Well, these days it could be a DVR or a cable box or an "Alexa" or the ubiquitous microwave or even a flat screen TV, they are pretty easy to carry. I have a mint TI-99AAAA computer sitting somewhere around...easy to transport, probably a little bit valuable just because of its age and the fact that so few have survived (not that they were a particularly powerful computer).
I guess my point is that it doesn't matter what Walt would kill someone over, it just doesn't make sense to me to kill another human because they are in the process of depriving us of a $100 item...if someone has that little appreciation for life, they have my pity.
...unless, of course, Walt's just itchin' to use that trigger finger just because he has a gun and a right to use it. There truly are "predators" out there with that sort of attitude, just itching to exercise that "right" to fire that weapon (ala George Zimmerman). Most of us call that vigilantism. IIRC vigilante-style "hunting parties" were abandoned some time ago...
What ever happened to the old concept that "your right to swing that fist is null and void once it makes contact with my nose". It seems to me like that concept should swing both ways.
Doug
Perhaps a better question might be are you willing to surrender your life for that VCR, Alexa, antique computer or other $100 item to the person that is willing to take your life for it. The constitution says you have the right to defend yourself. Apparently you view that as "itchin' to use that trigger finger".
As for George Zimmerman, in spite of being a loathsome character, he was acquitted. Maybe it was because he was a Democrat, or some nefarious fantasy such as the Russians paid off the jury, a YouTube video or he donated to the Clinton Foundation. But if you call what Mr. Zimmerman did "vigilantism" the jury that actually heard the case and acquitted him apparently saw the case differently.
So perhaps your wanting to "swing both ways" may account for the fact someone else saw the case as you do. Mr. Zimmerman was also the target of an attempted murder, which resulted in a conviction against the perpetrator. It appears that individual had a fixation on Zimmerman and has displayed some signs of paranoia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Sound familiar?
Had Mr. Zimmerman, or the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had your TI/99A to give their assailants, I suspect it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
So is vigilantism against a perceived vigilante justice served? Does a creep like Mr. Zimmerman have a right to defend himself. Does media perception override the resolution of the criminal justice system?
By the way, I think the uber valuable computer you refer to is a "TI-99A" and here's where you can get one for $49.80. So don't let anybody kill you to save it.
Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Texas Instruments Home Computer 99/4A
As an aside, the late Trayvon Martin has something in common with Nicholas Cruz the South Florida High School Shooter, the Broward County Promise Program. For all the attention paid to the case, the media have refused to report why the late Mr. Martin was left to wander the streets of Sanford, high and alone on a Sunday night during a school week 240 miles from his school. But that's a discussion for a different day.
Parkland shooter always in trouble, never expelled. Could school system have done more? | Miami Herald
