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Subject: 
Re: Sticking my gun where it doesn't belong...
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Fri, 19 Sep 2003 17:58:35 GMT
Viewed: 
710 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bruce Schlickbernd wrote:
   In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys wrote:

   The point is that we don’t live the same way today as we did in ‘76. And we don’t live in the civil war era. And, again, both condtions were war-time scenarios, and, again, both times there were armies involved. THe civil war was the army of the north against the army of the south. The armies were made up of people who lived at home. Members of your armed forces today do not live at home, they live at West Point (or other places of billet).

And if there was a revolt today against Dubya, why do you think it would not be a war time scenario, or that the opposition wouldn’t form into an army? Or that the armed opposition wouldn’t have come from home?

And the point was that you kept harping about 1776 and saying that that was it for armed insurrection on a massive scale, and I was pointing out that you were wrong.


Wasn’t it a massive insurrection against a tyranny? Didn’t the newly started country raise a rather large army to ward off the Brits? Wasn’t it, then, really, an army against an army? Whether you Yanks partook in gurrilla warfare in the woods and the ‘Red Coats’ marched around in proper rank and file (easy to be pegged off--sometimes those Brits...) is not the point. The point is that it was a legitimate army composed of soldiers, under the command of your CNC. It wasn’t a guy here and a guy there with a gun in their houses waiting for 7-8 generations for something to happen so that they could get out the guns and start an insurrection.

Just as the civil war was--the armies of the north against the armies of the south. Both armies under command of whichever leaders. Which does not equate at all to your gun in your house, today.

  
  
How does the civil war and the war of independance justify your gun in your house today? It doesn’t. Not even close. Society has grown up since then. We learned and evolved and understand that in todays age a gun in a house in America offers no protection from tyranny. We don’t hide behind obsolete ideals that may have worked 200 years ago, and we certainly don’t condemn our fellow citizens to brutal violent deaths just so we can be a gun toting yahoo.

An individual gun, no. A collective set of guns, yes. Are you saying that in the 21st century people are incapable of forming a new organization? Are you saying that anyone who own a gun is a “yahoo”? Are you saying that brutal violent deaths are the sole purvey of handguns?


I’m saying that people who go around saying ‘out of my cold dead hands’ and ‘brain lead’ is a yahoo, incapable of making Just decisions where the safety and security of themselves and their fellow citizen is concerned. We’ve covered the brutal viloent deaths by other means in a previous conversation, but to reiterate--I was appalled when that husband was run over by his wife repeatedly. That said, cars are not made with the intent to kill. Guns, however, are. We stop the 11 thousand deaths, and we work on stopping the other violent related deaths as well. It comes with education and change in mindset. Neither of which can occur with Heston, Koresh, et al, are brainwashing subsequent generations with “cold dead hands” rhetoric.

  
  
  
   Saying you need guns in your homes in the 21st century because your forefathers needed guns in their homes the 18th century is ludicrous. But
  
  
   you mentioned that below.



  
   No, I didn’t say that. I left the door open to being able to say it, however. :-)

   I interpreted it that way :)

Oops, over-snipped and had to re-insert the proper two previous responses, which will probably misalign. Anyway, you may have actually deduced correctly, in which case then I must be playing the devil’s advocate, presumably because I feel that you are playing the classic strident angry young man who thinks he has all the answers and this is my way of getting you to try and slow down a little.

I don’t have all the answers, but if I can help stop the needless violent deaths of 30 people a day, I’d say ‘Let’s work on that, and as well, work on fixing other things”

However, repeatedly banging your headd against the wall of ignorance is bound to cause a rise in the expatiation.

  
But then again, maybe I’m just leaving the door open to saying that. :-)

  
   I have a one word rebuttal for myself if I was to say such: Dubya. This is a guy who can convince himself of anything and actually believe it, a dangerous capacity sor self-delusion.


I, as you know, am the biggest Dubya fan in Canada. I really really feverently hope that in 2004 he gets himself reappointed--I mean elected. I really really hope that no one investigates that esteemed leader and set in motion the same thing that got Nixon ousted!

See Richard’s remarks concerning Teddy Kennnedy being one of the few people actually making sense. Scarey!!! :-)


Eeep! Was he sober? Ouch!

  
  
   I think what I am trying to say is that the subject is less cut and dried than you are trying to make it out to be.

   But it’s not as idealistic as some others are saying--If you could prevent the deaths of 11,000 of your fellow citizens per year, wouldn’t you try? What could possibly stop you from that goal?


I know the argument that is coming from the other principle in this discussion, so let me state the concerns I imagine he will raise. 1) There is no guarantee that the deaths wouldn’t happen in another format - knife murders are generally considered to be more brutal (OJ’s wife, Tate-La Bianchi murders). 2) There is no guarantee that the murder rate actually won’t go up because of emboldened criminals (I might be afraid of a little old lady with a gun, but less afraid of a little old lady with a knife). 3) Stopping gun sales would be hard enough, but getting rid of all that exist simply impossible (this is not so much an argument in favor, but bowing to the reality of the trap that is already in place). 4) I don’t trust Dubya’s administration in the slightest (well, that one is my own). 5) Changing the Bill of Rights is an extremely difficult proposition (as it should be).

I agree with everything above. It’s hard to discuss the emboldment of criminals if htere are no guns around, like the classic Simpsons ep. with Kang and the other one walking around with planks with sticks. There are legitimate issues, but one issue isn’t ‘protecting our freedom’. But I point to other countries who don’t have this love affair with the gun as examples. Crime is lower, violent gun related deaths are lower per capita. Like cigarettes, if you don’t have access to ‘em, you can’t die from ‘em.

We start with the generation today--there may have been thousands of ‘Galaxy Explorers’ sold when they first came out, but try to find one today. Things deteriorate, things get lost or broken. If guns were no longer sold to the public starting today, the number of guns in the populace would be much less in one genration than it is today. But that’s a pipe dream. Easier would be a change in mindset.

I know that there were a few ‘gun drives’ in Ontario recently, where you were able to turn over your guns to the authorities. Caused a bit of a stink by a *very* few number of individuals who thought their rights were being infringed on. But many many guns were turned over and destroyed. It’s still relatively early to see if that had any impact on gun related crimes, but my constant reading the paper and watching the news, I’ve noticed no discernable raise in the crime rate. Only time will tell. Then again, most Ontarians don’t go thru life with the ideal “if they come for my gun, they better get used to lead in the brain”

  
There are of course, counter-arguments: many criminals will be less likely to take violent action when it requires them to get up close and personal to do it - guns make it easier and more impersonal. The drying up of the gun supply would not take place overnight, but down the road - you have to start somewhere. Dubya’s excesses will come to roost and he’ll find he peaked to soon on the war issue just like his daddy. Columbine would be harder to escalate to the catastrophe it was with knives or clubs. But are these things guarenteed? No (well, I inserted the Combine thing after I typed the no). I can see you (or myself) arguing for them, but I don’t think they are cut and dried irrefutable arguments (i.e. they are going to be things you have to convince people of, not hit them over the head with).


Not irrefutable, but very good reasons for better gun laws. Hitting over the head comes after many posts bashing against the same flawed rhetoric.
  
-->Bruce<--



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Sticking my gun where it doesn't belong...
 
(...) True, but it didn't start that way. And if the farmers in 1775 had quietly rolled over and turned in their guns, the army of 1776 would not have been able to be raised. Here's a pretty good short account of the day: (URL) (21 years ago, 19-Sep-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Sticking my gun where it doesn't belong...
 
(...) And if there was a revolt today against Dubya, why do you think it would not be a war time scenario, or that the opposition wouldn't form into an army? Or that the armed opposition wouldn't have come from home? And the point was that you kept (...) (21 years ago, 19-Sep-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

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