A Well Regulated Militia . . .

[Femme Folle]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

My Name Is Ian wrote: My wife has found herself increasingly getting into arguments with gun advocates on Facebook who seem insistent on the fact that, somehow or other, greater gun restrictions will lead to more gun related deaths. The logical contortions that these people will put themselves through in order to justify their killing mechanisms are extraordinary, fascinating, and not a little bit frightening.

Some of those people might be related to me. It's like they have a parasite in their brains that makes them incapable of logical thought.

[ursus arctos]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Well, to be fair, they've been terrified of a black guy taking their guns for centuries.

[Incandenza]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

That all sounds very attractive, Berbaslug. What's the Mexican food situation like there?

Joking aside, I think I really would want to leave in the case of President Trump.

[WOM]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

So, emigration would be your Trump card.

[Renart]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Incandenza wrote: That all sounds very attractive, Berbaslug. What's the Mexican food situation like there?

Always my first concern, too.

I do have college friends who moved to Ireland, though, and they seem to like it. One of them got a tenured job at Maynooth University and he and his husband have now got citizenship and everything. They live in Dublin near Croke Park.

I have often dismissed American liberals who say they'll move if so-and-so is elected, but I am also finding the reality of American culture and political economy to be overwhelmingly awful most of the time lately. (There are bright spots, obviously, but still.) It's a cliche, but I am honestly worried about the country my children are growing up in and the effects it will have on them. Even though most of my day-to-day existence is fairly pleasant.

I was tempted not to get back on the plane to Texas last week when we were in New York. But then all my friends there complain about how the city is becoming a playground for rich people and all the interesting culture is being forced out, so who knows.

[San Bernardhinault]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Incandenza wrote: That all sounds very attractive, Berbaslug. What's the Mexican food situation like there?

I believe they use potato tortillas, and use cabbage to make guacamole.

I doubt I'd consider emigrating away because of the gun mania alone, but I don't have children who will grow up thinking it's normal to have a school go into lockdown and who've been trained in how to deal with that. I can see how growing up in a culture that expects a mass shooting so much that they have to train in defensive measures can only fuck up a child, and why people would want to leave as a result.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

well..... you're going to have to set a largely free education system, and a relatively cheap medical system against mexican food I'm afraid.

I think Ireland could in theory be an amazing place for mexican food. Half the country is hungover every day, and quite frankly we love anything spicy. But I'm afraid that we're going to need to attract many more mexicans to make it work.

[ursus arctos]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

They'll need somewhere to go once Trump deports them all.

And they will need money after he makes them pay for the Wall.

[Incandenza]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Renart and I could open a Mexican place together!

[Renart]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Shit, sorry to hear about your friend's friend, SB.

Although it's true that your own odds of being shot or killed in one of these attacks are low, you probably also don't have to go out very many degrees of separation before there's somebody who is affected. And that's especially true if you count all the online acquaintances you have.

I never knew her, but a woman who posted on a discussion board I used to frequent was killed in the 7/7 London bombings ten years ago. I had never met her, but had certainly read lots of posts by her, and it was a great, sad shock.

[Renart]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Incandenza wrote: Renart and I could open a Mexican place together!

Ha ha, yes! I'll change my first name to Julián for greater authenticity.

[Renart]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Just need to decide which Irish football club to support. "Bohemians" is a very appealing name . . .

[ursus arctos]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

*raises paw*

The drills didn't bother me, but the constant spectre of mutually assured destruction completely creeped me out from about the age of 5.

ursus minor has come to think of the lockdown stuff as "security theatre", but I'm not sure that he would feel that way if he had been four or five when he had his first one, instead of 12 or 13.

I think that my five year old self would have been more worried about mass shootings, as part of the way that I learned to live with The Bomb was to focus on the fact that it really wasn't in anyone's interest to eliminate all life on the planet and that if happened, we'd all go together.

The Republican establishment in this country (and much of the right side of the Democrats), on the other hand, seem to be perfectly fine with having a mass shooting every day on average as the price for them being able to keep their lethal toys.

[Renart]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Their sense of power and masculinity depends on having guns as props. It's not really about protection, since statistically, bringing a gun into your house vastly increases the odds that you will be injured or killed by a gun.

It's identity politics, really. Conservative white men think of guns, or access to guns, as a fundamental part of their being. It's not going to change until more and more of them age and die. In the mean time their fetishism will lead to more and more deaths. It's completely insane.

[Borracho]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote: I think Ireland could in theory be an amazing place for mexican food. Half the country is hungover every day, and quite frankly we love anything spicy. But I'm afraid that we're going to need to attract many more mexicans to make it work.

I've done my bit.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Green Calx wrote:

I think Ireland could in theory be an amazing place for mexican food. Half the country is hungover every day, and quite frankly we love anything spicy. But I'm afraid that we're going to need to attract many more mexicans to make it work.

I've done my bit.

Haha. What does your missus think of Ireland's array of mexican cuisine.

[Incandenza]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

MSNBC has gone into Farook's house and showed his mother's drivers license and Social Security Card, with number, on the air.

[ursus arctos]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

While ransacking the apartment, including things like children's books.

With CNN.

It's absolutely beyond belief.

[Incandenza]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

This is sickening:

http://mashable.com/2015/12/04/san-bernardino-shooters-apartment-journalists/#SSCT6JxPFgqR

Even if the landlord let you in, Jesus Christ. The LA Times' reporter there, also inside, says that neighbors started walking around inside.

[ursus arctos]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

They've just confirmed that the apartment is NOT a cleared crime scene.

[San Bernardhinault]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

I hope they lock up the landlord and the journalists as a result.

[WOM]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Which makes one wonder why the fuck it was left unguarded just two days after a freakin' massacre.

[Incandenza]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

Brunho wrote: Wow. What can law enforcement be thinking?

And considering they broadcast personally identifiable information, MSNBC's legal department.

[ursus arctos]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

CNN now reporting that "a woman with a dog" is walking through the apartment.

[Renart]

A Well Regulated Militia . . .

The reporter walk-through of the apartment is insane. Wasn't the place sealed and/or guarded by the local cops or the FBI?

It's becoming increasingly difficult not to think that America as a whole is just completely letting itself go.

To Brunho: Yes, you may be right. I guess I just meant that I think a broader cultural change has to play itself out. It might take 50 or 100 years, though, rather than just the current nutters dying off.