The Political Discussion Thread

[Ben 'Teal'c would WIN!!' Noble]

which then turns into a gun control debate....they spent along time surrendering to this government that is now attacking them the weapons that they could've used to have a better chance at rising against the tyranny they now face

I think if the US government wanted to massacre its people it could as it has superior weapons, it doesn't matter how many guns the people have the government always has better ones.

[DigiFluid]

I find the 'owning guns protects me from the gubmint!' absolutely hilarious. Yeah, it worked fine two hundred years ago when the hostile government was an ocean away and everyone over here was on home soil. But in an era of brilliantly trained special forces equipped with the most amazing military hardware known to man (ie: SAS, SEAL Team 6), the age of government-approved warrantless domestic spying, and the Wacos of modern history--the idea is ludicrous. Laughable at best.

[mad_gater]

I find the 'owning guns protects me from the gubmint!' absolutely hilarious. Yeah, it worked fine two hundred years ago when the hostile government was an ocean away and everyone over here was on home soil. But in an era of brilliantly trained special forces equipped with the most amazing military hardware known to man (ie: SAS, SEAL Team 6), the age of government-approved warrantless domestic spying, and the Wacos of modern history--the idea is ludicrous. Laughable at best.

doesn't take a brilliant military mind to improvise explosive devices....I can assure you that if we had to resort to force of arms to revolt against a government gone tyrranical that if us average joes need anything heavier than guns we can improvise some pretty nasty heavy artillery

[DigiFluid]

The capabilities of the average joe and the most advanced military on the planet are so many worlds apart, there is nothing said average joe could do to stop them if they decided to go that way. The only--only--reason a hypothetical military rule would fail (barring international intervention) would be if they refused to follow orders.

[SoulReaver]

that, or a nation-wide strike

[KEK]

I would also argue that instead of running here to the US people in these countries where conditions are so bad should take a page out of our book (dated 1776) and actually rise up against tyranny instead of just running away from it...our resources are not infinite.....we can't afford to just keep bringing in increasing numbers of foreign immigrants...it's why we have the system we do.....so that we can control the flow of people we accept....could the system use a little tweaking? sure but that's no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater

What have you done personally to stop the rapid erosion of American civil liberties we've seen over the past decade or so?

[KEK]

which then turns into a gun control debate....they spent along time surrendering to this government that is now attacking them the weapons that they could've used to have a better chance at rising against the tyranny they now face

Not really. I'm not sure what a handguns are going to do against tanks and artillery, other than more easily justify government force.

[Ukko]

I would also argue that instead of running here to the US people in these countries where conditions are so bad should take a page out of our book (dated 1776) and actually rise up against tyranny instead of just running away from it...our resources are not infinite.....we can't afford to just keep bringing in increasing numbers of foreign immigrants...it's why we have the system we do.....so that we can control the flow of people we accept....could the system use a little tweaking? sure but that's no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater

There's an over simplification if i ever did see one.

[SoulReaver]

I would also argue that instead of running here to the US people in these countries where conditions are so bad should take a page out of our book (dated 1776) and actually rise up against tyranny instead of just running away from it...

how would you suggest the north-koreans do this - with sticks & stones?

[Goose]

Well, to be fair, the US managed to cock up in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan against lesser equipped forces.

[Ukko]

how would you suggest the north-koreans do this - with sticks & stones?

Well, if they all had guns, they could fight the North Korean army. Freedom.


.....................


Death is a kind of freedom, right?

[Graybrew1]

Have you been to some of these places? While in Jamaica there are men in jeeps with huge machine guns riding up and down the beach. The locals all live in tin roof shacks and are half malnourished. This is not uncommon for these types of places. I can't see them waging a war against anybody.

[lordofseas]

Cuba, the former Netherlands Antilles, and the British Overseas Territories were the safest places I felt.

[SoulReaver]

Well, if they all had guns, they could fight the North Korean army. Freedom.


.....................


Death is a kind of freedom, right?

depends - how many NK soldiers could they take out before going down?

[Graybrew1]

Cuba, the former Netherlands Antilles, and the British Overseas Territories were the safest places I felt.

Aruba was great. I felt like I could walk the entire island almost alone and half naked and be safe there. Acapulco was the worst, I was afraid to get jumped in front of the hotel on the street in broad daylight. You could almost smell the danger in the air.