[lit-ideas] Re: p.s. Re: Re: p.s. Re: Re: Didn't I tell you so?
- From: Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 21:16:39 -0700
JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx wrote:
Btw, the rubber bullet thing appeals to me in that it temporarily
disables someone w/out being life-threatening. If someone were holding
my kid hostage I'd be too terrified that I'd hit the kid with the gun
rather than the perp.
Not only can 'rubber bullets,' of the sort used for crowd control
permanently disable people, they can be lethal. These projectiles were
used for 'riot control' in Northern Ireland, e.g., where more than 15
people were killed by them. My understanding is that rubber bullets have
been replaced by plastic ones, and that these have been modified over
the years to be more accurate, and thereby more lethal (I assume because
of their traveling at a greater velocity than did earlier versions).
In the UK at least the standard procedure is to aim for the lower
extremities (uh huh) and not for the torso or the head. Of course
these nasty pellets can ricochet so that even though you meant well you
could easily blind or kill someone. Blinding or killing may be your aim;
still you shouldn't think of 'rubber bullets' as delivering only a tap
on the shoulder.
Robert Paul
Reed College
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