Armed guards protect Senate Democrats as they demand new gun-control laws

[MachineGhost]

Another way to look at it:  Imagine what the U.S. government would do if they didn't have any fear of the citizens.

You're assuming the government has any real fear of armed citizens now other than being worried about the sideshow game of political popularity.  The game rests upon Bullshit and that can evaporate at anytime.

[MachineGhost]

Pretend you're a repressive government for a moment. If you wanted to do those things, would you rather do it against a disarmed people, or a people who are armed to the teeth?

How well did that work out for stopping Saddam, Mubarak, Ghaddi and Assad from being tyrants?  They had quite repressive and intolerant governments for decades.  Makes us look like a walk in the park despite our petty squabbling.

I'm fine with the doomsday provision but its simply not a winning strategy today as it would have been back in the day when weapons technology was equalized between the citizens/militia and a government's military.  You actually had a chance back then otherwise 1776 would never have happened.

Look at what a failure the "Arab Spring" has become.  Guns alone isn't all that is necessary for freedom.  It's not even the most important.

[Pointedstick]

How well did that work out for stopping Saddam, Mubarak, Ghaddi and Assad from being tyrants?  They had quite repressive and intolerant governments for decades.  Makes us look like a walk in the park despite our petty squabbling.

For the most part, Arabs accept political tyranny in a way that Western Europeans and their derivative societies do not. Different culture. Same with Africans. They just don't have the reflexive revulsion to strongman government that we do. That's not a judgement, just the truth.

[MachineGhost]

For the most part, Arabs accept political tyranny in a way that Western Europeans and their derivative societies do not. Different culture. Same with Africans. They just don't have the reflexive revulsion to strongman government that we do. That's not a judgement, just the truth.

I feel like that is a cop out.  Otherwise the "Arab Spring" would never have occurred (I mean come on it was just one frustrated grocer setting himself on fire -- why the hell should anyone else have suddenly cared?).  But you could be right about the Arab non-Millenial generations...

[Mountaineer]

l82start,

Do you REALLY believe your sig lines? 

... M

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't.

“Belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence.”

  Do i REALLY believe my sig lines?  the second one... definitely.. (except that i do question it... i would hate for it to be a certitude and limit my ability to think about that aspect of existence)

Hey, I was just poking in fun since your sig lines seem rather self-refuting (to me) since they are stated as belief; that is if you really believe it .... assuming you are intelligent which you seem to be. 

... M

[Pointedstick]

For the most part, Arabs accept political tyranny in a way that Western Europeans and their derivative societies do not. Different culture. Same with Africans. They just don't have the reflexive revulsion to strongman government that we do. That's not a judgement, just the truth.

I feel like that is a cop out.  Otherwise the "Arab Spring" would never have occurred (I mean come on it was just one frustrated grocer setting himself on fire -- why the hell should anyone else have suddenly cared?).  But you could be right about the Arab non-Millenial generations...

…And the Arab Spring failed. All the participating countries are even worse off now, suffering either a different form of autocracy or endless civil war. Not enough momentum to overcome entrenched attitudes.

[l82start]

l82start,

Do you REALLY believe your sig lines? 

... M

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't.

“Belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence.”

  Do i REALLY believe my sig lines?  the second one... definitely.. (except that i do question it... i would hate for it to be a certitude and limit my ability to think about that aspect of existence)

Hey, I was just poking in fun since your sig lines seem rather self-refuting (to me) since they are stated as belief; that is if you really believe it .... assuming you are intelligent which you seem to be. 

... M

they do have a little fun with logic    but there is an important message in the second one as well, belief/certitude is mental death and tends to leave no room for new information. 

[Xan]

they do have a little fun with logic    but there is an important message in the second one as well, belief/certitude is mental death and tends to leave no room for new information.

No doubt about it!  Er...

[MachineGhost]

they do have a little fun with logic    but there is an important message in the second one as well, belief/certitude is mental death and tends to leave no room for new information.

I'd say its arrogance not belief.  I have a belief that belief is not the death of intelligence and thus it is so.  Refute that!

[Mountaineer]

  Do i REALLY believe my sig lines?  the second one... definitely.. (except that i do question it... i would hate for it to be a certitude and limit my ability to think about that aspect of existence)

Hey, I was just poking in fun since your sig lines seem rather self-refuting (to me) since they are stated as belief; that is if you really believe it .... assuming you are intelligent which you seem to be. 

... M

they do have a little fun with logic    but there is an important message in the second one as well, belief/certitude is mental death and tends to leave no room for new information.

Only if you believe it! 

... M

[l82start]

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
Bertrand Russell

said the man the that this type of paradox is named after... 

(Russell's paradox also known as Russell's antinomy)

[Mountaineer]

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
Bertrand Russell

said the man the that this type of paradox is named after... 

(Russell's paradox also known as Russell's antinomy)

This phrase from Wikipedia (about Russell) caught my eye:

When Brand Blanshard asked Russell why he didn't write on aesthetics, Russell replied that he didn't know anything about it, "but that is not a very good excuse, for my friends tell me it has not deterred me from writing on other subjects".

... M

[mathjak107]

what a cool place we went yesterday . it is called bannerman island and it sits in the hudson river near beacon ny.  it is only accessible by boat .

mr bannerman was the worlds largest arms dealer .  he got the idea to buy all the military surplus at the end of the spanish american war .

he bought millions of rifles , 30 million rounds of ammo , cannons and all sorts of stuff.

he grew so big ny wanted his arsenal away from people . so he bought this island .  he built scottish castle like structures to store his stuff in .

2 years after his death the island exploded but the shell of the castle's are still there .

he opened the first army navy store at 501 5th ave in nyc selling his safer objects .

if anyone wants to see the photo's i will post them .

[Pointedstick]

Definitely.

[mathjak107]

[img width=700]https://mm-photography.smugmug.com/PLAC ... dit-X2.jpg[/img]

[img width=700]https://mm-photography.smugmug.com/PLAC ... 753-XL.jpg[/img]

[img width=700]https://mm-photography.smugmug.com/PLAC ... dit-XL.jpg[/img]

[img width=700]https://mm-photography.smugmug.com/PLAC ... dit-XL.jpg[/img]

[img width=700]https://mm-photography.smugmug.com/PLAC ... dit-XL.jpg[/img]

[l82start]

While I respect this statement to some extent:
“Belief is the death of intelligence. As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence.”

I think its scope is limited.  For example, am I allowed to believe that the world is round?  Or do I have to continue being so open minded that I continually question that doctrine?  As someone said, the purpose of an open mind is to eventually close on the truth.

it depends on functionality in time and place - for example understanding the world is round probably works pretty darn well for absolutely everything you will ever do involving the shape of the earth, but if for example you were trying to calculate the relationship between gravity and space time in some grand unified theory/string theory sort of way maybe, (and i sure can't tell you one way or the other) it might help you get there to think out side "world is round" box, but otherwise it is big box and there aren't many calls to think outside it, but many belief boxes are much smaller, not as likely to function as well all the time or under every circumstance, and how they are working out, their usefulness, their accuracy,  should probably be questioned more often.