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Man Robs Convenience Stores With Klingon "Batleth"

mnovotny writes "Colorado Springs police are looking for a man who hit two 7-Eleven convenience stores, armed with a Klingon 'Batleth' sword inspired by the Star Trek science fiction series. They did appear more human in the original series."

66 of 579 comments (clear)

  1. When they outlaw batleths.... by drachenfyre · · Score: 5, Funny

    only outlaws will have batleths...

  2. There is no honor in theft. by defile39 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He should be stripped of his land and titles.

    1. Re:There is no honor in theft. by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That punishment is too lenient for such a p'tahk! He should face discommendation!

    2. Re:There is no honor in theft. by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This honorless p'tahk will be sent to work the mines on Rura Penthe!

    3. Re:There is no honor in theft. by cliffski · · Score: 5, Funny

      can we all cross our arms and turn around now?

      --
      DRM-free indie games for the PC and Mac: Positech Games
    4. Re:There is no honor in theft. by sorak · · Score: 5, Funny

      don't you mean that he should be stripped of his grandmother's basement and his MMORPG accounts?

    5. Re:There is no honor in theft. by LoadWB · · Score: 4, Funny

      (insert another dickhead buzz-kill reference...)

    6. Re:There is no honor in theft. by zerojoker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      no. Such person would us then stab in the back.

    7. Re:There is no honor in theft. by troll8901 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'll take his Batleth, thank you.

      If his grandmother bakes excellent cookies, I'll take her too.

    8. Re:There is no honor in theft. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

      don't you mean that he should be stripped of his grandmother's basement and his MMORPG accounts?

      And he should be stripped of his "Chewbacca is my copilot" T-shirt immediately!

      Ugh! Oh God! That was a mistake. Put the shirt back on! Put it on! You can keep it, I'm sorry.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  3. I believe stealing slurpees by joeflies · · Score: 5, Funny

    is one of the Rites of Ascension. While it is inevitable that a boy becomes a man, what is not inevitable is whether a man becomes a warrior. That is, until he robs a 7-eleven.

    1. Re:I believe stealing slurpees by Eddi3 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You might think that's funny, but robbing gas stations is the exactly the kind of stuff that gangs use as initiation,

    2. Re:I believe stealing slurpees by Sabz5150 · · Score: 4, Funny

      You might think that's funny, but robbing gas stations is the exactly the kind of stuff that gangs use as initiation,

      Since when do the Bloods have a trekkie clique?

      --
      "Who modded this informative? Whoever it is must've been smokin' some of that martian pot!"
    3. Re:I believe stealing slurpees by flaming+error · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bloodwine is for wimps. The drink of a true warrior comes from the juice of a prune.

    4. Re:I believe stealing slurpees by flaming+error · · Score: 5, Funny

      You have it sadly backwards. The Bloods were the activist wing of the Trekkie division of the Los Angeles Linux User Group.

      In the Denver LUG, infiltrating convenience stores has provided a reliable supply of Mountain Dew. But I fear this infighting may unravel the whole sweet deal.

    5. Re:I believe stealing slurpees by xstonedogx · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yep. Nothing screams warrior like not shitting your pants in the heat of battle after knocking back a gallon of prune juice.

    6. Re:I believe stealing slurpees by slackbheep · · Score: 4, Funny

      If mugged by a group of cosplayers I would feel nothing but shame.

  4. Poor reporting strikes again by LighterShadeOfBlack · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not a "Batleth", it's a "Bat'leth". Without the apostrophe it just looks ridiculous.

    --
    Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
    1. Re:Poor reporting strikes again by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not as ridiculous as this part of the story:

      A half hour later, police received a call from a 7-Eleven at 2407 N Union Blvd, where a male matching the previous description entered the store with a sword. He also demanded money from the store clerk. The clerk did not give him any money and the suspect transported himself out of the store on foot.

      The writer almost sounds disappointed that the suspect didn't beam himself out of the store ;)

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  5. Enact the assault sword ban! by icebrain · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, we must ban replica weapons that are only made for killing large numbers of people! Protect the children!

    These "assault swords" have features like extra cutting edges, and allow the evil person using one to swing it in both directions, thereby killing more people.
    The user's hands are placed a little differently than on traditional swords, meaning the user can swing with more power and hit more people at once.
    They're made of cheap metal, which is more dangerous than regular steel because it's more powerful and stronger than a real sword!
    And they have engravings in an unknown foreign terrorist language, which tells the user how to be deadly assassin. And there's obviously no need for engraving on a sword.

    And obviously, if we ban them, they'll all magically go away, because we know that criminals who like to commit acts of violence will be scared of the law that bans their swords. Nobody will ever make one themselves, or sneak one in through the black market, and there are no legitimate uses (such as movie props and reenactments) for these weapons.

    --
    The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
    1. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wooosh!

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    2. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Hork_Monkey · · Score: 5, Informative

      Having a concealed weapons permit, I had to take a class that focused a great deal on specific firearm laws.

      Louisiana allows for open carry, but the instructor (a state trooper) cautioned that all it takes is a complaint for you to get arrested for it. The reasoning is that "disturbing the peace" trumps the right to open carry.

    3. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by mh1997 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not a sword, a dagger. And no, you shouldn't be allowed to carry either on an airplane. 9/11 happened because 4 guys with box-cutters could commandeer an airplane

      Box cutters and pocket knives were legal at the time. Too bad the other 100 plus passengers on those planes were not carrying box cutters or pocket knives. The world would be a very different place today.

    4. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by icebrain · · Score: 5, Informative

      Sometimes you'll get arrested for that in Georgia, too, but it almost always gets thrown out in court (assuming you were licensed and legal to carry in that location). Now, if you're in a private establishment, and the manager/proprietor decides he doesn't like it, that's a different matter; he has full legal right to ask you to cover up or leave.

      in general, though, firearms laws in Georgia are so convoluted and ambiguous that even the judges, lawyers, and police don't really know it well. Go up and ask five officers what the laws are, you'll get six different answers. We're trying to fix that, because regardless of the subject, the people deserve laws that are clear and easy to understand. Otherwise, how can they follow them?

      --
      The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
    5. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by curmudgeous · · Score: 5, Funny

      "...allow the evil person using one to swing it in both directions..."

      Well, obviously anyone who swings both ways is pure evil (according to the fundamentalists).

    6. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by denzacar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      9/11 happened because 4 guys with box-cutters could commandeer an airplane.

      9/11 happened because:

      a) US government secret services and law enforcement agencies failed to do their job.
      b) because the entire plane of passengers just sat there and allowed it to happen.
      c) because they were able to just waltz in into the cockpit.
      d) because Arnold, Bruce, Sly and Steven were busy elsewhere.

      The terrorists could have just as well held a large clock and claim that they have a bomb.
      Forget the clock - they could have held a bag and claim there is a bomb inside.

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    7. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by powerlord · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes ... but notice that the one plane where people knew what they were going to do crashed into the middle of PA?

      It doesn't matter anymore. Anyone trying to hijack a plane is going to run into the "problem" that people will remember the 9/11 modus operandi now and will most likely actively rebel.

      Darn good thing too, at least there is a chance of them NOT being sheep in ALL situations.

      --
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    8. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by isfry · · Score: 5, Funny

      Careful where you swing that thing.

    9. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Funny

      Careful where you swing that thing.

      I hope you are talking about Bat'Leths and not the recent footage that interrupted the Super Bowl ;)

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    10. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If you threaten my life, I have a right to make you stop. If you end up dead, well, that's too bad. At least that's the law in Texas.

      That's generally the law everywhere although the specifics may vary. Here in New York the case law says that when out in public we have to make a reasonable effort to retreat first. In our homes we don't have to retreat although it's well advised -- personally I wouldn't shoot somebody over property (it's insured) if my life isn't in danger.

      If I feel like my life is in danger though all bets are off -- I'll be shooting to kill and will continue shooting until the threat has been negated. If he manages to survive then I'll tell the 911 dispatcher to send an ambulance along with the cops.

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    11. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Megane · · Score: 4, Insightful

      e) nobody before had ever hijacked a plane with the suicidal intent to crash it, and the standard response to hijackings had been to land wherever the hijackers said to land.

      Once the passengers on Flight 93 heard about what happened on the other planes, they changed their response.

      --
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    12. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, I suspect if people were less cowed by authorities and were allowed to carry self-defensive equipment, 9/11 would never have happened. 4 box-cutters vs 100 known-to-be-unarmed victims is far different than 4 box-cutters vs 100 potentially-armed freemen.

      "The odds that one person is carrying a bomb on a plane are 500,000 to one. The odds that two people are each carrying a bomb on a plane are five billion to one. So to be safe, always carry a bomb with you when you fly."

    13. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by pixelpusher220 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I agree 9/11 wouldn't have likely happened if people were allowed to regularly carry weapons on planes.

      However, you have to balance that with the inevitable 2-3 crashes per year because of drunk or otherwise hotheaded passengers who just didn't think about pulling triggers etc.

      9/11 happened because of intelligence failures, plain and simple. It won't happen again, not because of better intelligence, but because the hijacker-passenger contract was ripped up. People know now that they may not survive if they don't fight back. Previously people knew that if they just went along eventually they were likely to be released unharmed in some random foreign land.

      Now people will fight back hard and fast when something happens. That alone is the safest thing we have in our favor preventing another 9/11 attack.

      --
      People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
    14. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by TheLink · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Uh the world was a different place then.

      If you think the reason why the 9/11 hijackers were successful is because the 100 plus passengers were not armed you are badly mistaken.

      On average 20-30 people armed with stuff readily available on a plane should be able to take down 4 average guys with box cutters. Box cutters don't even penetrate inflight magazines well. You can kill people with pens. Heck if people started throwing their shoes and coins at the hijackers it would hurt them badly.

      Why they didn't try was the passengers didn't realize what the hijackers were _really_ up to.

      Back then the "general understanding" was the passengers and crew cooperate with hijackers, the plane lands somewhere and the hijackers either a) eventually get something they can accept and nobody gets hurt, b) or the Special Forces storms the plane and some people die.

      In fact it seems that after passengers in one of the 9/11 planes found out what happened to the other planes, they stopped the hijackers from achieving their objectives. Sure that plane still crashed (just not at the target), but perhaps if they knew earlier things would have been different.

      I'd actually argue that if you can really prevent "teeth and claws" getting on board, it's harder for 4 wolves to overpower 100 sheep in a fight to the death. Whereas if you allowed everyone to carry deadly weapons, it just makes things worse. Most "sheep" won't bring swords on board. And a skilled person with a sword can defeat very many unarmed people (a decent sharp sword has pretty good "stopping" power). In contrast a skilled unarmed martial artist will find it harder to fight off many unarmed people at once (some poor bastard may have to be the shield, but too bad).

      --
    15. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by geminidomino · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If he manages to survive then I'll tell the 911 dispatcher to send an ambulance along with the cops.

      You're more compassionate than I. The fucker would probably sue you and win.

    16. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by ewrong · · Score: 5, Funny

      Box-cutters make terrible weapons, unless your target is unarmed or can't fight back.

      or is a box

    17. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by powerlord · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why do the media and your government present those passengers as heroes?

      Because, those passengers did something heroic.

      On United Airlines Flight 93, black box recordings revealed that crew and passengers attempted to seize control of the plane from the hijackers after learning through phone calls that similarly hijacked planes had been crashed into buildings that morning.[21] According to the transcript of Flight 93's recorder, one of the hijackers gave the order to roll the plane once it became evident that they would lose control of the plane to the passengers

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11
      (and the actual news item sourced by Wikipedia:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191520,00.html)

      They were the only ones on any of the planes (besides the hijackers themselves), who knew the plan was to crash the plane into a building.

      They could have chosen to disbelieve the information ("Who is crazy enough to do that? We should just wait."), instead, they chose to make sure that the plane they were on could NOT be used in that way.

      I am sure they were all hoping they would live (who doesn't?), and they knew they were going to die if they did nothing, but their actions kept the terrorists from achieving their objective.

      Bluntly, they were the only ones who were in the position to do something, and they acted, even though that action cost them their lives.

      In that way they became Martyrs. Bitterly ironic given that they were the only way to stop other supposed "Martyrs" plans.

      --
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    18. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Rick+Bentley · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My old roommate, a cop, has this advice when shooting an intruder:

      1) Fire as many shots as you want, but don't hit him more than 3x (looks bad to the cops/DA/jury).
      2) Regardless of #1 above, if all shots entered through the back then roll him over and shoot him at least once through the front and claim that as your first shot. CSI is just a TV show, they're not going to figure it out.
      3) If he falls outside your door, drag his ass back into your house before the cops get there and describe a "scuffle".

      The fact he had this list, and left his Glock on the coffee table while we watched Star Trek, always made me nervous...

      --
      My favorite quote doesn't fit into 120 characters. Now no one will like me.
    19. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by nycguy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This discussion reminds me of a story a former Texas state trooper told me. (He claimed to have been on the scene and observed this personally in the 1970s):

      Apparently two deer hunters were walking toward an isolated rural road in west Texas, somewhere near Pecos. From a distance, they observed a state trooper standing next to a vehicle that he'd pulled over. They heard a bang and saw the trooper fall back away from the vehicle. A man stepped from the vehicle and fired a second shot at the trooper, who was apparently laying on the ground, now out of their sight.

      At this point, the two hunters knelt down in the brush. Not noticing them, the man dragged the trooper's body into the ditch, then walked over and started poking through the trooper's car. After a bit of whispered discussion, one of the hunters shot the man in the chest as he stood next to the trooper's car.

      They carefully came up to the car and found the man bleeding, but still alive, his handgun a few feet away. They took the gun and one of them got into the trooper's car and managed to radio for help. About 15 minutes later, another trooper arrived at the scene, and sometime thereafter an ambulance arrived.

      This in of itself is an interesting story. However, the paramedics examined both the shot trooper and the man from the car, and found the former to be dead and the latter still alive. After some discussion with the second trooper, they took the dead trooper to the hospital in their ambulance, returning to pick up the wounded man over an hour later, by which time he had died.

      The trooper who told me the story arrived after the ambulance had left with the first trooper, but before it returned to pick up the wounded man. That man, it turns out, was a prison escapee who'd been on the run for a week or so.

      Anyway, it's not entirely relevant to this discussion, but an interesting story nonetheless.

    20. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by mshannon78660 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I know you're being funny, but interestingly, in most (maybe all) states, you can not carry a sword or long knife in any way that would make it useful for protection. As a country, we have decided that firearms are much safer than swords. Here are a couple of links for discussions of this: http://askville.amazon.com/NYC-legal-carry-pocket-knife-attached-belt-plain-sight-concealed-weapon/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=9649382 http://askville.amazon.com/legal-carry-sword-self-defense/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=8859178

    21. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by icebrain · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ok, so I'm bad at sarcasm. I'm mocking the "logic" of the proposed "assault weapons" ban on the following points:

      (Regarding pistol grips) Apparently, changing the angle at which your hands hold the gun makes it "more deadly and able to spray fire from the hip". Tilting my hand twenty degrees more vertical just means my hand is at a different angle, no more. It's like arguing that changing the steering wheel and gearshift on your bone-stock Honda Civic (or holding your hands at 3 and 9 instead of 2 and 10) makes it a racecar that corners better.

      (Regarding the "high powered" claim) Apparently, using smaller, less powerful rounds makes a gun "high powered" and "more deadly" than a gun that fires a bigger, more powerful, standard hunting round. Or, the same bullet fired from a "normal"-looking rifle is less deadly than one fired from a scarier-looking AK-47--even though it's the same bullet moving at the same speed. To use a car analogy again, putting a smaller engine with less horsepower and less torque makes the car more powerful and have better acceleration.

      (Regarding the "no legitimate use" claim) Apparently, the thousands and thousands of AR-15s, SKSs, M1As, and 10/22s that law-abiding Americans use for hunting, target-shooting competitions, and defense of the home have no legitimate uses like hunting, target-shooting, and defense of the home.

      (Regarding the "collapsible stock" claim) Apparently, changing a stock's length by a few inches makes it bad, evil, and easy to conceal. Yet a fixed stock equal in length to the fully collapsed one would still be legal, as would removing the stock entirely (provided the minimum overall length of 26 inches is maintained).

      Also ignored is the fact that the previous ban had no effect on criminal violence whatsoever. I'd suggest that a much better approach to crimefighting is to keep violent offenders in prison doing hard time, and help keep people from turning to violence in the first place. Make decisions based on facts rather than "ZOMG it's scary looking!!1!" emotions.

      Remember, the government will tell you to rely on it to protect you and defend you from criminals--but then it will turn right around and claim it had no obligation to do so.

      --
      The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
    22. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Lord+Ender · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's what she said.

      --
      A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    23. Re:Enact the assault sword ban! by Darinbob · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Whereas if you allowed everyone to carry deadly weapons, it just makes things worse.

      Given the number of cases where passengers panic over someone they think is acting funny or who have Arabic script on tee shirts, I'd really hate to see some of those passengers armed.

      "Really officer, I saw him praying, and everyone knows those terrorists always pray before blowing themselves up. So of course I shot him."

  6. Re:This is too much! by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Funny

    We can start with the delightful observation that both clerks (Clerks?) recognised it as a Bat'Leth, and better, that the second one had the nuts to tell this honourless p'tak to go screw a goat. Even Star Trek nerds aren't afraid of other Star Trek nerds.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  7. I've never trusted Klingons... by dreemernj · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and I never will. I can never forgive them...for robbing my 7-11.

    --
    1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
    1. Re:I've never trusted Klingons... by JCSoRocks · · Score: 5, Funny

      7-11 We Will Never Forget!

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
  8. I wonder... by Foofoobar · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder if the investigating police showed up in Enterprise Uniforms. 'This is highly illogical, Leutenant'

    --
    This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
  9. Re:This is too much! by Sabz5150 · · Score: 4, Funny

    WWAKD (What Would A Klingon Do?)

    Rob a 7-11, apparently. How else does a warrior fund a Bird of Prey in this economy?

    --
    "Who modded this informative? Whoever it is must've been smokin' some of that martian pot!"
  10. Re:Why is this in "Entertainment?" by zappepcs · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, it's just a shame neither of the clerks were in red shirts!

  11. Dante: You know what the worst part is? by RevWaldo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Randall: Worse than getting robbed by some f'n Star Trek geek?
    Dante: I'm not even supposed to be here today!

  12. Re:Why is this in "Entertainment?" by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, it's just a shame neither of the clerks were in red shirts!

    If they had been the headline would be: Man Commits Murder With Klingon Bat'Leth

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  13. Oh Great. by Tony+Stark · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was hoping to make a big impact when I start robbing stores with my lightsaber, but it looks like some trekkies stole my thunder.

  14. Re:this geek is clearly breaking the rules... by JCSoRocks · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah, but there are no awesome Office Space quotes that involve county jail!

    --
    You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
  15. So if he's caught and serves his time by mandark1967 · · Score: 5, Funny

    will he be considered and "Ex-KAHN!"?

    --
    Sig Follows: "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain
  16. Re:How recognizable is a bat'leh? by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm glad you linked to Michael Dorn because nobody on /. would have known who he was if you hadn't ;)

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  17. Insightful? FUNNY! by mcgrew · · Score: 5, Funny

    The mods are without honor and should be stripped of their karma and titles, face discommendation, and sent to work the mines on Rural Penthe.

  18. Re:The heroes of 911 are afraid of box cutters. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Pretty easy to armchair quarterback in total safety what you think you would have done in the same situation, but the truth is you would never know until you were in that situation. I don't think the plane was full of extraordinarily "unaverage" people - they were average joes. Odds are you would have sat right there with them scared out of your wits as well. The funny thing is, if as many people who claimed they would be a hero in situations such as this actually did step up and be a hero, stuff like that would not happen as much as it does in reality.

    P.S. It would be fairly trivial to kill someone with what you call a "kid's knife". A box cutter is a razor blade with a handle. Would you like to be slashed with a razor?

    --
    "But this one goes to 11!"
  19. Re:be CLear by OakDragon · · Score: 5, Funny

    How do you sheath a Batleth?

    You can keep it inside any convenient Romulan corpse.

  20. Re:The heroes of 911 are afraid of box cutters. by geminidomino · · Score: 4, Insightful

    P.S. It would be fairly trivial to kill someone with what you call a "kid's knife". A box cutter is a razor blade with a handle. Would you like to be slashed with a razor?

    As opposed to being smashed into a skyscraper? Yes.
    But hindsight is 20/20, and they didn't know it just a typical "take the plane to cuba" deal until it was too late.

  21. Re:The heroes of 911 are afraid of box cutters. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It comes down to the information available to the respective passengers. The standard approach is to assume that the hijackers want money or the release of prisoners and probably won't kill the passengers. With that in mind you just sit in your seat, shut up, and hope that when the SWAT team kills the hijackers you don't get injured. When the passengers realized those people were going to turn them into a missile (because of phone calls informing them of their impending deaths) they weren't going to have any of that shit. The passengers of the other planes would have clawed the eyes out of their attackers if they had any idea what was going to happen. People will readily die for a higher purpose (see soldiers, religious crazies, people that try to rescue children/pets/the elderly from fires), they just have to see the purpose of dying.

  22. Re:The heroes of 911 are afraid of box cutters. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It has nothing to do with bravery or "averageness". Prior to 9/11 the best thing a hostage could do was stay calm and obedient -it ensured not only your own safety, but the safety of others. Hostage-taking was nothing new and almost always resolved safely on the ground. Going cowboy was an act of foolish endangerment.

    The reason the passengers on the flight over PA fought back was because they heard what happened with the other planes and realized the previous rules didn't apply this time. I have little doubt the people on the early flights would've tried the same thing if they had known.

  23. Impressed? by kandela · · Score: 5, Funny

    If someone came at me with a Bat'leth all I'd be thinking is 'Is today a good day to die?'

    --
    Conservation of angular momentum makes the world go round.
  24. Aamazing by Endo13 · · Score: 4, Funny

    We actually have a good story on Idle. Well, I guess there's a first time for everything.

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  25. Brain Freeze Initiation by sprior · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since pain sticks weren't available for his initiation he had to settle for brain freeze.

  26. Self protection in Texas by wsanders · · Score: 4, Funny

    Back in college, I had a friend who was into the Society for Creative Anachronism thing. He got burgled one night while he was home, and sent the intruder to the hospital with wounds from a broadsword. You don't see that every day.

    Apparently he was stark naked when he attacked, too. Dunno if he bothered to cover himself with woad before the battle.

    --
    Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
  27. The Clerks did What They're Suppose to Do by qazwart · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you work in a convenience store, you never ever try to stop a robbery. It doesn't matter if the guy has a gun, a Bat'leh, or an attack gerbil.

    Your job is to get this guy out of your store as fast as possible with as few injuries as possible. I knew someone who worked in HR at Southland Corporation (the people who run 7-11s). They train their workers to help the robbers.

    Most robbers have little idea of what they should do once they run into a convenience store and demand all of the money. The clerks are trained to not make sudden moves and to keep their hands visible.

    The clerks ask the robber if they want their money in a sack and if the robber would like them to lie down behind the counter until they leave. The clerk's job at that point is to get the robber out of the store as quickly as possible.

    Most of the time, there is less than $50 in the till. If someone comes in with a bat'leh, you don't know if they may also have a gun on them. You have no idea what this person might be capable of doing or whether they have a few friends outside who may try to help out if you put up a fight.

    It simply isn't worth the fuss over $50. You give the money to your assailants, wish them a nice day, and hope they leave as quickly as they came.