Happy Killdozer Day!

[Chucktshoes]

[RED333]

Some times you just go to stand up and say, "WTF".

[gregintenn]

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. That was a man with a grudge.

I could surely sympathize with him, but the reasonable side of me thinks he’d have been better off spending his money on competent legal counsel.

Edited June 4, 2019 by gregintenn

[DaveTN]

It’s a shame he had to commit suicide because of what the city was doing. Its also a shame the cops had to kill him; they live with that.

We worry so much about “warning signs” before an attack. People are left standing around talking about how they had no idea.

I have an idea. How about having a hot line that people that are being wronged can call to get help. A line that would be the equivalent of saying “If someone doesn’t do something about this, I’m going to start dropping bodies.” Because of course if someone actually said that the fix would be to put them in jail or a mental facility. Everybody can’t be helped but those that could actually fix things wouldn't be left wondering what happened; they would know.

That didn’t have to happen in that town; and there are people that could have fixed the problem. Those people know who they are and they are lucky a bunch of innocent citizens didn’t die… just one man who saw no other way out.

Maybe that ideas unreasonable and maybe the hot line would be overwhelmed with minor stuff, but I’m a big believer that there are people that can make things happen.

Edited June 4, 2019 by DaveTN

[Clod Stomper]

On 6/4/2019 at 4:19 PM, gregintenn said:

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. That was a man with a grudge.

I could surely sympathize with him, but the reasonable side of me thinks he’d have been better off spending his money on competent legal counsel.

You must have never been in a courtroom where the judge didn’t care about you or what is right. 

 

At at least I hope you haven’t. 

Edited June 7, 2019 by Clod Stomper
language

[peejman]

Can't say I ever heard the story behind that before. Interesting for sure. 

[Omega]

That's interesting, never heard about this and I've spent considerable time in Granby.   

[hipower]

Remember it well. All over the news that day. People running. People looking like they were cheering him on at some points.

Sad that it came to such an end.

Perhaps this says too much about me and my thinking, but I empathasize with Mr. Heemeyer's actions. Sometimes you can be pushed just so far when supposedly rational men and actions go against everything you believe is right and moral.

[Chucktshoes]

16 minutes ago, hipower said:

Remember it well. All over the news that day. People running. People looking like they were cheering him on at some points.

Sad that it came to such an end.

Perhaps this says too much about me and my thinking, but I empathasize with Mr. Heemeyer's actions. Sometimes you can be pushed just so far when supposedly rational men and actions go against everything you believe is right and moral.

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” H. L. Mencken

 

[DaveTN]

8 hours ago, Chucktshoes said:

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” H. L. Mencken

 

That’s what he did and they killed him. He gained nothing and changed nothing.

He’s a victim of the city government; not a hero of the people. No need to start waving flags.

[Chucktshoes]

45 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

That’s what he did and they killed him. He gained nothing and changed nothing.

He’s a victim of the city government; not a hero of the people. No need to start waving flags.

Actually, he killed himself. The Killdozer wasn’t built with an escapee hatch. He knew it was a one way trip from the very start. 

[Ronald_55]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

He gained nothing and changed nothing.

I think a whole lot of buildings would disagree.....

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, Ronald_55 said:

I think a whole lot of buildings would disagree.....

As I remember, he damn near leveled the whole town.

[Ronald_55]

39 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

As I remember, he damn near leveled the whole town.

If he hadn't got stuck, he would have completed the job. 

[TomInMN]

Some background, and maybe a different perspective:

 

https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/06/09/killdozer-day-marvin-heemeyer/

[Chucktshoes]

4 hours ago, TomInMN said:

Some background, and maybe a different perspective:

 

https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/06/09/killdozer-day-marvin-heemeyer/

Differing perspectives are always valuable, but there are two main issues I’d take with that article. First it frames it as if Heemeyer was somehow obligated to sell his property to the concrete folks. (Nope!) Also, it omits the two main facts that go a long way towards justifying his actions to me. The access road and the sewage hookups and fines. Those two things take it from a “petty zoning issue” to an egregious trampling of the man’s property rights. 

[DaveTN]

16 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

Differing perspectives are always valuable, but there are two main issues I’d take with that article. First it frames it as if Heemeyer was somehow obligated to sell his property to the concrete folks. (Nope!) Also, it omits the two main facts that go a long way towards justifying his actions to me. The access road and the sewage hookups and fines. Those two things take it from a “petty zoning issue” to an egregious trampling of the man’s property rights. 

I agree with you except for the justification part. He opened fire on gas tanks and would have killed innocent people if he had set them off. Heck with that; had he lived he would have needed to go to prison for a bunch of years, and life if he killed anyone.

However, Eminent Domain is an egregious trampling of a persons property rights. But the SCOTUS put their stamp of approval on it. I’m surprised more people haven’t lost their lives trying to enforce that. Not that they used it with him; but they could have.

Edited June 5, 2019 by DaveTN

[beebee233]

15 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

I agree with you except for the justification part. He opened fire on gas tanks and would have killed innocent people if he had set them off. Heck with that; had he lived he would have needed to go to prison for a bunch of years, and life if he killed anyone.

However, Eminent Domain is an egregious trampling of a persons property rights. But the SCOTUS put their stamp of approval on it. I’m surprised more people haven’t lost their lives trying to enforce that. Not that they used it with him; but they could have.

The King of England put his stamp on a few things as well.

Edited June 5, 2019 by beebee233

[Chucktshoes]

12 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

However, Eminent Domain is an egregious trampling of a persons property rights. But the SCOTUS put their stamp of approval on it. I’m surprised more people haven’t lost their lives trying to enforce that. Not that they used it with him; but they could have.

I agree with you on that. It reminds me of one of my favorite of Stephen King’s Bachman books, ‘Roadwork’. I wonder if Heemeyer ever read it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadwork

Edited June 5, 2019 by Chucktshoes

[gregintenn]

2 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

I agree with you on that. It reminds me of one of my favorite of Stephen King’s Bachman books, ‘Roadwork’. I wonder if Heemeyer ever read it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadwork

Being a road builder, I just put that one on my must read list.

[Chucktshoes]

6 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Being a road builder, I just put that one on my must read list.

May your projects never run afoul of a man pushed to the edge like Dawes. 

[gregintenn]

4 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

May your projects never run afoul of a man pushed to the edge like Dawes. 

You’d be surprised.

[Chucktshoes]

1 minute ago, gregintenn said:

You’d be surprised.

Ehh, I’m not so sure I would be. For example, I drive to Springfield, MO pretty regularly and there’s a spot where a few years back they did an expansion of US 60. On a hill overlooking that section there is a billboard that was put up by the landowner that says “Screw MDOT!”

[gregintenn]

13 hours ago, Chucktshoes said:

Ehh, I’m not so sure I would be. For example, I drive to Springfield, MO pretty regularly and there’s a spot where a few years back they did an expansion of US 60. On a hill overlooking that section there is a billboard that was put up by the landowner that says “Screw MDOT!”

I’ve had many cussing, challenges to fight, death threats, and looked down the barrel of several guns while trying to serve the good people of Tennessee.

It probably explains my lack of desire to go out in public unless I have to.

[Capbyrd]

14 hours ago, DaveTN said:

 But the SCOTUS put their stamp of approval on it. 

 

Well that definitely makes it okay.   Why didn't you just open with that.