Reply #127: A different viewpoint.............. [View All]

[sojourner]

I'm sure that those concerned only with "blame" will agree that the idiot holding the child caused the tragedy.

However, thinking people will wonder whether this was truly the only possible response to the situation. So we do question the rationale of opening fire on a man and killing the innocent one. Those who did so took on some responsibility for the child's death, for if they had not shot her she would not be dead.

Policemen sign on to a dangerous job, no question. But they know what they are getting themselves into. They apparently think it's worth risking their lives to do the job. I'm grateful, no question.

Ordinary citizens, by contrast, do NOT sign up to sacrifice their lives to save the life of a policeman. I don't agree with the current notion that anything a policeman does is okay -- just because they are getting the "bad guys", and the "bad guys" deserve whatever they get, and the "bad guys" will pay for whatever harm that results from their "bad actions". This mentality is leading to a rising trend of deaths resulting from encounters with law enforcement.