26 dead in Connecticut elementary school

[tvashtarkatena]

WE CAN STILL RIP SCORSESE'S UNIBROW OFF, THOUGH.

 

 

[tvashtarkatena]

I KNOW...HOW ABOUT A 'WAR ON THOUGHT'? IT'LL TAKE GUTS, IT'LL TAKE RESOLVE, BUT AMERICA'S SO FUCKING STUPID RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE ALREADY HALFWAY THERE.

 

IT'S DEFINITELY NOT TOO MANY GUNS, THOUGH. TAKE AWAY THE GUNS AND AMERICAN'S WOULD JUST KILL EACH OTHER WITH TOASTERS.

 

NO FUCKING WAY ANYONE'S TAKING AWAY MY TOASTER.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

Clearly someone is off his meds again

[tvashtarkatena]

FROM MY COLD, DEAD, JAM-STICKY HANDS.

[ivan]

A rapier wit and a pair of running shoes are the only two weapons I'll ever need.

having a large companion to hide behind (and out run) don't hurt neither

[ivan]

Clearly someone is off his meds again

no, much more likely on.

 

much. more.

[JayB]

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-riddle-of-the-gun

[ivan]

IF THOMAS PAINE WAS ALIVE TODAY HE WOULD ONLY POST IN CAPS!

[ivan]

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-riddle-of-the-gun

echoes of thomas hobbes in there...

[JayB]

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-riddle-of-the-gun

echoes of thomas hobbes in there...

 

Yeah - just thought the arguments were worth noting coming from a self-described liberal and secularist of the highest order...

 

 

[ivan]

didn't see anythign to argue w/, though admittedly before i could read the 2nd half of the article i was dragged off to read the thomas mallory version of king arthur to a bunch of sleepy children and now find meself required to do some honest school work

 

history is made of great grand backdrops and little bit-players who strut n' fret before them - it is always interesting to note that an event, like newport, can summon forth the will to deal w/ a problem that has little bearing on the immediate event at hand - as the article says, this old boy used a rifle, but he could have done the exact same damage w/ a handgun, and there seems little chance of progress on them

 

cutting to his conclusion though, for all his eloquence, he doesn't seem to have a take-away that's any more useful than anybody else...

[tvashtarkatena]

Typical straw men. World without guns (few argue for that), you can kill kids with a knife (it's a lot harder and slower), etc. He also stacks the deck, typically, by ignoring the pain caused by guns (accidental shootings, home murders, suicides) - which is, by all accounts, substantially greater than the handful of "I saved my fambly" stories - many of which seem to be made up for web consumption anyway. In addition, he conveniently omits other more effective and less dangerous home invasion protections - like a dog, for example.

 

Pretty much zero new ideas other than 'I'm a LIBRUL (whatever that means) gun owner' - which isn't a new one, either. Just another case of an author injecting his own ego into the discussion rather than providing real, useful objective information.

 

His most salient point actually counters his pro gun stance - the substantial burden of training regularly to become a 'responsible gun owner'. We all know already that the vast majority of gun owners don't bother and therefore can neither be considered highly trained or, by the author's definition, responsible.

 

Hunting weapons with 3 rounds max and revolvers only. Nothing in this piece or any other I've read that effectively counters such a policy proposal.

Edited January 15, 2013 by tvashtarkatena

[tvashtarkatena]

Did I forget to mention that Harris is the kind of Librul who advocates a nuclear first strike on Iran should they acquire the Bomb?

 

He's a strident atheist, though, so he must be OK - they all look alike, doncha know.

 

LOL

Edited January 15, 2013 by tvashtarkatena

[prole]

Don't you know in this day and age an endorsement of any sensible proposal should always be immediately followed up with, "BUT THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!!"

 

"Liberal" do-nothingism at its finest.

[tvashtarkatena]

Don't you know in this day and age an endorsement of any sensible proposal should always be immediately followed up with, "BUT THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!!"

 

"Liberal" do-nothingism at its finest.

 

Yup. Gay Weed comes to mind when I think of you, for example.

 

That must be why you only take on the REALLY BIG STUFF LIKE ENDING CAPITALISM!!!!!

Edited January 15, 2013 by tvashtarkatena

[prole]

How come no one used the "100,000 killed by improper handwashing" figure when discussing responses to 9/11? Missed a good opportunity there.

[tvashtarkatena]

Mr. Harris would like us all to know how bad he would feel about nuking all those innocent Iranians, however necessary it would be.

 

Big Ideas taking on Hard Problems without Fear of Consequences (on others).

 

ITS CALLED LIBRULISM.

[tvashtarkatena]

JayB attempting to channel liberalism reminds me of Galen/Galena, the transexual at my work who alternated from Streetwalker to Babushka when trying to figure out how he should dress as a woman during the year before his operation. Finally, after many painful experiments, some actual women took him aside out of pity and let him know that no, you don't have to carry your cute little patent leather purse at all times to properly display gender. The man's size 12 pumps didn't help much, either.

[prole]

I'm all for working with the Iranians, BUT THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!

 

 

 

[matt_warfield]

IF THOMAS PAINE WAS ALIVE TODAY HE WOULD ONLY POST IN CAPS!

And use quotes and underlines and special effects because words alone apparently have no meaning to many without without special powers.

Edited January 15, 2013 by matt_warfield

[JayB]

JayB attempting to channel liberalism reminds me of Galen/Galena, the transexual at my work who alternated from Streetwalker to Babushka when trying to figure out how he should dress as a woman during the year before his operation. Finally, after many painful experiments, some actual women took him aside out of pity and let him know that no, you don't have to carry your cute little patent leather purse at all times to properly display gender. The man's size 12 pumps didn't help much, either.

 

I believe that's how Mr. Harris self-identifies (secular liberal), but perhaps I'm mistaken.

 

Thanks for the comparison to your co-worker, though! The only reason I would disavow the comparison to openly transgendered people is that I've quite honestly never had to summon the kind of bravery and willpower that it takes them to contend with the kind of slights and derision they encounter every day of their lives.

 

I know it wasn't your intention, but I'm quite flattered. As a bonus, if I ever find myself overtaken by the inclination to identify as a woman, I also have several handy fashion tips to guide me. Patent leather purses are *strictly* a situational accessory. Got it.

[tvashtarkatena]

I humbly report, you decide.

 

And yes, all transgender people are, to a man, woman, and in-transit, brave and admirable - after all, they all look alike, no?

 

It's a brain structure thing. You can't help it, and that's cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim]

Given the psychological and social costs of certain low-frequency events, it does not seem irrational to allocate disproportionate resources to prevent them.

 

--While the author means to point to school shootings, this seems to be the crux of the "home defense' argument of arming as well. And the one I'm always wondering about -what are all these gun owners so chickenshit about? The boogey man?

 

A world without guns is one in which the most aggressive men can do more or less anything they want. It is a world in which a man with a knife can rape and murder a woman in the presence of a dozen witnesses, and none will find the courage to intervene.

 

What a bunch of BS. How about a baseball bat, a chair, a good kick in the head, a fire extinguisher, your old softball trophy, whatever! A dozen people - really?

[tvashtarkatena]

The home gun owners logic is:

 

"I'd rather have a gun and not need it than need it and not have it."

 

This does not entirely bound the problem though, does it? No accidental shootings? No spur of the moment shootings of passion when you discover Honey Bunny honing some other tool's handle? No impulsive suicides? No stolen weapons used in crimes after a burglary?

 

Nope. your house is perfect. because you're a Responsible Gun Owner .

 

Except when, as stats clearly show, you're not.

 

My logic is: the chance of a home shooting is GREATLY reduced if I don't keep any guns there.

 

My logic is, when the ocean's filled with gasoline, you outlaw matches. This American ocean, with all its stresses, psychosis, psychopathy, and drug abuse, is clearly filled with gas, IMO. Sorry, you don't get to play with military grade weapons.

 

Cry me a river.

 

Sure, I've got a home defense weapon - a 50 lb steel sculpture with 3 4" claws on top. I've got $5000 stashed away for the remodel damage it will do should I eventually attempt to throw it down the stairs at what mostly likely will be a criminally minded rattus rattus with it.

 

My first option is to yell "Take whatever you want, but the cops'll be here in a 2 minutes!" down the stairs. Think that wouldn't work? I've used it several times to get assholes abusing their women out of bars. Nobody likes to tussle wit da police - cuz dey gots all the guns and dey knows how to shoot em.

 

 

[JayB]

I humbly report, you decide.

 

And yes, all transgender people are, to a man, woman, and in-transit, brave and admirable - after all, they all look alike, no?

 

It's a brain structure thing. You can't help it, and that's cool.

 

 

They certainly don't *all* look alike! Some of them, like your co-worker, evidently commit untold numbers of fashion gaffes and faux-pas that their much more au courant co-workers can store away and make fun of later.

 

BTW - I'm several inches taller than my wife. If I ever feel compelled to follow Galen/Galena's lead, are high heels *always* out or are there special occasions where they'd be okay?