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Book Review:
“The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor — The Life and Times of Tony Mazzocchi” This is a fascinating book about a labor leader who has had tremendous influence on our lives, but whose name is not even known by millions of Americans. Please read my review.

From:  The American Rifleman  February, 2001

Labeling Richard Wayne Green “hardheaded” could only be considered truth in advertising. It seems the 32-year-old transient wasn’t satisfied by his first attempt at breaking into a suburban Washington state home, so he returned several weeks later to try again. Unfortunately for Green – who had distressed an entire neighborhood with his black clothing, eye patch and suspicious loitering – the second attempt would result in a major headache. When he pounded on the home’s front door, a resident appeared and ordered him to leave. Green persisted, however, and went to the back door where he broke out a window and tried to get inside. The exasperated resident halted the threat with his .22-cal. handgun whose single shot struck his attacker immediately above the eyebrow. The bullet proved no match for Green’s thick skull, though, and after a short stay at a hospital he was remanded to the local hoosegow. (South County Journal, Kent, Wash., 9/21/00)

Billy Frank Jackson and his elderly parents were in their North Carolina home when the electricity was shut off and the telephone went dead. As Jackson retrieved a gun, he was hit by a hail of pellets and doorknob fragments that exploded from a shotgun blast outside. Anticipating his attacker’s next move, Jackson stationed himself by the garage door and fired once when he appeared. The wounded man dropped his shotgun as he retreated outside and fled. Investigations later led authorities to suspect a vacationing sheriff’s deputy whom they allege was wearing a bulletproof vest during the incident. “He truthfully saved our lives that night,” said Cortel Jackson of his son, Billy Frank. “They were going to kill us and take everything we had:” (The Daily Record, Dunn, N.C., 5/10/00)

A knife-wielding holdup man quickly lost his taste for ill-gotten gains soon after attempting to rob the Vista, Calif., Yum Yum donut shop late one night. According to police detective Doug Hoffman, “The [robber] jumped over the counter and chased the cashier to the back of the store:” The cashier then “grabbed a gun from the shelf and chambered a round:” When he pointed it at the startled thug, the man threw up his hands and whimpered, “Hey, hey, it’s okay, man!” before hightailing it out of the shop. (North County Times, Oceanside, Calif., 10/3/00)

The owner of a Brooklyn, N.Y., card shop was “greeted” by two men who entered his store, pulled out guns and announced a holdup. Fortunately, he had already suspected the duo was up to no good and was ready with his licensed, 9 mm handgun. Several shots found their targets. The first gunman was hit tour times and collapsed with critical wounds on the sidewalk in front of the store. The other man was hit once and fled, but soon afterward appeared at a local hospital where police arrested him. (New York Post, New York, N.Y., 10/10/00)

It may have been the unusual “attire” worn by a prowler that caused an anonymous caller to tip off a Tyler, Texas, resident to an attempted break-in. The trespasser made his way into the home’s first floor – all the while wearing only his birthday suit – before the armed resident halted him and held him at gunpoint. “He was just standing there naked, and we arrested him for burglary,” said police Lt. Tom Giorgio. Noting the lack of a getaway vehicle, Giorgio added, “He hadn’t loaded anything up, and I don’t know how he would have carried anything.” (Tyler Morning Telegraph, Tyler, Texas, 5/26/00)

A South Carolina convenience store clerk, John Woodbury, was attending to a customer when he turned just in time to see a masked man raise a gun and fire. Unfortunately for the bandit, Woodbury had a gun of his own. Store owner Jeffrey Lee later said of the gun battle that followed: “I just thank God that none of my people and none of the customers were hurt … I believe if it weren’t for John, [the robber] would have killed everybody in there.” Instead, the man’s wounds prevented him from escaping police. Reflecting on the incident, Lee said, “I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and I have no problem with someone carrying a gun to work for protection:” (Florence Morning News, Florence, S.C., 11/1/00)

After falling victim to a robber’s gun in 1998, 70-year-old George Smith took steps to ensure his future defense along with that of his Shelbyville, Ind., friends who owned the mom-and-pop variety store he frequented. Two years later, Smith was once again outside the store as two masked men burst on the scene. When one leveled a gun at him, Smith feigned a heart attack and fell to the floor. Seconds later, as the gunman attempted to leave, Smith was ready. He fired on both would-be robbers killing one and sending the other fleeing. One store owner said later, “We feel so sad . … [B]ut who knows, he might have shot us both:” (The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind., 5/20/00)

The owner of a Vienna, Ga., liquor store was surprised one night when a man entered, jumped over the counter and pulled a 13” knife. As the robber forced the man to give up money from the cash register, a legitimate customer pulled up outside. While the bandit hid in a side room, the owner armed himself with a .380 ACP-cal. pistol. Seconds later, he sent the crook fleeing with a shot. Within an hour, police found the man in the back seat of a broken-down car with a wound to the groin. (The Cordele Dispatch, Cordele, Ga., 9/12/00)

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Last Updated — June 20, 2008