Posts by EscapedLifer1

46

I'm new here

by Apostanator in

this is the first time i feel comfortable posting something.

i've been a lurker for over a year and i must say there are a lot of courageous people here who left the watchtower.

thank god for the internet and sites like this.

EscapedLifer1

Welcome!!!

Look forward to hearing your story!

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

OMG!!

ended up selling them to pay for the birth of my 17 year old

You gave birth to a 17 year old????

The way in which our 'Boys in Blue' are out gunned on the street, though, is another issue which is very disturbing. The "Boys" get a pistol and a shotgun, and the bad guys get armor piercing full-auto weapons that would scare off an alien invasion! That is so screwed up.

I so TOTALLY agree. The inequality there in firepower is stupid!!! I don't understand why the government, at every level, doesn't do something about this. It's even worse here in the rural parts of Alabama, where a typical county sherrif might be carrying a six shot revolver and a shotgun in the trunk, while the trailer trash meth lab boys have semi-auto pistols and an AK-47. Just doesn't make sense.

BTW, that's another reason I believe in myself and my family being armed. If there ever is a problem, the police, who might not have the firepower to protect us anyway, are 15 to 20 minutes away if trouble starts.

A side thought here - I really appreciate everyone's candor in this discussion. I have seen this issue, plus a zillion other political issues discussed on this JWD board turn into flame wars, with people getting deleted and threats being fired back and forth. I think it is really great that everyone in this discussion has show respect for everyone else's comments, and the discussion has been interesting and fun, even though we disagree to varying degrees. Kudo's to everyone on this thread!!!

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

heathen,

I agree to a certain degree. We live in a relatively free society, and the price we pay for our greater freedoms is each person having to exercise more personal responsibility to use what they have (whether its a gun, an automobile, or a refrigerator) in a reasonable and safe way. The reason the NRA doesn't want to "go there" on any of the gun legislation is only partly because of the "slippery slope" argument as mentioned by SF. They also have a strong belief in unregulated freedom, their belief being that increased regulation is the governments attempt to control, and thereby decrease freedom.

I personally wouldn't mind tighter restrictions on gun ownership, or registration. (The NRA stance on this though, is that if all firearms are registered with the government, if the government ever wanted to they could round up all publicly owned firearms to restrict the populace's ability to revolt. That's their fear on registration.) In Alabama, to get a motorcycle license you now have to pass a motorcycle safety course, and I wouldn't mind something similar for firearms.

I am sure that the scene in an ER, especially an urban one, is grisly when it comes to gunshot wounds. Bullets do horrendous damage, and its sad when the innocent are the target, or just get in the way. But I personally don't think this is sufficient justification for disallowing the public to own firearms.

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

stevenyc,

Thanks for posting those statistics, very interesting. However, statistics can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and the if the ones running the study already have a preconceived notion then they can easily misinterpret the raw data. I'm not saying this is the case here, but notice the following (bold italics mine) wording:

Dr. Ted Miller, National Public Services Research Institute examined the link between gun ownership rates and firearms death within Canadian provinces, the United States, England/Wales and Australia and concluded that 92% of the variance in death rates was explained by access to firearms in those areas. He suggested that a 1% increase (or decrease) in the percentage of households with guns in Canada would be associated with a 5.8% increase (or decrease) in the Canadian gun death rate

Someone else looking at those raw figures could reach a different conclusion, or suggest that other factors are involved that aren't even taken into consideration in this set of numbers.

For instance, it is only natural that the more guns are available, the more crimes will be committed with guns. That is simply a logical statistical conclusion, just as the more automobiles are on the road, the more automobile accidents will occur. The more construction workers there are, the more construction accidents will happen.

So what do the statistics prove, other than the logical statistical point just noted? Anything else is a subjective interpretation of the data.

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

EF,

As I have REPEATEDLY said.....I'm not for banning guns. But you pro-gun nuts have to simply acknowlege that 29,500 gun deaths per year is an acceptable price to pay for our "guns for all" culture.

I believe that is an erroneous argument, you are linking two things that are not linked. Lets apply your logic to another industry, construction tools. There are thousands of deaths each year on construction sites, so I guess from your perspective, we either need to stop construction activities or simply admit that anyone who works in construction is OK with all the deaths, that's just the price we have to pay to work in construction. What are you smokin', man?

Just because I own a gun, does not mean that I am OK with even a single gun death, unless it is the death of a criminal while he's trying to hurt or kill someone innocent. Criminals will commit violent crimes with anything. What about kitchen knives? How many people each year are stabbed to death with kitchen knives? Should we all just admit that these deaths are simply the price we kitchen knife nuts pay to have our kitchen knives?

As as already been stated a thousand times before, it is NOT the object (the gun, the knife, the commercial circular saw) that kills people, its the people misusing that tool or refusing to follow proper safety routines.

I don't see this as being very honest. Just admit you're ok with thousand upon thousands of deaths per year as the price that must be paid and I'll drop it. :)

Sorry, not gonna happen, because your linking of the two, your premise, is incorrect.

It's been an interesting discussion though, and on the other threads I usually agree with you.

Brandon

40

If Armageddon came tonight, and you could tell God one thing..

by GetBusyLiving in

jw
friends

.

.. what would you say before he plunges a sword through your chest?

gbl

EscapedLifer1

"So long, and no thanks for all the Phish."

Huxley, LMAO!!

I would have to say something like, "So what were you smoking when you wrote that Bible thingy?"

or

"Do I get a last request? Yes? OK, I want a couple nice cuban cigars, a big bottle of Grey Goose Vodka, and an hour alone with the Swedish Bikini Team. You can watch, if you want."

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

Pole,

As an example: ever heard of the German Enigma encryption machine? I wonder what the common belief about how it was captured is in America.

That it was actually captured by a British operation, but it looks better on the screen with Matthew MC. doing it as an American.

What else do you think we get wrong over here?

Brandon

15

HELP!!

by troubledteen in

.

i have been with a witness now for 10 - 11 months, i am rather young, 17.. i dont know if i want to be with him but he's giving me all these reasons why i should and i dont know what to do, i broke up with him because he cheated on me and i couldnt cope..i really dont know what to do or what to say to him or myself to figure out what i want :(.

his mum disaproves and wont allow him to see me and he doesnt stand up for me..but i ont know if its worth it..i am sooo confused and i havent a clue how to sort my head out or weather this is worth it at this age.. please help!

EscapedLifer1

Hi,

I am sorry you are going through such an emotional situation. You may have strong feelings for him, but like EvilForce and the others have said, and I must agree, run and find someone who will treat you as wonderfully as you deserve.

The witnesses like him who play both sides of the fence tend to come from dysfunctional families, and heck, a dysfunctional religion, and can't help but be messed up themselves until they sort it out for themselves. Sadly this usually takes years, and is a very difficult time.

I wish you the best!!!

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

EvilForce,

My bad lifer....my brain was thinking the Yeltsin / Gorby standoff that was peacefully put down...my fingers typed fall of Berlin wall.

No prob!

But the other examples I gave were still good examples of my point that you did not take issue with.

Didn't take issue with them because I'm not as familiar with them as I am the Berlin Wall thingy. I need to do some research on them, but probably won't because I do agree with you to a degree (and I'm busy with other stuff right now and I'm too lazy to take time away from that to go look them up ). The recent events in Lebanon could also fall into the same category. The information age is changing some of the rules of how governments and their citizens interact, and I think we're only seeing the beginning. It's going to be interesting to see how close we ever get to a true democracy (every major decision being made by majority population vote). Of course, that will take the citizenry becoming much better informed, and I may be cynical here, but I don't see that as happening too soon.

But you took what I wrote and leaped to a conclusion that I did not make. I simply stated what the gun death rate is today...29,000+ given CURRENT law. You somehow concluded that I was for a personal ban of law abiding citizenry, or some other simplistic answer. I made no such conclusions or statements.

Sorry, that one's my bad. I guess I am too used to arguing this issue with people who do take a simplistic "all guns are evil and only the police should have them" stance out here in the real world. Sorry I projected that onto you!

Maybe I missed it somewhere, and if I did, I apologize. But would you mind stating what you see as the problem with guns, and what you think would fix it?

Nice talking to you, and I appreciate your candor. We can disagree and still have a civil discussion (and hey, we both might learn something). Most of the folks I'm used to discussing this issue with get real emotional real quick.

Brandon

138

Guns: Opinions?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

EscapedLifer1

Evilforce,

The fall of the Berlin Wall?

Unarmed civilians.... the TV camera and internet are the new "weapons" my friend.

Dude, read your history book. Unarmed civilians did not make the Berlin Wall fall. Reagan drove the Soviet Union, and thereby its satellites, into bankruptcy with the rapid acceleration in the arms race. All of the satellites, including East Germany, were losing their political power rapidly. Glasnost, Parastroyka, (spelling ?), programs started under pressure from the West, were finally giving the populace behind the Iron Curtain a few freedoms, and they liked it. A mistaken announcement about opening up the Wall, accidentally made by the East German government way before Moscow was ready for them to make it, started the whole celebration. The unarmed public did not "rise up" and rebel, they thought the government was opening the gates and they were celebrating. Under pressure from Moscow to make sure they didn't embarass themselves and Mother Russia with a televised massacre, the East German government decided to pull their border forces away from the wall. The civilians that were celebrating and tearing up the Wall thought, because of the announment from the government, that what they were doing was OK. It was not an unarmed rebellion.

Maybe they want less guns for safer streets...novel concept. Just admit that the gun violence is an acceptable price for you to have your guns.

Again, do some research. Most of the gun deaths in the US are criminals with stolen weapons, and the occassional accidental shooting (cleaning a gun, kid finds improperly stored firearm, shoots brother, hunting accident because Bubba Joe is drunk, etc.). Very rarely are gun deaths the result of a law abiding, permit carrying, NRA supporting, gun owners.

So the difference in the total death toll if outlawing personal ownership of firearms happens is going to be a really small percentage. The rest of the gun deaths will still happen.

Brandon