The case outraged veterans groups, who said that the government should not prosecute those seeking help. They feared that Duvall’s prosecution could have a chilling effect on distressed veterans at a time when they are committing suicide at a rate of 18 per day.
That figure is way too high. Do the math -- I do not believe 65,700 veterans have committed suicide in the last 10 years.
Here's an article that seems to confirm it, at least in the headlines. When you do the math on statements such as "...there are an average of 950 suicide attempts each month by veterans..." and "Seven percent of the attempts are successful...", you wind up with 2.2 suicides per day, not 18. (950*.07/30)
Regardless, as a Veteran, I am outraged! It makes no difference that the lady who took the call had the authority to call the local police. She also had the authority to handle it much differently than she did, and proximity to Va Tech should have made ZERO difference in her approach. What if he'd been next to a fish market? What the Sam Hill difference does it make? She's got a guy on the phone indicating he's suicidal. That's ALL that matters.
Oh, and for what it's worth, folks who call suicide hotlines aren't the sort of people who go on shooting rampages. There's a HUGE difference between the mentality of suiciders and the likes of Cho and Loughner.
