Brave One

Ranger Corollary: This takes some of the fun out of it
________

I'd say it was probably the fall that killed this guy. . .
or it could be the crowbar embedded in his skull.
I'd say it's about 50-50
--The Brave One (2007)

________

As with most things in life, perspective is all.

Ranger has two observations after viewing the recent vendetta film, The Brave One (Hollywood doesn't provide too much fodder for thought these days):

[1] If desirous of conducting a vendetta against bad guys, it would be wise to take an NRA firearms handling course before hitting the streets.

[2] Foster's vigilante character used her body as bait to lure her victims, ala Florida's infamous Aileen Wournos. Her gambit is a cognate to recently exposed U.S. policies of baiting the field in Iraq with goodies in order to find targets. If it is wrong in the movie, than it's wrong in Iraq. Cinema verite, right?

In a country where most homes have AK-47's and the economy is not exactly booming (that would be Iraq), nicking munitions here and there doesn't exactly sound like a bad idea. So it is questionable that everyone picking up a strand of det cord is yer average Joe terrorist. Maybe it was just intended to be a little fond memento for the mantle piece.

As Capt. Matthew P. Didier, Ranger sniper scout platoon leader explained, "baiting is putting an object out there that we know they will use, with the intention of destroying the enemy." Well,
maybe they just want the munitions for home protection--we in America are o.k. with the home-as-castle doctrine, right?

Perhaps the sticky-fingered individual was simply a budding entrepreneur who intended to resell the item at the local gun and pawn. The U.S. can't can't say it is against making a little profit, entrepreneurally-speaking. And it would be disingenuous to use the argument that the seller should be held criminally accountable, as the folks who would then buy this ill-gotten booty would use it against Americans.

If that were so, we would have to hold every American gun purveyor who sold a weapon to a future criminal responsible retroactively. And we won't do that, will we.

Let freedom ring.

--Jim and Lisa