Captain... Posted 8 June 2013 Posted 8 June 2013 I hate seeing this thread get bumped, it usually means more wasted lives by nutters with guns.
Jordan Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 I hate seeing this thread get bumped, it usually means more wasted lives by nutters with guns. Joe Nocera's blog on The New York Times' website Is a better way to keep track of all this, if anyone is interested (although I hope for a day where Nocera doesn't have to post).
Harry - LCFC Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 Seen this chart before, fascinating stuff. Most interesting for me is that, despite all the American pride in their treasured capitalism, US citizens actually want a significantly more 'socialist' distribution of wealth than what currently exists. Actually, I might make a thread just on this video, it's that important. Of course you're welcome to do so yourself, don't let me steal your limelight!
sphericalfox Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 Seen this chart before, fascinating stuff. Most interesting for me is that, despite all the American pride in their treasured capitalism, US citizens actually want a significantly more 'socialist' distribution of wealth than what currently exists. Actually, I might make a thread just on this video, it's that important. Of course you're welcome to do so yourself, don't let me steal your limelight! I'm not precious, fire away.
Guest Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 Joe Nocera's blog on The New York Times' website Is a better way to keep track of all this, if anyone is interested (although I hope for a day where Nocera doesn't have to post). That's depressing to say the least.
Captain... Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 Joe Nocera's blog on The New York Times' website Is a better way to keep track of all this, if anyone is interested (although I hope for a day where Nocera doesn't have to post). That is pretty grim reading.
Fox in the North Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 Some of the comments are even worse if you're willing to read through them.
Jordan Posted 9 June 2013 Posted 9 June 2013 Some of the comments are even worse if you're willing to read through them.I was thinking this while reading Nocera's blog last week. It's rather unusual, because nytimes.com comment sections are almost always level-headed, and moderated well.
I am Rod Hull Posted 10 June 2013 Posted 10 June 2013 Joe Nocera's blog on The New York Times' website Is a better way to keep track of all this, if anyone is interested (although I hope for a day where Nocera doesn't have to post). "According to Slate’s gun-death tracker, an estimated 4,849 people have died as a result of gun violence in America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012". Pathetic...
Carl the Llama Posted 10 June 2013 Posted 10 June 2013 "According to Slate’s gun-death tracker, an estimated 4,849 people have died as a result of gun violence in America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012". Pathetic... The UK has roughly 1/5 the population of the US, so that equates to +-970 gun deaths in the UK. In 6 months. The most recent data I can find on google for UK gun deaths is 155 in 2010. So in 6 months 4 months (I've just looked at the time stamp on Rod Hull's link) they've managed 6.25 times the relative number of gun deaths that we have in a year. What are you doing USA? USA stahp!
purpleronnie Posted 10 June 2013 Posted 10 June 2013 The UK has roughly 1/5 the population of the US, so that equates to +-970 gun deaths in the UK. In 6 months. The most recent data I can find on google for UK gun deaths is 155 in 2010. So in 6 months 4 months (I've just looked at the time stamp on Rod Hull's link) they've managed 6.25 times the relative number of gun deaths that we have in a year. What are you doing USA? USA stahp! Gun deaths in the UK have fallen a lot...51 last year I believe. Gun ownership has increased.
davieG Posted 7 July 2013 Posted 7 July 2013 http://www.realfarmacy.com/man-shot-dead-by-police-while-watering-neighbors-lawn/#g0Ad2EyroI7d4v5K.01 Here is a perfect example of the citizen spy culture taking root in the USA with the “If you see something, say something†program encouraged by Homeland Security. A 911 call apparently was made after a neighbor mistakenly interpreted a man sitting on a porch as a “drunk with a gun.†Officers arrived, ready for battle, and the man was killed . . . while watering his neighbor’s lawn KTLA Long Beach “Copsâ€, or “Police†Murder 35 year old Long Beach man for watering lawn in Long Beach upscaleneighborhood Belmont Shore. A neighbor called the LBPD about a man with a gun that was sittingin a lawn chair on a friends front lawn with what appeared to be a firearm. Police admit not following procedure.The 35 year old subject was not ordered to drophis firearm (garden hose) before LBPD shot and killed him.
purpleronnie Posted 7 July 2013 Posted 7 July 2013 http://www.realfarmacy.com/man-shot-dead-by-police-while-watering-neighbors-lawn/#g0Ad2EyroI7d4v5K.01 Here is a perfect example of the citizen spy culture taking root in the USA with the “If you see something, say something†program encouraged by Homeland Security. A 911 call apparently was made after a neighbor mistakenly interpreted a man sitting on a porch as a “drunk with a gun.†Officers arrived, ready for battle, and the man was killed . . . while watering his neighbor’s lawn KTLA Long Beach “Copsâ€, or “Police†Murder 35 year old Long Beach man for watering lawn in Long Beach upscale neighborhood Belmont Shore. A neighbor called the LBPD about a man with a gun that was sitting in a lawn chair on a friends front lawn with what appeared to be a firearm. Police admit not following procedure. The 35 year old subject was not ordered to drop his firearm (garden hose) before LBPD shot and killed him. Says more about idiot cops .
OzFox Posted 7 July 2013 Posted 7 July 2013 Says more about idiot cops . They might have been a tad hasty, but the bloke was drunk and pointing the pistol grip of a hose at them which they mistook for a gun. Probably not a bright idea on his part. The family recently got a $6.5m payout
Rincewind Posted 7 July 2013 Posted 7 July 2013 Let it be a warning to anyone with a tool jit not to get drunk in the vicinity of a cop.
bovril Posted 7 July 2013 Posted 7 July 2013 Oh come on, who hasn't had a few beers and pretended your hose is a lethal weapon? (stop smirking at the back)
BoneDog Posted 8 July 2013 Posted 8 July 2013 What a twat that Michael Moore is. Saw a clip of him the other day where he was saying that white Americans who have guns are racists. Him and that other goon Maddow have got the liberals eating out of their hands. Michael Moore - "It's ok for my bodyguards to break the law and have weapons in prohibited places, but little Americans who have legal firearms can suck my dick. WE'RE COMING FOR YOUR GUNS LITTLE MAN." I've heard he's even got big shares in some weapon manufacturer or something. GO TO HELL, HYPOCRITE SCUM.
sphericalfox Posted 8 July 2013 Posted 8 July 2013 http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/06/have-we-all-been-fooled-by-edward-snowden/ soz the cut and paste isn't great. At this point, the Edward Snowden saga seems to be running out of steam. The latest is that Venezuela and Nicaragua (out of at least 27 countries he asked) have offered him asylum so the story is almost at an end for now. The U.S. government will probably keep trying t0 Through this whole business, I’ve remained of two minds about Snowden’s tale. While I am certain that what he has reported is true, I’m unsure of motivation. With what I have just read, though, I think I’m getting a clearer picture. One I will try to paint for you. Snowden used to post on a website called Ars Technica: it’s a site for professional techies (“alpha geeks†is what the site says). He frequented the Internet Relay Chat rooms quite a lot, shooting the breeze with whoever happened by. This began when he was stationed in Geneva in 2007: an IT guy for the CIA in a foreign land, he probably enjoyed this little bit of home. His posts – under user name TheTrueHOOHA – from that time show someone who is decidedly unworldly: he complained about almost everything in Switzerland, from the price of food to the women. Over the years, he changed from an insulated, opinionated American into an opinionated, snarky ex-pat. One of the biggest changes in his opinions is what he thought of leakers. Back then, he was not a fan. In January of 2009, the following exchange took place in the chat room: Well, he’s sure done a switch since then, eh? I bet he would rather that his balls remain unshot now. He went so far as to wish the NYT would go bankrupt. He also had no problem with Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program, saying: SNOWDEN: HOLY SHIThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/washington/11iran.html?_r=1&hp SNOWDEN: WTF NYTIMES SNOWDEN: Are they TRYING to start a war? Jesus christ they’re like wikileaks User19: they’re just reporting, dude. SNOWDEN: They’re reporting classified shit User19: shrugs User19: meh SNOWDEN: moreover, who the **** are the anonymous sources telling them this? SNOWDEN: those people should be shot in the balls. He was gung-ho for it when Bush was president. Which brings up an interesting point: his opinion of such programs abruptly changed when Barack Obama took office. In the chat room, which Ars Technica calls “Officially unofficial†– the online equivalent to “the back room occupied by drinkers who feel the front (of the bar) is just too stuffy for them,†Snowden felt free to speak his mind even if everyone in the room would disagree with him. And he could be ugly about it. SNOWDEN: these are the same people who blew the whole “we could listen to osama’s cell phone†thing the same people who screwed us on wiretapping over and over and over again [sic] Thank god they’re going out of business. User19: the NYT? SNOWDEN: Hopefully they’ll finally go bankrupt this year.yeah. Snowden revealed that he was a Ron Paul supporter and championed a return to the gold standard along with short selling stocks. Social issues also reveal a Libertarian bent when it came to personal freedoms. He also bought into Obama conspiracy theories such as the one that said Obama was going to devalue U.S. currency, leading to higher unemployment, something he saw as a “correction†and “a necessary part of capitalism.†His disdain of President Obama and his policies was apparent and he bitched about them with “increasing frequency.†But there are two issues where, I believe, where Snowden’s true colors shine very clearly. This is one: “**** old people� An objectivist view if ever there was one. The other issue is the Second Amendment: SNOWDEN: save money? cut this social security bullshit User11: hahahayes User18: Yeah! **** old people! User11: social security is bullshit User11: let’s just toss old people out in the street User18: Old people could move in with [user11]. User11: NOOO User11: they smell funny SNOWDEN: Somehow, our society managed to make it hundreds of years without social security just fine SNOWDEN: you ****ing retards SNOWDEN: Magically the world changed after the new deal, and old people became made of glass SNOWDEN: yeah, that makes sense User11: wow User11: you are just so ****ing stupid SNOWDEN: yeah, [user11]. and you’re quite a gem User19: and magically, life expectancy has doubled in the last 100 years.funny how that works. SNOWDEN: [user19], you don’t think modern medicine has something to do with that? no? it’s social security? wow. I guess I missed that. User11: hurr wait a second, life expectancy has shot up in recent times along with the dissolution of the communal family unit in exchange for the nuclear family User11: gee i guess we might need to create a safety net for the sudden glut of helpless elderly???? SNOWDEN: they wouldn’t be ****ing helpless if you weren’t sending them ****ing checks to sit on their ass and lay in hospitals all day User11: you are so goddamned stupd*pid User11: PUT OLD PEOPLE TO WORK IN THE FIELDS SNOWDEN: my grandmother is eighty ****ing three this year, and you know what? she still supports herself working as a goddamned hairdresser Very interesting. Snowden is a gun nut as well as an Obama hater. He also has been an outspoken advocate of the very thing he has become famous for revealing, cheering the security state network and insisting that it needed funding, even in the face of draconian budget cuts. He was particularly upset by Obama’s choice for the head of the CIA: User: the restrictions were made to appease the conservatives to get another bill passed. ****ing cons. SNOWDEN: See, that’s why I’m goddamned glad for the second amendment. Me and all my lunatic, gun-toting NRA compatriots would be on the steps of Congress before the C-Span feed finished. SNOWDEN: Obama just appointed a ****ing POLITICIAN to run the CIA! User11: yes unlike every other director of CIA ever User11: oh wait, no SNOWDEN: I am so angry right now. This is completely unbelievable. Ars Technica has opened a new forum thread called Edward Snowden—NSA Leaker and Arsian (does anyone know what ‘arsian’ means?) where users who remember interactions with Snowden are not very complimentary. One wrote, “He was kind of dick.†Posts like this make a good argument for his dickishness: “The fact that you’re posting on a gaming forum makes me cry. I hope someone tosses you in a burlap sack and beats you with reeds. You’re a filthy little ragamuffin who lacks any semblance of taste. You loved Halo and own an Xbox. You pre-ordered “Mary-Kate and Ashley: Sweet 16 Licensed To Drive.†You are the sole reason I write these posts. I hope you’re killed by a drunk driver on Halloween.†This new information has me pondering exactly who this guy is: is he the concerned whistle-blower? Or did he have an ulterior motive to spill what he did? His background isn’t really CIA or NSA material, so say a few people I’ve spoken to who actually have worked for a government contractor. So why was he hired? And why did he pick now to speak out? This has never smelled right to me, which is why I have withheld judgement. But these new revelations create even more questions. Is this whole thing a ruse to make the President look bad? If so, who is funding it – who is paying for all his travel and hotels? Or is Edward Snowden, a man who has completely destroyed his own life, just stupid? I still don’t know but this new information gives me a lot to think about. How about you? Read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/06/have-we-all-been-fooled-by-edward-snowden/#ixzz2YTk4coo9
Guest ttfn Posted 16 September 2013 Posted 16 September 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24114927
purpleronnie Posted 16 September 2013 Posted 16 September 2013 Law allowing the blind to carry guns: Pro-guns gone too far By Robin Abcarian September 12, 2013, 6:00 p.m. Except for intermittent floods and quadrennial presidential contests, Iowa doesn’t generally make a lot of news. But people around the world in general, and CNN’s Piers Morgan in particular, went crazy this week after Iowa's premier newspaper, the Des Moines Register, published a story about how the state’s new gun law allows blind people to own and carry firearms in public. You read right: Blind people may not be able to drive to the gun store, or even sign the permit application without assistance, but they may legally carry a gun in public. The Register story, which included video of a blind Altoona man named Michael Barber gun shopping with his wife, was part of a much bigger series that looked at the effect of the state’s new gun law, which prohibits sheriffs from denying weapons permits except in very limited cases. Previously in Iowa, sheriff’s could deny gun permits at their discretion. Jason Clayworth, the Register reporter who wrote the series, told me he got interested in the new law after watching Iowa lawmakers ram the legislation through in 2010. “I knew from sitting in a few legislative meetings on this bill that legislators had overlooked tons of issues,†Clayworth said in an email. “And I felt like the bill had been unbelievably rushed, especially considering the gravity of the issue.†Because there was no clearinghouse for gun information in Iowa, Clayworth had to contact each of Iowa’s 99 sheriffs, often more than once, to ferret out the effects of the law. He discovered that in the two years after the law’s enactment, 99.6% of gun permit applications had been approved. And though the law requires training in the handling and use of firearms, Clayworth discovered that for many Iowans, that training consists of a free, online course offered by the state of Maryland that involves no shooting practice at all. He also discovered that background checks on mentally ill are nearly impossible to perform, that law enforcement has no way to verify whether a permit is legitimate and that people who have committed violent acts or sex offenses are sometimes allowed to buy and carry guns. (There’s a video interview with one convicted sex offender who demonstrates how he tucks his gun under his shirt to conceal it.) But of course, it was the stories about blind people carrying guns that got the most attention. The idea seems so insane on its face. But is it? Many defend the right of disabled people to carry weapons, saying a prohibition would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. Others, including some advocates for the blind, think it’s not such a great idea. One defender, Cedar County, Iowa, Sheriff Warren Wethington, says he can teach a blind person to safely use a gun. In a Register video, Wethington coached his 18-year-old sight-impaired daughter Bethany as she shot a handgun at a couple of targets in a barren field. She didn't do badly, but she was standing kind of close to the white targets. “Obviously there are limitations,†Wethington told the Register. “They’re not going to be able to defend themselves against every situation, but then again, a sighted person can’t either. If we had some sort of a conflict in a dark room, you’re not going to be able to do anything that a blind person couldn’t.†If blind people want to hunt or shoot targets with seeing companions to guide them, by all means, they should be allowed to do so. This is America, dammit. Everybody gets to shoot a gun. But should a blind person be out in the public square carrying a gun for protection? No. Please. Get a German shepherd, not a Glock.
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