Subject:
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Re: Handgun Death Rate
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 18 Jul 2001 16:59:43 GMT
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Viewed:
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462 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bruce Schlickbernd writes:
>
> > My derision of the "wild west" is that it is an example of everyone (well, a
> > significant portion) walking around armed, and it was NOT peaceable and
> > wonderful.
>
> My understanding is that some places and some times were peacable for the most
> part.
>
> What counts as the wild west?
Bodie, California would certainly count (the popular observation of the
times: "Goodbye God, I'm going to Bodie"). I mean, one could hardly call
Mormon Central (Utah) the "wild" west for example (oops, just peered at the
next sentence...you have my answer on that!). :-)
>
> I'm reading books written by J.D. Fitzgerald about his life in southern Utah
> prior to the turn of the 20th century. Some of the exciting events are when a
> bad man comes to town and has to be dealth with, but they are clearly the
> exception. It was a rough and tough life with very different priorities and
> mores, and I wouldn't want to adopt all of them. But the people honored the
> law while also honoring right v. wrong. People in favor of vigilante justice
> got along with those who thought the law should work things out. The town took
> care of itself, and the people largely took care of themselves. There is a
> great deal of good from that venue that I think we have lost. And I'm not
> romanticizing about the glory days of the wild west. Only acknowledging that
> frontier life had pros as well as cons.
I'm not sure I'd enumerate vigilante justice (an oxymoron) on the pro side.
But that's what made it the wild west.
Bruce
(Bodie is a large and fairly well-preserved Ghost Town. It's also such an
outlandish example that if Chris wants to characterize it as a cheap shot I
could only respond: "Busted!")
:-)
(Okay, this wasn't the most serious of responses)
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Handgun Death Rate
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| (...) My understanding is that some places and some times were peacable for the most part. What counts as the wild west? I'm reading books written by J.D. Fitzgerald about his life in southern Utah prior to the turn of the 20th century. Some of the (...) (23 years ago, 18-Jul-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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