident there was an identical laptop snatch at a coffee shop a few blocks away, with identical MO and perp descriptions. All of this to say that if I wasn't task-fixated on my email, I would probably have failed the victim selection process. But since reading email was the express purpose of my visit, I don't see how I could have avoided that particular risky behavior.
I would love to hear specific tips to increase my SA, but reading email in the outdoor patio of a popular cafe is a calculated risk that I am comfortable with. I will probably go to that same cafe at some point this week, and sit in the same spot. (Any buddy that plays a joke by yanking my laptop is liable to get an aggressive surprise.
But what I'd really like to hear about are the theoretical ROE's that we decide on before an incident, and how the lessons from live incidents evolve those ROE's. For example, I bet SouthNarc evolved his ROE's and SA-type practices over time, even within the strict parameters of his job. Yet another reason to sign up for his classes...
I've had two incidents that required me to draw my pistol. Luckily, I never had to fire a shot. What happened drastically changed what I think is important in life and what isn't. I'll come back to this later as I have a dinner date with some friends in a little bit.
One thing though, is far removed from the everyday SA required to mitigate Sumdood's shenanigans in regards to laptops (work or personal). Security, backup, insurance. You want my laptop? Fine, take it, it's not worth even getting into a pissing match over. As soon as you closed the lid Mr. Sumdood, you just locked it. The information is backed up and it's insured. Ta ta. Sure, it sucks, but it's way cheaper than a lawyer and way less stress than eyeballing every passerby when you have work to do. ;-)
Off to dinner!
Time flies when you throw your watch.
Sweet, I happen to be in need of a new laptop...
Seriously, though, that's fair, I can respect that. The laptop was no big loss, it's a brick without my token and I already have a new one. But - and this is a very personal decision - I'm tired of taking a mugging so passively. Maybe I'm getting ornery in my old age.
Looking forward to your stories. Keep your eyes peeled at dinner!
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
Update: there's been an arrest. Folks at the cafe ID'd the same guys, in the same car, parked across the street. They activated 911, and the same beat cop who took my statement responded. Suspects fled, cop gave chase and caught one of them. I have few details, but I like the result so far.
...the more I learn and think about the issues surrounding self defense, the more I respect the job of everyday beat cops...
But what's applicable to my mindset is that my response did nothing to slow them down - it hasn't even been a week since my incident. Hell, maybe they were looking for me. Total self-centered speculation, of course. With any luck I'll learn more soon.
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
I don't know about badgers, but my EDC includes an armadillo in my trousers...Bag of badgers?
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
I'm not necessarily fond if it either; to me it is a simple matter of economics. The loss of resources to me if I shoot the badguy (time, money, energy, etc.) is far more than the loss of resources if I let the BG take the property without shooting him. After a lot of experiences that is what it all boils down to FOR ME, a simple cost-benefit problem. When the choice is pay a $300 insurance deductable or pay a $20,000 lawyer bill, it strikes me as a simple choice. Others look at it differently, I realize, and I don't disagree with their position although I might argue with their reasoning. We all need to do what is comfortable.
"PLAN FOR YOUR TRAINING TO BE A REFLECTION OF REAL LIFE INSTEAD OF HOPING THAT REAL LIFE WILL BE A REFLECTION OF YOUR TRAINING!"
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