I Am Troy Davis

ruckman101 · Post by **ruckman101** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 10:36 am

It is a highly emotional issue, and like abortion, one that folks are firmly entrenched in their perspectives and rarely nudged to alter.

I've long realized the only justice in the justice system is to not get entangled in it. The legal system as a method of pursuing justice has failed many. Most don't take up a gun seeking to right those wrongs. Unfortunately police officers are too frequently forced to make those decisions, often in self-defense, but much too often not. States may be using guns soon for executions, as the supply of drugs used in lethal injections dwindles into obscurity because the manufacturers are also opposed to the death penalty.

"Violence begets violence" is not a platitude. Bar fights and riots start with one act of violence. The impact of a violent act ripples ever outward in damage from those involved, to their families and loved ones, lost productivity, and financial drains from the costs to society in the health and legal systems.

The current legal/penal model resists a model of restorative justice, because it returns power to citizens the state currently wields.

Are there times when a violent response is appropriate? Ideally never, but current reality still acknowledges an individual's right to self-defense, except when you are trying to defend yourself from the violence of the state.

neal