Do you think he was right?
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roybarlett — 19 years ago(September 04, 2006 02:34 PM)
Yes. Old Buford was one heck of a lawman and he paid the price for his honest enforcement actions. As a former cop I truly admire this man of action. If a city today had a 100 Bufords there would be little crime in town.
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Killer_Bee — 19 years ago(December 11, 2006 12:22 PM)
There is really no right or wrong about the way Pusser handled the state line, He just did the job he had to do. You have to take into account that at the time, Guys TN. was a rough place inhabited by a bunch of very dangerous people. The state line's heydey was at the time when alot of people from Mississippi were going to Chicago to find work and U.S. 45 ran right through it and many didn't know of it's reputation. Besides the bootleging, gambling and prostitution, Louise Hathcock had a nasty habit of pulling a hammer from her apron beating unwary customers at the 45 Grill if they didn't fork over all their cash. There isn't much left there now. Even the old Shamrock Motel sign that remained long after the motel was torn down is gone. There is one little bar still there but the state line is pretty much just a memory.
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RugGuy — 14 years ago(December 25, 2011 08:00 AM)
I haven't seen WALKING TALL since it was in the cinema, which means I'm old. So I won't answer your question in relation to the movie, but in relation to real life.
I just read a book about the gulf coast Dixie Mafia. There is a brief mention that Pusser was fighting the Tennessee Dixie Mafia ; that's why I came to the WTboard.
The DM wasn't really organized crime but more a group of criminals who would pull jobs together when it was mutually beneficial.
They sold drugs and provided prostitutes which I will concede is a gray area. But many of the women were forced/tricked into prostitution and some were still teenagers. These guys would pull home invasions and would kill just to leave no witnesses. They would do murder for hire on citizens, politicians,etc, not just each other criminals. There were very violent and may kill a citizen for beating them in a poker game or because they felt slighted.
The book, DREAM ROOM, is actually favorable to the DM, humanizing them while detailing their crimes, so it wasn't a one-sided story.
So yes stopping those guys was the right choice.
CAVEAT: One of the DM claims that Pusser is just as crooked as them, which may be true, but I have found no documentation supporting that. -
novastar_6 — 14 years ago(January 26, 2012 09:43 PM)
Buford's daughter Dwana said that what he did in standing up to the moonshiners and bootleggers and putting them away, while it's very commendable and inspiring, that nobody would dare try it with the people on hardened drugs like today and that's too bad because today that is an area where people like Buford Pusser are so desperately needed as well.
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latherzap — 11 years ago(June 01, 2014 09:47 PM)
Mmm, I don't remember many specifics about his Sheriff antics. But I did think it kinda dumb that he caused trouble in the beginning at the gambling joint. Unless maybe the game was rigged? Otherwise, he knew full well what his buddy would use the 50 for and only had himself to blame.
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darkavenger77 — 9 years ago(June 04, 2016 07:31 PM)
Do you think Buford made the right choice in his actions as sheriff?
IMO as a retired cop, the 1973 Hollywood version showed some accurate points. Imagine being elected as a tax collector and not knowing anything about accounting. Mr. Pusser was elected Sheriff and had no law enforcement experience. This became evident early on when his first big case was thrown out. The judge correctly cited the Constitution and how he had trespassed on private property without a warrant.
Even when this took place in the 60's, things such as the Miranda decision were in effect, although unless he questioned the people arrested that point cited by the judge was not a factor.
As for the revenge/other parts, I'd say he was generally justified. It was a different time, so we can't properly apply modern life to life back then.
He had some lines that were very good, such as when he first addressed the deputies and told them to treat everyone equally, and later with the guy from Nashville that the law of the land should not be for sale. If those (or something similar) actually took place, then again IMO he was a great Sheriff.
Ignoring politics doesn't mean politics will ignore you.
-Pericles paraphrased in <100 characters