Maybe you’ve heard about the Oregon woman who was raped after she called the police as the attacker was trying to enter her home — only to be told the cops are only open Monday through Friday. Budget cuts apparently caused the problem.
The case has sparked some debate. Reddit is blowing up. And then there is this annoying blob of mustard on the shirt-front of the internet by Amanda Marcotte entitled, “Enough Airy-Fairy Liberal Nonsense About Police. If You Don’t Want to Get Raped, Hire a Private Security Firm.” I’m going to go out on a limb and say Ms. Marcotte would be singing a different tune if this was her daughter, sister, or mother. Or herself.
As a self-defense expert, I think it’s great for people to learn to defend themselves. But the facts are that some people just can’t. Either they lack the dedication, the physicality, or the inclination. My fifteen year-old daughter is whip-thin, and no matter how much I teach her, she’d have tough time with a large, evil man. There are tiny people, handicapped people, old people — what about them? Is it “airy-fairy liberal nonsense” to expect a little help for them from the police?
The victim paid her taxes. Certain things come with taxes — like basic policing, defense against enemies foreign and domestic, you know, little stuff like that. This is the basics here. We’re not debating health care, or immigration, or “entitlements.” We’re talking about basic services. Where did her tax money go, exactly?
Can we please just park the conservative B.S. and take a ride on the common sense train? Can’t we just stop blaming the victim and agree that she paid her taxes and there should have been a police officer able to respond?
Every member of her county should refuse to pay any further taxes until there are adequate emergency services — police, EMS, and fire. And if there’s a problem with that, I’m sure there would be lawyers and an outraged public willing to come to their legal defense.
Robert Mitchell Jr. 