Man Trys Steal Gun to 'Rescue Schiavo'

[Judi Lynn]

Man Trys Steal Gun to 'Rescue Schiavo'
By Associated Press

March 25, 2005, 3:17 AM EST


SEMINOLE, Fla. -- A man was arrested after trying to steal a weapon from a gun shop so he could "take some action and rescue Terri Schiavo," authorities said.

Michael W. Mitchell, of Rockford, Ill., entered Randall's Firearms Inc. in Seminole just before 6 p.m. Thursday with a box cutter and tried to steal a gun, said Marianne Pasha, a spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Mitchell, 50, told deputies he wanted to "take some action and rescue Terri Schiavo" after he visited the Pinellas Park hospice where she lives, Pasha said.
(snip)

Randy McKenzie, the owner of Randall's Firearms, said Mitchell pulled out the box cutter and broke the glass on a couple of display cases.

"He told me if I wasn't on Terri's side then I wasn't on God's side, either," McKenzie told The Associated Press.
(snip/...)

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brain-damaged-woman-arrest,0,5925065.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. oh boy I was expecting this

oh boy

[Whoa_Nelly]

52. One of the FReeps had posted on their site yesterday

that there was a call to action to take action to save Schiavo....ROFL
Could be this guy is one of those who read that post and took it seriously.

on edit:
That post
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1369770/posts

<snip>
How about them seizing Terri Schindler (I refuse to aggrandize MS by using his name) as evidence?

Reply:Neato, maybe with drawn guns, like Janet Reno and Elian Gonzalez?

[byronius]

66. What a vomitous load of crap there is at that site --

Freerepugnant is like an Evilmart. Got Evil? Need More? Check our links! Insane lies 24/7 -- when you need them most!

[fleabert]

2. it only gets uglier...nt

[saigon68]

19. There will be a Jack Ruby moment soon.

These nut cases once unleashed, will be hard to herd back into the asylum.

[MADem]

38. There ARE no asylums anymore

No money for 'em--thank you President Reagan! It's why you see so many unmedicated, homeless, confused and lost people out on the streets.

[Scairp]

45. I hope Schiavo has security

For himself. Although I don't like him, I wouldn't want some religious wacko to murder him, especially in front of his children.

[izzie]

3. Before the South Pole melts let us put the worlds "fundie" on it.

From all the worlds far right type nuts.

[chenGOD]

49. How bout those manned missions to Mars?

That's much further away....

[Radio-Active]

4. advice for criminals..

never try to rob a gun store with box cutters..

[HeeBGBz]

16. There ya go

Not chock full o common sense, was he?

[DS1]

32. Yes, box-cutters are only good for subverting NORAD

:eyes:

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

41. My first thought, too...

If you're looking to get into heaven, like right now, this is the way to go about it. Guy's lucky he's not on a slab at the morgue right now.

[sasquatch]

5. Well the violent snakehandlers are coming out of the woodwork

You see the right wing doesn't have a non-violent leader to show them how to properly protest so they have Adolf Hitler wannabe's who always seem to think they're sitting in a German beer hall for some reason.

[Solly Mack]

6. .....

shakes head

Damn (she said with disgust)

[Catherine Vincent]

7. Oh for crying out loud....

What a frenzy!

[rodeodance]

9. Congress and the media should be held accountable-and Bush for

initiating this type of behavior. Labeling this guy as a nutcase-shifts the blame to him only.

[undergroundpanther]

8. Hysteric!!

I wonder if he was hired by Bush co?
A Box cutter again..coincidence?

Fundamentalists high on religion waving around box cutters..trying to take over the world..

Fuck these twits,and the foamers ,all are exploiting a families tragedy,and Bush is whipping up hysteria in the stupid,so he can make the judiciary be discredited, and remove our rights so the rich can kill us all off,if we can't pay,if we are"not normal" not a "desirable" and disregard our wishes..at will,

Arrgh I swear the fundies and wingers are the brain dead.They keep on trying to tell us all how to live,while vying for control over who lives and who should die. Fuck them!

[rodeodance]

10. I have to give Jeb B. a bit of credit as last evening he urged people

to tone it down. I think he was saving his own butt--but also recognized how volitile this situation was becoing!!

[The Magistrate]

11. No Need To Go That Far, Ma'am

He has sown the wind; let him reap the whirlwind. Viewed coldly, volatile is good: the country needs a sharp lesson in just what sort of lunatics the Republican Party depends on....

[rodeodance]

15. I am only saying that I do not want anyone killed. and yes, I agree, this

country needs to be shook up!! But do you think anyone in authority will be held accountable?--No, if something does happeen--it will be some 'nutcase' who gets the blame.

[BiggJawn]

25. Well put, my friend...

This situation for the Bush Boys and our National "House of Bubbas" (Harrison Ullman would have been SO proud) reminds me of that TV spot with the guy trying to deal with a hornet's nest using a weed whacker, ladder, and a trash can...

Let them bear the full brunt of the fundy shit-storm they've created.

[dbonds]

64. They are actually more danagerous than you imagine.

This is a 'not so smart' group of people, that have a religous conviction where they believe the judges, movies, tv, liberals are supressing - they finally think they have found a savior in * and have power now, but they are waking up to realize they didn't have anything. The anger, disappointment, hatreds and most likely violance will all come spilling out now.

[BiggJawn]

73. Just like whacking a hornet's nest.

That's no walk in the park, either, let me tell you!

I'm feeling mighty un-easy this week....My GF and her "Left Behind"-reading sister almost came to blows the other day over this. and usuaally they're of the same mind politically.

[Jawja]

28. Agreed.

The "divide and conquer" strategy used by the Bushies will eventually get out of control. They have flamed the fires of intolerance and hatred and used their own brownshirts when needed (Miami, 2000); as a result, they have unleashed the theocrats and their kool aid drinkers who will not give up power easily.

Just like Kent State, we will have a situation where people get killed and the genie cannot be put back into this bottle.

Unless these thugs can be peacefully removed from office, blood will be shed as a result of this country's apparent madness.

[NNN0LHI]

46. Yea. Jeb is just swell n/t

[moobu2]

51. Jeb is actually much worse than G.W. Shrub

at ingratiating himself with the fundies.

and you're right, Jeb was only acting out of his own self interests.

Jeb's is running for president in 08 there's no doubt in my mind, I don't care what he say's. He will never command the state police to go get Terri because he could never ever be elected afterwards. He's trying to play both sides....No principles whatsoever in my opinion.

[meganmonkey]

35. LMAO - Fundamentalists high on religion waving around box cutters..

"Fundamentalists high on religion waving around box cutters..trying to take over the world.."

I can't take it anymore. I have to laugh so I don't cry...

This sounds like the title of an Onion article. :P

[RPM]

77. or the 9/11 report

take your pick

[JohnnyRingo]

12. The guy must have asked the shop owner for help first:

"He told me if I wasn't on Terri's side then I wasn't on God's side, either," McKenzie told The Associated Press.

It sounds like he actually might have pled the case with the shop owner to "lend him a gun" or come along and help take the law into their own hands before he started busting display cases.

Maybe he tried to buy one "cash and carry".
This is why there's a five day waiting period

How can people be so disconnected from reality and survive in society for so long?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

13. I have a solution for morons like this:

All of our religious fundamentalists need to go to the Middle East to fight their religious fundamentalists.

Both groups want to convert everybody else, both hate women, both hate science and reason, both are intolerant and both annoy the bejeezus (no pun intended) out of me.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. Sorry, double post

[Soth]

17. Culture of Life? More like...

Fixed for the fundies.

[mikeytherat]

18. So he literally brought a knife to a gun fight?

This whole sad affair has become one sick punchline.

mikey_the_rat

[HEyHEY]

69. Not even a knife - a boxcutter

[Pepperbelly]

20. he tried to rob a GUN store with a BOXCUTTER?

LOL

Talk about a cliche come to life! Remember, never bring a knife to a gunfight.

[maxrandb]

23. Bob Boudelang Strikes Again? n/t

[shadowknows69]

21. the real culture war between the extreme right

and everybody else begins now. Thanks to congress and the media for driving everyone insane for us. Now they're (media) on a minute by minute death watch which is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen.

[GrouchierThanThou]

22. Who da heck did he think he should shoot?!

Would make more sense to get an NG tube if he was gonna "save" Terri. Scary people.

[Orangepeel]

37. people seem to think that they can give her regular food and water

they keep getting arrested for trying to bring it in.

Most of them probably realize she can't eat or drink and are trying to be symbolic, but this guy doesn't sound too bright. He probably thought he could hold off the hospice workers with the gun while Terri chowed down on a big mac and coke.

[oldcoot]

53. The "evil people" who were trying to "kill" Terri

If he had gotten in, he might have shot some hospice workers. Considering how truly out of touch with reality some of these idiots are, I am really worried about the safety of all the hospice workers, patients, and their families.

[BlueManDude]

24. The Pols and Media are responsible for this crap.

it will likely reach a crescendo on Sunday with some sort of madness taking place.

[annabanana]

27. Sadly

You may be right. I sure don't see the media scaling back the hysteria any this morning......

[salin]

33. Add fundie leaders who are using this to fundraise

icky article in the NYTimes this morning - head of the "Traditional Values Coalition" - refers to the situation as galvanizing people to... give money to his and similar organizations... ick. Point is that some from pulpits (tv pulpits, radio pulpits, and regular ones) are also using this to whip folks into a frenzy.

[ET Awful]

26. A BOX CUTTER

Only terrorists use box cutters, I thought those were banned after 9/11? :evilgrin:

Frickin' loony. At least they caught him before he did any real damage. This is what happens when you get people like Randall Terry involved who advocate killing doctors and the like.

[solinvictus]

29. Frankenstein's Monster...

and it's snowballing out of control every day.

[Daphne08]

30. I saw a few of those protest signs on the news tonight, and

they looked really scary.

I'm a Christian, but a few of those people are exhibiting a fundamentalist bent that seems to be the antithesis of Christianity and the teachings of Christ.

That kind of extremism is a very dangerous thing in any religion.

[MADem]

39. And these are the same folks

...who are the first to pipe up about the heathen practices of those who follow other faiths. And the irony is totally lost on them.

[sescob]

31. And it begins...

The psychos are about to let loose

[Lerkfish]

34. Delay, Bushes, RNC and Operation Rescue are ALL to blame, here.

for rhetoric inciting violence. WTF did they think would happen when they stirred up dangerous people by calling the opposition evil and themselves saintly to fundie religious whackjobs?

Pandora's box is open. time to blame the idiots who opened it, hoping to control the situation to their own advantage.

[chickenscratching]

36. box cutter

what havent I thought of that? a box cutter to steal a gun? priceless.
this guy is definitely in primative mode.

[DFWJock]

40. OK, sir

put down the boxcutter and back away, we should all "err on the side of life."

[flvegan]

42. Here's our friend's mugshot...

[Blue-Jay]

43. Robbing a gun store with a box knife?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

God DAMN that guy is dumb. A perfect representitive for the RWers.

[SlingBlade]

44. Rockford Again, Imagine That !

This makes the second time in less than a year that my city has hosted a right wing fruit cake onto the national spot light.

Just last April Michael J. Breit was arrested here with assault weapons and explosives as well as a list of liberals to kill as soon as his right wing take over commenced.

I told you guys this was a haven for nut cases.

[MadisonProgressive]

48. Wow - Rockford is too close for comfort!

[jswordy]

47. "Irony" has a field day!

[NJmaverick]

50. HE TRIED TO ROB A GUN STORE WITH A RAZOR?!?!!?!?!?!

This guy could have been a candidate for a Darwin Award.

[despairing optimist]

54. Natural selection at work: the dumbest eliminate themselves

and the human species grows stronger. If this is the Rapture, it's Charles Darwin's version.

[Megahurtz]

55. This is getting even better.

Looks good on the Bushtard.

[Az_lefty]

56. This guys luck the Gun Store owner didn't shoot him

Robbing a Gun Store is a REALLY BAD IDEA !!!!!!!
Stupid freeper......:crazy:

[Mojambo]

57. Man Tries to Steal Gun to 'Rescue Schiavo'

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050325/ap_on_re_us/brain_damaged_woman_arrest

Getting a tad crazy out there.

[Wickerman]

58. With God on our side

Randy McKenzie, the owner of Randall's Firearms, said Mitchell pulled out the box cutter and broke the glass on a couple of display cases.

"He told me if I wasn't on Terri's side then I wasn't on God's side, either," McKenzie told The Associated Press.

I hope he gets the help he needs.

[quaoar]

59. This guy needs to be put away

Randy McKenzie, the owner of Randall's Firearms, said Mitchell pulled out the box cutter and broke the glass on a couple of display cases.

"He told me if I wasn't on Terri's side then I wasn't on God's side, either," McKenzie told The Associated Press.

McKenzie said he then pointed his own gun at Mitchell and ordered him to lie on the ground. But Mitchell fled out the store's back door before police arrived, he said.

[NYC]

60. Excerpt:

Mitchell, 50, told deputies he wanted to "take some action and rescue Terri Schiavo" after he visited the Pinellas Park hospice where she lives, Pasha said.

Is this the first act of violence?

[LiberteToujours]

61. That guy is 50?

Crazy... he looks 25.

[Mojambo]

62. There is NO WAY the guy in that photo is 50 n/t

[tubbacheez]

68. Vaguely resembles

Christopher Walken.

[NYC]

74. He's 20, not 50.

On Thursday, police arrested an Illinois man they said robbed a gun store in Seminole, Florida, as part of an attempt to "rescue Terri Schiavo."

Michael W. Mitchell, 20, faces charges of attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault and criminal mischief, said Marianne Pasha, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/25/schiavo/index.html

All the way down at the end of the article.

[alfredo]

63. I wonder if he was Hal Turner Listener

Hal Turner has advocated using force to rescue her, and to kill anyone who gets in the way.

[msanthrope]

65. That's a great defense, though...n/t

[alfredo]

67. Maybe they can be cellmates.

[HEyHEY]

70. He's a terrorist! Send him to gitmo!

[eek MD]

71. Thou shalt not steal... !

'nuff said

[LynzM]

72. Wow... the irony.

I mean, that's just ridiculous on so many levels. A BOX CUTTER? To rob a GUN store? Dude, they have GUNS. Wow. And I love how much violence they're willing to threaten/perpetuate in order to save one life. Is that one life worth more than all the ones they're apparently willing to destroy? This is absurd.

[Geo55]

75. When the call comes......

the Michael W. Mitchell's WILL be at your door....

[chlamor]

76. American Hero-Another Compassionate Conservative