Browsing: Crime

A Brief History On December 7, 1982, the State of Texas executed convicted murderer Charles Brooks, Jr. by lethal injection, the first such execution in US history. Lethal injection would go on to become the preferred method of execution in the US until the 21st Century when serious problems manifested themselves. Digging Deeper Prior to lethal injection, the Federal government and state governments used a variety of methods of execution, from hanging and firing squads to the electric chair and the gas chamber. These methods were all deemed to be “humane,” at least compared to the barbaric methods previously employed…

A Brief History On this holiday when thoughts of children are wandering to their Christmas and Hanukkah lists, for those among us that are hunters, law enforcement officers, military people, recreational or competitive shooters, interested in self defense and the preservation of liberty, or just into the history and technology of firearms, we present to you our “Bucket List” of guns we would like to own before we are too old to enjoy them. (Although some may be out of production, they are still out there for sale.)  Obviously, such a list is pure opinion and is not relevant to…

A Brief History On May 23, 1901, the Attorney General of Paris, France, received an anonymous note that a woman was being kept prisoner by her own mother.  Police were dispatched to investigate and found a skeletal Blanche Monnier locked up in a small, windowless room in appalling mental and physical condition. Digging Deeper Blanche had been locked up in the tiny room since 1876, when her mother disapproved of Blanche’s choice for a husband (a lawyer, so perhaps the mom had reasonable cause…) and prevented the marriage by keeping Blanche prisoner. Of course, the mother was arrested, but died…

A Brief History On the evening of November 13, 2015, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks occurred in Paris, France and its northern suburb Saint-Denis.  The attacks consisted of mass shootings, suicide bombings, bombings, and hostage taking, including bombings near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.  The deadliest attack was at the Bataclan theatre where attackers took hostages and engaged in a standoff with police until it was ended on November 14, 2015. Digging Deeper At least 129 people were killed, 89 of them at the Bataclan theatre.  More than 350 people were injured by the attacks, including 99 people described as…

A Brief History On November 5, 1943, despite explicit orders from Allied and Axis commanders, four bombs from a bomber airplane were dropped on the Vatican.  A few months later, on March 1, 1944, it happened again.  Apparently during wartime, nothing is sacred. Digging Deeper The first incident was reported to be a single plane that had been circling the Vatican that night.  Its identity has never been proven, with speculation that it may have been an Italian plane trying to take out the Vatican radio tower.  Various theories present US, UK, German, or Italian responsibility.  Despite heavy damage, no…