An HIV-positive man convicted of spitting into the eye and mouth of a Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
A true assault weapon is anything used to assault someone with.
If someone was trying to spit on me or a loved one, I'd stop them.
If I found out he had a deadly communicable disease and had exposed us to it intentionally, I'd want him banished from civilized society.
If his victim(s) died, I'd want him to pay the ultimate penalty.
[Via AvgJoe]
6 comments:
And how about if you found out that someone was sentenced to 35 years in prison for doing something which _does_ communicate the disease in question? It's been well known for many years that HIV is not communicable through saliva.
Ken: It is BELIEVED that HIV is not communicable through saliva, perspiration, or tears. Clinical studies have shown that the viral burden in those fluids are well below the levels found in blood and semen, and well below levels now believed to be necessary for infection, but no studies have conclusively proven that transmission by exposure to saliva, perspiration, or tears is impossible. It is believed that it is highly unlikely, but no medical professional will ever use the word "impossible."
That's probably why this guy got the sentence that he did.
Ken, if it can be proven he did not endanger anyone's life, of course I would not be for such a draconian sentence.
The only reason he got 35 years is because he spat on an "only one".
That's probably true--I doubt it would have been anywhere near that had it been you or I.
My only point, and again, this is assuming someone is deliberately trying to infect you with a deadly communicable disease--if someone was trying to do that to me or mine, I'd feel justified using all force necessary to stop him. And I think it ought to be a prosecutable offense.
Well, I would say that given the prevailing wisdom about HIV, true or not, the guy was probably not trying to infect the police officer, unless he was biting the inside of his lip before he did it.
So I would imagine he shouldn't get any tougher a sentence than if you or I randomly spit on someone.
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