gratitude...

late friday night/early saturday morning in a suburb of tampa and about an hour from my home, a 39-year old teacher of special-needs children had the unmitigated gall to go over to his friend's house for help installing a car radio.

as they worked in the driveway, a couple of misunderstood youths decided to rob them at gunpoint of the radio, their wallets, and anything else they could grab...we don't know if the teacher and his friend would have been allowed to keep their lives or not, because...

that teacher was toting his own gun (and was duly licensed to do so)...he pulls his weapon, shots were exchanged, and that poor child, who the paper says was "working on planning to attend college", was mortally wounded, dying later after the other poor youth took him to the hospital...but they still got the goods, and the radio, wallets, etc. were still in their car.

but the teacher was also badly wounded; he also died later saturday morning.

would the poor misunderstood youth have killed both men if not shot himself? would he and his little pal have robbed and or shot others with the audacity to go about their lives on their own private property? we don't know, but one thing is sure; the dead kid won't.

the teacher's friend was unhurt...surely his mother, when interviewed, would express her gratitude that her son was saved and grief that the teacher was killed, yes?

well, no, when interviewed she said:
"he (the teacher) always had a fascination with guns...that always worried me..."

jtc