A Place to Talk About War

I would like to hear from soldiers who have been in combat situations, from their families, or from others interested in this conversation. I am a graduate student interested in war rhetoric. I have no preset agenda: I simply want to listen, to learn, and to be supportive.

Name:
Location: Texas, United States

Married, two kids. Worked in the defense industry for 20 years before taking a different path. I'll be starting my dissertation on the rhetoric of war in a few months. This semester I am teaching Freshman Composition. I DON'T CARE ABOUT BLOGGERS' SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, OR ANY OTHER GRAMMAR MATTERS--I JUST WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

The war against ignorance goes on . . .

Let's all look carefully and see if we can help this mom out.

Police Fatally Shoot Mass. Teen Driver
From Associated PressJanuary 10, 2006 6:32 PM EST
Police shot and killed a 16-year-old boy early Tuesday after he drove a car at them while fleeing the scene of a possible burglary attempt, authorities said.

The two officers opened fire, killing Anthony McGrath, following a high-speed chase that started at a liquor store in Plymouth.

"My son got a death sentence," the boy's mother, Denise McGrath, told reporters. "I want to know who killed my son for no reason at all."

The two officers, whose names were not released, were placed on paid administrative leave. The Plymouth district attorney's office is investigating, police Capt. Michael Botieri said.

The alarm at Richard's Wine and Spirits sounded around 3:20 a.m., and as an officer arrived, he saw a vehicle leaving the area, Botieri said. The officer followed with his lights flashing and was joined by another cruiser, he said.

The driver, McGrath, eventually lost control and hit a wall, Botieri said. The officers ordered him out of the car, but he instead backed into one of the cruisers, then accelerated forward, hitting a utility pole and driving toward the two officers, according to Botieri.

The police opened fire, killing McGrath, who was alone in the car.

"It's a tragedy when something like this happens," Botieri said.

The owner of the liquor store, Steve Berg, said a glass door was cracked. "It looked like somebody struck the door with a rock," he told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.

Yes, it is very sad that this young man threw his life away. My wish for his mom is that her 16 year-old had NOT been out at 3:20 a.m., had NOT been trying to break into a liquor store, had NOT tried to run from the police at high speed, had NOT hit a patrol car, and had NOT driven toward the officers. But he did. And those are the reasons that he was killed.

http://start.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20060110/43c33f50_3ca6_1552620060110736220554