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FBI
A tent covers the bunker where where a 5-year-old child was rescued by law enforcement after being held for nearly a week. FBI agents placed the blue tent over the bunker to protect evidence below.
Federal investigators late Tuesday revealed that they have found explosives in the bunker where a 5-year-old Alabama boy was held hostage for nearly a week -- and that the kidnapper was killed only after opening fire first himself.
According to a law enforcement source close to the investigation, two explosives -- one inside the bunker and one in the ventilation pipe -- were found at the scene.
The source said four members of the rescue team approached the bunker's hatch Monday, where the captor, 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, was expecting a delivery.
He had received food and other items intended for the boy in previous days. This time, however, the team opened the hatch and dropped a "distractionary device" -- more commonly known as a flashbang.
Dykes was disoriented, but managed to fire off one shot.
The rescue team fired back -- shooting Dykes dead -- and saved the boy.
A law enforcement source close to the investigation confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday that federal agents had practiced their intricate rescue plans not far from where the kidnapper, Dykes, held the little boy.
Before storming the underground shelter where Dykes held the boy on Monday, the agents built a mock bunker nearby where they prepared over the prior six days, according to a law enforcement official close to the investigation.
FBI
FBI agents and Dale County negotiators used this pipe to communicate with Jimmy Dykes.
Police had been in regular contact with Dykes since he took the young boy, identified only as Ethan, into the homemade bunker last Tuesday. Authorities passed medicine and toys including a red Hot Wheels car to the boy, who is said to have Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and talked to Dykes through a PVC pipe that ran from the bunker into the yard.
Dykes had been reported to have electric heaters and blankets in his bunker, as well as electricity. But hope for a peaceful end to the standoff came to an end when negotiators began to fear that Dykes might pose an immediate threat to the young boy.
“Within the past 24 hours, negotiations deteriorated and Mr. Dykes was observed holding a gun,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Richardson said at a press conference after the standoff ended. “At this point, FBI agents, fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child.”
During a news conference with Alabama school officials, Donny Bynum, superintendent of Dale County Schools, says, "We have a long way to go. We have a healing process that we as a community must go through.'
Law enforcement officials have said they even managed to sneak a camera into the roughly 8 feet by 6 feet bunker where Dykes holed up, but have declined to say how.
“It’s a technique we may want to use again, so we’re not being specific,” an official told NBC News.
The final rush to bring Ethan to safety began suddenly on Monday afternoon.
Neighbor Byron Martin heard a boom that “made me jump off the ground.” Local paper the Dothan Eagle reported two loud blasts after 3 p.m.
It seems the bang was the first – and most audible – sign to people in the area that Ethan’s ordeal was close to an end. The flashbang explosive gave the FBI time to breach the bunker through a door at the top at 3:12 p.m. The boy emerged unharmed, according to officials.
The source said that law enforcement officials were still searching Dykes’ 1.5 acre property in the rural Alabama community for explosives on Tuesday afternoon. Neighbors had described Dykes in the immediate aftermath of the kidnapping as a paranoid Navy veteran who had beaten at least one neighborhood pet to death.
And why Dykes decided to storm a school bus and take a hostage in the first place remained unclear to investigators. Dykes missed a court appearance on a menacing charge on Wednesday morning, the day after the kidnapping. Officials have not commented on whether that court appearance may have motivated Dykes.
Hostage suspect was loner, missed court appearance
“There are a variety of events that may have led to this,” the law enforcement source close to the investigation told NBC on Tuesday. “But they are very complex.”
NBC News can now confirm that Dykes asked negotiators to allow a TV reporter to interview him. A law enforcement source said while that request is an indication of Dykes' thirst for attention, the motive for the kidnapping is more complex, and officials will continue to investigate.
President Obama offered his thanks to the FBI on Monday night.
“This evening, the President called FBI director Robert Mueller to compliment him for the role federal law enforcement officers played in resolving the hostage situation in Alabama today,” a White House official said in a statement. “The President praised the exceptional coordination between state, local, and federal partners, and thanked all the law enforcement officials involved during the nearly week long ordeal for their roles in the successful rescue of the child.”
The young boy was “laughing, joking, playing, eating,” said Agent Richardson Monday. “He’s very brave, he’s very lucky. His success story is that he got out and he’d doing great.”
'Greatest birthday' for boy rescued from Alabama bunker by FBI
“If I could, I would do cartwheels all the way down the road,” Debra Cook, the boy’s aunt, told Good Morning America. “I was ecstatic.”
Ethan will celebrate his sixth birthday on Wednesday. Dale County School District officials have said that they are planning a celebration of Ethan’s birthday and the life of slain bus driver Charles Albert Poland, Jr. for another date.
NBC’s Pete Williams and Isolde Raftery contributed reporting.
Leave a Comment:
Maybe they used one of those robot-camera-spider-thingy's...
I wish to compliment the FBI,local police,sheriff,and everyone involved in the rescue of that little boy. My prayers now go out to him and his family.
I think they had a hidden camera in one of the toys they delivered to the kid. Good thing our current laws prevented this crazy focker from having a gun. Oh wait, he did have a gun.
He should have know he couldn't trust those federal batards. As for criminals they are the worst sort. Guess nobody will know what him and the boy talked about those days. He managed to get off one shot. How convenient. He never should have shot the bus driver or taken the boy but to accept the feds version of what happened is even crazier.
Okicize: That makes all most as much sense as your tag. How's your bunker coming? Almost finished or are you living in it already?
when dykes killed the bus driver, and took the boy, he made his decision to do wrong. period, no excuse for his behavior. he deserves exactly what he got no more no less. he is no hero, he is certainly no victim, and should be treated as such. HE is responsible for a mans death, AND his own . good riddance.
Hmmmmmmm, didn't they feel that Dykes might pose an immediate threat to the young boy after he killed the bus driver and kidnapped the boy?
Nice
Why does it matter what they used? It worked.
If he fired first second or not at all Im glad he is dead.
Of course the "kidnapper shot first". He is dead and can't refute the "official" statement. The kid wasn't in any more danger in the bunker than he was on the bus. If the kidnapper was going to shoot the kid he could have done it at any time. The kidnapper knew he would be killed if he shot the kid - he no longeer had a hostage and therefore lost his ability to negotiate.
The real risk wasn't to the safety of the kid as much as it was to the reputation of the police agencies involved. The police will only be embarrassed for so long before they get pissed off enough to retaliate. Here is one guy holding the entire U.S. police agencies captive for a week. They were completely stymied on how to handle this "crisis".
With Ruby Ridge there wass a "family" holding the police at bay. At Waco there was a religious group. Here was just a Vietnam vet.
a very sick psychopath, it ended the only way it could, he was killed; if you know someone that shows behavior such as he showed for years; try to get them mental help, today our mental health treatment centers are revolving doors, there is not enough priority or funds or interest in the treatment of mental disease.
Psycho dead, boy alive. Can't think of a better ending...
JimSpence
Hmmmmmmm, what surprises all is why they did not contact you jimmy, the expert on everything. Hmmmmmmm, Hmmmmmmm,Hmmmmmmm are you a hummer jimbo?
This whole story does not make ANY sense....
Happy birthday, kid.
Wish all hostage rescues were this successful. Kudos to the cops, FBI and everyone involved in getting the little boy back to his parents.
Wait a minute.... he beat a neighbor's pet to death and he was still out roaming around???? That statement was just thrown in like an insignificant little fact.
The guy should have been in jail for animal abuse!
We really need to make animal abuse laws have more severe consequences. How many more years of researching the relationship between animal and human abuse do we need???
I & I, the story of why this man wasn't incarcerated is far worse than animal abuse. Here's another "insignificant little fact" that no one seems to want to talk about.
Do you know why he was charged with 'menacing' (a misdemeanor). Because he took a loaded firearm and FIRED it at Claudia Davis, her son James Davis, Jr. and her baby grandson (his neighbors). Why? Dykes claimed their truck caused damage to a speed bump in the dirt road near his property. (source: ABC News quoting an Associated Press interview ).
How does a person take a loaded weapon and fire it at 3 people and not get charged with 3 counts of attempted murder? How is it that all he faced was a misdemeanor charge of "menacing"?
This man should've been in jail facing 3 counts of attempted murder. For as much National coverage this story is getting, the question of "why was this guy NOT in jail" isn't being asked loud enough. He had MORE than proven himself to be a danger to the community.
This guy was obviously a lit fuse. Perhaps in time the story will be fleshed out as to why he was not incarcerated. I can only say that, from my own experience, people who threaten or commit assault but do not hit or hurt anyone are not treated as seriously as they should be.
In many cases the police are overwhelmed and concentrate on the very squeaky wheels. I don't know if this was the case here, but I ran into roadblocks when trying to get some help regarding our former stalker neighbors. (We moved away.)
I have also been wondering about why this lit fuse was allowed to keep on roaming around town after all he did. I wonder if it was just a "small town" way of doing things, maybe a little bit of southern county style laid back folks. For sure where I live in California you would not be walking free after just brandishing a firearm, much less firing one at three people. We have also had a couple of high profile cases of animal torture and killing in my town that got the perpetrators jail time with high bond.
And @Big Tess, I'm with you. I have followed this story right from the first and I also figured from the first that Dykes would not be taken alive. I was also so worried about whether he would kill the little boy or he would be "collateral damage" in a shoot out. I think the authorities have showed remarkable restraint in dealing with this matter and they have my total respect and admiration for rescuing the boy unharmed.
people are asking why dykes wasnt jailed, why his guns werent taken, why he got as far as he did. becasue mental illness is rampant in this country and the availablity of a gun, whether it be from walmart or a back alley is easy. a top hallmark of the mentally ill is paranoia. an untreated schtizphrenic or bi polar in a state of psychosis can fixate on just about anything as a source of paranoid thinking. there is zero reasoning with a paranoia mentally ill person, nor is there any way to logically assess what they might do or why they have done what they did. a mentally ill person in a state of psychosis is wired and ready to snap, their interpretations of even benign events off the hook. it really is a donnie darko head trip. and it is a complete crap shoot with a mentally ill person. many mentally ill people do not think anything is wrong with them. and they dont seek or maintain treatment and no one can make an adult be treated. so these untreated mentally ill people walk among us. they do have guns bc it ties in with one main trait of mental illness--paranoia. my father is dykes age and also a vietnam vet with an arsenal of guns and a track record of pulling them on others that spans over twenty years. he has been in jail for pulling a loaded gun on a man, been in mental wards for pulling a loaded gun at work and threatening to take hostages. guess what? each and every instance of my dad being let out of jail or of a mental hospital involved--that day--him going and getting whatever gun had been confiscated back. they were given back to him time and time again. what is wrong with this picture? our country is chock full of these ticking time bombs waiting to go off. we need to collectively treat mental illness and start taking it seriously. we need to stop giving guns back--registered or not--to people who show mental instabilty. the guy who shot the american sniper author also should not have had access to a gun. every one of these crazy trajic gun cases--sandy hook, colorado, new mexico, alabama had one base thing in common. it wasnt the gun. it was the untreated mentally ill person who had access to it. new laws will not intercept the axis of mental illness and gun possession. no sane gun owner would pull a dykes or a sandy hook.
Bigdogmom1 - Are you kidding? You are talking about California USA, right? Where the Prisons and jails are so full they have to decide DAILY who to release EARLY! In good ol' CA, if you have actually shot (and hit) someone, stabbed or raped them, your probably doing little jail or prison time in! Brandishing is a Misdemeanor and he'd of probably been out of jail in HOURS! Actually shooting, well he probably would've stayed (on your dime) at least until his first or second court appearance. You need to wake up! Jail/Prison is not punishment, it's FREE food, FREE clothes, FREE healthcare and FREE bed, well free for them, the TAXPAYER/VICTIM pays the tab for it all. And right now, CA's jail/prisons are over-flowing, so 1000's are being KICKED OUT of jail! Either way, its not punishment. I've heard of some parolees/probationers who need some medical attention or are tired of having to actually go out to get food, intentionally committing a new offense so they can go back to jail....
Police and FBI, great job! You saved the boy and saved taxpayers a lot of money.... Justice served!
Childprotection...
I agree with you 100%. Couldn't say it any better. There's one in my husband's family. We are all scared of him, and none of the family go near him. As you say, the cops can't do anything UNTIL he's done something.
Glad the situation with Dykes turned out as well as it did. Most don't. Happy for the child. Gold star for all law enforcement involved.
@Joe - perhaps what you say is true in parts of California but in Kern County, not so. Brandishing is a big deal - do it and you go to jail. Here you can even be arrested for posessing illegal fireworks so firing a gun at three people would definately get you in jail.
Nice job G-Men/Women!!! You should be proud for rescuing the little child!! Thanks
I'll bet they are having a celebration themselves, and looking forward to some well deserved down time!
The man is lucky Janet Reno still isn't in charge anymore that's all I can say.
This guy should have been in jail a long time ago.
Maybe, but you must be convicted of a crime before you can be put/held in jail.. Would you not want your day in court, or would you condone a kagaroo court ?
@Bill - you don't have to be convicted of a crime to do jail time. Unless it is a capital murder case you are usually allowed to bond out but if you can't afford bond you must sit in the pokey until your trial or you can bond out. Now prison is another thing. To be sent to prison you must be convicted and of course no bonding out.
Sounds like you speak from experience
He should have been in jail for threatening someone with a gun, or at least until trial. That is the problem with our legal system. They are so light on people who use firearms in a crime. I was watching a TV program about gun smuggling around the country, and a guy in NY, a convicted felon, that trafficed hundred of guns only received 13 months in jail, and his girlfriend that bought the guns only got 6 months. That is the problem that keeps gun violence going in this country. Our courts are not harsh enough to put a fear in the criminals.
FBI not known for Patience at stand-offs ie. Waco.
And an Apple and an Orange are as different as this situation was to Waco. So your obscure point is...? Worthless.
Patience is not always prudent in various situations.
What was Waco? Like 50 days of standoff after Koresh and his people had killed several agents. That's not patience? There is no logic to the anti-government mind. I can't find it anyway.
voxrationis- You may want to go back and read about the Waco massacre again. The agents that were killed were killed when they stormed the compound on a warrant that could have been originally served at any time Koresh was out and about in town or jogging down the road near the compound. There was no need for an armed assault on the group at the time it originally occurred.
Between some good ol boys (and girls) in the alphabet squads on one side and religious nuts on the other, things were not ever going to go well. If cooler heads had prevailed though children may not have died.
Sorry Kathy, but ALL the blame for the children's deaths go on the religious nuts. They could have sent them out any time. They could have come out themselves any time. They didn't. Law Enforcement went in. End of story about child deaths.
ScubaGolfJim - Jews at Masada chose to die rather than become slaves. But that, of course, was their fault, and not the invading Romans'. Right?
So... you are not familiar with the difference between Apples and Oranges either? looks like warrren got some company.
ScubaGolfJim - is there a difference? Romans, just like you, viewed Jews as "religious nuts" who dared to rebel against enlightened Roman government and had to be punished. And Jews just waned Romans to get the hell out and let them run their own lives.
Here 42, try this on for size:
Apple
Orange
When you can understand the difference, get back to me. Otherwise...
I knew you couldn't offer any intelligent counter-arguments. I guess that's why you keep droning on about fruits.
By the way, since you have a soft spot (obsession? fetish?) for fruits, here's the quote for ya:
"Here tonight, we have, ah, apple and orange. We all different, but in the end, we all fruit."
So, my friend, there may be more similarities between apples and oranges than you think.
Now I told you to come back when you understand, but you didn't understand that, so... for your pathetic (warped) attempt of equivalency, try this on for size 42:
Apples = Slaves
Oranges = Free Children
Slaves ≠ Free Children
Didn't think I'd have to S P E L L it out for you, but obviously had to. Bubble Burst. So Sorry!
42 - The FBI was not going to sell the Waco kids into slavery, as the invading Romans were going to do. (In fact it was Koresh who had his own little sex slave operation going in that compound - completely unlike the Jews at Masada.)
The FBI are citizens of this country, as the Waco kids were, whereas the Romans had invaded the Hebrews' land.
Get it yet?
Leave it to the Amused Muse to point out that I did not in fact Spell It Out in every letter! She most certainly did! I just hate basically calling someone I have no history with... well... totally lacking. A little lacking I'll do, but totally...
Okay! You got me. I was trying to be halfway polite for once.
Have Fun Tonight Muse!!
@kathy & warren - good grief. Mention the FBI and the rutabagas speak, saying Waco.
Cops rarely do everything right. Koresh did nothing right prior to the seige; he did nothing right when the warrant was served; and he did nothing right for fifty days thereafter. Then, in a perfect climax of stupidity, megalomania and paranoia, he burned a bunch of people to death. It seems possible the rutabagas suffer from the same maladies.
for misinformed anti law enforcement folks such as yourself, these lunatics go thru cycles of calm and being frenzied. when the switch flipped they did what was necessary to save the child. and this guy was fair game to be shot whether he fired a shot or not. If there is a hell he should rot there for eternity. If you don't like effective law enforcement i hear mexico is a great place to live.
To all those above:
Do any of you know why a warrant was being served on Koresh, i.e. what the warrant was in reference to?
And you may correct my if I am wrong, 42, but I believe the reference to slavery was not about being owned (as a slave), but forced servitude (lacking the freedom do as the will, in accordance to their beliefs) or imprisonment (losing their liberty).
Oh, and KUDOS to the men and women involved in the Rescue, Good Job, and Well Done.
Waco was the ATF. So was Ruby Ridge. So was the Border Patrol Agent murdered by a Mexican Cartel thug armed with one of the thousands of rifles the ATF shipped into Mexico. Also there was the Mexican National that was also murdered with ATF shipped firearms from Fast and Furious. When das Führer and his Natzis aham I mean president and his cabinet were cornered by congress. Holder was found in contempt and Obama claimed executive privilege for the crimes they sanctioned the ATF to carry out. All to push a anti 2nd amendment and anti constitutional agenda.
Why do people believe apples and oranges aren't comparable? They're both round tree fruit, approx. the same size! Of course they're comparable....
They're both fruit. They both grow on trees. They're both edible. Juice is made from both of them. They're both very sweet. They're susceptible to frost. They come in many varieties. They're both grown commercially, etc, etc.
Try comparing apples to cinder blocks, or oranges to spark plugs. But don't declare apples and oranges incomparable when clearly, a 1st grader can see that they are.
Right on Warren Like the flame thrower on the tank they used.@ voxrationis The agents attacked first thus got what they got in defense of their property. Don't forget Ruby Ridge where they shot and killed a woman holding a baby in her arms. They're real nice people they are,lol. Ask any Indian. You can trust the government.
Oh, come on, no one wants to take a bite at this one?
Ok, the reason the were serving a warrant on Koresh, and the same is true of Ruby Ridge, they were trying to enforce an Unconstitutional Law, namely the Firearms Control Act of 1934, which prohibits the manufacture of automatic weapons, without the proper licenses or paying the $200 "transfer tax"(kind of like moonshiners). As far as I have heard, they found no automatic weapons on the premises(but of this I am not sure). The allegations were made by neighbors who heard what they thought were automatic weapons and called the Sheriff. Basically it boiled down to the neighbors were tired of the constant noise of gun fire from the "Ranch" and called in a noise complaint.
This is not to say I condone Koresh and his merry band of followers, but if they wanted to live like that, no skin off my backside.
The same is true of Ruby Ridge, they were trying to serve a warrant, for the possession or the manufacture of a "so called illegal firearm" namely a sawed off shotgun.
DumbFarmBoy,
Perfect name. I thank you for your warped interpretation of the constitution and the bill of rights but alas the Supreme court has clearly stated the REASONABLE restrictions ARE constitutional.
Sounds reasonable to most of us. Individuals and groups do not get to interpret the constitution that's the job of the Supreme Court.
cgtrav
I don't really care what the SCOTUS "says", they base all their decisions on "Precedent" not the actual Constitution. And it was the original Fascist in Chief, Franklin Delano, who appointed those Justices to back up the first attempt to disarm Americans .
If you understood the Constitution, you would know that. But I am guessing you are the type that thinks the Constitution, by way of the Bill of Rights, guarantees our Freedoms, don't you? What an ignoramus.
You call mine a "warped interpretation of the constitution and the bill of rights", but since you don't offer to give me yours, I will presume your interpretation is backward, which would give mine the appearance of being warped, but only because you suffer from Cranial Rectosis.
Nor do you understand the way the SCOTUS was originally supposed to work, and it didn't do too bad a job, (well except for Jay's Supreme Court) until again, the 1930's and the Fascist Policies of FDR.
They original Idea was that the court was supposed to kick the bad laws back to congress for revision, or back to the People for an Amendment, e.g. Prohibition. Unlike today, with the SSI, ACA, '34 FCA they fudge it to make it fit. That is what they call Legislating From the Bench. And it is not their job to INTERPRET the Constitution. It is their job to to decide if a law is compatible with the Constitution, the way it was written. Their job is to interpret the Law. See I told you have this backwards. But my guess is you sucked at history, just as you suck at critical thought.
And the only reasonable restriction on firearms is that I may not harm another citizen with them, if they are NOT INTENT on causing me harm. And if you fail to understand that simple statement, it is no wonder we are an extra $6 trillion in debt, Because you have no understanding of anything.
I no longer live on a farm, hence the "Dumb" part. The worst thing I ever did was get a Degree in Mechanical Engineering, move to the City and have to live in and amongst bigoted, myopic, inane morons like you. (see, I can name call too)
Well you can take the Dumb Farm Boy off the farm but.... wow....
I fully understand my rights as defined in the constitution and I consider the Supreme Courts function to interpet the constitution.
What makes your reading and interpetation any better then someone elses? All rights have limits when the excercising of that right infringes on another person rights. You can't yell fire in a theater comes to mind. You are entitled to your opinion as are others but that does not make it the correct opinion. We are all more likely to accept the opinions of constitutional scholars then some person on the street.
What I'm saying is your interpetation is "relatively" has little to no importance. My interpetation is also of little value in the grand scheme of things but the SCOTUS's decision is the law of the land. Either that or we'd have anarchy.
cgtrav
See this is where you have it backwards, the Constitution does not define our Rights. The Constitution only sets limits upon the Government, to what it can do with these Rights.
"What makes your reading and interpretation any better then someone else' ?" I just posted this on another article, see if you can follow my logic.
>>>>>>>>>
From the Declaration of Independence: (you know, the same guys who wrote the Constitution)
The same sentiment was carried through to the Constitution, and no, I have not found a single quote from any of them proclaiming this. This comes from reading a myriad of books, "The Federalist Papers", "Anti Federalist Papers", "The Constitution for Dummies", Books written by the Founding Fathers, a multitude of quotes from the Founding Fathers, etc, culminating in that conclusion. As I said before, The Constitution is an extension of the Declaration.
So according to the Authors of the Declaration, and the Constitution, we are all born with our Rights. And as duly pointed out in the Declaration and in the Bill of Rights, I have the Right to life, and no one, except for the Government, but only after due process (5th Amendment), may deny me of that. And I have the Right to defend that life. Do I not? So, how does having to be associated with a militia have any bearing on my Right to "Keep and Bear Arms" in self defense?
The Authors also recognized two facts. That individuals needed the means to defend themselves and their property from those that would cause them harm. And that eventually, my guess it they thought sooner than later, the Government would become corrupt and need forcible change or Eviction. They worded the 2nd amendment as they did to recognize the need to ensure the Government knew it was always at the mercy of the People, not the other way around. They also placed it in the Category of Individual Rights, on the basis, that to them it was an individual's Right.
>>>>>>
So if we read the Constitution from the perspective that it Creates the Federal Government, and sets the limits upon that Government, and we already have our Rights intact, then we get this:
The Government may not deny me, my life, liberty or property with out due process.
The Government can make no law establishing a (National/Federal) Religion, prohibiting me from exercising my Religion. (except that I may not use it to harm another Citizen or cause mayhem)
The Government can make no law Abridging freedom of speech or of the Press (printing press, by the way) etc. (except that I may not use it to harm another Citizen or cause mayhem)
The Government can not infringe upon my Right to Keep and Bear Arms. (except that I may not use it to harm another Citizen or cause mayhem)
A person is secure from UNREASONABLE search and seizure, with out PROBABLE CAUSE. Now this is where the SCOTUS can INTERPRET the Constitution, What is Reasonable? What is Probable? Other than that infringe, and abridge are pretty well defined. But to say the Supreme Courts function to interpret the Constitution is stretching it. Their function is to Interpret the Law, to see if it is compatible with the Constitution.
And please Note: The US Constitution only applies to the Federal Government, not to the States(except where it specifies the State) and not to the People. This is why an employer can, on their property, deny you certain Rights. (but this is a whole other argument)
I would appear we agree on that as well. As it is illegal for me to kill a fellow American with a firearm. Just as it is illegal to Slander or Libel a person through freedom of the Press or Speech, or to incite a riot.
But I am guessing that you think the mere act of owning a "fully" automatic weapon is somehow infringing upon someone else' Rights. Just because there is potential for mayhem? Am I correct?
And I agree, the SCOTUS is the final word, regardless of how misguided they are. And we need to abide by those decisions until we can lawfully have them changed. And I am sure there are more than a few decisions they have made that you would argue as well.
But I believe I waste my time here, as I doubt you will be able to connect the dots. Partially my fault, as I am not an eloquent writer, nor fully capable of "filling in the gaps" as I expect people to have a certain amount of logical/critical thinking ability. I am an engineer after all.
You will believe what you wish, but the History Books are on my side. The words of the Founding Fathers, are on my side. Only the Liberal Progressive Agenda is on yours.
Absolutely horrifying! What a relief for the family. Good work.
I hope that Ethan has a wonderful birthday! And many more!
Wonder who let on that they snuck a camera in. Well that technique is now gone so let's start to mourne for the next hostage situation when that can't be done and someone gets killed. Loose lips......
Probably in the hot wheels.
But wasn't everybody trying to use the thermal sensing abilities of these drones to justify them flying all over.
If they had a camera why did they need the thermal imaging capabilities of the drone(Which I doubt was going to get any thermal images through six feet of soil). Does thermal imaging hardware technology only come mounted on a domestic spying aircraft? Wouldn't a system placed directly on the ground over the bunker given a far more stable image?
Yet some oppose firearm background checks.
Because a background check would have prevented this man from obtaining a firearm? Background checks are fine for those people who are legally purchasing a firearm, however, realistically, most violent crimes are conducted using a non-registered gun. Background checks will not solve the problem.
So let me get this straight. Background checks won't solve the problem, putting a ban on assault weapons won't solve the problem, limiting the size of clips won't solve the problem. Just curious DThomas, what will in your mind solve the problem?
It's simple thomas. If the cops would have locked this wackjob up when he threatened to kill one neighbors kids and shot at another neighbors vehicle, none of this would have happened!
If you wont pass a background check you just go and buy from
a gang banger its that simple you people have been brain
washed again by our government WAKE UP AMERICA
This man likely had the gun quite some time ago. Maybe even before background checks were required. It could have been obtained legally, long before he became a mental problem. But in the end, he got what he deserved. Now the state won't be strapped with his room, board, and escalating health care. He was nothing but a terrorist who terrorized defenseless children and murdered an innocent man who tried to stop him.
Why offer to buy? They interviewed some kids in Chicago after the little girl who attended the inauguraion was killed. They asked them about how hard it was to get guns. The kid said "you just look under any bush you'll find one or two."
Why buy them when you can pick them like mushrooms for free. LOL, Compared to Chicago gun laws a pretty lax where I live but you can't find them laying around under bushes.
R257:
And this ubiquitous gang banger got the gun....where?
They can be bought at gun shows without background checks. The NRA wants to keep it that way.
His firearms should have been checked when he beat the dog to death and shot at his neighbors.
Binkie that's a load of bull.
Go to a gun show sometime and try to buy a gun from a vendor without a backround check.
Stop listening to the media try it for yourself. It's not happening in my state.
Cotton, vendors are not the only people who sell guns at shows, so you're the one slinging the bull. A non-bullsh978t version of your comment would be, "the law requires licensed vendors to do background checks at gun shows." Work harder on eliminating your own bs before calling out others.
Sounds like r257 has done lots of deals with gangbangers. Surprised he's still breathing. Gangbangers get guns from the insane, all guns-all the time- everywhere system of distribution supported by our incoherent hodge-podge of local sayings that pass for those 20,000 gun laws the NRA babbles about. An insane system rabidly defended by paranoid gun worshipers - gun idolaters and fetishists - who are all over the place but, numerically, are a small minority of Americans. This whole issue is a case of not the tail but the fleas and ticks wagging the dog.
Well I know I've arrested unsavory characters a time or two for possessoin of stolen firearms. I myself am a very knowledgeable person. I could go down to Lowes right now and assemble a firearm if needed.
Thats very true but I have a right to do with my property as I see fit. If I want to sell a gun to my neighbor I can walk over and sell it to him. What is the difference if I sell it to him at a gun show? There is no gun show loophole there is only the right to do with your property as a person pleases. That whole thing about the pursuit of hapiness ring a bell? I tell you what 20 sheeple points to anyone who can name a shooting where the gun was proven to be purchased through a gun show without a background check.
So Thomass, Illinois, explain this to me; cocaine, heroin, x, mary jane (in most states) are illegal. Illegal to sell, illegal to posess, illegal to use....and they have just disappeared off the planet huh?
Mr Binkie,
Every gun I purchased at a gun show, I had to have a back ground check. Where are people getting this from?
I don't knw where this "gun show loop hole" comes from other than liberal media brain wash. I go to several gun shows a year. I have bought several firearms from several different vendors at gun shows and ALL of them have done a background check.
Gun shows should not allow private sellers.
Gangs and other criminals know there will be private sellers there in bulk so they can pick and choose what gun they want without a background check. The private seller could also be there selling stolen guns.
That is the loophole, if someone steals a bunch of trading cards (or guns), can you think of a better place to sell them than a trading card(or gun) show where the are a ton of willing buyers and sellers?
All lost or stolen guns should be reported and their serial numbers should be submitted when lost and all sales of guns at gun shows should need to be checked against a database of stolen or lost guns also. A lot of states don't even require you to report a stolen or lost gun and that is just nuts.
The gov could set up a site where you type in a serial number and it comes back as good or bad and that is all the info it gives so you can instantly tell if the gun is stolen or not.
Possessing a gun without a serial number should also be a major felony with a mandatory jail sentence to crack down on illegal imports.
Just some simple solutions to some gun problems as I see it.
I own 6 rifles and 2 handguns and I didn't purchase them from a dealer or a gun show nor are they registered. I got them from my dad when he died. He was a WWII vet and had collected the guns for hunting and a couple were "collectible" plus he was a sheriff's reservist about 45 years ago thus the handguns. So the question is - are my guns illegal? I don't think so since they were all purchased before background checks were established. When California started registering guns and doing background checks owners of already purchased guns were "invited" to register their pre-existing guns but it was not required.
Now my big problem is what do I do with the guns? I am neither anti or pro gun but I have no use for the guns since I don't hunt or target shoot. So...how do I legally get rid of guns?
@bigdogmom1 Sell them to a licensed gun dealer
Thanks Aussie. Do they have to be already registered for a licensed gun dealer to take them?
Nope
The way the background check will work is that any doctor's that has ever prescribed a sedetive or a depression med will have to report it to the feds.....And that person will be declared metally ill like most of you reading this.....As far as I know that takes in pretty much all adults in the USA......Get ready because they want your guns........Think I'm BS-ing.....Just wait and see......
OH NO!
I wonder how many gun enthusiasts would be oh so "pro guns" if their child had been shot to death with an assault weapon at age 5 in their school, wtf!!!! It's not a wonder why these atrocious acts continue to happen. What more needs to happen next to 20 babies and 6 teachers being shot to hell to make people wake the f*** up!
Maybe it was a tiny computer camera installed on the hot wheels car. Brilliant!
Fawna... Bingo! You win the cigar! Smart Lady.
Having semi-annual mental health screenings of gun owners might weed out some of these pyscho gun owners. The NRA would scream "bloody murder" though.
I think semi-annual mental health screenings should be for all, some people don't need to driving a car or in certain jobs. You can't really think all gun owners are pyscho can you?
Nah, more like the ACLU
And if someone doesn't go in to get one, then what?
How about screenings for subway riders?
NRA and ACLU both have more in common than not. Both equally useless. Both would rather have anarchy.
I bet some of those anti-governement militia/survivalists have their Confederate flags at half mast in honor the murderer.
Great idea. Thanks.
yah.... because all anti-government militia/survivalists were rooting for this wacko to kill the kid! Idiot!
Never fly the Confederate flag at half mast. Keep it flying proud at the top all the time. Right over the Texas Flag.
Anthony,
You're a very, very sick person.
Camera was in the hot wheels car!
They got that camera trick from kim kardashian
No, dreamjordan: hers would have been a vaginal camera.
With a wide angle panoramic lens.
I am very happy that this child has been safely (more or less) reunited with his family.
But let's not forget that the man who committed murder and took this child had served this country and had obviously not been given the care he needed.
The thing that really bothers me is that since Reagan it is damn near impossible to get help to the people, or people to the help they need unless they agree that they are ill. Most do not. We need to rework the mental health evaluation standards so that when we as a community see someone daily whom we know is troubled and perhaps moving toward violence we can petition the court, with evidence and testimony, to have that person evaluated before they do harm; which is the current standard.
None of the mass killers in the news over the past few years just sprang full blown crazy. It is a process. There is usually time to act to get medical intervention. Sadly for all involved, it rarely happens.
Thank you, Kathy. We turned these people out onto the streets without resources, and the "small, local"' clinics to replace the big institutions did not materialize! I remember that time.
Kathy,
You're right,t he lack of mental help is the real problem.
@Kathy - I agree that mental health issues are certainly not adequately addressed in our country. Many of the homeless people we see wandering the streets are some of the mentally under-served along with our returning veterans. However I am wondering if Dykes was truly a mental case (or nut job as some would put it) or if he was just an angry, angry man who had a beef with our government, our president, the way our country seems to be on a moral decline. Have you ever been so angry about something or at someone that you hardly know what to do about it, you feel impotent, nobody will listen, you can get nothing "fixed?"
I just wonder if Dykes was an enraged old man who felt he had nothing to lose anymore and he wanted to get his "manifesto" out, to let the world know what he thought was wrong with everything in his life and with his country. Had he been taken alive (I don't think there was ever a chance of that) would he have used an insanity defense? Would he have gotten a "pass" from a jury for the murder of the bus driver and the kidnapping of the little boy? An insanity plea is very hard to prove and the American people are pretty unsympathetic to such a plea most of the time. I just wonder...
What-a-load-of-crap! Once you decide to become a murderer and kidnapper, all that other stuff doesn't mean jack!
Two questions. How much did this operation cost? Who's going to pay for it?
One question: at what age does someone like you realize that trolling will never fill that void in your soul?
They can bill me!
Gent Orange, did you just blow in from stupid town?
If we all look in the mirror, we will see who is going to pay for this wako's actions!
A. Gent you're right. should have just walked away from the whole thing. It would have organically worked itself our. You are an idiot.
What amazes me on these message boards and others that this guy is being hailed as some sort of white trash, redneck, stick it to the man anti hero. Too bad they couldn't have killed him twice.
In the final analysis a...GUN...was used to neutralize the criminal and rescue the child.
Did a person pull the trigger though, or did the firearm just up and decide after all these days to pull it's own trigger?
Trolling is for the mentally deficient. Let it go and move on.
Sheri
Are you trolling for trolls?
I think more than anything else they needlessly dragged this ordeal and the suffering of the Boy out so they could do just what they wanted and intended to do from the beginning and be BIG BAD ACTION FIGURE "DRONE" HEROS and not even attempt to try and get Dykes to come out because all they wanted to do was set him up so they could kill him! IMMINENT DANGER was there from the beginning, not only after it was good and convenient to notice it 7 DAYS LATER!!! Who really KNOWINGLY (with undiminished capacity) USED THE CHILD AS A PAWN FOR THEIR OWN INTEREST AND GAIN????
??? What did they gain?
Mifo, #17.1- INFLATED EGO HERO-Worship!!! (for FALSE BRAVADO) and Copyright to keep "The Great American Killing Coup" and its ROYALTIES coming, going and FLOWING!!!
Oh yeah, and a "KUDOS" call from the Killer in Chief.
As rhee allows us to see, mad cow is everywhere.
Good one Jim!
The hostage taker was the one using a child as a pawn. The FBI exercised great patience. Thankfully that is obvious to all but a sad few of us.
KUDOS to the FBI. Finally a good ending to what could have been a tragic one for the boy. It was tragic for the bus driver. All I am sure think him a hero now.
I did not know the president was being updated and so I say KUDOS to him too. This man Obama is AMAZING whether it's pirates, the boy or bin Laden he gets them every time or ensures that they are gotten. This is no exception. If Republicans would let this man alone and help do what he asks we would be OUT of this recession and unemployment would be half of what it is.
What in the hell are you talking about?????
Natalie - I agree with your first paragraph, however...
On the POTUS...who do you think he is...Jesus Christ! Holy Cow, you can not seriously think all our Woe's are due to Every Republican and Obama can do "No Wrong!"
They snaked a camera through the pvc, of course.
A thin fiber optic scope quietly snaked down the pipe to get a view of the room ...especially when they're sleeping at night.
It sounds like the law handled this well but Law Enforcement all over this country have become the "Secret Police" when it comes to handing out information on their actions and activities.
They often site "confidential criminal investigation". They have put themselves on a "elite status" and have forgotten they are public servants in United States of America. They forgotten were not Russia or 1939 Germany.
You know something, I DO NOT care...truthfully and I am a Democrat and a liberal BUT I do not fear my government. I love my government flaws and all which is why I have ZERO fear of drones or infrared spies, etc. I just do not. The reason I do not is that I do NOTHING to make my government think I would ever on planet earth resort to force to overthrow it no matter WHO is in office. When one matures one realizes the realities of life around you. I have never loved US foreign policy post WWII. I think it came back to bite us in the posterior BUT it matters NOT what was done decades past. What matters is now and NOW right NOW there are those that want to do us harm. Given that reality which is what I think Glenn Greenwald and others on the left NEVER take into consideration, is that there is a desperation to NEVER allow another 9/11 to happen again. Yes, would better foreign policy help? You bet it would BUT even that is not the end answer.
Our president I firmly believe until I am proven wrong, wants to keep this country safe on his watch and whatever it takes to do that WILL BE DONE. Do I love it? NO I don't but until you can predict with certainty that the observance of the Fourth Amendment where the nation's enemies who would love to end this nation are concerned we MUST be right 100% of the time!
Sorry, I just cannot be outraged about drones on the Homeland or anywhere else.
Burying your head in the sand will usually do that for you.
inbetween595-01: SWAT teams must not give away their secret methods, or the next hostage situation might result in the death of the innocent hostage! Just be thankful that it turned out well, Criminal dead, hostage alive! Thank God!
Natalie,
You're part of the problem.
Flintlock, shes just another sheep that will be begging for the sheepdog to protect her when the big bad wolf comes knocking.
I'm thinking a heart attack brought on by a flash bang in that tiny bunker. I'm glad Ethan is OK.
BANG!!! Release the boy or I'll shoot. I'm sure that is what happened when they entered the bunker. That would be the second bang the neighbors heard. The first bang was the diversionary device.
Flash-bangs deliver a pretty potent shock to the senses. After it goes off, you're slammed back and down from the concussion, the flash blinds you and you can't see anything but bright spots in your entire central vision, and you can't hear anything but a suffocating whine in your ears because of the sudden, ear-splitting boom. The crim suffers long seconds of physical disorientation and initial mental confusion from the shock of the flash-bang, enough time for the stormtroops to rush in and fill the perp full of lead. The live-feed camera that was smuggled in, helped flag the FBI for the right time to detonate the door down and rush in, at the moment when the perp had his guard down or weapon down, and the boy was farthest from the stairs to the door, or hatch.
rradiko... you are exactly correct!
We are not a civilized society. The suspect "beat at least one neighborhood pet to death" ( I believe it was a dog) but we did not put HIM to death after that? A dog has the mental capacity of about a 3-year old human, so that's the equivalent of beating a 3-year old to death. Yet we will put a dog to death for one non-lethal bite, or just for the crime of existing while there are too many other dogs in cages at the shelter. Let's not talk about the cats - 90% of them don't make it out of a shelter alive due to sheer numbers. Here's the deal: any child or adult human that would physically abuse an animal needs to be looked at seriously as a candidate for culling. Not the other way around. Just sayin'.
That is just crazy talk. While I would never condone animal cruelty a biter dog is a biter dog. They should not have a chance at a lethal bite. I tried a rescue once and it bit me 4 times on different occasions. Like I am going to let that one have a chance at my kids. All of the animals in the shelters are not MY problem. I spay and neuter mine. Equating an animal to equal status of humans is why our country is in the mess it is in.
Yes, people who harm animals need a psychiatrist to intervene especially as children.
It is way past the time that mandatory spay/neuter laws be enacted and ENFORCED. People will need a breeders license if they so choose to breed but will also be closely monitored. Unfortunately the spaying/neutering of humans is frowned upon here in Savannah, GA otherwise we would have an easy solution to the problem. Sadly, its the thousands upon thousands of stray/feral cats who get shafted here despite their superior intelligence, resourcefulness and general survival skills over the human residents.
Who cares how they did it??? wack-o is expired and the kid will be alright, it doesn't get any better than that...
The neighbors would have been well advised to beat his wrinkly old ass when he beat the dog to death.
The criminally insane are crazy, but they are not stupid. A well displayed use of force quiets them down right away- in most cases.
This crazy old navy vet had no idea how police tactical teams handle a barricaded suspect or a hostage rescue. If he did, he would have shot himself in the head or killed the boy and shot it out with the teams.
i agree. Problem is the neighbors would have gone to jail and Dykes would have still been free to do this.