A judge who tells it like it is

"General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon said Friday that crime in Chattanooga 'has become so rampant that it is no longer possible for the police department to protect our citizens.'

He told a woman who had been pulled from her car and beaten in the head that she or her mother needed to 'purchase a weapon, obtain a gun permit and learn to protect yourself.'"

Judge Moon made the statement while raising the bail of Dewayne Beard, the alleged perpetrator in the robbery and carjacking of the woman. (Hmmm. I wonder if he's related to Minnesota's own Landen Beard, who also seems to get into trouble with automobiles. Nah, must be a coincidence.) Beard had been released on recognizance in the case because the charges hadn't been ready for a hearing within ten days, and he then allegedly immediately went out and committed aggravated rape and aggravated burglary on someone else.

It's sad and unfortunate that the crime rate there is so terribly high, and that police are unable to cope with it in certain areas of the city, and that local prosecutors can't seem to get their act together and charge criminals in a timely manner when they are caught.

It's a good sign, though, that the local judiciary recognizes those facts, and advises the local citizenry to take active steps to protect themselves.

Self-defense - The original Human Right.