No, this is not about Trayvon Martin.

Just got a "Breaking News" email saying:

Quote
CNN
Anders Behring Breivik pleads not guilty to Norway attacks, claims he killed 77 people "in self-defense."

I guess "the gun went off while I was cleaning it" was too far-fetched.

[edition.cnn.com]

The Muslims are coming, the Muslims are coming !

Hey - cut the guy some slack. It is entirely likely that some of those kids were pelting him with Skittles and offering him some iced tea. He needed to STAND HIS GROUND!!!!

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Unpaid Social Liaison

Self defense because even paranoids have enemies. I expect it's an insanity plea, but they found him sane (enough) to stand trial.

As deftly postulated in Farenheit 911-- we're drowning in guns and murders because we're consumed with fear.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

"I do not recognize the Norwegian court. You've gotten your mandate from political parties that support multiculturalism," he said.

"OK, we will make a note of that general objection," Judge Wenche Elizabeth Arntzen said curtly.



You get the feeling she'll be saying that a lot during this trial.

It'll be good for Norwegians when this trial is over. Not that anything particularly for victims' families can lessen this, but at least get his face out of the news.

Quote
Black
As deftly postulated in Farenheit 911-- we're drowning in guns and murders because we're consumed with fear.

=wr=

I saw the other day that Missouri State lawmakers are reviewing legislation to block cities from using local restrictions to ban concealed handguns on city buses and trains. And I was saying to my husband, why do these lawmakers assume that life is going to be wonderful if I can ride on a bus with half or more riders carrying concealed weapons? Frankly, the idea is frightening to me. I can very easily imagine a gun fight breaking out for no reason better than someone wouldn't give up their seat to somebody, or some such thing. Fortunately, I don't live in Missouri, but just the idea of it gets me wound up.

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"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2012 05:08PM by $tevie.

Great article in this week's New Yorker about the history of gun control and how we got to where we are:
[www.newyorker.com]

Quote
$tevie
I can very easily imagine a gun fight breaking out for no reason better than someone wouldn't give up their seat to somebody, or some such thing.

"Sit Your Ground" laws?

Quote
Lux Interior
No, this is not about Trayvon Martin.

Just got a "Breaking News" email saying:

Quote
CNN
Anders Behring Breivik pleads not guilty to Norway attacks, claims he killed 77 people "in self-defense."

I guess "the gun went off while I was cleaning it" was too far-fetched.

[edition.cnn.com]

Beats "Twinkies."

The current concern with conceal and carry laws and similar is a showy symbol more (like a peacock feather) than its a functional law.

the benefits of these laws are typically spoken of in ideals rather than practical application. in this manner i don't think any NRA types (or mainsteam republicans at this point) care if any real work changes occur. after all, we're finally "free"

Quote
$tevie
I saw the other day that Missouri State lawmakers are reviewing legislation to block cities from using local restrictions to ban concealed handguns on city buses and trains. And I was saying to my husband, why do these lawmakers assume that life is going to be wonderful if I can ride on a bus with half or more riders carrying concealed weapons? Frankly, the idea is frightening to me. I can very easily imagine a gun fight breaking out for no reason better than someone wouldn't give up their seat to somebody, or some such thing. Fortunately, I don't live in Missouri, but just the idea of it gets me wound up.

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Quote
$tevie
I saw the other day that Missouri State lawmakers are reviewing legislation to block cities from using local restrictions to ban concealed handguns on city buses and trains. And I was saying to my husband, why do these lawmakers assume that life is going to be wonderful if I can ride on a bus with half or more riders carrying concealed weapons? Frankly, the idea is frightening to me. I can very easily imagine a gun fight breaking out for no reason better than someone wouldn't give up their seat to somebody, or some such thing. Fortunately, I don't live in Missouri, but just the idea of it gets me wound up.

I invite good jokes about the "show me" state.

On a more serious level, I suspect that the majority of voters don't care all that much one way or the other about gun control laws, except to the effect that there ought to be some reasonable level of regulation. They aren't involved enough to vote against an elected official who caves to NRA pressure. Meanwhile, there is the ten percent (or twenty percent, or whatever) of voters who are obsessed with losing their virility or guns or second amendment rights, or whatever they think of it as being, and that is enough to turn a primary election or defeat an incumbent. That's why politicians in red and purple states are acting so weirdly on these issues -- they get driven by the nutters in their own legislatures, and they don't want to be politically targeted, so they try to keep their heads down and hope that the other house of the legislature buries the worst bills in committee.

The bloody hand of the NRA can be seen here again. Florida's Republicans last year, 2011, enacted an absolute prohibition on local municipalities making ordinances or regulations relating to firearms, ammunition, or components thereof.

The intent of Florida's new gun law is to declare all local ordinances and regulations null and void which have been enacted by any jurisdictions other than the State of Florida and the federal government.

Any local official who attempts to enforce an illegal local regulation or local ordinance faces a $5,000 fine that must be paid by the local official personally. In fact, no local funds can be used to defend the action except that a public defender or appointed counsel can be provided to an indigent person accused of this crime. Furthermore, the local official also faces being removed from office by the Governor of the State of Florida.

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Comedy Central: Best news channel that isn't a news channel.

Fox News: Best comedy channel that isn't a comedy channel.

^^

That law is already having a stupid effect -- Tampa can not ban handguns from the weapons-free safezone surrounding the GOP Convention. So toy or replica guns are illegal, but real loaded handguns are allowed.

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You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands...
- For example, if they are wrapped around your throat she's probably slightly upset.