Things That Make You Say "Hmmmmm"

[MalahatTwo7]

Man Arrested After Rescuing 2 From Fire
Police Say Man Scuffled With Rescuers After Collapsing

POSTED: 9:15 am EDT October 25, 2007
UPDATED: 10:16 am EDT October 25, 2007

CONCORD, N.H. -- A Concord man who helped an elderly couple escape from their burning home was arrested shortly afterward because of a scuffle with emergency workers.

Steven Rivers said he was sitting on his porch at about 2:30 a.m. Monday when he saw flames shooting from the house across the street, WMUR-TV in Manchester reported.

He said he rushed into the building and guided an elderly couple on the second floor to safety.

"I actually went in there twice," Rivers said. "There was an elderly man and an elderly woman who lived up there, and I came out there and helped them get out and was glad that they're all right."

Rivers refused medical attention when he came out of the burning building. He then walked across the street and passed out, possibly, he said, from a mix of smoke inhalation, the adrenaline rush and some existing medical conditions.

Authorities said that when rescue workers came to Rivers' aid, things took a turn for the worse.

"I didn't know where I was and was disoriented, and one firefighter said I hit him and then there were six or seven people on me, and I ended up getting arrested and going to jail over it," Rivers said.

Rivers was charged with simple assault and resisting detention. Police said they believe his conduct warranted the criminal complaints.

Rivers said he had no idea what was happening and wasn't treated fairly, but, he said, given the same situation, he would run into the building again.

Fire officials didn't want to talk about the altercation, saying only that it was "unfortunate." They did say, however, that Rivers acted bravely during the rescue.

"That's pretty incredible and nothing short of heroic," Chief Tim McGinley said. "It's one thing for firefighters who are dressed and trained to go into a burning building, but for an average citizen dressed in street clothes to make not one but two entries, that's nothing short of heroic, I think."

Rivers was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 20.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting

[mvfd27]

Man Arrested After Rescuing 2 From Fire
Police Say Man Scuffled With Rescuers After Collapsing

POSTED: 9:15 am EDT October 25, 2007
UPDATED: 10:16 am EDT October 25, 2007

CONCORD, N.H. -- A Concord man who helped an elderly couple escape from their burning home was arrested shortly afterward because of a scuffle with emergency workers.

Steven Rivers said he was sitting on his porch at about 2:30 a.m. Monday when he saw flames shooting from the house across the street, WMUR-TV in Manchester reported.

He said he rushed into the building and guided an elderly couple on the second floor to safety.

"I actually went in there twice," Rivers said. "There was an elderly man and an elderly woman who lived up there, and I came out there and helped them get out and was glad that they're all right."

Rivers refused medical attention when he came out of the burning building. He then walked across the street and passed out, possibly, he said, from a mix of smoke inhalation, the adrenaline rush and some existing medical conditions.

Authorities said that when rescue workers came to Rivers' aid, things took a turn for the worse.

"I didn't know where I was and was disoriented, and one firefighter said I hit him and then there were six or seven people on me, and I ended up getting arrested and going to jail over it," Rivers said.

Rivers was charged with simple assault and resisting detention. Police said they believe his conduct warranted the criminal complaints.

Rivers said he had no idea what was happening and wasn't treated fairly, but, he said, given the same situation, he would run into the building again.

Fire officials didn't want to talk about the altercation, saying only that it was "unfortunate." They did say, however, that Rivers acted bravely during the rescue.

"That's pretty incredible and nothing short of heroic," Chief Tim McGinley said. "It's one thing for firefighters who are dressed and trained to go into a burning building, but for an average citizen dressed in street clothes to make not one but two entries, that's nothing short of heroic, I think."

Rivers was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 20.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting

Interesting....but I'm guessing running into a smoke filled building made him hypoxic and people with low 02 levels can have an altered LOC and become combative. So when the ff's tried to help him, with his altered LOC, he wasn't completely awared of what was going on and the rest is history, as they say.

I'm sure it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the courts and if altered LOC due to low Oxygen in the bloodstream in an acceptable defense or even one they will use.

[GFD748]

[QUOTE=mvfd27;879616]Interesting....but I'm guessing running into a smoke filled building made him hypoxic and people with low 02 levels can have an altered LOC and become combative. So when the ff's tried to help him, with his altered LOC, he wasn't completely awared of what was going on and the rest is history, as they say.

I'm sure it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the courts and if altered LOC due to low Oxygen in the bloodstream in an acceptable defense or even one they will use.[/QUOT Maybe with a good lawyer he can beat it. If you are correct, I understand the LOC.

[firecat1]

There are some d@mn good lawyers up around Concord............the guy should be able to get the charges dropped.

[MalahatTwo7]

UVic students overturn ban on military recruitment

Cindy E. Harnett, Times Colonist Published: Friday, October 26, 2007

University of Victoria students voted overwhelmingly in favour Thursday of allowing military recruiters at a career fair in their Student Union Building, reversing an earlier student society decision to ban them.

Cheers, applause and calls for beers{only in Canada en? LOL}rang out when the standing-room only crowd of about 350 voted in favour of what the majority said was an issue of freedom of speech.

"This is a big victory for democracy," UVic student Jon Fox said. "I'm just really glad everyone came out, no matter what side they were for. We made a democratic decision today that has upheld the rights of everyone, not just a select few."

Student George Robinson worked for more than a month, urging students to vote against the ban.

"I'm thrilled the motion to ban our Armed Forces was defeated," Robinson said. "We worked hard to get a majority of the moderate student on campus out today."

Opposing sides both used passionate arguments about democratic rights and the freedom of speech to explain their views.

The pro-ban side said prohibiting the military from recruiting on campus is a way of making a statement against Canada's combat role in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

"For me, exercising my democratic right and freedom of speech is about taking actions to actually stop things from happening," student Jennifer King said.

"I see this ban as a concrete thing I can do to prevent the spread ... of our military action and [students] being drawn into something they may not know the totality of," King said.

Meanwhile, the anti-ban side argued that including the military allows everyone the right to have a voice, access and choice.

UVic student Daniel Lonsdale, in his naval cadet uniform, said his intelligence was insulted by the Sept. 10 decision to ban the Canadian military from a career fair in the Student Union Building in January.

The September vote was a 6-6 deadlock, broken by chairwoman Tracy Ho who favoured the ban.

"I think it's embarrassing they think we can't make up our own minds. That's what university is all about," Lonsdale said.

The debate Thursday was confused by myriad issues - one student was dressed in mix-and-match Abu Ghraib/Guantanamo Bay prison garb, an apparent denunciation of U.S. military treatment of detainees.

There was an overwhelming number of interruptions for points of order, points of privilege and points of information during the annual general meeting. At one point, someone decided there was no point at all in continuing and called for the debate to end and the vote to be called.

The chairwoman was challenged, the rules were challenged, and during an intermission students broke out their Robert's Rules of Order meeting handbooks.

Serina Zapf, a political science student, came to the meeting to vote against the ban and for "a dialogue of voices." But she ended up not voting at all after becoming disheartened.

"I actually didn't vote one way or another," Zapf said. "I felt the side voting against the ban was being disrespectful of other people's right to speech. I think people are missing the real issue here."

Tom Page, a visiting student from Britain, was also shaking his head.

"It's ironic people that are supposedly voting in favour of freedom of speech are trying to shut down the other side of the debate," Page said. "That's not freedom of speech at all."

ceharnett@tc.canwest.com

© Times Colonist 2007