Governor Dayton will soon be receiving, and likely vetoing, a bill changing Minnesota's self defense law. Currently, if someone is in your house or trying to get in, you are required to "retreat" from the situation before resorting to lethal force. The new law allows you to use lethal force (shoot someone) if you feel threatened in your "domicile." Your domicile could include your home, apartment, boat, camper, RV and even your car. While I agree with opponents who argue some people might feel threatened in certain situations and others wouldn't, I don't see the law changing how people would react in certain situations. If a meth-crazed maniac is trying to kick in my door at midnight, I will feel threatened, and if I have a gun handy, I will dispatch him. Any new law won't change that. If I see someone furtively entering my garage at 3 a.m., I will not shoot them, but I will call the police and let them handle it, while trying to gather as much info as I can on the suspect. Any new law won't change that. If someone opens my car door at an intersection and tries to take my vehicle (first off, I will thank them...you haven't seen my car) my reaction to them won't be shaped by any new law. However, if it happened to my wife, and she happened to have a gun, I would want her to have the option to defend herself. Opponents argue if the law is passed you'll see drunks who knock on the wrong door in the middle of the night get shot, or door-to-door salesmen getting plugged. Again, I don't see any changes in the law affecting people's behavior. However, if the law is signed, I could see burglars having some second thoughts about doing a break-in, knowing they could be shot and not be able to sue their potential victim.
Still hoping for the best for Senator Gary Kubly. We got the sad news yesterday that he suffered a "medical crisis" and had to go to Region's Hospital in St. Paul, and is in critical condition. It doesn't sound good. Gary made it to the 1st two Legislative Review shows this year, but has missed the last three. He's fighting the noble fight to serve his constituents despite ALS, but unfortunately he may be losing the battle. He's been a friend to Lakeland Broadcasting and consistantly made the 40 mile drive to Willmar from Granite Falls for Legislative Review during his years in the House and Senate. The suffering he's been going through in the past year or so has been sobering to see, and if The Lord decides he's had enough and is time to go to his reward, well, we'll miss him but his strife will be oer.
If there's something I have absolutely no tolerance for, is stupid, inconsiderate people. Our first storm of the season came this week and depositted 4 to 5 inches of sloppy "heart attack" snow on the area. A guy who is living at my neighbor's house parks his van right at the end of my driveway, blocking our view of traffic turning onto our street off of busy Gorton Avenue. And when the plow came through yesterday morning, the plow swooped around his van and missed clearing off the front of my house. Boy was that a blast trying to clear that slop which consistantly clogged my snow blower. As I say, I have no use for stupid, inconsiderate people, yet there seems to be more and more of them. Or maybe I'm just turning into a crabby old man.
