Posted on 07/14/2012 4:05:09 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Not a nation of outlaws, a nation that depended on people to practice self restrsint and volintarily obey the laws. When 98% of the country was Christian, and very devout compared to today’s standarss, it worked better. As more and more folks ignored the law and their consciences,we’ve needed more and more laws and police and courts because if people won’t control themselves, government has to. And the country becomes less free.
That's not open to debate or discussion. The signers of that document knew that in one sense they were outlaws, and would be hung for treason if caught. Similarly, any of the colonists who supported, endorsed or agreed with the sentiments of the Declaration would have been viewed by their fellow British subjects as "outlaws" as long as they remained British subjects.
I was listening to a Jean Shepherd broadcast on SW, and it must have been from 1967. Shep was ranting about the movie, either after seeing it, or being asked about it at a cocktail party.
He grew up in/near a town that was "visited" by one of the gangs. The old bank guard was killed unnecessarily, and then on the way out of town, they see a cop doing school crosswalk duty, they stop, call him over, and shoot him dead.
Shep wasn't big on glorifying murderers...
One account by a LEO on cornering them someplace and encountering Bonnie went something like "...and then this little redheaded thing came out, wielding a [cut-down] BAR. The rounds impacted the tree next to me, and the concussions sent me tumbling backwards. Probably saved my life..."
The 1911 is still my go-to weapon a hundred years later.
I think they were riddled-up with a barrage from several Thompson submachine guns at close range.
Nothing in that time period tops that.
I think they are fascinating, as well as the other gangsters of that era.
I saw or read, on of the reasons they (B&C) were so hard to catch was they filled the cars up with gas, did their thing and floored it out out where ever they were until they ran out, probably traveling 75-80 mph.
Since most people where not driving those speeds by the time road blocks were set up, they were gone.
I never realized from the pictures she was a redhead. Bonnie was tiny, I wonder how she had the strength to handle all that fire power.
Trivia: She was 4’10 or 11” and weighed roughly 90 lbs. She was largely crippled in a car crash two years before her death:
“What is certain is that Parker sustained serious third degree burns to her right leg. The burn was so severe, the muscles contracted and caused the leg to “draw up”; near the end of her life, Parker could hardly walk and would either hop on her good leg or be carried by Clyde.” - Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde
Wow.
Very interesting.
They are even more fascinating than I thought.
In any case all their debts have now been paid, their train has left long ago to meet the judge.
“I saw or read, on of the reasons they (B&C) were so hard to catch was they filled the cars up with gas, did their thing and floored it out out where ever they were until they ran out, probably traveling 75-80 mph.”
Also, no security cameras, no traffic cameras, no Internet, no cellphones, and no credit cards all worked in their favor;)
Actually, they were two bank examiners. Easy to assess who killed more people.
I’ve got a .44 spl just like that one!
To be honest that looks more like a 1917 .45 Auto rim S&W from the looks of the ejector rod. Got one of those converted to .45 Colt.
Thought they were shot up fairly well with 30-06 from Browning BARs as well. That would ruin your day.
I agree with you framing it that way.
Just checking to see if prisoner6 still has a pulse. :)
What sets it apart in America is that by the nature of our founding principles, we are supposed to be, and historically have been, far more suspicious of government than most other nations and societies. The presumption of innocence is one of our core tenets, and consequently, when we hear that "the law" is after somebody (even if there's really little doubt the person did what they're suspected of doing), there's an elemental question of just who the good guys and bad guys are. Moreover, the American concept of rugged individualism impels us to often root for the one man standing alone against the bigger machine, at times regardless of who is actually right or wrong. Sometimes the underdog struggle takes on a morality all its own.
Our fiction romanticizes the Dukes of Hazzard, and our history and its cinematic retelling tint the deeds of Billy the Kid, Butch and Sundance, etc. Despite the brutality of the Godfather films, people tend to find at least a modicum of sympathy and a twisted sense of honor in the fictional Corleone family. During OJ's famous low speed chase, there were legions of well-wishers along the roadside.
I'm not saying that we're a worse people because of this, not in the least (although I agree with you that personal morality and restraint have been surrendered in lieu of laws and regulations). I am saying that historically, back to our founding as a nation, the typical American has been far more suspicious of government and consequently, there is something of a knee jerk willingness in many of us to automatically root for the individual against the government, even when on a very conscious level, we know the individual has done wrong.
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