This business of flash mobs in Philly, first mentioned here in this post, is evidently more serious than I thought. I walked to and from Center City Wednesday night and last night. Last night Debbie and I walked home together from Bainbridge Street (just below South), a good eight or nine blocks. Before that we had two others with us. I have walked all over the city throughout my life, both day and night, often - especially in my wilder years - in some of the dicier parts. Still, these incidents have occurred, and would be difficult to deal with. I am no longer as young as I once was, and one person wielding a walking stick is no match for a mob. I was not joking when I suggested I might take advantage of our conceal and carry law. If the municipal government is too busy interfering with the spice shop up the street (I am serious) to maintain public safety, one must think about doing it on one's own. I am the son of a policeman and am not sweetly disposed to violent crime. Nor am I impressed by the city's current mayor, who seems mostly talk. I'm not sure yet about the police commissioner. He seemed serious when I saw him recently at the local precinct, but that was before any of this started, and this stuff is happening on his watch.
Frank, you probably already appreciate the irony involved in your potential game plan: You are carefully evaluating the implications of your option to lawfully conceal-and-carry a permitted firearm for protection from people who unlawfully conceal-and-carry firearms without permits and carefully evaluating the implications of their actions.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, I enjoyed living in large cities (and Philadelphia would have been an exciting addition to my life), but now--because of current events, or because of my age and changing attitudes toward current events--I think I will have to content myself with my relatively isolated, backwater existence on the Gulf coast where we have yet to encounter roving bands of rednecks, crackers, or snowbirds.
I hope the Philadelphia problems are short-lived anomalies. And, Frank, be careful out there. I think the flash mobs ought not be confronted by civilians with good intentions. The police and city officials need to do something; their action needs to be swift and assertive.
God's speed, Frank.
CORRECTION:
ReplyDeleteChange "and carefully evaluating the implications of their actions" to "and without carefully evaluating the implications of their actions." Sorry for the sloppy keyboarding.