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I think there may be a few more massacres in the news lately, but that is no reason to condemn our whole nation, Harry. I think if you consider the size and population of the US, you would see that we are not a nation of criminals and victims. Tens of millions of us live our entire lives happily without being involved in violence of any sort.
On the other hand, Tim and I have been attempted victims in Rome (twice) and Paris. He had his pocket "examined" by a woman carrying a baby outside the Vatican walls, but I shook my finger at her and scolded her. Then, on a city bus, a group of 20somethings seperated us when the bus pulled up and pushed him onto the bus via the exit doors. In a minute, he hollered from the back of the bus, "Hey Honey! I'm getting mugged again!" So I squeezed back there and scolded them. They were stuck on the bus until the next stop, and actually apologized. Quitters! In Paris, a gang of adolescents tried to hustle us toward a subway stop late at night. They did that whistle routine where they circle around like a pack of wolves and communicate with whistles. We looked them right in the eyes and stood our ground (topside, didn't go down like they wanted us to), and pretty quickly the whistles backed off and the kids began to vanish. I guess they must have found more willing victims.
We just laugh at all of that while it is happening. Our pockets are empty, because every single thing we carry is in a wallet that hangs around the neck inside the clothing. In groups of people, we walk with our hand on the camera around our necks, not hanging loose where anyone could snatch it from our necks.
We have found that the would-be criminals are basically lazy and cowardly. They will go off and find someone easier to rob.
What I'm saying is that while we have never experienced crime in the rooting shooting US, it has been fairly common to us in Europe, where the criminals do not have guns. Discussion?
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