I was acually thinking of pepper spray...not sure about the rules and regulations of it, though. You're right, is it better to be safe than sorry.
The problem with arming ones self be it with a gun, a knife, pepperspray etc. Is that you have to have a clear head about you for it to be effective. If not you can pepper spray yourself, shoot yourself in the foot etc. I've had idiots take swings at me because I happened to be walking down the street behind them. I thank god they didn't have pepperspray but chances are they would've gassed themself anyway. Peace Out, Rev J
By the way House keys are probably the best weapon you can carry. They are perfectly legal, compact and unassuming. Plus if you ever get the buisness end of a set in your eye you definately know it. And you can't accidentally hurt yourself with them. Peace Out, Rev J
Guess I disagree Rev. I would encourage women to be ready to defend themselves at all times. I'm sure Jolie's school would take a dim view of a student carrying pepper spray,so I don't know how she could get by with it. Hyper vigilence will serve her well,but a man can overpower a girl so easily that I'm not sure a key would do the job. It wouldn't stop me if I wanted to ruin some girls life(which I certainly don't) or if a man flashed a key at me--well-let's just say it better be on the end of a baseball bat. ----Speaking of a baseball bat,there was a bunch of rowdy skinheads that lived by me and they were always hollering and trying to start fights around here and finally someone got beaten badly by a bat in an alley close by. Got real old,so I took my 223 with a 30 round clip in it and sat outside staring over at them while wiping it down. It quieted down considerably around here. If I was her Dad,I'd check with the police(as was said) and if he is a molester ,I'd march my ass right over there and lay it out to him. But that's me.
I think you should probably find out the real story. If he is not even a sex-offender it would be unpleasant to have spent all this energy worrying about it. Your mom should definitely find out the facts! Knowledge is power and all that. I grew up next to a registered sex offender and he never caused any problems. But I was definitely on my guard when I was younger, just in case.
Exactly. This almost sounds like a replay of To Kill a Mockingbird. Sound like this discussion (In stupid Hillbilly accent), "Man that new guy sure is weird." "You talk to him yet?" "Nope." "I bet he's an unregistered sex offender.""Probley." Next thing you know he's getting burned in effegy. People are making threatening phone calls at all hours of the night. Beating him with a baseball bat. Of course nobody will stand up for the guy while this is happening because well we all have heard this rumor and nobody wants that perv in our neighborhood. And if you stand up and say hey we don't know this for sure then you're probably one of them and don't care about anybody's safety. All because you didn't have the common sense to verify a rumor. The Witch Hunt mentality survives. Peace Out, Rev J
And by the way you don't dangle a key in front of somebody. You wedge it between your index and middle fingers with the point sticking out about 3/4" and make a fist. Swing for someplace soft like the eyeball it may be the last thing the guy sees out of that eye. Pepper spray has too many variables. Wind, distance (if he is one step too far away it won't reach and you've wasted your only shot one step too close you gas yourself too), direction ("I honestly thought the open end was toward him then I gassed myself"). They give the police hours of training with this shit and I still don't trust them. So I sure as fuck don't trust a 14 year old with it. It doesn't take much strength or effort to take somebody's eye out with your house key and chances are you won't hurt yourself in the process. Peace Out, Rev J
Save the money you would use for the pepper spray and take a self defense class. then you can be safe without having to resort to using means that aren't as reliable as they may seem and that have a million ways to fuck up. There are things that you can do with your hands alone no matter how small you are that can bring the biggest baddest motherfucker in the world to his knees and you don't even have to reach for anything to do it. For example it only takes 2 lbs of pressure to break a collarbone. index and middle fingers behind the collarbone and pull straight out one behemouth on the ground unable to fight back. No face full of pepperspray. Peace Out, Rev J
I think it is kind of a shame that this guy is now going to be thought of as a perv when it could just be a false rumor.
sorry guys if I came out uncaring... I really do care. I guess I am just looking at it from a perspective so removed... which I think is ultimately sort of the right one... it's like being scared of a height when you're on top and then when you come down realize it wasn't so high... not saying being raped is not a horrible horrible thing, I am truly deeply sorry for those who have to experience it... it really does pain me to see my best friend go through so much pain for his woman, and I have empathy for her, too, but not as much because I haven't known her nearly as long at all, I've only met her twice because she does not live locally... but I understand how terrible it is, it really tears their lives apart at times and I wish I could just flush the whole thing with light... but they are happy, jubilant, more often than depressed (even though they are both tormented by all-too-real demons) and that is what I mean... I am not saying you can just integrate all experiences immediately, and I'm not trying to weigh them all out as equal in terms of their emotional impact, even though really all moments are very very important to our lives... I am only saying, yes, of course there will be a long recovery, time will need to be taken to heal your spirit / soul / life outlook / psyche / etc. ... but that does not mean at all that the day will not come when rape victims will be completely cleansed, and this is the perspective I am viewing it from. yes much grief and pain and all other emotions of all kinds will be endured, but eventually we as humans must let go of ALL attachments to everything, even if it is beyond death, far down the line in your evolution... you see? so I hope you understand I am a loving, caring person, who tries to always carry great respect for all living beings. but the truth of reality is death and life go hand in hand, welcome to duality... great evil exists... but so does great good. and that's what I'm trying to focus on, the love.
I agree with you completly I've been trying to make that case since I got on this thread. The problem is that there's no sarcasm font. I got a little sidetracked. But we profile and get profiled all of the time. And alot of the time we're wrong. And I've been essentially been yelling and screaming about the damage that can come of this. I'm sorry I said perv but this is how simply alot of people think. Peace Out, Rev J
JC, Where I met Stephen Levine was at one of the old "Transitions Workshops" - about 70 or 80 people, ~1/3 with terminal illness, ~1/3 having lost someone or something, and ~1/3 people who cared for people who were dying or in pain (drs, nurses, SWs, chaplains, etc.). It was 5 days and nights, 8am-2 or 3am. Lots of pain. The 1st morning known as bullshit morning, when people were saying why they were there, like, "I want to help the dying" or "I want to integrate" "blah blah" and shortly after that began someone told the truth, "I'm here because I never stop judging other people." and someone said, "I'm alone." and someone said ... and by the end of the 5 days I think we all knew the truth about why we were there: we were afraid, we had lost or were losing parts of our selves, we were in pain. We were there to be healed and so many were. Here on this thread, we have something like 3 generations represented - I'm 65, JC is 30-something, Jolie is 14, and others somewhere in between. Trying to work it out. Me, I'd like to be a little kinder. (Always being careful)
I posted the laws earlier in this thread. You have to apply for a license to carry it in your state. If you start a thread, it would probably benefit you to read all the posts in it.
Mostly I'm afraid of prejudice in straight society. I'm olive skinned and dark haired. When I keep long haired and bearded I look like one of those guys that is suspected of hacking up tourists with a hatchet. When I cut my hair people automatically walk up to me and start speaking Spanish or Persian. Up to this very day I still can't go to the store without being followed by security. When I was a teenager and first got an earring I was harrassed by people who thought it was OK to beat up Faggots. These things have shaped my world view much more than my sexual abuse. I know first hand what prejudice started by rumor feels like. Until it becomes potentially violent I ignore it. That is why this thread has frosted my ass a little bit. The proportion of "what is an unregistered sex offender?" and "shouldn't you get the whole story?" posts. Have been out numbered by the "buy pepper spray" threads. I've volunteered my experiences and the statistics about rape and sexual abuse so an informed decision can be made (i.e. so guys like me don't get pepperspryaed for no fucking reason). Here's 2 reasons why carrying pepperspray isn't as much protection as you may think. One there are too many variables (distance, wind, user error, etc.). Two forgive me for the crudity of this description. Most rapes happen when you've been making out, your panties are around your ankles, your pepper spray is across the room, and the asshole on top of you won't listen when you say no. Either that or when daddy or brother sneaks into your room late at night. Stranger grab rapes are the rarity. This is why I recommend that you take a self defense class. Because when that chump is on top of you and your pepperspray, knife etc. is out of reach you can still break the motherfuckers collarbone, take out his eyes, crush his windpipe, break his nose etc. All with your bare hands/feet. And they will teach you how to keep your head clear if/when you find yourself in this situation. Check out Wing Chun it is a form of Kung Fu developed for nuns travelling from temple to temple through Mongolia. I know people who spar/teach this martial art drunk or stoned so that they know they can use it even when impared. Peace Out, Rev J
Okay, first of all, I DID read all the posts in this thread.....what I meant was if there was an age requirement, or if my school would allow me to carry pepper spray around with me during the day. Second of all, I'm NOT going to carry pepper spray; as Rev JC said earlier, a house key is probably the safest, most user-friendly weapon out there. Not trying to come across as rude, but I take my own safety very seriously and have been reading and rereading everything on this thread, and for anyone to suggest the opposite pissed me off.
Wow, I don't think I have ever heard any kind of weapon called 'safe' before. Seriously, is that how 'hippies' are these days? Walking around with weapons.
If you care about your safety it would behoove you to not get pissed off so easily, but I understand you are at a confusing time in your life. I've done nothing but try to help you. My point from earlier is that no weapon, including a key, will give you an advantage, unless you can responsibly and skillfully use them. You would be better off with a whistle and a good pair of running shoes. Keeping a cool, calm, mind is your greatest weapon. peace
I don't carry "Weapons" I carry my house keys. I use them to open and close my door. They can be used as a weapon in a pinch. The only thing on my keychain besides keys is a bottle opener (I like good beer). I made the point about the house key because the most damage you can do to yourself is cutting or bruising your hand and you can't be arrested for having it. Besides I cannot morally advocate arming 14 year olds wether they're in the Congo or Massachussetts. (I'm sorry I make alot of jokes about Mass. I'm originally from Maine that's what we do.) I categorize myself as 95% pacifist. i.e Violence is the last answer and the worst answer. Even when I carried a knife it was a swiss army knife. I used it to cut cheese and open my beer bottle. I've learned on my path that you almost never have to resort to violence, you only have to convince others that you will. Sun Tzu was amazing. Peace Out, Rev J
