Armed America

[Aliantha]

Don't worry about it Maggie. It's not worth my time bothering with you.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Don't worry about it Maggie. It's not worth my time bothering with you.

You posted "And your point is?" and "Ditto." in two consecutive posts. Prior to that were three of my posts replying to three other comments in the thread, each identified with an excerpted quote. Each post had a point you either might have missed ("And your point is?"), or agreed with ("Ditto.").

If you can't be bothered to write clearly, then at least try not to clutter up the thread with unintelligible noise, and then blame the resulting confusion on others.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Well, Ali, you just admitted defeat: "it's not worth my time" is left-code for "my idea can't persuade you, for you've got the better one."

And we know this even if you don't or can't. We understand BBS psychology and human shiftiness.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

Well, Ali, you just admitted defeat: "it's not worth my time" is left-code for "my idea can't persuade you, for you've got the better one."

And we know this even if you don't or can't. We understand BBS psychology and human shiftiness.

No, that's not it UG. I'm not responsible for teaching Maggie basic comprehension of text. If she can't understand what's clearly written before her, she'll need to go get herself an education elsewhere.

[Flint]

If she can't understand what's clearly written before her...

You mean this?

ditto

[Ibby]

There's a biiiig difference between "my idea can't persuade you, for you've got the better one." and "my idea can't persuade you, for you've convinced yourself far past rational arguments can"...

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Ibram

There's a biiiig difference between "my idea can't persuade you, for you've got the better one." and "my idea can't persuade you, for you've convinced yourself far past rational arguments can"...

Indeed there is. I know it, and you are yet not big enough a man, being but fifteen, to credit me with knowing it -- simply because I annoy you. That's all-important to you right now.

This is the difference between adolescence and, oh, about twenty-two... been there, done that. You'll probably do about the same.

Rational arguments are indeed the only kind that do convince. I am, quite rationally, persuaded that gun banners' efforts, if successful, will help kill my descendants -- but if unsuccessful, my descendants will not die in pogroms.

Don't seek for evil where it is not, laddie. You'll get laughed at, and head-wagged, and get derisive fingers pointed in your direction.

[Ibby]

Guns don't scare me. People who are obsessed with them do, the same way that corpses dont scare me but people who fuck them do. Anyone who is that downright religious about their guns just puts me on edge, makes me wary, the same way someone who raises pit bulls or carries chainsaws does. They may be perfectly sane, but if they turn out not to be, or flip out, or convince themselves that all 'communists' need to die...
Fuck.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Ibram

Guns don't scare me. People who are obsessed with them do...

Obviously you don't find all obsessions about guns equally objectionable. :-) Somehow I don't think my refusal to surrender my weapons to people who seem obsessed with disarming me rises to an obsession itself.

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

Obviously you don't find all obsessions about guns equally objectionable. :-) Somehow I don't think my refusal to surrender my weapons to people who seem obsessed with disarming me rises to an obsession itself.

Actually, I really do - as I've said before, I'm anti-gun as far as the concept of a weapon to kill people with is concerned... but I still believe it's your right to have one.
People obsessed with them on both sides of the argument have an unnatural and, to me, somewhat creepy fixation that i find disconcerting... though admittedly, I'm less worried about a gun control freak shooting me than a gun ownership freak.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Ibram

I'm less worried about a gun control freak shooting me than a gun ownership freak.

A "gun control freak" will disarm you so *someone else* can shoot you--or otherwise assault you--with impunity. A "gun ownership freak" thinks you should be allowed to decide for yourself whether you will have the ability to defend yourself if that happens. You're a hell of a lot safer from a legal gun owner than you are from a criminal.

Of course, if you're currently in a jurisdiction where the state has already disarmed the law-abiding, it's rather academic. Where are you, again?

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

A "gun control freak" will disarm you so *someone else* can shoot you--or otherwise assault you--with impunity. A "gun ownership freak" thinks you should be allowed to decide for yourself whether you will have the ability to defend yourself if that happens. You're a hell of a lot safer from a legal gun owner than you are from a criminal.

Of course, if you're currently in a jurisdiction where the state has already disarmed the law-abiding, it's rather academic. Where are you, again?

I dont (and won't) have a gun, so I'm not worried about someone taking it away. But someone without a gun isn't going to be very likely to shoot me, either. Simple logic, maggie - someone with 30 guns is a teeny tiny bit more likely to shoot me than someone without any, simply by the fact that the person without them CAN'T. Talking the two extremes here, that is. Now, the mugger down the street with a Colt .45 is a LOT more dangerous than the reasonable, sane person with fifteen different kinds of assault rifles, but... thats a different matter.


In Taiwan, there's madatory military service at 20, but no private gun ownership... or at least, veryveryvery little, if any. But crime is almost non-existant here -- maybe a holdover from the fact that only 20 or so years ago, this was a military dictatorship? Beats me.

[Shawnee123]

Wildly different standards? Do you know *me*? Do you have a close relationship with *me* and understand my *viewpoints*?

Can you shove astericks up your *ass*?

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Wildly different standards? Do you know *me*?

The observation about "different standards" wasn't addressed to you, it referred to Elspode's demurrer that you somehow hadn't spread misinformation. The standards in question are Elspode's.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

The observation about "different standards" wasn't addressed to you, it referred to Elspode's demurrer that you somehow hadn't spread misinformation. The standards in question are Elspode's.

Wow, that's impressive Maggie. You managed to figure out Shawnee was talking to you, even if you hadn't made it clear who you were addressing in the first place!

You're comming along nicely I see. Congratulations. Keep up the good work.