reply to post by C.C.Benjamin
OK, OK, stop it please! I've been battling hysterical bouts of laughter for a good 10 minutes after reading your post, and I can just now manage to
get my fingers to operate right...
You definitely have the gift of sarcasm! But back on topic:
I am not a warrior. I am a man. I am a man who has lived a very interesting and eventful life, through no fault of my own that I can fathom. I grew up
dirt poor, but had a very happy childhood in spite of it. I had a rough time in school, and learned some hard lessons there. Things like being aware
of your surroundings, knowing with a glance who is and is not dangerous to me at that moment, how to fight, and more importantly IMHO, how to avoid
fighting.
I have had two successful careers in my life, separated by a period of extreme indigence and torment. Even now, I am attempting to start another. Each
time, I learn more about life and about humanity. That storehouse of knowledge sitting between my ears is my most prized possession, but also one I
desire desperately to share with others. Knowledge, like love, is something that does not decrease when you give it away.
Yes, I can disarm the average attacker. Yes, I know several ways to incapacitate, or even kill, another human. I also know how to start a fire from
sticks, build a house, fix a car, build a radio, distill alcohol, purify water, operate most heavy equipment, drive a semi, and sooth a crying
child.
I am, however, not just a warrior, just as I am not just a survivalist, a carpenter, a mechanic, a technician, a moonshiner, an operator, a truck
driver, nor just a father even. I am a man, capable of learning and applying knowledge from all walks of life.
From my observations of human behavior, I would hazard a guess that you are afraid, no, terrified of the future. What will happen to you tomorrow?
Will you be attacked by someone bigger, stronger, or even worse, someone with a gun? I would hazard to guess that you are fearful of many other things
- religious intolerance, losing your job, fire, floods, earthquakes, storms... and death. The commonality here is fear. The enemy, the only true
enemy, is fear. I hope that someday you will realize this, in time to overcome this dreadful enemy that stalks us all at times (yes, even me).
(and I saw your later post, to paraphrase: "when I have my gun, people move out of my way in the street")

You took that as some sort of warning of my so-called military prowess? That was what I considered to be an amusing anecdote, amusing because of
the reaction others had to someone who was simply caught in a unique situation. Really, you should lighten up and enjoy life a bit more.
As a normal bloke, I'm saying I'd rather be given the chance to run.
Nope, running away should be banned. It only causes people to chase you.
See how silly it is to decree how others should handle a threatening situation?
Congratulations, you are officially the only nation in history to require military assistance from the French.
This just got you a star.
Shouldn't you be issuing guns to everyone who doesn't have them? Because, this could happen AT ANY TIME. Think about it. You might wake up
tomorrow with American tanks rolling down your street and gibbering on at you in some weird, northern tongue, perhaps as far north as New York, and
you'll be thinking "frack! Why didn't we arm everyone yesterday to protect us from the fascist government we put into power?"
OMG! The Yankees are attacking! To arms! To arms!
Actually, I believe that an armed society
is a polite society. Here where I live, out away from 'civilization', everyone is armed. I walk
around all day knowing in my heart that anyone I meet probably has a gun on him, loaded and ready. But you see, I also know that he knows I probably
have one as well. It never 'ends badly'; we have almost no crime here (the last 'robbery' was in the 1980s). I go off and leave doors unlocked all
the time. So do my neighbors. Oh, sure, occasionally you'll hear of someone trying to steal something and realizing the error of their ways (very
rarely do they even get shot, but they DO get the solid waste products scared out of them).
The reason we have no crime is because we are not criminals. We are individuals who understand the concept of fairness and equality. If I want to be
able to live my life in peace, I have to allow others around me to do the same. If I want to be free from tyranny, I cannot bring it to bear against
others. If I want to be free from crime, I must commit no crime myself. These are simple principles, but they are principles that 'society' has
forgotten.
If you want to be free from fear, you must not instill fear in others. Arguing that guns should be banned instills fear in many. So your own actions
are ultimately leading to the things you fear.
Isn't that why you don't have kings or parliaments? Just an elite, almost absolute-power-wielding family at the top?
Are you trying to argue for guns or against them? This (admitted) abuse of power is exactly why we have the right to keep and bear arms. Criminals
break laws; that is why they are criminals. There must be enforcement options, or a law is meaningless.
Consider for a moment why you obey the law. You do so because there are penalties involved with law-breaking, be these penalties fines, arrest, or
prison. If we had a law that said, for example, that it was illegal to walk naked down main street, but there was no police and no fine or jail time
if you broke the law, would you obey it? I already know
your answer, if you are honest about it.
You might as well issue out the guns so there's no need to be paranoid any more.
Kennesaw GA did just that, and their crime rate dropped dramatically.
Now you can know that everyone is packing heat, so if those pesky emancipation pansies in the "government" decide to commit genocide against
the honest-to-God landed Southern Knights, and try and take away their fairly-won Negroes, your average Texan super-hero can just start mowing your
own military down.
Whoa, is the education system that bad over there? We haven't had slaves in over a century (and at one time, most of the traders were English, btw)!
I am actually probably going to vote for a 'Negro' (although I prefer to call him a 'man') for President! (And before anyone jumps,no, I'm not
that happy with him and that's for another thread.) Or maybe your propaganda system is that good?
Oh, and Texans don't have super-heroes. they have to import from Alabama.
The additional bonus is that whenever someone tries to rob a store with their issued firearm, everyone else can draw theirs! There's no way
that can end badly! Shootings will plummet because everyone will be too scared to do anything stupid!
Define 'badly', please? Does that term include an innocent cashier, working for minimum wage at a part time job, losing his/her life? Or is it
limited to the criminal losing theirs?
And yes, shootings
will plummet because everyone is afraid to do something 'stupid'. Read above. And learn, please.
TheRedneck