*SIGH* the discussion has predictably devolved to the point of becoming (even more) unproductive I fear...
Fellow BITOG'ers, if we are going to continue to discuss this topic, i implore you to consider these bullet points when doing so:
1. unless the motorcycle rider and passenger were actively threatening the car driver somehow, his actions were illegal and he should be punished for them according to the laws in place. He does not have the authority to enforce any traffic laws or city ordinances while driving on public roads, and so any actions he took that could be construed as such are illegal as well.
In other words, he is not a cop, a DA, or a judge, and so he cannot find and punish people he sees breaking the law. Any attempts to do so are also illegal and would have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if the Hood county DA thought he could make the case.
2. if the motorcycle rider and passenger were engaged in unsafe behavior (and clearly they were) and/or breaking any local/state traffic laws at the time of the incident (again, it's clear they were in violation of several), then it is the sworn duty of the district attorney of Hood county to investigate and bring charges if he feels it is in the best interest of his client, the county of Hood, TX.
Further any ordinances or traffic laws they broke are not relevant in the driver's case, unless the act of them breaking those laws somehow threatened the life of the car driver such that he was in immediate fear for his safety and had to respond in self-defense. That was not the case, and anyone who watches the video can see that right away.
3. whether we like it or not, and for better or worse, we have moved forward as a society and away from the days when it was considered acceptable to "teach someone a lesson" or "defend my honor" in the face of threats, bad language, false accusations, etc.
If I see someone in public who is clearly in need of an attitude adjustment, arguably for his own good, I would love to dish one out to him for all to see. But I cannot, because then I will be breaking the law and will be held accountable while he goes free. That wasn't the case 100 years ago, but it is now. That's where we have ended up, so we have to live with it.
Were the kids on the motorcycles engaging in astoundingly dangerous and idiotic behavior that day? Yes, without a doubt.
Does that automatically mean we should accept normal citizens dishing out their own justice for such actions when they are observed, which in this case includes being assaulted and injured/killed? No, absolutely not.
The bottom line is that the man in the car committed some very serious crimes, and he was given his day in court to defend himself against the charges that accused him of those crimes. He was not successful, mostly because the evidence is overwhelming that he was guilty of the crimes alleged. He was then given a punishment in accordance to the laws we have put in place to govern ourselves with.
Some will say he was punished too harshly; some will say he got off easy. Either way, he is guilty and will be punished. Any attempts to bring the motorcycle riders' behavior into that discussion serves only to confuse it and ultimately makes no sense. Their crimes could have been dealt with in the same process as his, but they were not. That is the decision of the DA. If we disagree with it, we can vote him out or otherwise make it known he did not serve his client's best interest with his actions. Whatever we say or do about that subject is separate from the driver's though. Apples to oranges; dogs to cats; cars to bicycles...or motorcycles in this case (sorry, couldn't resist).
