The 2nd Amendment

[xenophobe]

Oh, sorry for calling you a yabbo. I was a little upset. lol

[lerxstcat]

The fact is that the Second Amendment is here to stay. Repealing one of the Bill of Rights? That would signal the disintegration of our government because the armed resistance to that would make our Civil War of 1861-1865 look like a ticker tape parade.

I believe that our military would refuse to enforce confiscation of guns if it meant firing on its own citizens - and it would, no doubt about it.

As for Katrina, we in Mississippi had much less civil unrest than New Orleans did, because more of our law-abiding citizens as % of population were armed and defended their homes. There was some looting but it was mostly of stores, not homes - because they knew they'd be shot.

In New Orleans, a Federal detention center was flooded and the inmates escaped, broke into gun stores and armed themselves. They then preyed on the victims until they were stopped by the military. Some were permanently stopped and deserved it.

When anarchy occurs due to a disaster, both the best and the worst of humankind's nature comes out. Some of those Virginia Tech students that died were probably among hundreds of VT students who volunteered to helpo clean up and rebuild homes for the poor after Katrina. God rest their souls, they did not deserve what happened to them. One teacher armed could have stopped that guy when he started. If the RA at the dorm had been armed it could have been stopped before he started.

[VitaminG]

Um... ok. When the LA Riots happened, what happened to the police? They hid in their police stations... one of them located in the Foothills was attacked by the low rent neighborhood, to the point they had to park a school bus in front of the place, sandbag and man posts with National Guard.

The average citizen, if he called the police during those 3 or 4 days, would have been told "sorry, can't help you". So if the police can't help you, and you're in trouble, what do you do?

Some lucky store owners in that area WERE armed, and guess what? Their stores were not the ones that were looted and burned down.

I never disputed that. Those are just the sort of situations that warrant owning a gun.

I was just commenting on the sad state of affairs that so many people these days, rather than helping someone who is in need, will prey on them instead. Somehow a catastrophic event becomes an excuse to score a free tv or destroy property, rape & murder. The stories that some of the Aussies who were caught up in Katrina told when they returned home were atrocious. In such circumstances, I fully understand anyone's desire to own a gun. Trying to reason with someone who has decided the circumstances excuse them from any kind of responsible behaviour, pleading with them to not hurt your family just isn't going to cut it - they've already decided they're beyond the reach of the law.

And gee, you guys are starting to have your problems too. Imagine if the Cronulla riots turned into the Sydney Riots? If the ethnic immigrants start a riot in major cities, you'll see that you're also not protected by any police. What happens when the Lebanese Wogs start attacking Bogans more often?

Fortunately that whole incident didn't escalate. But the immigrants didn't start the riot. A bunch of racist whites wrapped themselves in the Australian flag and used their "National Pride" as an excuse to beat on a few non-whites at the beach as an act of reclamation. Total bullshit. You'd be surprised at the attacks on muslims & mosques in this country since we went to war in Iraq. Apparently, if a woman wears a berka in the street, or a man appears to be of middle eastern extraction, they must be muslim extremists or Taliban sympathisers. Thank the tabloid journalism for whipping up a frenzy of racial vilification in this country and the dopey bigots who just need a hint of an excuse to start beating on anyone who doesn't look like them. Unfortunately, a bunch of idiot Lebanese kids decided to retaliate. Idiots on both sides.

As far as problems "starting", we've had plenty of problems here, racial and otherwise. Just because you only became aware of it with the Cronulla riots doesn't mean that this was an idyllic oasis beforehand.

Betcha love those Abbos?

Some of my friends are aboriginal. My stepmother is a Torres Strait Islander. I don't know if you're being flippant or serious.

I have no problem with aborigines. As I said, some are friends. I have a problem with anyone, regardless of race, if they want to mess with me. And anytime I've been for a night out, the biggest dickheads I encounter tend to be white. That's not to say I've never had any run-ins with aborigines - I have. But not nearly as often as some drunken white kid decides he wants to start something.

[quote]Oh, and don't get me started about the Australian Aboriginal crime against white Australians. [/quote}

I've been trying to find some kind of statistics on that. Haven't found much so far. Only that aborigines & Torres Strait Islanders make up less than 2% of our population, and almost 15% of the prison population. Disproportionate, eh? So aboriginal crime is certainly an issue.

Yeah, you'll want to shut the fuck up, because I know the BS that's going on over there that you'll want to pretend doesn't happen.

Damn, man. I must living in a bubble. But I'm sure I'm about to find out all about the terrible stuff that's happening around me. I just can't see it.

Okay, you should be more worried about what freedoms are given to you because dictating what my freedoms should and shouldn't be while pretending Australia doesn't have a host of problems it's going to be facing makes you look like a stereotypical yabbo. :p

You sure can read between the lines. I can't see where I was dictating your freedoms. You want to own a big nasty gun, ride your bike without a helmet & drive without a seatbelt, have at it! It was a bad joke in response to you stating that Bush is no friend to gun owners. I guess I should've posted a smiley or something. Although when the red haze of war descends, I don't imagine you'd see the humour anyway.

I can't recall either where I've ever said on this forum that Australia was the perfect society. We have plenty of problems here. It's no utopia. But having lived in the nation's capital, in the outback, on a tropical island, big cities & small towns, and in all the different places I've lived, (as well as having travelled overseas) I can't think of any other country that I'd rather live.

Anyways, go sing your anthem, which oddly has always been as a subject of the UK empire.. well until recently... then you guys just changed the words.

it's funny - I'm sure God Save the Queen has a different melody to Advance Australia Fair. But what would I know - I'm a metalhead

What? To buy a car, you do not need to pass a background check, nor is there a 'cooling off period' that you have to wait before you take delivery of it. A child molester (here and I suppose over there) can buy a windowless box van and leave with it the same day.

No, but if you fail your eye test, or have a medical condition that makes driving dangerous, you won't receive a license to drive.

You're absolutely correct, of course. But I suppose an unconvicted child molester could still buy a gun over there too. Or they could use their charm & a bag of lollies, or a kitchen knife or box cutter to convince their victims to jump in the van. I don't get your point.

Background checks to express your opinion? You're equating owning a deadly weapon to being free to say what you what without fear of official reprisal? So do you think no controls on gun ownership at all is the way to go?

You're not a free citizen, you're a subject of a monarchy that does not trust you any more than an adult would trust a child.

:ROTF: You come out with the funniest shit when you're all worked up. fwiw, The state of US gun laws matter little to me. I'm sure if you guys decide to invade Australia, the military will make sure you're well armed, so whether you keep a buttload of guns under your bed at home won't be a factor. And nowhere in my post did I indicate that I was pro- or anti-gun laws. But you've immediately jumped to a conclusion & gone on the attack, just because I responded to a couple of points in your post.

I'm satisfied with the restrictions on gun ownership here, although by not advocating that we model our gun laws on the US, I'm sure I'll be accused of being a sheep, or a puppet of the "leftist press" over here, or a prisoner of a constitutional monarchy, shaking in my boots as I hole myself up in my barricaded house with bars on the windows, unaware that if I only owned a gun I'd be able to get to the corner store & back to provide milk & bread to my family.

[VitaminG]

Oh, sorry for calling you a yabbo. I was a little upset. lol

y'know, I kind of picked up on that.

I'd rather be called a yobbo than a bogan