A SAD Story indeed....

M

Mike Turber

Joined
Oct 2, 1998
Messages
5,461
I am not sure how long ago or where this happened but I remember a story of a group of kids on a field trip.

It seems a few kids where swinging on a rope when somehow a child got his neck caught in the rope and began to asphyxiate. The child was too high to lift up and attempts to do so only made the child lean to the side. The child was basically being hung. A parent who was along on the trip attempted to climb the tree and hoist the child up, but that attempt failed as well.

During this whole ordeal, people at the scene remembered several parents and students crying out for a knife.

A rescue crew got to the scene a while later and while standing on top of one of the trucks a tech cut down the rope with a knife (Not Identified but most likely a Spyderco Rescue) with the child still attached.

The child died at the scene.

A horrible tragedy indeed. If only one of the students, teachers or parents had a knife that child would be alive today.

This is not one of those good stories we could use on the AKTI web site as I do not believe in using FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) as a factor in convincing someone of my side. However us knifenuts here know what the moral of the story above is.

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
I agree, that is a sad ordeal. But, those who are anti-weapon, as most schools have a zero-tolerance rule these days, will continue to believe in their views even after a situation like that occurred. There are two sad things in the story, the child who's precious life was shortened prematurely, and adherence to a view that's ill-conceived.
 
Mike,

I appreciate your desire to stay above some of the tactics of the "antis". Perhaps the documented incidents like this can be stored and presented when it is more appropriate. There may be a time and venue for an emotional appeal.

The way that our rights as citizens get whittled away(like innocent until proven guilty) are by argument based in rhetoric-persuasive speech, not necessarily hard facts. We can read and hear this every day, if one cares to think and read between the lines of what some politicians and journalists say.

When something tragic happens, it seems the first response now is "lets make a law" or "who can we sue?". Legislation/litigation have become the new narcotic for the masses. I can understand why the AKTI had to come into being.

Our best ally is the truth, and raising awareness is quite a task. The AKTI is to be commended.

[This message has been edited by JohnCD (edited 28 June 1999).]
 
It would be worth a bit of digging to come up with the reference - time, place, where published, etc., to make the story useable when somebody argues for zero tolerance and that sort of thing.


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
I looked for it on the AP wire service but nothing yet. I will also look for other similar stories or less gory ones. Also I will look for stories with a happy ending so that the knife "saved the day".

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
First let me start with a legal disclaimer so that I won't be sued. I am not advising anyone to do, say, believe, act, ect. ad nauseum.

When I was in High School (@1992) The Zero Tolerance policies were just coming into effect, and there was a massive push to enforce these new policies. Now, being a thinking, reasoning human being, I saw these policies for what they are; a misguided attempt to limit the possibilities of kids bringing weapons onto campus for the express purpose of causing great bodily harm to others. And hence, I figured that they didn't apply to me. I have never put a knife into my pocket with the thought of hurting anyone. However I continued to carry my Spyderco Rescue in my hip pocket for the remainder of my High School Career. Good thing I don't believe in useless laws too. Approximately six months into the Zero Tolerance enforcement, I was in auto shop when (to this day I don't know how) the shop instructor was entangled in a car seat belt. Basically, he had the door open, the car was on a hydraulic lift, and the lift was activated while his head was wrapped in the seat belt. As most of the class looked on in horror, the instructor was lifted off his feet, and began choking. Not even for a second considering the Zero Tolerance policy, I crawled up into the back seat of the car and with one quick jerk sliced through the seat belt, saving the instructor. Now most people who were there say that I should have been commended publicly for my actions, due to the Zero Tolerance policy, I was nearly expelled. The instructor was owed a favor by the principal, and thus I was not, but due to the zero tolerance policy, there was no way that the school could allow me to be commended. Sad, but it happens. Zero tolerance in laymans terms is Zero Intelligence.

Joe
 
There's a story which, if you haven't already done it, should be sent to Spyderco, with names/dates/places, for their "saved by a Spyderco" archives! And zero tolerance is one of the issues which I think Sal said AKTI will be addressing.

In steel, hardness must be tempered with resilience. Blades, people, and institutions that lose their temper lose their edge. In law, justice is traditionally tempered with mercy, and black letter statutes need to be tempered with common sense. In "zero tolerance" mode, rules are not tempered with common sense. Things that cannot bend will break.


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
When I was a kid,few left the house without a jack knife,a Barlow or a Boy Scout knife, or some other variant.If you did, the teacher was up for a loan of a knife.When I asked to borrow Dad`s knife,he would say"Where is YOUR knife?"
I could borrow his Boy Scout knife but not the Tree Brand Stockman.
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[This message has been edited by ghostsix (edited 01 July 1999).]
 
At our recent board meeting we did decide to include a true story section to our website. Form and structure still need to be finalized.

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CJ Buck
Buck Knives, Inc.

 
True stories will need to be verified and documented to be useful in arguments with the heathen. I don't doubt the stories told here, but I can't use them in the company of those who are skeptical about a knife having any redeming social value outside the kitchen.


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
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