Why does anyone NEED an assault rifle?

[coachdb18]

Yes yes, the whole western world totally relies on the charity of good ol' daddy Murica to sustain it. I'm familiar with that totally-detached-from-reality interpretation of global politics.

You know that the militaries of just France and the UK combined could easily handle any conflict that may threaten Europe yes? And actually it's Germany propping up Europe economically, not the US.

Honestly you are an insane and schizophrenically detached leftover of concentrated 1950's America-is-#1 propaganda.

Pull all the troops from Europe, especially Germany, and watch those precious Socialist economies totally collapse. Brexit sound familiar?

 

[Carnal_Flower]

It's called Fox News, and it's why this country is so f*ed up.

Honestly you are an insane and schizophrenically detached leftover of concentrated 1950's America-is-#1 propaganda.

 

[Blue]

Pull all the troops from Europe, especially Germany,
and watch those precious Socialist economies totally collapse.
Brexit sound familiar?

That entire sentence makes literally not one iota of sense???
Like I said, schizophrenic.

~ ~ Edit ~ ~

Like, what??
American troops = strong economy?
no american troops = Brexit?
Brexit isn't an economic collapse? And foreign soldiers don't exactly contribute much to the European economy?
How did a lack of American leadership, militarily or economically, cause Brexit?!
What are you even talking about???

 

[KimGordon67]

That entire sentence makes literally not one iota of sense???
Like I said, schizophrenic.

I think he's trying to say that Europe is freaking out because the UK is withdrawing from the EU ... although how that correlates to the US withdrawing troops from Europe is totally beyond me, given that he's already decided the UK is basically people by whining wimps, so how could their withdrawal from the EU be of any significance to anyone within Coach's logic? (I'm using the term 'logic' fairly ironically here.)
I don't really have a good grasp of European politics, and because of that, I choose to not get involved in debates about European politics. Maybe other people should consider that tactic.

 

[coachdb18]

Honestly you are an insane and schizophrenically detached leftover of concentrated 1950's America-is-#1 propaganda.

I've heard better from a toothless guy in a hockey fight....

With no further respect for your being able to act (and sound) like an adult, you too are now *IGNORED*

 

[Blue]

I think he's trying to say that Europe is freaking out because the UK is withdrawing from the EU ... although how that correlates to the US withdrawing troops from Europe is totally beyond me, given that he's already decided the UK is basically people by whining wimps, so how could their withdrawal from the EU be of any significance to anyone within Coach's logic? (I'm using the term 'logic' fairly ironically here.)
I don't really have a good grasp of European politics, and because of that, I choose to not get involved in debates about European politics. Maybe other people should consider that tactic.

I've heard better from a toothless guy in a hockey fight....

It's not an insult. Your post is literally incomprehensible. There are no obvious links to reality in any possible interpretation of it.
Alice in Wonderland was less nonsensical.

------------------------------------------------

"’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

 

[Blue]

He calls us the snowflakes but he ignores everybody who dares disagree with him too much.

>Social Injustice Warrior

 

[KimGordon67]

He calls us the snowflakes but he ignores everybody who dares disagree with him too much.

>Social Injustice Warrior

I love how he announces it with such fanfare, as though you'll be mortally wounded.

 

[coachdb18]

Europe is unstable economically, largely due to its socialist philosophies ...

Economically, the eurozone’s overall economic freedom is seriously undermined by the excessive government spending required to support elaborate welfare states. Economic policies being pursued by many eurozone countries hinder productivity growth and job creation, causing economic stagnation and rapidly increasing levels of public debt. Underperforming countries have not made the structural reforms needed for long-term adjustment.
Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain have received multibillion-euro aid packages financed by their eurozone partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). European leaders are desperately seeking a way to keep the eurozone together without addressing the root causes of the crisis. Recipient countries have adopted stringent austerity measures in exchange for aid, but their populations oppose any spending cuts.
Many among Europe’s political elite believe that deeper European integration, not prudent economic policies, is the answer to Europe’s problem. However, there has been a public backlash against deeper political and economic integration across much of Europe. In a June 2016 referendum on EU membership, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. In April 2016, Dutch voters voted against approving an EU–Ukraine Association agreement in a countrywide referendum, largely seen as a protest vote against the EU. Dissatisfaction with the EU affects France and Germany as well. According to a 2016 Pew Poll, only 38 percent of people in France have a favorable view of the EU; in 2004, 69 percent did. In Germany, only half of Germans have a favorable view of the EU

source: 2017 index of US military strength

 

[BotanyBoy]

Why? Because I never said that. Thanks for proving my point.

Ok so you have no beliefs of any kind and you refuse to share them in any way.


You just talk shit from the sidelines and have no input of your own.


That's what I figured.

 

[WandaGrabowski]

Ok so you have no beliefs of any kind and you refuse to share them in any way.


You just talk shit from the sidelines and have no input of your own.


That's what I figured.

Silly boy, so scared.

 

[coachdb18]

This, "?" means that I asked you a question.

No, the "?" simply means you're being arrogant and obnoxiously condescending....


https://i.imgur.com/nR5xp9y.jpg

 

[gunthernehmen]

As I've noted before, I have clear evidence from my own actual life that I'm perfectly able to defend myself, and for my family to defend each other, entirely in the absence of guns. So you have fun there surrounded by armed people, and I'll be happy here, knowing that any assailant I may encounter has virtually no likelihood of being armed.

Let me refresh your memory:

This is sort of my point - you 'need' guns for self defence because you've created a society in which gun ownership by everyone is the norm.
I live in an actually not-great area, have been burgled, literally had a stolen car set on fire out the house a few weeks ago ... but I never ever think that any of the people who may be a threat to me or anyone else near by has a gun because they don't. The lesser access to guns here makes me safer, not less safe - I see protecting that context as integrally 'self defence'.

The 'I need a gun for self defence' argument is purely contextual. Change the context.

There ARE guns near you, mostly in the hands of criminals. You live in an unsafe environment with no way to defend yourself. But that is of course, your right to do so. It's also my natural right to choose to arm and defend myself.

Taxes are necessary to fund those things which are government NEEDS. But the US government needs only about 10% of what it takes in. Taxes are used to implement social justice 'causes' more than anything else. Our Federal tax rate should be no higher than 10%. The US government is 90% waste.

What we really need, is to repeal XVI amendment (income tax, which was originally ruled unconstitutional by SCOTUS), which was 'made Constitutional' and quasi legal by making it an amendment to the Constitution. We need to fund the Federal government by contributions from the state legislatures, who could end much of the Federal abuse and waste by voting not to fund many of these wasteful black holes. This would also involve closing the IRS.

I don't have an issue with income tax as such, but I do have an issue with WITHHOLDING income taxes from your paycheck.

I think we'd have a much more fiscally responsible government and less dishonest politicians if we made two changes:

Require tax payment in a lump sum by April 15th (no withholding).

Move election day to May 1st.

That way the pain of paying out a gigantic percentage of your income is fresh on your mind when you vote for the next set of law makers.

Not too many pols that voted in huge tax increases would be reelected...

 

[Blue]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaPDFcc1EWU

 

[BotanyBoy]

Silly boy, so scared.

Your inability to have a conversation doesn't make me silly or scared, grab a mirror.

 

[coachdb18]

I think we'd have a much more fiscally responsible government and less dishonest politicians if we made two changes:

Require tax payment in a lump sum by April 15th (no withholding).

Move election day to May 1st.

That way the pain of paying out a gigantic percentage of your income is fresh on your mind when you vote for the next set of law makers.

Not too many pols that voted in huge tax increases would be reelected...

Government grows by devouring those it is pledged to serve. The Founding Fathers warned us of such, and it is certainly in evidence today, that the main concern of government is finding reasons it needs more, and feeding itself. I stand by my suggestions to fix the parasitic aspects of government.

We've been stuck for lack of changes that are supposed to come with elections, with one politician spending us into financial despair, with another candidate who pledges to 'do something', and then continues on the same path as before.

A suggestion for elections, present an option for 'none of the above'. If enough people decide that all the candidates are too flawed to be electable, the election begins again, with new candidates required, preventing the same candidate from trying for that office again. The voters could prevent elections between the lesser of two evils if this were a ballot option.

 

[WandaGrabowski]

The gun boys don't react well to women who challenge their fragile beliefs.

 

[My I]

Did you know that countries with the highest taxes in the world are also the most happy?
All the Scandinavian countries have consistently the highest quality of life and living standards, happiness, life satisfaction, and taxes. Because they use that money to provide things like 4 day work weeks, large amounts of mandated paid holidays, universal healthcare coverage, negative income taxes for the poor, large and comprehensive social security nets, etc. All things you have none of in the USA. And their societies aren't collapsing at the seams at all.

More money in your pocket =/= a better quality of life.

All that socialism though. That's probably a living nightmare for you right?

Scandinavia, eh?

Is that why Finland is higher than the US on the list of Annual Death rate from Mass shootings? Oh, Look! Norway is the top.

https://crimeresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2016-04-05-at-Tuesday-April-5-1.05-AM.png

From this report.

 

[Blue]

Scandinavia, eh?

Is that why Finland is higher than the US on the list of Annual Death rate from Mass shootings? Oh, Look! Norway is the top.

From this report.

Yeah, Coach has pasted that a lot. Go back a few pages and read why that's a terribly misleading chart.
Or actually, just do it yourself. I'm not insulting your intelligence and I don't want to, because I'm pretty sure you haven't actually properly looked at and considered the content of that table and when you do you'll see why it's misleading.

 

[BotanyBoy]

The gun boys don't react well to women who challenge their fragile beliefs.

I love women who challenge my beliefs, there are several women on this board and this thread even who I've had very pleasant conversations with that don't agree with me.

But you see, unlike you they had the intelligence and courage to have a disagreement.

They stated their positions and defended them...mostly with rational and logical arguments.

I wish you would challenge something but that would require you to think and come up with an argument...but all you do is shit talk from the sidelines.

Care to try again?

 

[My I]

Yeah, Coach has pasted that a lot. Go back a few pages and read why that's a terribly misleading chart.
Or actually, just do it yourself. I'm not insulting your intelligence and I don't want to, because I'm pretty sure you haven't actually properly looked at and considered the content of that table and when you do you'll see why it's misleading.

Yes of course. You all sit here and demand stats then blow them off as faked. And the liberals like to do things like posting stats for homicide rates that include suicide and cops shooting criminals.

As I said before, Fuck the stats and answer the original question.

 

[coachdb18]

The gun boys don't react well to women who challenge their fragile beliefs.

Your ride is here!!!
https://i.imgur.com/XoDTdPi.jpg

 

[Blue]

Yes of course. You all sit here and demand stats then blow them off as faked. And the liberals like to do things like posting stats for homicide rates that include suicide and cops shooting criminals.

As I said before, Fuck the stats and answer the original question.

Ok.
Norway and the Scandinavian countries are at the top of that chart because they have a much, much smaller homicide rate than the US. Why:

The US has an intentional homicide rate many multiple times larger than each of the Scandinavian countries, I bolded that because it's important later, and mass shootings make up a very small percentage of those deaths in the US.

So in the Scandinavian countries, even when they have many less deaths due to mass shootings in total than the US has, because of the very low amount of intentional homicides relative to the US that causes the percentage of deaths caused by mass shootings to be higher in the Scandinavian countries. It is lower in the US because even though you have many more mass shootings and many more deaths due to them, your intentional homicide rate overall is also so much more higher than any Scandinavian country, because crime is far more deadly, that non-mass shooting deaths dwarf the amount of mass shooting deaths, causing the deaths by mass shooting rate to be lower.

The important facts to take away are that crime in the US is astronomically more deadly and intentional homicide is also massively disproportionately higher than in e.g. Norway. I keep saying intentional homicide as opposed to "deaths" or "murder" because you said that I use statistics including police shootings and suicides, which I'm not.

If you want to be able to clearly see an accurate comparison of how safe (example) Norway is compared to the US you have to look at something more comprehensive than just the mass shooting rate. And when we do look at that, we find that Norway is approx' 11.48% as dangerous to live in as the US is in the same time frame, according to that Wiki page. When looking at intentional homicides.

The US is almost 9x more dangerous to live in than Norway.

 

[KimGordon67]

Let me refresh your memory:



There ARE guns near you, mostly in the hands of criminals. You live in an unsafe environment with no way to defend yourself. But that is of course, your right to do so. It's also my natural right to choose to arm and defend myself.




I don't have an issue with income tax as such, but I do have an issue with WITHHOLDING income taxes from your paycheck.

I think we'd have a much more fiscally responsible government and less dishonest politicians if we made two changes:

Require tax payment in a lump sum by April 15th (no withholding).

Move election day to May 1st.

That way the pain of paying out a gigantic percentage of your income is fresh on your mind when you vote for the next set of law makers.

Not too many pols that voted in huge tax increases would be reelected...

No, there are NOT a huge number of guns near me. (Maybe one or two, but even then I'd be surprised.) What possible evidence do you have to support your claim.

 

[KimGordon67]

Scandinavia, eh?

Is that why Finland is higher than the US on the list of Annual Death rate from Mass shootings? Oh, Look! Norway is the top.

https://crimeresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2016-04-05-at-Tuesday-April-5-1.05-AM.png

From this report.

Because of the isolated incident in 2011 - even I know that, and I'm terrible at keeping up with the news (source). I can't even find another reference to a mass shooting in Norway since WWII. Yes, stats are good, but you also need to look at them with an analytical eye. In this instance, Norway is pulled up the table by a lone, and extremely effective, abberation in a country with quite a low population (approximately 5m) - if you have a small population and an isolated incident with a high death toll, that pulls the per capita rate up substantively. The same incident in the US would have had a much lower effect on the per capita rates.
In the overall homicide rates, Tuvalu rates exceptionally high on a per capita basis. I absolutely guarantee this is also because of one or two very isolated aberrations. You need to dig into the stats, rather than just cite them uncritically.