I agree.
To me, the argument comes down to those who are afraid of guns versus those who are wary of criminals, to those who trust in the basic goodness of their fellow man versus those who put their trust in their own judgement and abilities.
They couldn't sort out the pansy without a test?
You have certainly made a lot of mistakes. The first rule is never to give the ragh...
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My rule is to never use that term. Another is not to lump a group of people into a category based on an article I read.
Jim
ISTR both are correct, like gaol and jail. And in the grocery aisle, it isn't JELLO brand Jelatin, it is Gelatin.
I see it used both ways routinely, and both are understood. And I don't really care what the dictionaries say- they are supposed to follow real world, not the other way around.
And the more our abilities deteriorate, the more we have to depend on judgment. Discretion being the better part of valor, I now go out of my way to avoid people and situations where I think the chances of violence are greater than average. Unless I pay a lot of money for a course and a CCL, or deal with the public blowback from carrying openly, sidearms are not an option is this state. My office is a DMZ by federal edict, and I'm not about to leave a firearm in a parked vehicle in that part of town, even inside the perimeter. So, guns are really not a useful option for me in my daily routine.
It's lucky I'm large and scary looking- even when I was young and strong my skill sets for physical self-defense were less than optimal. I could probably count on one hand the times I actually felt physically threatened by anyone, and none of them resulted in anything worse than shoving. Being a meek teddy bear at heart, I of course have never knowingly tried to intimidate anyone else.
I'm not afraid of guns, and even still have a few around here somewhere. But short of an extended vacation to an isolated area, my shooting days are likely over. And I would have to be in pants-wetting fear for my life, or the life of another, to even think about drawing down on someone with a loaded weapon. I can't even clean fish.
I can't find an online dictionary the condones, or even recognizes, "gell."
In my former job, policy was developed for _Calculated Use of Force_. It was like a stair step so to speak. Usually starts with passive resistance. The guy sits down and poses no real threat. No need for force at that point (sit there and get hungry). We called in others that tried to convince him his ways were fruitless (Chaplain, Counselor, Psychologist that kind of stuff).
As his resistance escalated up the "steps", the use of force also went up (physical resistance). Only if the guy became a deadly threat would the use of deadly force be used.
I still live by those notions/training today.
Oh, I agree. The fire department people tell us they routinely are called to fires where the battery had been removed from the smoke detector! The residents routinely say the beeping (meaning low battery) was driving them nuts.
However, "J", the original poster to whom I responded, I deduced to be an educated and cautious person (hey! he posts here with intelligent and reasoned arguments), so I computed he probably had a fire extinguisher.
How about "gel"? ;-)
I think all people who are anti-gun should post such on a sign in their front lawn.
"HeyBub" wrote
"Trust but verify."
- Ronaldus Magnus Reagan -
"Oren" wrote
A friend of mine is a marshall. He has a German Shepherd, Bennie, who cost the taxpayers of your county $24,000. My friend flew to Germany to get Bennie.
They had a sitdown strike among the Asian gang at the Correctional Center there on Stewart.
The spokesman for the gang sat down in the middle of the floor, and there was a standoff. My friend came with his dog. He asked the protester to comply. The protester refused.
He walked up to the protester with Bennie right there, just off alert. He knelt down and said very quietly in the protesters ear, "You have the choice to quietly get up and take your friends back to your cells, or I am going to let my dog eat your face off."
He stood up and backed off a few feet. In that culture, to be bettered by a dog would be a disgrace. My friend knew that.
He got up, and signaled, and they all went back peacably to their cells.
A demonstration of your order of Calculated Use of Force.
Steve
Make it a law and claim it's to protect the children that homes without guns should post such a notice. In that way criminals,.. I mean children will know it's safe to set foot on that property. :-)
TDD
Good point. How about Popocatepetl? Or phlegm?
Besides, "Gel" is a noun. Harry used "gell" as a verb. Substituting a noun directly for a verb doesn't work. True, one can convert a verb to a noun (it becomes a verbal), but it takes a different form, usually the gerund form by adding "-ing" to the noun. For example: "Swimming is good exercise." Here, "swim," a verb, is converted into a noun by adding "-ing".
But converting a noun (e.g., "gel") to a verb is trickier and usually results in something contrived, artificial, and just plain wrong ("We need to dialog").
There you go. Now, since you got every kid at the range, it only makes sense to have them join the NRA and buy their own firearms too. Firearms training shouldn't be taken lightly. And *no sense* teaching the kids something just once. Without refreshers, they'll forget. Accidents waiting to happen. Instead of not thinking about guns when it's appropriate to do so, think about them all the time. Think about the boogeymen out to get you too. That's how fear works. It's an NRA/gun dealer wet dream. Excuse me for not buying in. Just not fearful of guns. And I don't need one. Sorry. If I ever think I do, well, I'll just go get one. Or five. I'm probably still a Marksman. And my kids never needed gun training of any kind except "Run." My decision as a parent. Don't need gov commies aligning with the gun/NRA industry telling me how to parent. This is America, not Switzerland. Home of the free.
This reminds me of that on-line gun dealer who sold to 3 different mass murderers, including the VA Tech scum who killed 32 students. Afterwards he visited the VA Tech campus to make a speech about how students should be allowed to carry. And he'd give them a discount. Priceless. Capitalism at work. I love America. He had police protection because they were afraid a parent or friend of a dead student would shoot him. hehe.
While I'm here I'll mention a few comments by knee-jerkers. Accused me of being a Dem and grandpappy being anti-gun. Neither is true. Since I'm collecting SS, that makes me a Socialist. Just like everybody else drawing SS.
And grandpappy just plain didn't want me using his gun tool. He liked that tool just fine. If he wanted me to kill the wild cats he would have shown me how to use the gun tool. But he did that himself, then quit raising chickens, then he died. So there was no need to waste time on that. Only a damn fool wastes time for no purpose.
Another said he wouldn't allow me to own a gun. Yanik, I think. Wants to deny me 2nd Amendment rights. But that's how knee-jerking commies always act, so I take no offense. They can't help themselves.
--Vic
You are absolutely correct in that there are two different types of hunters; those who do it out of necessity or because of a combination of frugality and an enjoyment of the sport, and those who do it primarily because they enjoy it and don't care about the CBA.
I personally think that both have equal right to hunt as they see fit, although obviously opinions vary.
nate
Recently, I bought a dictionary at a yard sale that is a full six inches thick. Webster's New Twentieth Century Second Unabridged edition. I got it for a buck at a yard sale, and it is in new condition.
As a kid, I used to look at dictionaries in our house, and just learn and read. I find this one fascinating, and am going to make a lectern type stand for it so that I may refer to it, and my grandchildren can use it. They are fascinated with those types of books.
It can all get deep. I had four years of high school English, and a couple of college. But still, in normal conversation, the meaning of what is being said is generally grasped, and the message conveyed. Look at all the new words and acronyms that have come to life every year for the last few decades. Drive-by. When I was a kid, I would have thought that meant a drive-in restaurant or movie that people didn't like. Today, five year olds know what it means, and what happens there.
But I do love post mortem discussions of Usenet and Internet conversations and postings. And I love to photograph public misuses of English.
In LA - big professionally made sign 3' high and 30' long ...........
"STATIONARY STORE". Didn't have my camera ready in the cab. Missed it. Of course it's stationary. Where could it go?
Steve
Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.
Thank you 'Bub! A correct deduction (on all counts) - I do have a fire extinguisher (several). Though I should probably get another smoke detector or two and change the batteries in the ones I have. DD just brought home one of those fire safety reminders from school.
You cite a large number for "home invasions". Not sure if that number is correct, it may be. I don't deny that there are a lot of burglaries, etc. But a vast majority of those will occur when no one is at home. And if you are at home when an "invasion" occurs and have a loaded weapon at the ready and the invader does too, you are probably more likely to end up dead instead of just robbed than if you were unarmed (granted that you are also more likely to end up un- robbed than robbed). And if you reach for your gun every time you hear a suspicious noise, you're more likely to end up with an accidental shooting. Sure, you decrease your chances of being robbed (though minimally, since most robberies will occur when you're not at home), but you are increasing your chances of being shot - either accidentally when no criminal is involved, or during an encounter with a criminal.
I'm not just some guy with his head in the sand that thinks bad things never happen or can't happen to me, I just think that having a gun around to protect against such things actually increases the odds of something bad happening - on average. I'm still looking for the numbers and I'll post if I can find them - even if they disprove me.
There seems to be a culture of fear in our country that makes people think they really need a gun for protection. I think the actual risks are overblown. Some have said that I (or folks like me) have an irrational fear of guns. I wouldn't put it that way, but I definitely try to be overly cautious when guns are involved. I would turn that around though and say that many gun-toters have an irrational fear that is the result of overestimating their chances of being a victim.
Having a gun in your pocket will also make you more likely to take risks that you wouldn't otherwise take, thinking that you're protected
- and ironically make you less safe.
I doubt that this issue will be resolved, and I doubt that even if I find the numbers I'm looking for that they would be accepted by both sides. I'm sure that the NRA and anti-gun groups (and probably you and I) would have completely different interpretations of the same numbers.
I'm afraid I'll have to get back to my regularly scheduled work now.
-J
You may not be able to "just go get one."
Depending on the jurisdiction, you may have a waiting period of five to thirty days (e.g., California, Florida). After you get your Firearm Owner's Identification card(s) (e.g., Massachusetts, New York). Even if there is no waiting period in your state, you still may get hit with a five-day wait on the NICS system.
As for getting "five," in some jurisdictions (e.g., Virginia, Maryland) you're limited to one gun a month.
In my state (Texas), however, as in many others, there is no waiting period, registration, or FOID card required. If someone in my state has a concealed handgun license, there is no NICS check either - you just put your money on the counter and take the gun (there is one small form the gun shop has to fill out and keep).
In Illinois it's 30 days for FOID and 72 hour wait for handgun. Last time I needed a piece - didn't trust my lover's husband - I had one in an hour - unregistered. Took one phone call. There's hundreds of millions floating around. When you're fearful, rules don't matter.
--Vic
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