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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  October, 2000

Sandra Suter knew that a shopping trip to her local Wal-Mart store in Spring Hill, Fla., would end with a wait in the checkout line. What she didn’t count on was the near life-ending drama that was about to play out in front of her. The 5-ft., 3-inch grandmother, on advice from her son, had taken to carrying a .40-cal. handgun in her purse for self-protection. Now she looked on in disbelief as several employees began wrestling with a man and one worker yelled out, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” The man, whom authorities later reported was attempting to steal a VCR, lunged at the employees, inflicting cuts with a small blade. That’s when Suter rushed into the melee and announced, “I have a concealed weapons permit” and demanded, “Either drop the knife, or I’ll shoot you!” After Suter repeated the threat, the knife-wielding man finally surrendered to store security. Later, Suter said she strongly supports Americans’ right to bear arms and added that target practice and gun-safety instruction had “brought our family closer together.” She said of the confrontation, “I just did what I thought was right.” (The Times, St. Petersburg, Fla., 5/24/00)

Betty Berkstresser had set out for a walk near her Pennsylvania home one Sunday morning before church when she encountered a strange gray fox. “Its lips were curled up and I saw its teeth. Right away, I thought rabies,” she said. Berkstresser kicked the animal as it attacked, which gave her time to reach her .38-cal. Taurus revolver. She got off three shots before the fox ran back into the weeds. “The good Lord was really with me,” said Berkstresser. Although she had to undergo a series of inoculations to guard against the infection, she admitted, “It could have been a lot worse.” (The Valley Log, Mount Union; Pa., 6/28/00)

A woman who thought she was alone in her Jacona, N.M., home had just emerged from the shower when she heard the sounds of someone ransacking the residence. The quick-thinking resident retreated to the bedroom, but was soon confronted by a stocky male intruder who had violently kicked down the locked door. That’s when the intended victim pointed a handgun at the man sending him fleeing. Authorities later said there may have been more than one man in the house. (The Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe, N.M., 5/9/00)

Sixty-eight-year-old Arlington, Texas, auto salesman and Korean War veteran Jappy J. Dickson had just gotten out of his car at a restaurant when an armed man approached him and demanded money. “He said, ‘Give me all your money or I’ll blow your head off,”’ said Dickson. Feigning compliance, Dickson instead reached for the .38-cal. revolver for which he has a carry permit, saying, “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” With that, the cowardly assailant fled. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, 5/21/00)

A Wade, Miss., family’s worst nightmares came true when a man arrived at their home, pointed a shotgun at the father and attempted to herd him, his wife and their child inside. The quick-thinking couple fought back when the wife fled through another entrance and the husband ran to a bedroom to retrieve a gun. The intruder fled, but police soon apprehended the man on foot after an exchange of gunfire. The man was charged with three counts of attempted kidnapping. (The Mississippi Press, Pascagoula, Miss., 3/19/00)

When a 17-year-old robber wielding two butcher knives entered Jun Young Bok’s Ogden, Utah, market one evening demanding money, the shopkeeper refused. Bok first attempted to match the threat with a golf club, but finally trumped the double-bladed menace with a handgun. Police arrived to find Bok holding the suspect at gunpoint. They arrested the youth and another 17-year-old who had acted as a lookout during the attempted robbery along with a 21-year-old getaway driver. (Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, 7/3/00)

A Moreno Valley, Calif., home owner who encountered a stranger outside his residence was shocked when the man, clad in a black hooded sweatshirt and baggy pants, lifted his shirt displaying a butcher knife in his waistband. According to authorities, the homeowner ran for the security of the home, but was unable to shut the door before the stranger forced his way inside. As the resident clambered up a flight of stairs, the intruder on his heels, he managed to grab a handgun from a hall table. His tormentor fled at the sight of the gun. (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif, 5/18/00)

A 13-year-old Sioux Falls, S.D., boy was sick at home one morning when an intruder apparently intent on committing a robbery invaded the residence through an unlocked sliding door. The masked man, who likely did not consider the boy a serious challenge, now stood before him brandishing a hammer. The intruder himself likely fell sick, however, when the boy grabbed a shotgun and called 9-1-1. In his apparent frustration, the home invader struck blows into several walls with the hammer before fleeing the residence. (Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D., 11/24/99)

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Last Updated — June 20, 2008