It was a satisfying video for those who see America sinking into a criminal abyss: a brazen robber was systematically working his way through a Stockton, California convenience store's cigarette shelves, pouring hundreds of packs into a huge garbage can on wheels. Eventually, one clerk grappled with him, and another began whacking his legs with a long stick. The clerks are now being investigated for assault under the theory that you cannot use deadly force to protect commercial property. That's just wrong. ... police are investigating the clerks for criminal assault. These are the same police who never showed up...