The Rude Pundit: Man Who Shot Movie Theater Texter Is Using "Stand Your Ground" Defense ...

[cer7711]

88. Basing What On Speculation, Exactly?

I'm sorry, but every story--every single story I've read on this--states that the texter asked the retired police chief, "Did you go talk to a manager about this?" after the chief had returned to the theater. The argument escalates from there, a bag of popcorn is thrown, and--bang!-- tragic ending.

Neither one of us was there. All we have to go on, at this point, are the stories of the eye-witnesses.

As for that line about "he came back looking even more agitated"--well, wouldn't you; if you'd gone for help and couldn't find any? The eyewitnesses don't say "he came back screaming and got in the texter's face" or "he came back brandishing a gun and spewing invective."

Which is why I keep asking the question no one will answer--because it obviously has no answer--if the incident had ended with the bag of popcorn being bounced off the old man's face, would that be acceptable to all concerned?

I've spilled way too much time and ink on this. You want to talk about speculation, look at the original posting which started this thread. You'd think the chief had left the house draped in ammo belts after snarling to his neighbors: "I'm going out hunting humans!"

I say 10% disagreement not because I think one party was 90% in the wrong and the other 10% right. In truth, this entire series of incidents could have been de-escalated at any time, by either party. If that gunshot hadn't been fired my sympathies would have been entirely with the old man--kindly or no. He was in the right; they were in the wrong. They were "only" texting durng the previews? Sorry, boorish behavior. Refusing to stop texting because you're texting your three-year-old? Irrelevant. ("I was speeding, your honor, to get home to my adorable three-year-old.&quot An argument--or rather, series of arguments--results in one party bouncing a bag or bucket of popcorn off another's face? I can tell you what the HR Dept. around here would tell an employee who did that to another employee, regardless of provocation: FIRED!

Up until that gunshot I am ENTIRELY on the side of the old man. Once he pulls out that gun--entirely against.

I say 90/10 because I roll my eyes at the howling mob pretending they don't understand this incident at all: Gosh, Pollyannas, have you ever watched a violent film in your lives?! You really can't understand how a person, in a moment of blind, unreasoning rage, might lash out at their tormentor? With a bucket of popcorn OR a bullet to the chest?

THAT's the 10% difference I'm refering to: whether this is a matter of 1st-degree, 2nd-degree, or 3rd-degree murder.

But we're in solid, 100% agreement on this--murder it is.