There's a sniper in my home

AlanL · Post by **AlanL** » Fri Oct 18, 2002 5:45 am

Hi Dana

Brenda and I have been thinking about you and Heather.

I hope they catch this sicko soon!

Our thoughts and prayers go out for everyones safety.

Alan

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Fri Oct 18, 2002 10:01 pm

Van

The most amazing thing about that shark photo is that IT'S REAL!!! When I saw the original in breathtaking proportions, it blew my mind. That is one massive Great White.

I'm sure that's the way my wife thinks of bats. Me? I'm attracting the things (much to her dismay). I'd a lot rather have bats than West Nile Virus. Because of my efforts, I live near wetlands and yet don't have a mosquito problem. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. These are the most amazing creatures to watch. I wish I were that agile...

Dana

You are right on target when it comes to both the "silliness" of our actions and the randomness. The beauty of Peggy's response is her ability to laugh at herself in spite of the seriousness of the situation. Humor is a wonderful coping mechanism.

Funny...I used the "isn't personal" phrase myself just yesterday when describing his behavior. Van and I were chatting on his forum about the level of expertise needed to do his deed vs. the stress factor. Clearly when you are a sociopath and basically sit waiting for any damn target to walk past your scope, stress doesn't even come into play. This guy just doesn't have the same deck of cards that most of us are born with.

- Bill

chef · Post by **chef** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 3:45 am

Hey Dana,

I posted the following on Van's forum...and now all of us Richmonders will be doing the same thing you and everyone were doing up there in your areas of the woods.

___________________________________________

I now can truly emphathize with your feelings on the sniper attack. Last night when it happened I was 10 minutes away from the Ponderosa where the poor guy was shot.
I was having dinner with a friend around 8 P.M. and when I left to go home, I went an alternate route because H.W. 95 was totally blocked and shut off.

I remember wondering what had happened and thinking...'I hope it's not another sniper attack. I got home and my friend called me and let me know it was that nightmare.

All the schools in our area and neighboring areas are closed tomorrow.

The man is at MCV in downtown Richmond in critical condition. They just got the bullet out of the guy, and are doing forensics now.

May God protect us all.
___________________________________________

I worry so much about my daugher getting to and from school. Her school is about 12 minutes from the shooting. So scary!!!!!

Take care,

Vicki

LeeDarrow · Post by **LeeDarrow** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 4:28 pm

Dana-Sensei & all of you in the neighborhood of the whack-o,

First, my wishes for your safety.

Next, Dana-Sensei, humor is a primary defense in prolonged stress situations. Ask any GI who has been in the combat zone for more than a month.

Swami Beyondananda (the Yogi From Muskogee) once said that "the only way to over come gravity is with levity." (audio tape "Don't Squeeze the Shaman" from LiteHeaded Productions)

Truer words...

He also said: "Everyone should take a laugh-citive every day to restore regular hilarity and help prevent humorrhoids." (ibid)

As they used to say in my neighborhood, during the Revolutionary War - "Keep your powder dry! Otherwise, it will cake and not go on smoothly!"

Needless to say, I live in a strange neighborhood.

Stay safe and keep your sense of humor. Humor often is better armor than kevlar because it protects the soul.

Kind regards,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
(note - this is an example of what happens when I am allowed to post after taking a Tylenol-3 during one of my little pseudo-cluster sinus migraines. The populace is warned) - LD

LeeDarrow · Post by **LeeDarrow** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 10:11 pm

Dr. Glasheen-Sensei,

Having lived in Ann Arbor for a few years, I can only agree with you on the Tarheels issue.

Most of us Ann Arboreals feel the same way about Ohio State.

By the way, if anyone wants some good footage of real martial arts, they might want to run a check on tapes of Woody Hayes punching out his players and a news camera guy.

Guy had GOOD hands - and a lousy temper.

Laughingly,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 5:38 am

I only have time for a quick post here. Things are VERY active right now.

Suffice it to say that Richmond was the wrong place for this whacko to come. I was hoping he would come here. To start with, we have a level 1 trauma center at Medical College of Virginia (MCV) that's the best in the world for gunshot wounds. We have lots of experience from drug warfare, with Richmond being on the Miami to NY I-95 drug corridor. My best friend (a pediatric surgeon) and his wife (a neurosurgeon) specifically chose Richmond and MCV for training because of the type of crime in the area.

The visitor to the Ashland, VA Ponderosa is ALIVE!!! The sniper's evil is not stronger than good medicine. His accuracy is not as good as our humanity.

I also had some conversations with the FBI over the weekend. Long story.

Things are happening very fast now. We shall see. In the mean time, I view this like a game of hearts. I want the queen of spades in MY hand, because I'm more comfortable dealing with it. We know our turf and capabilities, and the perpetrator(s) don't...

On the humor end of things, I'd like to comment that this scumbag trumped the sports last Saturday evening. The U.Va. Cavaliers spotted the world-hated UNC tarheels 21 points at halftime, only to beat them 36-26. We (U.Va. fans) had the opportunity to gloat over it on the Saturday evening news, but Nooooo........ this piece of **** decided to take over the evening news.

NOW it's PERSONAL!!! This piece of trash is NOT more important than beating the tarheels.

- Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited October 21, 2002).]

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 6:19 pm

A little more odd humor in all the carnage... Apparently the sniper had left a phone number he would call in a rambling note left by the woods overlooking the Ashland, VA Ponderosa. Sherrif Moose of Montgomery County got on the TV and asked the guy to call the number. Well he did...at a phone booth in an Exonn parking lot a few miles from my home (Parham and Broad). They traced the call.

So they encouraged the guy to call some more. You know... need more information... didn't quite get that fact right... couldn't hear you right... etc. Well they had half the Henrico police department waiting behind cars in the car dealership, watching that phone booth. I was traveling not far from it at the time, oddly enough, and sensed something was coming down. I was taking the boys to their respective locations, and so kept out of the way. So what do you think happens? A couple of hapless illegal aliens drove up to the phone booth IN A WHITE VAN with tinted windows, temporary tags and no inspection sticker, and made a call at the phone through the rolled-down driver's window. Looks pretty suspicious, no? The poor saps never knew what hit them.

I hear they are on their ways home to Mexico and Guatamala, probably with some concrete parking lot burns on their bodies.

Didn't please the sniper too much. He promptly left our county, drove up to D.C., and shot a bus driver in a sort of *&^% you statement.

Too bad, scumbucket. Come again any time. Our hospitality committee is waiting.

- Bill

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 6:24 pm

By the way, they wrapped that phone booth up in plastic, and took it faster than a thief can strip a car of tires. I'm betting they have some finger prints by now (at the very least).

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 8:38 pm

5 miles away again this morning.

My Mom called at 7:30 am and asked me to stay inside all day.

No rest for the wicked.

What's kind of funny is that for about 15 years DC averaged 1.5 murders a day - but it was all violence between gangs, or arguments, or someting like that. It wasn't a single person randomly hitting folks with such a dramatic flair. I can't begin to imagine what the costs to this area are already.

Costs of mild PTSD
Costs of missed work
Costs of extra gasoline due to road blocks
Costs for police overtime
Costs for federal agents
Costs for schools missing activities
Costs of students missing learning
Costs for army spy planes

An expensive endeavor at many levels.

So in a small way I begin to understand how people in Israel and Palestine must rationalize every time they step outside the door, or onto a bus.

At lunch I went for a nice walk outside -- my rationale was that since somebody had already been shot today, I was safe.

funny.
funny ha ha.

I haven't missed a single hour of work. I'm actually being very productive right now. I'm still seeing friends (had a great time listening to blues & jazz guitar on Friday night, went to a haunted forest on Saturday night, went to church on Sunday.) So I'm still just living my life.

It's like being in the middle of a perpetual lighting storm when everyone has their umbrellas wide open.

Dana

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 8:46 pm

See the little yellow diamond that is DC? The northern tip of the diamond is behind one of the dots, andI live 1 block north of the tip of the diamond.

Just to give you an idea...
Dana

[This message has been edited by Dana Sheets (edited October 22, 2002).]

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 9:16 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>At lunch I went for a nice walk outside -- my rationale was that since somebody had already been shot today, I was safe.

funny.
funny ha ha<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Actually that is quite rational. Consider his MO. He shoots and runs. The safest place to be is the area he just killed someone, because it's swarmping with cops and he's long gone.

But remember - he went on a spree on his first day. Multiple hits in a small area. But... that was before people were on to his game. He knows better now. We know better now.

Hope you enjoyed your walk. It is a beautiful day, isn't it?

I'm getting tired of dropping my son off at the inlaws. The city and county officials had all the schools closed, because he threatened to shoot at schools in his rambling written note. Sigh... I'd rather my son stay in school. Not even a .223 will penetrate brick, and I drive him to school. Safer than playing on the streets (with or without the sniper).

Wonder where hate comes from? Wonder why crazy people come to power and get away with ethnic cleansing? It takes extraordinary humanity and character to avoid repeating the evil.

And it takes a sick mind (like mine) to go to Target and ask for one of their company shirts to wear as a joke...

- Bill

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 9:38 pm

Take note... Interesting editorial.

Endless Watch

and cartoon (I'm not the only one with sick humor)

Sniper

- Bill

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:38 am

So would you feel good shooting this guy in the back, assuming a clear shot?

Few years ago, I posted a thread about the morality of killing a sniper on a roof top about to shoot hapless people down below.

Quite interesting, the morality of it all.

What about now, when reality hits smack in the eyes?

------------------
Van Canna

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 4:20 pm

Van

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote

So would you feel good shooting this guy in the back, assuming a clear shot?

Whether I feel good about it or not isn't the issue. I WOULD DO IT.

While I am suitably armed, I don't think I'd be a cowboy. There are many ways to accomplish the task at hand. Frankly I'd be more likely to use my van as a projectile and pay the consequences (in terms of my personal property, risk of bodily harm to myself, liability, and risk of imprisonment and prosecution.)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote

Your children are not safe anywhere, at any time.

That about sets the ground rules now, doesn't it? It's in his own writing.

And my response would be "I was in fear of the safety of my children, and children in general."

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote

"A very cold chill went down my spine," said Chesterfield County parent Wendy Lindberg. "I really feel that whoever this is knows exactly how to put terror in people's hearts. When you start going after children, that's the lowest of the low."

Yup!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>1 To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

- Ecclesiastes 3

- Bill

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Thu Oct 24, 2002 5:54 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

- Psalm 91