tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post7143683748722376565..comments2023-06-27T03:48:28.039-05:00Comments on of mule dung and ash: Gun Control DebateMule Breathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-64594220491374253872009-02-12T18:05:00.000-06:002009-02-12T18:05:00.000-06:00Chuck,I guess I see it as failure of perspective. ...Chuck,<BR/><BR/>I guess I see it as failure of perspective. Either folks have too limited experience to have full perspective, or they are influenced into denying what they see. How do we know a sphere is round until we circle to the other side? The derogatory term “Flat-earter” is born of the age-old, limited perspective of the Earth as flat, and assigned to those who deny science. Folks who Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-52503117873742115512009-02-12T13:32:00.000-06:002009-02-12T13:32:00.000-06:00chuckr44,I think that the anti-gun people are moti...chuckr44,<BR/><BR/>I think that the anti-gun people are motivated in several ways.<BR/><BR/>1. Ooh! Scary dangerous gun! Nobody could ever use one safely!<BR/><BR/>2. If we can ban guns, it will be hard for criminals to get guns. <I>If even one life is saved</I>, because of gun laws, it is worth tearing up the Constitution. <I>Just one life</I>. Insert cute baby picture, here.<BR/><BR/>The Rogue Medichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07598646309630074992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-16856432400533750702009-02-12T13:07:00.000-06:002009-02-12T13:07:00.000-06:00What I meant was, violence is not always the answe...What I meant was, violence is not always the answer, because violence seems to be a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It's like peeling an orange with a hammer, it's just the wrong tool.Just a little snarkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12682886206059221096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-73264238967436467232009-02-12T13:05:00.000-06:002009-02-12T13:05:00.000-06:00With my statement, I contend that we can better pr...<I>With my statement, I contend that we can better protect man’s liberties with free expression than we can defend them from infringement at the barrel of a gun.</I><BR/><BR/>Nooowww I understand. Sounds like you have long-term broad-based thinking, while my muggings (and the ability to shoot back) were short-term local issues. I agree we should think long-term. <BR/><BR/>Do you think most Just a little snarkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12682886206059221096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-46231293295783809412009-02-11T22:11:00.000-06:002009-02-11T22:11:00.000-06:00Not to pile on, but from Wikipedia's today in hist...Not to pile on, but from Wikipedia's today in history 02/11/1979 – <I>During the Iranian Revolution, the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran effectively collapsed when the military declared itself "neutral" after rebel troops overwhelmed forces loyal to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in armed street fighting.</I><BR/><BR/>The military declared itself "neutral." As in they said, we're not going to stop the peopleRogue Medichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07598646309630074992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-62791289130457907842009-02-11T16:16:00.000-06:002009-02-11T16:16:00.000-06:00Chuck, RM pretty much captures the essence of the ...Chuck, RM pretty much captures the essence of the argument and why your analogy addresses a separate circumstance. With my statement, I contend that we can better protect man’s liberties with free expression than we can defend them from infringement at the barrel of a gun. In other words, a gun protects the bearer of the weapon, but a pen in the right hands has the ability to defend liberty for Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-41719304026881763752009-02-11T11:30:00.000-06:002009-02-11T11:30:00.000-06:00chuckr44,The muggers are not depriving you of Cons...chuckr44,<BR/><BR/>The muggers are not depriving you of Constitutional rights. The power of the pen is to be able to rally opposition to oppression. It is not about addressing a local criminal issue in the way you describe.<BR/><BR/>The freedom of expression will not always work, but neither will armed opposition. The ability to influence the actions of those in the military will probably be moreRogue Medichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07598646309630074992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-28338446244916697822009-02-11T08:50:00.000-06:002009-02-11T08:50:00.000-06:00Our rights to freedom of expression and of the pre...<I>Our rights to freedom of expression and of the press, to me, will more quickly preserve the remainder of our natural rights than will a weapon.</I><BR/><BR/>MuleBreath, I do like to hear your comments. But consider this. <BR/><BR/>Have you ever been mugged by 3 large guys? Then have you written them an eloquent note to ask them to cease and desist? How did that work out? I've was at the bad Just a little snarkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12682886206059221096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-16867010765311233222009-02-09T11:56:00.000-06:002009-02-09T11:56:00.000-06:00Curt,I’m happy to comment on your observations, bu...Curt,<BR/><BR/>I’m happy to comment on your observations, but did not necessarily want to continue it on the blog. I would like the debate to move on a bit. Still, it takes little encouragement for me to draw out the keyboard.<BR/><BR/>As TGSTMOM observed, and I concurred, the dialogue strayed a bit from the intent of the topic. In subsequent messages [http://muledungandash.blogspot.com/2009/02/Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-5511943569968955232009-02-08T23:07:00.000-06:002009-02-08T23:07:00.000-06:00Mule Breath: it's fairly evident to me that we hav...Mule Breath: it's fairly evident to me that we have a lot in common, which is why I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on my thoughts. I'll keep following, in case you'd like to expand.<BR/><BR/>tgtsmom: Well, now you're back arguing sensibly: it's much, much more reasonable to talk about whether the death penalty is justified for "felony crimes and particularly murder." I won't get into Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-19499671948324199832009-02-08T21:33:00.000-06:002009-02-08T21:33:00.000-06:00Tgtsmom said... ”I feel the need to defend myself,...Tgtsmom said... <BR/><I>”I feel the need to defend myself, or at least my ideas”</I><BR/><BR/>Consider yourself well defended then. With the clarification you added your point makes a good bit more sense. Although there are points where I might philosophically diverge, I understand now what you mean and why you say it.<BR/><BR/>One of these points is the death penalty. You seem to consider it a Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-87290376409642640452009-02-08T19:53:00.000-06:002009-02-08T19:53:00.000-06:00I feel the need to defend myself, or at least my i...I feel the need to defend myself, or at least my ideas. While I was somewhat inarticulate in my statement, I will defend the death penalty as a deterrent to crime WHEN IT IS FAIRLY AND CORRECTLY ADMINISTERED. Also, my comment on the ACLU was not derisive. I wholeheartedly support the mission of that agency and believe that its created purpose is one well worth all of our support. tgtsmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06860977908062887820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-72481306983534364782009-02-08T10:03:00.000-06:002009-02-08T10:03:00.000-06:00Curt, I had a lot I wanted to say about your comme...Curt, I had a lot I wanted to say about your comment, but I will hold my tongue. I’ll leave it alone, and tell you that we think far more alike than might be obvious.<BR/><BR/>Thank you sir, for some very fine observations.Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-83695732016024990092009-02-08T09:29:00.000-06:002009-02-08T09:29:00.000-06:00Hello Jayson, and welcome.A politician or any othe...Hello Jayson, and welcome.<BR/><BR/><I>A politician or any other oppressor can ignore a letter</I><BR/><BR/>Certainly, and King George tried that. Lots of people died because of it, and America became a free nation. But if you think that the <I>people's weapons</I> is the sole effecter of the win, you are incorrect. As I stated in a previous response, it took several years worth of infringements Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-26435355208354743792009-02-08T03:56:00.000-06:002009-02-08T03:56:00.000-06:00Mule Breath: I'm sorry you found my "crackpot" cra...Mule Breath: I'm sorry you found my "crackpot" crack, as it were, to be impolite. I do agree with you that calm, reasoned dialogue should be the order of the day.<BR/><BR/><BR/>But I'm going to stick by my stand that "favor[ing] an automatic death penalty with no appeal for conviction of crimes committed with a gun" is a "crackpot" statement. (Note it's the statement, not the poster of it, that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-63265040713235958322009-02-08T01:42:00.000-06:002009-02-08T01:42:00.000-06:00A few points.1-I'm with AD. There is a line, and t...A few points.<BR/><BR/>1-I'm with AD. There is a line, and then no further. You think the pen is mightier than the sword? You are wrong. A politician or any other oppressor can ignore a letter. It's harder to ignore a bullet. From the Spartans (Molon Labe) to Lexington Green, to murderous communist regimes, the only reason to want the people's weapons is for power and control. Period.<BR/><BR/><Jaysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13989165537637020369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-87532877494167558652009-02-07T22:23:00.000-06:002009-02-07T22:23:00.000-06:00Miss Em,Thank you for your comment to this discuss...Miss Em,<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your comment to this discussion. While I appreciate all contributions, I feel I must take you to task… at least lightly.<BR/><BR/>First of all, I would be one of those loopy left folks you deride. While I have voted for a few Republicans in my time, I’m not usually inclined to do so. Given the choice of Sarah Palin or Barak Obama, I picked Sr. Hussein. Further, I Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-54107042083413569122009-02-07T21:03:00.000-06:002009-02-07T21:03:00.000-06:00Mule BreathI have found in my nearly 60 years that...Mule Breath<BR/><BR/>I have found in my nearly 60 years that when I ask the question "Who is the Militia?" when we have been speaking of the 2nd Admendment. They have always answered the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the Police, the Fire Department and one even said the Mail Man. <BR/><BR/>As you can see from their answers that NO one knew who the Militia was madeMiss Emhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14441825597709556390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-27537063302564007272009-02-07T16:32:00.000-06:002009-02-07T16:32:00.000-06:00Anonymous said...Dear Mr. MuleOld Texas thing, but...Anonymous said...<BR/><BR/><I>Dear Mr. Mule</I><BR/><BR/>Old Texas thing, but please don’t call me Mister. Mister Mule would be my daddy. Oh…. Wait…. That would be Mr. Jackass… damn. Anyway, I appreciate your courtesy, and I understand your desire for anonymity. I had my settings to require at least an OpenID, but never considered that stone-cold criminals might need more disguise than that, so IMule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-73846843279052107572009-02-07T13:23:00.000-06:002009-02-07T13:23:00.000-06:00Dear Mr. Mule, I am the "anonymous" European guy y...Dear Mr. Mule, I am the "anonymous" European guy you invited over to your blog at Ambulance Drivers'. I couldn't post earlier because day before yesterday it was impossible to post anonymously. That is one problem being an European gun owner: you have to hide from your neighbors. <BR/><BR/>I try to prevent a traceback (an the inevitable backlash) to me. Oh: the American vernacular is not my Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-24049469285696602132009-02-07T06:33:00.000-06:002009-02-07T06:33:00.000-06:00Beyond crackpot statements such as the above-quote...<I>Beyond crackpot statements such as the above-quoted one</I><BR/><BR/>Mr. Sampson, Other than taking the above shot at one of my contributors, your post is reasonable and well thought out. You are welcome here, but I would ask that you find a more polite means to express your disagreement with others opinions; even the more extreme.<BR/><BR/>Some reading this have questioned how I could Mule Breathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586696064321854554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-48844724907893269442009-02-07T05:56:00.000-06:002009-02-07T05:56:00.000-06:00"I favor an automatic death penalty with no appeal..."I favor an automatic death penalty with no appeal for conviction of crimes committed with a gun. But, I doubt the ACLU would sit back and let that pass."<BR/><BR/>Now this sort of statement is an excellent argument for more restrictive gun laws: as long as we can keep people like this concentrating on fighting those, we've redirected energy that would evidently otherwise be directed Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-18830990783458097232009-02-06T13:16:00.000-06:002009-02-06T13:16:00.000-06:00General comment: Very good discussion. Lots of ex...General comment: Very good discussion. Lots of excellent comments.<BR/><BR/>To TOTWTYTR, Thanks for the link. I agree, it is probably the best essay I've read on the subject also.<BR/><BR/>To Ladysig, your point about denial of permission to purchase is one that hadn't occurred to me and is one I'd like to see discussed in more detail. Questions: <BR/>1) Are all the reasons for denial clearly Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-47014496439456868032009-02-06T12:27:00.000-06:002009-02-06T12:27:00.000-06:00While I may be dense in the asking, I still am for...While I may be dense in the asking, I still am forced to wonder, with all the examples so far cited, how is it that misconduct with higher powered weaponry by some miscreant (or even some what respectable persons) seems always to translate into HANDgun control legislation?<BR/><BR/>I will say, Ladysig makes a fair point. If they would correctly enforce the present laws with respect to preventingtgtsmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06860977908062887820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990876628413018080.post-54256072359553052242009-02-06T11:55:00.000-06:002009-02-06T11:55:00.000-06:00The pen - the information about what happened in W...The pen - the information about what happened in Waco - has more to do with rebellion than the weapons. Maybe neither would work alone. In India, peaceful protest led to a lot of death, but worked.Rogue Medichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07598646309630074992noreply@blogger.com