[BenLurkin]

when riot police unleashed 16 seconds of automatic gunfire into a crowd of protesting miners By which the author is referring to a detachment of men wielding Assegais and machetes, and at least one pistol, and who were seeking to close with an engage the police in melee.

[Travis McGee]

Thank God they did, too, or instead the story would have been “25 police and reporters hacked to death by frenzied mob armed with pangas.”

They fired at the moment when it was “us, or them.”

Some of them still had the nerve to say, “Them.” And open fire. Same thing any rational human would do. Pure self defense.

Moral of the story: Moral right (in your mind) will not be much protection when you start running toward police, while waving machetes and calling out war cries.

“Ghost dancing,” African style.