🚀 go-pugleaf

In dc.driving Gumbyy@ticnet.com (Marc) wrote:
> 
> "Scott M. Kozel" <kozelsm@richmond.infi.net> wrote:
> >
> >In all fairness to the victim and their family, I think it is
> >appropriate to omit the suspicion of suicide if it is only "suspected".
> >Innocent until proven guilty.
> 
> What "guilt?"  Should someone feel shame over suicidal feelings?  That
> belief would limit ones desire to get help if they were not sure about
> their feelings.

My point was to say that a death shouldn't be labeled a suicide unless
there is certainty.
 
> >Unless a suicide note is left behind, or if the person clearly tells
> >others first that they're going to kill themselves, then I think it
> >would be hard to prove that the "accident" was intentional.
> 
> Just like it is hard to prove that "speed" killed, but it gets listed
> quite often.
> 
> Why the double standard?

I don't see any double standard.  An intentional car crash is very hard
to prove, unless there is a note or a threat.

Vehicle velocity, however, can be estimated by measuring skid marks, and
by degree of impact damage.  If the "speeding" was 5 or 10 mph over,
that's insignificant, but if it was 40 mph or more over, it's often easy
to verify.
 
> >In the classic case of a single-occupant single-fatality
> >hit-fixed-object no-skid-marks no-witnesses accident, suicide is
> >certainly a significant possibility.  But IMO it would be difficult if
> >not impossible to prove that it was intentional, unless there was a note
> >or a threat; and the fairest thing to do is to list it as a true
> >accident.
> 
> "Fair?"  To who?  To not report what is believed to be the truth?  Why
> lie about them?  They are already dead...

They deserve to have a good reputation, even though dead.  More
importantly, their family does too, and be spared the trauma of a false
suicide accusation.  The life insurance should not be invalidated by a
bogus suicide charge.

> Much of the anti-gay and anti-choice movement is centered in Christianity.  

If you're referring to the two issues that I think you are, then I'll
assure you that all the world's major religions believe basically the
same thing about those two issues.  You can't blame Christianity.

-- 
Scott M. Kozel    kozelsm@richmond.infi.net  
Highway and Transportation History Websites  
Virginia/Maryland/Washington D.C. http://www.richmond.infi.net/~kozelsm
PHL area http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Campus/5961/pennways.html