Whatever our leaders might have done, have done, or have not done, the current terrorist threat ought to trouble us.

In an open society, we face many vulnerabilities. As Andrew warns us, we have to take care to respond with balance and intelligence. Nonetheless, people who mean us harm can easily hurt us and kill many people with a small number of resources.

As one who loves Manhattan, I fear what harm people there can face over the holidays.

Imagine terrorists being fully-fledged pilots (locked behind protective doors) on airliners. Imagine terrorists exploding a dirty bomb in Times Square this holiday. Imagine someone blowing up a shopping mall or a church.

Of course, our government would not allow any such things to happen. I mean there is no way that we would allow terrorist pilots to fly here from overseas. I mean not when we search old ladies and old men 800 times on every flight.

It's time to start adding colors to the alert system... Personally, I've always thought the USA was a spring, not a fall. One color is definitely missing, though:

Fucia - OMG! Gays might get the same rights as everyone else, time to amend the constitution!

John70 (imported) wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2003 11:36 am It's time to start adding colors to the alert system... Personally, I've always thought the USA was a spring, not a fall. One color is definitely missing, though:

Fucia - OMG! Gays might get the same rights as everyone else, time to amend the constitution!

But do we want the USA to suffer from Fuchsia Shock?

As far as I know thus far, I am not gay, but I am readly to come out of the closet to help America.

Murder Rates in the States:

New York City in 2002:

http://www.jointogether.org/gv/news/sum ... 72,00.html

California - 2002:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/04/28/c ... .crime.ap/

Dangerous Times For U.S. Women

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/ ... 6490.shtml

How China views the U.S.A ( Figures and facts from The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2002 (03/04/2003) ):

http://www.china-un.ch/eng/45995.html

American guns:

http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2002-3/ ... oored.html

Murder Rates in the States:

<snip>

Do yourself a favor and run a web search, Robby, and look for John Lott. He has researched the gun issue exhaustively, and has written two books that reveal the UN-spun version of the crime stats. Most of the sources cited in the articles you linked are declared anti-gun groups, intent on taking weapons away from law-abiding citizens, in the vain hope that doing so will somehow reduce the number of guns in criminal hands. Just examine the recent experience in the U.K. to see the futility of that approach.

The bottom line is that people who use guns to commit crimes differ little from schoolyard bullies, in that they abuse others only so long as they do not believe they will be hurt in the process. As soon as their victims start to fight back, their cowardice is revealed. The very last thing we need to do is to make it more difficult for good people to fight back.

Andrew (imported) wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2003 12:42 pm But do we want the USA to suffer from Fuchsia Shock?

Groan... lol

Fuchsia Shock would liberate America.

radar (imported) wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2003 10:02 pm Do yourself a favor and run a web search, Robby, and look for John Lott. He has researched the gun issue exhaustively, and has written two books that reveal the UN-spun version of the crime stats. Most of the sources cited in the articles you linked are declared anti-gun groups, intent on taking weapons away from law-abiding citizens, in the vain hope that doing so will somehow reduce the number of guns in criminal hands. Just examine the recent experience in the U.K. to see the futility of that approach.

The bottom line is that people who use guns to commit crimes differ little from schoolyard bullies, in that they abuse others only so long as they do not believe they will be hurt in the process. As soon as their victims start to fight back, their cowardice is revealed. The very last thing we need to do is to make it more difficult for good people to fight back.

My point in the "Murder Rates in the States", is to show we don't need war in foreign lands to kill Americans. We do that ourselves. Regardless of who is behind the statistics, numbers don't lie. Even if they are skewed one way or the other, numbers still don't lie.

If you want to discuss death rates just remember, no matter where you get your statistics, dead people are dead people and they are not coming back.

My point is, we need to solve our problems here in the Homeland, not in foreign lands. Let the good people of foreign lands take care of themselves and let the Americans take care of themselves too.

Thanks for the reply Radar. You helped me make my point.

Happy Trails, Happy Holidays, and may peace be with you,

Robby

Terrorist Warning....my wrinkled white ASS!

It is not the guns that are the problem. It is the constant state of fear in which we all live in the United States. The fear causes a "fight or flight" reaction that shows up as spending, thrill seeking and generally living like it was out last collective days on Earth. The government, the news media, the entertainment media and the businesses all keep everyone fired up so they consume, consume, consume. The by-product of all of this agitation and BULLSHIT is that we get mad and pissed off or the fear takes over, the adrenalin flows and we shoot somebody. Then, we get thrown in jail for it. It is a predictable cycle in America that keeps our economy in America spinning like an engine with its throttle stuck open. But it also keeps the prisons full, the drugs flowing and we spend like there is no tomorrow because subconsciously we believe that there will NOT be a tomorrow.

UNLESS YOU WANT TO REALLY KNOW HOW I FEEL, STOP HERE

..ANd the Terrorists...how fucking ignorant can you get??!!!

BinLaden kept his bullshit up until he got the attention of the American public. Now, even the academics can't get the population under control. America wants blood now and the majority of her population just want to see someplace in the middle east destroyed. There is no reason behind it, it is just pure, blind, collective RAGE!

This has given the GW Bush administration the excuse to go over and to avenge the assassination attempt on GHW Bush by Saddam Hussain after the Gulf War #1.

I hope that that stupid bin-BITCH, (bin-Bitch because he truly is the son of a dog and not a human), and the rest of his ilk are happy! As much harm as he has created in the Middle East I hope Allah is writing all of this down in his book. May judgment come to him soon! Using Islam to cause the Arab people to die for their faith is the ultimate of exploitation. It is all because BinLaden wanted to overthrow the Saudi Arabian government and set up his own dictatorship. He doesn't love Allah or Mohammed pbh, he loves $$$$$$$! He is 1000000000 times worse than the average mad-dog American.

Can you picture what would happen to a middle east terrorist or a group of terrorists who would try to hyjack an American plane with box cutters? Hell, the would get mobbed so fast...and even if they did make it to the cockpit most likely the pilot would pull out a gun and shoot them. Either way, they would either be dead or unconscious by the time the plane landed.

Still, these morons want to hijack domestic flights. Three flights were cancelled on Christmas. But they are AFRAID to try to hijack American flights now. They will all end up like that moron with the shoe bomb did. In jail, subdued by PASSENGERS. These terrorists are living proof that Ishmael fucked camels. Hell, even CAMELS are smarter and less gullable than them.

As for The People's Republic of China, let us not go there, O.K.?

How many Chinese people have been shot in the back of the head in a public arena and then had their family sent the bill for the bullet? DO you dare think how many were innocent? There are no trials, just executions. You see, we don't know shit about China because it is a closed society and the information is never made public. They just do as they please and nobody ever knows.

If China was better than America you would see massive immigration movement to that place. Have you noticed how much of the stuff that you buy here in America has "china" stamped or written on it? (Especially if it is from Wal_Mart.) That is because there is so much cheap labor over there. What incentive does cheap labor have to produce? Hey, but look at the bright side. If you go on strike over there you will go to jail or be shot. So they should have high productivity, right? Guess again. They do what they must just to get by. The people of that society are subdued and calm, but they DO have a longing.

Have you seen any college students protesting for democracy in America?

I suggest that you go research Amnesty International and let us give China her fair share of dogging here, too.

The bottom line is that no country is perfect. Hell, if you live in Canada and you come down with lung cancer most likely you will not be able to get radiation treatments because you disease is deemed by the medical breaucracy in Canada as "fatal".

The prescription drugs may be cheaper there but just try to get into a doctor when you are sick to get a prescription to buy them.

If you want the most perfect, safest place on Earth, it is most likely in a Cemetary. Hell, even then some damned fool will want to exhume you for one reason or another.

Robby, I wish that it was otherwise, but it is not. Nor do I think that it is going to change soon.

A-1