Once I grabbed a Greyhound from some little burg east of LA going to Yuma, AZ. I was on a hitch-hiking and freight hopping trip to Nogales, AZ where I was going to cross the border and take Mexican buses to Matzatland, where I eventually met up with a friend who was already there.

I was on a tight schedule, had been doing well until LA where I fell behind. I knew it was easy to hop a freight in Yuma, it was about midnight, I figured I'd catch some sleep on the Greyhound which was going to leave in like, a half hour. I grabbed a cab to the station and embarked.

Shortly into the trip, some yahoos behind me, led by a ringleader type 'world record setter' in obnoxious behavior, started passing around a bottle of whiskey and indulging in loud, guffawing telling of stories and general mouth running.

Several people were complaining that they or their children wanted some quiet, and twice the bus driver came on the intercom and asked them to keep it down. The second time, it got quiet for about 10 seconds until the ringleader ********* said sneeringly, "Oh hey, he's just the bus driver, what's he going to do?" The punks all laughed with him derisively and the party continued for a few more hours, most all of us apparently concluding that trying to stop these guys was liable to be more grief than it was worth.

I've rarely wanted to pound someone in a fair fight as badly. And I'm pretty sure I could have. Didn't want to take on a drunken mini-mob of about 5 guys, however.

Of course it is useful to scoff at the concept. It is something that works good on paper but doesn't in real life.

What's your point?

Could be if they wanted to rehab, the world was a kinder place, the stars were aligned, etc, etc.

Maybe he had that victim's liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti?

All of you that are saying you would not help a stranger is BS. Had you been that person I'm sure you would want help. Would you go help your own daughter or son if they were being killed? Oh, probably not, because you, yourselves aren't in any "imminent danger", right? I'm sorry, but it just sickens me to think that people would be so cold-hearted. Sorry for going off like this, but its just something about people watching someone being killed (like in a Roman areana) that upsets me. Anyways, only the murderer is at fault anyways...but karma is forever present.

My wife or my dogs, yes. A total stranger? No. There is a difference. One life is more valuable to me than another and hence the reason I stick my neck out.

Going back to some of you guys' calls to just shoot the suspect, in addition to that being illegal, you'd also be playing into the suspect's hands as that's exactly what he wants.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/05/canada.bus.stabbing.ap/index.html

He wants it, we want it so where is the problem?

You want it, but I don't think most people do. IMO it's not a harsh enough punishment. I'd prefer to keep the guy on death row for a few years, then have him executed via beheading.

If he wants to die, than by all means lets save some taxpayer money and just pop him in the head.

I don't see any benifit to torturing the guy, shoot him, dump him in a hole and move on.

Nah! Just lining himself up for an insanity plea.