# Woman pushed onto train tracks (RO) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166 "2008-08-07T14:30:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/1 "2008-08-07T14:30:55Z")
Link [here.](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/woman-pushed-on-to-railway-line-after-asking-men-to-stop-smoking-887121.html) > [@](#): > > Two men pushed a woman off a railway station platform yesterday, two days after she had asked them to stop smoking at the same station. > Linda Buchanan, 58, is lucky to be alive according to police, who said she narrowly avoided the live rail which would have electrocuted her. > > She suffered a broken wrist and bruises to her legs and had to be taken to hospital after being shoved on to the tracks at Farningham Road station, in Dartford, Kent So, in a nutshell, an interfering busybody stuck her still-functioning nose into two innocent smokers’ business, and couldn’t keep her damned cancer-less mouth shut, so was pushed on to the railway tracks where she broke her well-circulated wrist. Stupid fuck. And now these brave Libertarians are being hunted like criminals when they should be getting a medal. Brings a lump to my throat\*, it does. \*which I hope isn’t malignant. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/2 "2008-08-07T14:34:35Z")
Libertarians tend to take a dim view of attempted murder, FWIW. [sub]I mean really, they couldn’t finish the job?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/3 "2008-08-07T14:35:20Z")
That’s insane. two days later, too! Not exactly ‘the heat of the moment’. ---
**Author:** ![CrowJane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@CrowJane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrowJane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/4 "2008-08-07T14:50:46Z")
[QUOTE=Staggerlee] So, in a nutshell, an interfering busybody stuck her still-functioning nose into two innocent smokers’ business, and couldn’t keep her damned cancer-less mouth shut, so was pushed on to the railway tracks where she broke her well-circulated wrist. [/QUOTE] Cool. Conclusive proof that smoking causes bitterness. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/5 "2008-08-07T15:06:52Z")
[QUOTE=CrowJane] Cool. Conclusive proof that smoking causes bitterness. [/QUOTE] Well, cigarettes do have a deliciously bitter, piquant flavour, I agree. I presume you’re taking sides with that sweet-breathed old crone, then? ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/6 "2008-08-07T15:10:33Z")
What, they couldn’t just have said, "Fuck off, bitch, " and blown smoke into her face or something? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/7 "2008-08-07T15:11:47Z")
I thought part of the core of libertarianism was freedom of speech, which the woman was exercising telling the two to stop smoking. They equally had the right to tell her to get lost and mind her own business (even if they didn’t have the legal right to smoke on a crowded railway platform). ---
**Author:** ![CrowJane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@CrowJane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrowJane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/8 "2008-08-07T15:16:05Z")
[QUOTE=Staggerlee] Well, cigarettes do have a deliciously bitter, piquant flavour, I agree. I presume you’re taking sides with that sweet-breathed old crone, then? [/QUOTE] I don’t care to take sides in such matters. I’m merely noting that the bitter, piquant flavour seems to have permeated the blood/brain barrier. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/9 "2008-08-07T15:16:43Z")
In a nutshell, two law-breakers almost killed a woman because she dared to tell them to stop doing something that was illegal. That’s a great way to run a society - make law-abiding people afraid to ask the law-breakers to stop breaking the law. Next time I ask someone with a full cart to look at the sign that says 10 items only at the express checkout at Wal\*Mart, I’ll be braced for them pulling a gun on me. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/10 "2008-08-07T15:21:40Z")
[QUOTE=CrowJane] I don’t care to take sides in such matters. I’m merely noting that the bitter, piquant flavour seems to have permeated the blood/brain barrier. [/QUOTE] An interesting theory - why don’t we meet at your nearest train station and discuss it? It could be like Brief Encounter. With more pushing. ---
**Author:** ![CrowJane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@CrowJane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrowJane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/11 "2008-08-07T15:27:36Z")
[QUOTE=Staggerlee] An interesting theory - why don’t we meet at your nearest train station and discuss it? It could be like Brief Encounter. With more pushing. [/QUOTE] A marvellous idea; I quite fancy testing my reflexes. Would 6pm suit? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/12 "2008-08-07T15:32:26Z")
It took _two_ men? What’s this world coming to? Why, in my day, it only took one man to push a feeble woman onto the tracks, and the other to do all the laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/13 "2008-08-07T15:33:21Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] Next time I ask someone with a full cart to look at the sign that says 10 items only at the express checkout at Wal\*Mart, I’ll be braced for them pulling a gun on me. [/QUOTE] Personally, I avoid any and all confrontation with people I don’t know. Waiting longer on line is preferable to getting in an argument with a guy who may decide to get all stabby. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/14 "2008-08-07T15:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=CrowJane] A marvellous idea; I quite fancy testing my reflexes. Would 6pm suit? [/QUOTE] It’s a date. I’ll be the one with the Cuban cigar and the massive hands.. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/15 "2008-08-07T15:39:05Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] It took _two_ men? What’s this world coming to? Why, in my day, it only took one man to push a feeble woman onto the tracks, and the other to do all the laughing. [/QUOTE] Well, it’s the smoking, you know. Saps a man’s strength. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/16 "2008-08-07T15:39:06Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] It took _two_ men? What’s this world coming to? Why, in my day, it only took one man to push a feeble woman onto the tracks, and the other to do all the laughing. [/QUOTE] Well, it _was_ a long push and the first became winded so #2 completed the extension of arms. All in all though I’d say they had the right tools for the job. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/17 "2008-08-07T15:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] In a nutshell, two law-breakers almost killed a woman because she dared to tell them to stop doing something that was illegal. That’s a great way to run a society - make law-abiding people afraid to ask the law-breakers to stop breaking the law. Next time I ask someone with a full cart to look at the sign that says 10 items only at the express checkout at Wal\*Mart, I’ll be braced for them pulling a gun on me. [/QUOTE] Oh, no, no. The best respose to being told you have too much in your cart is to pull out a baseball bat, not a gun. It’s much more satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/18 "2008-08-07T15:42:00Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Oh, no, no. The best respose to being told you have too much in your cart is to pull out a baseball bat, not a gun. It’s much more satisfying. [/QUOTE] Would it not be better all round to cram your excess crammed goods into the complainer’s various orifices, thereby reducing your grocery total down to the prescribed limit? Everyone’s a winner in that situation! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/19 "2008-08-07T15:49:53Z")
Ah, but if they pull out a baseball bat, I can run away, because I have fewer items that I’ve shopped for, so I don’t mind dropping them and bolting. And they’re stuck behind their cart. ---
**Author:** ![CrowJane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@CrowJane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrowJane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166/20 "2008-08-07T15:53:28Z")
I avoid all these potential problems by doing my shopping on-line. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-pushed-onto-train-tracks-ro/459166.md?page=2)