Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 20, 2012 at 8:03pm

You're the one who talks like a swinging dick in a dive bar.

Permalink Reply by James Cox on December 19, 2012 at 12:17pm

Sadly we can feel insecure at any age.

Permalink Reply by Gallup's Mirror on December 19, 2012 at 1:14am

You talk like a very aggressive person who pushes people around or bullies them in everyday life.

That's an ironic statement to make in the same thread where you cite your own smarts and level personal insults at those who disagree with you. 

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 19, 2012 at 9:45am

I would never say "I'm smart." If I cite I have background and experience in an area where it's relevant and apply logic to discussions, that is being aggressive and/or bullying? How is that? He does express himself like a boy, an observation I'm sure other adults here have thought.

Permalink Reply by Gallup's Mirror on December 19, 2012 at 11:03am

I would never say "I'm smart." 

No. But you would (and did) cite your membership in the too-smart-for-you club while belittling those who disagree. Your words:

"[H]ere at TA we're a little smarter than to fall for that one"

    were delivered in the same post that also included:  

"...it's rather, um, dumb to think that..."

   and most tellingly:

"...the arguments used by those opposed to gun ownership are almost invariably stupider than the ones used by the NRA..."

If I cite I have background and experience in an area where it's relevant and apply logic to discussions, that is being aggressive and/or bullying? How is that? 

You didn't "apply logic". You lied about my comments, accused me falsely of misrepresenting yours, added a couple of insults, and ducked when I asked you to explain your "sense".  I described this behavior previously as lacking integrity. Aggressive is less accurate but it'll do. 

He does express himself like a boy, an observation I'm sure other adults here have thought.

However he was expressing himself he treated you no worse in this exchange than you've been treating others. 

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 20, 2012 at 8:02pm

Well, gee, I'm sorry you see it that way.

Permalink Reply by James Cox on December 19, 2012 at 12:15pm

Do we need to draw a picture?

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 17, 2012 at 9:11am

There's always talk of gun control after a mass shooting and the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre in Connecticut is no different. I would be surprised, however, if two weeks from now any progress has been made on placing restrictions on gun ownership.

And even if, later, some legislation has been proposed and eventually enacted, I'd be surprised if much of the legislation survives the gauntlet of Federal Courts and ACLU. On June 28, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that strict handgun regulations in Chicago were unconstitutional. On a side note, Chicago has been experiencing a flood of gun murders this year. 

Now, the ACLU's policy is that it takes no position on gun control one way or the other. A closer look (here on a site run by gun control opponents), reveals that they tend to agree with gun control. HOWEVER, when it comes to requiring psychological evaluations, which many people want purchasers to pass before buying a gun, I suspect they will draw a line there even if they won't oppose other restrictions.

Personally, I'm not opposed to gun control. I just don't think it'll help much. It will be about as effective as our laws against exceeding the speed limit or smoking pot.

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 17, 2012 at 9:13am

Here's something seldom discussed about gun control laws. They are almost entirely about purchasing and owning guns. 

If you want to massacre people, you don't need to own the gun, you just need to HAVE it! A lot of inner city mayhem is done with stolen guns, and the Sandy Hook shooter shot up the school with a gun he didn't own. His mother did.

Permalink Reply by Marc on December 17, 2012 at 2:54pm

Great point. We are discussing what is epidemic type problem and we are discussing anecdotal examples, idea skeeting, and single solutions instead of using all available options to approach a multifaceted issue.

Perhaps the mother was simply exercising her Constitution right to bear arms. Perhaps she did not feel comfortable or safe in her house with out a gun. Perhaps she liked to hunt or target shoot. Whatever her motivations, I would like to see how difficult it was for this kid to get to the guns, and if it was easy, then she does not appear qualified, trained or have the common sense to handle guns at her house. If she didn't feel comfortable in her own home with out a gun well that's seems ridiculous to me. I have an aluminum baseball bat and feel quite comfortable not having to go further than that. So lets address the cultural issues that people insist on having a gun when there is no reasonable statistical need or likelihood that you would ever need to use it in a deadly force scenario.

If I hear home invasion mentioned one more time I'm going to puke. The low statistical likelihood of that happening to you, the lower statistical likelihood the the guy won't just take your shit and leave, and the even lower statistical likelihood that it will end in your death or the death of a family member, does not seem to weigh very logically against 10 million gun sales in 2011 and 31,347 gun deaths in 2011.

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 17, 2012 at 9:20am

I wonder if there's any reason why the bulk of kids the shooter shot were little girls? 

ALL of the dead teachers are female, but I suppose in any typical elementary school most of the teachers would be female, so that's less remarkable.

Permalink Reply by Unseen on December 17, 2012 at 9:29am

There's always talk of gun control after a mass shooting and the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre in Connecticut is no different. I would be surprised, however, if two weeks from now any progress has been made on placing restrictions on gun ownership.

And even if, later, some legislation has been proposed and later enacted, I'd be surprised if much of the legislation survives the gauntlet of Federal Courts and ACLU.

Now, the ACLU's policy is that it takes no position on gun control one way or the other. A closer look (here on a site run by gun control opponents), reveals that they tend to agree with gun control. HOWEVER, when it comes to requiring psychological evaluations, which many people want purchasers to pass before buying a gun, I suspect they will draw a line there even if they won't oppose other restrictions.

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