An armed society is a polite society.

[Guest guest]

Dear Marte,

You wrote:

I apologize for the foul-up, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I posted the

information, even though off-topic, because I thought it was potentially helpful

- there are a lot of tips there that I had not thought of myself, like the

throw-the-wallet thing and the crash-the-car thing (even without airbags,

probably better than getting shot). Everybody needs to know these things, not

just people who live in " bad neighborhoods. " As culture and personal morality

continue to deteriorate, it becomes more and more important for the individual

to be able to defend him/herself.

I suppose that the best thing would be to carry a gun and know how to use it,

but I recognize that that is not an option for everyone, esp. outside the United

States. Even here in Arizona, supposedly a last vestige of the " Wild West, " you

need a permit to carry a concealed weapon (you can still carry an unconcealed

weapon, say a pistol on your hip like a cowboy, without difficulty as long as

you've never been convicted of a felony).

As far as the piece of 's post is concerned- what I typically do when I

start a new thread is open an old post at random, hit " reply, " erase the old

post, and type in my new post. This saves me the nuisance of having to type in

the group address in the " To " field (as those who typically call me " Watkins "

can attest, I am the laziest man in seven states). This time I apparently

neglected fully to erase the previous post, which happened to be one of his. My

apologies to you and . I don't know how I managed to repeat my own post

twice - by hitting " ctrl-v " twice, I suppose :-).

" Dan, I received a " broadcast form " similar alert from my step-grand-

daughter a few weeks ago, and it made me quite sad that she felt the

need to pass it along. She doesn't have an easy life and she doesn't

live in the most peaceable area imaginable. So I honored her intent.

" And I honor yours too, but Dan, it does concern me that someone who

is usually so meticulously clipped in writing style

Thanks - I think.

" should have

posted a post that repeats the text of the warnings for women's

safety a second time and then includes a mishmash of exchange between

you and Flynn. O.K. so maybe " better paranoid than dead " but

what gives here, Dan?

" Are you O.K.?

Never better, thanks.

" [Women tend to be sympathetic and all that, but I _MEAN_ " Watkins "

(as some of your male friends like to call you)what are you doing

here??!! :-(]

" A bit " bewitched, bothered and bewildered " but other than that

it's " always " (well, usually, any way) nice to hear from you! :-)

marte

" P.S. I _did_ take many of the specific advices " to heart " though I

drive a 1977 Toyota pick-up truck that doesn't have an air bag. Ah

weel.... :-) "

A most excellent wheel. Should last another twenty years.

It has been suggested that the best piece of automotive safety equipment would

be a nine inch, razor sharp spike mounted at the center of every steering wheel

:-). Meanwhile, I find that, the safer the cars get, the faster I go. To be

expected, I suppose.

Best regards,

Dan