Sacre Bleu

My two cents. We could probably forgive him if it is related to dementia or Alzheimers, however, if his dementia has progressed to the point where he is a danger to himself or society WHY is he still allowed to not only be out by himself but DRIVING????? His symptoms would have manifested themselves a long time ago if they had reached this point and certainly someone would know and he would be getting professional help longer before this incident. Which leads me to believe that that is not the case, (but I'm not a doctor).

Playing the devil's advocate, It would be safe to say this man knows he has an anger management problem, and maybe this incident that escalated in his mind was a breaking point for him and instead of controlling his anger, he took the wrong road, and exploded. Possibly this time or once again, he has brought such negative notoriety for his wife and himself with not much hope in "making it better" for their living in harmony with neighbors, and now life may not be very good for them. I am not condoning his vioient action, nor making excuses for what he did, but there could be a lot more here than what the 122 posters are aware of.

That may be true. It is very hard to imagine a scenario where this man can excuse this violent outburst. I have had stuff in my own life which excuse a nervous breakdown in March 2000 and there was a whole lot going on and is still going on BUT there are many ways to calm yourself. I do feel for his wife, however, but she probably knows all about his temperament and other stuff.

[QUOTE=Carl in Tampa;769187]The French word baton is generally translated into English as stick.

Thus, the Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge is translated Red Stick.

Why Red Stick? The European-American history of Baton Rouge dates from 1699, when French explorer Sieur d'Iberville leading an exploration party up the Mississippi River saw a reddish cypress pole festooned with bloody animals that marked the boundary between the Houma and Bayou Goula tribal hunting grounds. They called the pole and its location le bâton rouge, or the red stick.

I love trivia.

Thank you Carl in Tampa. I love geography and learning. I'll remember this the next time I'm in Baton Rouge.

For all the Monday morning juries, here's a possible scenario: the perp claimed he did not assault anyone, but admits to property damage. Maybe...just maybe..he got out of his car, started to approach the guy in front (whose mother is 68, so how old is he?) and the younger guy sees him coming quickly, yelling, and pre-empts the confrontation by clocking him. Realizing that he is gonna go down in a fight, the perp resorts to car damage as revenge.
I dont buy anything about dementia, reduced capacity, alzheimers...anger management issues - YES - and there's plenty of that in all communities.
Just sayin...

I am pretty sure that the police report would have got their facts right. http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/...accda4836.html

Agree. Didnt see your link before I posted.

I still would want to know if he was on any medication before I condemn him. There are some meds that can totally change your personality and this change can occur without you really being aware of it. As I said previously, there may be mitigating circumstances, so how about we cut the man some slack until, if and when all facts come out.

Just have trouble with someone with obvious anger issues travelling around with a baton. This is not the kind of person who should have access to any kind of weapon. I know that it is impossible to block tax paying Villagers from their right to have a weapon BUT holding people accountable who do use a weapon when they and their family know they have serious impulse control as well as aggression issues should be a norm and not an exception.

If there are mitigating circumstances let the judge and/or jury deal with these.

The Sumter County Sheriff's website proudly points to the statistical fact that Sumter County Florida is one of the safest places to live in the USA. They should be proud of that. However, far too many villagers buy into the spin-myth that TV is some sort of adult Disneyland where the skies are not cloudy all day. TV is NOT Mayberry, North Carolina and Sheriff Andy does not live here. Real crimes..real issues happen here on a regular basis. Compared to places like Baltimore, Detroit or NYC there's no comparison..TV and Sumter County are very safe places to live, but there are still the same bad elements that you find everywhere else, just in lesser numbers.

That's so true!!!

It is true. But Gary Morse is perfect.:pepper2:

His Ozness can't change Human Nature, but Mercy, if you can't act happy here and get over your impatience here, you are ONE LOST CAUSE.

Gracie the Happy, full of wonderful home cooked sauerbraten and gemutlikeit. (sp)Thank you for a very special evening in lower Paradise, Missy Pie, Ernie, Marie, Ralphie, Richard, and Leeanne!

Florida Statute 784.08 HARSHLY addresses battery against a 65 y/o. Mandatory prison time for starters. (NOTE: the age of the attacker is irrelevant; it is the age of the victim that applies in such matters. The law applies equally if an attacker is 65 & over).

The law should serve as a serious deterrent to committing (initiating) an act of violence against older folks. The law should be in the forefront of one's mind whenever the potential for escalating a confrontational situation occurs.

In other words, be the "Hitee" instead of the "Hitor". (Only for the first punch)