Spider Gun Needed To Catch Bridge Jumpers

[matcom]

<snip>

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Attention Spiderman: California needs you.

The state highway patrol, hoping to avoid another epic traffic jam caused by a suicide jumper on a major bridge, wants inventors to design and build a gun that can capture would-be jumpers in a spider-like web.

"At this point we're about ready to put out a request for a proposal," said California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall. "And we'll just see if there's some technology that might be usable."

The idea for a suicide spider gun was first floated by a local radio talk-show host following a 13-hour standoff between cops and a blade-wielding man threatening to jump off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Marshall said.

After hours in traffic, some motorists were so furious that some yelled out for the man to jump.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=1&u=/nm/20040427/od_nm/odd_spidergun_dc

[el_gato]

1. let 'em jump

[AlienGirl]

2. Legalize assisted suicide!

If depressives could just go to a doctor and get humanely put down, they wouldn't do this. And think of all the resources the state would save when it no longer was compelled to try to keep alive those who don't want to live.

Depression is the cause of many workplace absences and disability claims. Most depression is treatable, but some is not. The economic benefit to society of destigmatizing suicide and letting depressives do it would be tremendous.

Tucker