tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post2166081287383186657..comments2024-03-27T15:45:49.926+04:00Comments on Life in Dubai: Hope at lastSeabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-23048801259909554442008-11-10T21:44:00.000+04:002008-11-10T21:44:00.000+04:00The handling of public policy as it relate to guns...The handling of public policy as it relate to guns is tricky. Gun ownership escalates violence and increases chances of serious injury and death. A society is definitely better off not having guns.<BR/><BR/>However, simply banning guns in a society where they are already pervasive can be counterproductive because the "bad guys" will always have guns. Take Mexico for example. Guns are banned there, yet every other weekend you hear about dozens of people being gunned down in one of their cities. Once the gun culture becomes entrenched in a society, it's too late to ban them because everybody has them and feels like they need them.<BR/><BR/>As for comparing the US to lawless areas of god-knows-where, come on. Yes, the US is more violent than other developed countries (and something needs to be done about it), but it's not like it's a war zone where you're dodging bullets on your way to the supermarket. I've lived in the US for over 30 years and have never seen a gun used in a violent crime. Clearly it can't be THAT bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-53538573009357930162008-11-09T15:58:00.000+04:002008-11-09T15:58:00.000+04:00Our government was founded on the idea that people...<I>Our government was founded on the idea that people should be protected from force or fraud and otherwise be left to their own devices.</I><BR/><BR/>Duffy, that simply doesn't work. It's as extreme as Communism at the other end of the political spectrum.<BR/><BR/>It ignores human nature. If people are left to their own devices we'd have chaos and anarchy, the law of the jungle. <BR/><BR/>Let me give you three of hundreds of possible examples. One, the financial system is in meltdown largely because of deregulation. People were trusted to do the right thing. They're human, so they did the wrong thing, the thing which ennriched them at the expense of others. Two, traffic. We need rules that dictate which side of the road we should drive on, what a safe speed is, where we should stop to let others proceed. Three, fire and occupational safety. There have to be rules and laws that make places safe for people to work in or visit.<BR/><BR/>Extremes don't work for anything other than a short period. People, like all animals, need and require a structured society.Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-86821200983066959452008-11-09T12:06:00.000+04:002008-11-09T12:06:00.000+04:00Anon I agree with you except for one thing, "Obama...<B>Anon</B> I agree with you except for one thing, "Obama's pal Bill Ayers". Pal?Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-34058921421690070262008-11-09T02:04:00.000+04:002008-11-09T02:04:00.000+04:00I was one of those people that voted for the conti...I was one of those people that voted for the continuation of Bush's catastrophic policies as you say. I'm apparently part of the extreme ideological far right, but that doesn't mean I'd do something like take down Obama. I believe the opposite things on Obama on almost every single subject, but that doesn't mean I would or will do anything illegal. There are very extreme, violent groups on the right AND the left. Yes there's groups like the KKK (which I do not at all agree with) and there's groups like Weather Underground (founded by Obama's pal Bill Ayers). But do not suppose that America is nearly as dangerous a place as you say. Perhaps there are indeed many weapons, and many homicides, yet we're still able to have legal, Constitutional elections. Unfortunately there are violant radicals in America, but there are many, many more of us law-abiding citizens that regardless of differing views we respect the office of POTUS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-78639767032751653732008-11-07T19:47:00.000+04:002008-11-07T19:47:00.000+04:00One last thing and then I'll shut up:Fears for Pre...One last thing and then I'll shut up:<BR/><BR/>Fears for President Elect Obama's safety are not unfounded but remote. The Secret Service is really, really good. They've improved their game by several orders of magnitude since Reagan was shot.The Last Ephorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546829944086243794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-91224917238160006412008-11-07T19:45:00.000+04:002008-11-07T19:45:00.000+04:00Anon:"Also its funny to see right wingers treat th...Anon:<BR/><BR/>"Also its funny to see right wingers treat the Constitution as Holy Grail when it comes to guns, and yet to consider it outdated and irrelevant when it comes to personal liberties and human rights."<BR/><BR/>Not funny, sad. We are vastly over regulated here. Everything but everything has an law, code, or ordinance about it. Sadly, Europe is actually worse. Our government was founded on the idea that people should be protected from force or fraud and otherwise be left to their own devices. That hasn't been the case in about a hundred years.<BR/><BR/>"Duffy, all the quotes used by people advocating guns in the community are from 200 plus years ago. The principles stated then reflected the conditions of the time. It could well be that the people making those statements then would be making very different statements if they were alive today because America is now a very different place."<BR/><BR/>Sure then we'd be talking about my right to own a printing press but not a blog as that is the free speech equivalent of an assault rifle. No, the reality is that all rights are reserved to the people with minimal (as designed anyway) constraints on them by government. <BR/><BR/>I want to live in a country where married gay couples have closets full of assault weapons and a marajuana field in their back yard.The Last Ephorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546829944086243794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-84866302259533564622008-11-07T14:35:00.000+04:002008-11-07T14:35:00.000+04:00Moto it'll be interesting to see how people an...<B>Moto</B> it'll be interesting to see how people answer your question.<BR/><BR/>First thing, gun control & murder rate wasn't the point of the posting. I was talking about my fear for President-elect Obama's safety and I put it in context, that context being the violence of US society. The comments took us into gun control.<BR/><BR/>By the way, of the domestic policies in the US I don't think it's just the violence and gun ownership which people are interested in. I think, for example, the health system is another area.<BR/><BR/>In my opinion it's because in a general sense people are interested in the US and what goes on there. In addition, it's the one country that affects the lives of so many people around the world in a direct way.<BR/><BR/>There's also the irony that these things which so many people outside the US see as failings are against the backdrop of America being vocally and aggressively promoted as the best example of democracy, as the example the rest of the world should adopt.<BR/><BR/>Re your comment about the population size vs murders, the websites we were talking about above take that into account, they show violence, murder rate etc as a figure per head of population.Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-38664162076640827312008-11-07T13:38:00.000+04:002008-11-07T13:38:00.000+04:00I'm curious why people in the rest of the world ca...I'm curious why people in the rest of the world care so much about U.S. gun control laws and the murder rate. I don't mean that as a put down I'm just curious.<BR/>By the way I lived in the U.S. for 43 years until last May. I lived everywhere from just outside NYC to Chicago to Miami and most recently LA. I have never personally seen a shooting or know of anyone that has been murdered. Rarely was I concerned about my safety unless I ventured into the wrong section of a city. Maybe I'm just lucky but its hardly a warzone. Someone stated that there are two homicides per hour. Well maybe thats true but you have to remember there are 300 million people in the country.<BR/>Blast away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-5651564775022518632008-11-07T13:01:00.000+04:002008-11-07T13:01:00.000+04:00Duffy, all the quotes used by people advocating gu...<B>Duffy,</B> all the quotes used by people advocating guns in the community are from 200 plus years ago. The principles stated then reflected the conditions of the time. It could well be that the people making those statements then would be making very different statements if they were alive today because America is now a very different place.<BR/><BR/><BR/><B>Melanie</B> it's great isn't it, a debate with people offering varying opinions but an intelligent debate without the abuse that's too often a feature of the internet.<BR/><BR/>So far at least - but I'll censor anything that's abusive ;-)Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-24452320616132017502008-11-07T00:25:00.000+04:002008-11-07T00:25:00.000+04:00Canada has stricter gun controls, and yet dont hav...Canada has stricter gun controls, and yet dont have a more dangerous society than the US by any means. <BR/><BR/>Also its funny to see right wingers treat the Constitution as Holy Grail when it comes to guns, and yet to consider it outdated and irrelevant when it comes to personal liberties and human rights.......Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-8676318473951863292008-11-06T18:23:00.000+04:002008-11-06T18:23:00.000+04:00Fascinating post AND comments...not a punch is wit...Fascinating post AND comments...not a punch is withheld indeed.Melaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08853827430469580582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-50902719080639521362008-11-06T17:57:00.000+04:002008-11-06T17:57:00.000+04:00"Don't you think that two homicides every hour ind...<I>"Don't you think that two homicides every hour indicates a violent society?"</I><BR/><BR/>The great majority of that violence is concentrated in our cities which are governed top to bottom by liberal democrats where citizens have no right to carry firearms. Philadelphia is several times more dangerous than Iraq. Most of the areas outside cities are very safe.<BR/><BR/><I>"The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws."<BR/><BR/>That does not mean 200 million firearms in the hands of private, non-militia, individuals.</I><BR/><BR/>Actually it does: ""I ask, sir, what is the militia? <B>It is the whole people</B>, except for a few public officials."<BR/>— George Mason, in Debates in Virginia Convention on<BR/>Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788<BR/><BR/>"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence … from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and <B>pistol are equally indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."</B><BR/>George Washington<BR/>First President of the United States <BR/><BR/>But these are just the rantings of right wing extremists I guess.The Last Ephorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546829944086243794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-3872280797961533092008-11-06T16:30:00.000+04:002008-11-06T16:30:00.000+04:00ZTG, re 'we have yet to produce a Hitler etc'. Her...<B>ZTG,</B> re 'we have yet to produce a Hitler etc'. Here's are two paras from an article printed in an American publication, The Nation.<BR/><BR/><I>After all, theirs was a plan--labeled in 2002 the Bush Doctrine--of global domination conceptually so un-American that, in my childhood, the only place you would have heard it was in the mouths of the most evil, snickering imperial Japanese, Nazi, or Soviet on-screen villains.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality--judiciously, as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors.... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."</I><BR/><BR/>The full article is <A HREF="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081117/engelhardt" REL="nofollow">here.</A>Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-39228716164019549122008-11-06T16:08:00.000+04:002008-11-06T16:08:00.000+04:00Dave Q1, I don't know but I'm sure it isn't enough...<B>Dave</B> <BR/><BR/>Q1, I don't know but I'm sure it isn't enough. <BR/><BR/>Q2. She'll probably continue as the darling of the right for a while. Where she ends up I guess depends on the result of the inquest and power struggle going on in the GOP. <BR/><BR/>In spite of what so many of her supporters said, I'm far from convinced that America, and the world, needs an ordinary WalMart hockey mom with her finger hovering over the big red button. So hopefully it's a one-way ticket to Anchorage.Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-2212908190018855082008-11-06T15:37:00.000+04:002008-11-06T15:37:00.000+04:00"All our violence and homicide and we have yet to ..."All our violence and homicide and we have yet to produce a Hitler, Mussolini or Pol Pot. Funny how that works." Duffy, I guess you'd like to believe that... if we're talking numbers of innocent people killed for a political or cultural / religious agenda, then let's remember the Native American tribes, Korea, Vietnam, Hiroshima, Iraq, etc.<BR/>All I actually really wanted to say is: GO OBAMA! When the election was over, I could hear a huge sigh of relief all over the planet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-68296713272187863752008-11-06T14:57:00.000+04:002008-11-06T14:57:00.000+04:00Two questions:-1. How much does a Secret Service ...Two questions:-<BR/><BR/>1. How much does a Secret Service Agent on Presidential protection duty get paid?<BR/><BR/>2. Will we hear anything more of Sarah Palin or will she return to throwing snow-balls with the family in Alaska dreaming of what could have been?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-82073261047211220392008-11-06T14:16:00.000+04:002008-11-06T14:16:00.000+04:00Yes Nick, started before Bush came on the scene bu...Yes Nick, started before Bush came on the scene but he had eight years to reverse it, instead his policies brought it to a head.Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-58303447866035209162008-11-06T11:34:00.000+04:002008-11-06T11:34:00.000+04:00Just think of the problems the extreme ideology of...<I>Just think of the problems the extreme ideology of the far right Bush years have generated.<BR/><BR/>The collapse of the financial system, the world in recession,</I><BR/><BR/>You are bit liberal with facts here. The de-regulation drive was started under Reagan and continued right up under Clinton. <BR/>(Similarly under Labour in the UK).<BR/><BR/>You can blame a lot on Bush, but the subprime disaster and global recession? Huh?huthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09299456569511629114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-40907211681180377542008-11-06T11:23:00.000+04:002008-11-06T11:23:00.000+04:00LDU, it's very complex of course. Iraq had the equ...<B>LDU</B>, it's very complex of course. Iraq had the equal-strongest army in the region until the US disbanded it, one of the most disastrous mistakes they made. Maybe the troops could be re-enlisted, maybe a UN force could replace the US military...Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-40049781244490976112008-11-06T11:19:00.000+04:002008-11-06T11:19:00.000+04:00Scott & Mandy thank you for the award. I'll pr...<B>Scott & Mandy</B> thank you for the award. I'll print it out and display it on my computer :-)Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-20239975158354393922008-11-06T11:17:00.000+04:002008-11-06T11:17:00.000+04:00Duffy, I said 'violent' not 'lawless'. Look at the...<B>Duffy</B>, I said 'violent' not 'lawless'. Look at the stats on the website you were quoting, which confirm the US is one of the most violent.<BR/>'Murder with firearms', 8th, only after countries like Zimbabwe, South Africa and Columbia.<BR/>'Gun violence homicide' 14th<BR/> 'Assaults per capita', 6th<BR/><BR/>Don't you think that two homicides every hour indicates a violent society?<BR/><BR/>It's getting off subject into the whole area of gun ownership and control, but as you introduced it into the discussion, the last para of your John Adams quote is important. It says: <I>The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws.<BR/></I><BR/>That does not mean 200 million firearms in the hands of private, non-militia, individuals.Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-12860682698539569382008-11-06T05:54:00.000+04:002008-11-06T05:54:00.000+04:00I sincerely hope Obama doesn't get knocked off lik...I sincerely hope Obama doesn't get knocked off like JFK was. <BR/><BR/>I do have serious concerns about the implications Obama's victory will have for the Iraqi people. Obama has pledged to withdraw US troops from Iraq by 2010 - the question is who will fill the power void?<BR/><BR/>Are the Americans willing to accept defeat (or have they already accepted shall i say) in Iraq by their election of Obama? <BR/><BR/>Are the Americans accepting breaking their promise to the Iraqi people in reconstructing their nation? <BR/><BR/>Are the Americans, by the election of Obama, leaving Iraqis at the mercy of militias?<BR/><BR/>The Americans bombed Iraq to smithereens - and overthrew the only secularist leader who held Iraq together - they therefore have to stay there for as long as it takes to get Iraq on its feet and to make sure that every Iraqi has access to education, water, <BR/>electricity and health care - just as they had under Saddam.LDUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01625937487320546155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-45757335178105271022008-11-06T01:09:00.000+04:002008-11-06T01:09:00.000+04:00Seabee, I'm not trying to spin you. I'm making th...Seabee, <BR/><BR/>I'm not trying to spin you. I'm making the point that we are not a lawless nation and you make it sound like a free fire zone where law and order have collapsed (OK maybe Detroit qualifies on that one). That simply isn't so. <BR/><BR/>"That's the old cliche of US fringe extremist groups who claim they're armed to protect themselves from their own government. What a sad comment on the society it is."<BR/><BR/>Those wacky extremists who coined that phrase were the ones who wrote the Constitution and founded our nation. <BR/><BR/>To suppose arms in the hands of citizens, to be used at individual discretion, except in private self-defense, or by partial orders of towns, countries or districts of a state, is to demolish every constitution, and lay the laws prostrate, so that liberty can be enjoyed by no man; it is a dissolution of the government. The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws.<BR/> ---John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions of the United States 475 (1787-1788)<BR/><BR/>All our violence and homicide and we have yet to produce a Hitler, Mussolini or Pol Pot. Funny how that works.The Last Ephorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546829944086243794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-45091738264705798082008-11-06T00:29:00.000+04:002008-11-06T00:29:00.000+04:00You've been awarded.... http://mupersan.blogspot....You've been awarded.... http://mupersan.blogspot.com/2008/11/arte-y-pico-award.htmlThe Mupersanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686667494871286066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258644.post-69857593448205539402008-11-05T21:18:00.000+04:002008-11-05T21:18:00.000+04:00Duffy you're cherry picking the stats. and getting...<B>Duffy</B> you're cherry picking the stats. and getting off subject.<BR/><BR/>I'm talking about violent crime, particularly homicide and terrorism. Your references give figures for totally different crimes. <BR/><BR/>And on your stats the NationMaster site makes the disclaimer: <I>DEFINITION: Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence.</I> They also depend on what constitutes a 'crime' in each country.<BR/><BR/>Have a look (on the same site) for "Murders with firearms (per capita)" which is <A HREF="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir_percap-crime-murders-firearms-per-capita" REL="nofollow">here.</A><BR/> <BR/>Or "Gun violence - Homicides" which is <A HREF="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_gun_vio_hom_ove_hom_rat_per_100_pop-rate-per-100-000-pop" REL="nofollow">here.</A><BR/><BR/>Or even "Assaults per capita" which is <A HREF="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_ass_percap-crime-assaults-per-capita" REL="nofollow">here.</A><BR/> <BR/>Or look at the FBI's stats on "Violent crime" <A HREF="http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/offenses/violent_crime/index.html" REL="nofollow">here,</A> showing 1.4 million in the US in 2007, which is 467 per 100,000 pop.<BR/><BR/>That's what I'm talking about.<BR/><BR/><I>Lastly, where free men own guns they are governed. Where they do not, they are ruled.</I> That's the old cliche of US fringe extremist groups who claim they're armed to protect themselves from their own government. What a sad comment on the society it is.Seabeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939892206726271433noreply@blogger.com