2013-01-16, 17:41 | Link #25781 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Gensokyo
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Though blaming everything would be the right solution, it's impossible to find one causis for the gun culture developped. Video game may be one factor, but I doubt it's the only one. Maybe it's because I'm an european, when I talk about firearms with an american I feel like talking with a moudjahidin sometime. It's as if the guns where a part of their body, maybe their child, the blood of their blood, the flesh of their flesh. When I see people being happy receiving a weapon for chrisman of birthday, as if they achieved a goal in their life, as if you can't be an american citizen without possessing a weapon, I find it quite ... pelicular.
I'm like "yeah ... I only know the AK 47 why you try to give me a whole lesson?" |
2013-01-16, 19:24 | Link #25782 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Virginia
Age: 47
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2013-01-17, 00:40 | Link #25783 |
Himono Onna
Join Date: Jan 2013
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Agreed, it is like a right to passage. Even though I am not American my brother was given a BB gun when he was of a decent age. My family saw it as him becoming more of an adult. Here we have a lot of wild animals and things (and many werewolf stories too) so him having a gun made him feel like he was now able to take care of the family. It's all about the mind set really. My brother used it for a few months and hasn't touched it since.
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2013-01-17, 01:49 | Link #25784 | ||
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Though I suppose that leaves the question of why guns are so popular a hobby compared to, say, knitting. |
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2013-01-17, 09:36 | Link #25786 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Floods paralyze Indonesian capital, heavy rains continue
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...90G05Q20130117
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2013-01-17, 10:11 | Link #25787 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Moscow, RU
Age: 35
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35 hostages, 15 kidnappers killed by Algerian airstrike
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...isis-live.html Algeria hostage siege http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21063558
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2013-01-17, 11:21 | Link #25788 | |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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The situation seems a bit more muddled than that headline suggests:
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2013-01-17, 15:09 | Link #25789 | |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Anderson Cooper Rips James Tracy For Newtown Conspiracy Theories
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0....html?ir=Media Quote:
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2013-01-17, 15:56 | Link #25790 | |
Unspecified
Scanlator
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Unspecified
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Barack Obama 'says Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't know what is good for Israel'
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2013-01-17, 17:27 | Link #25792 | |
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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Realpolitik should tell Israel that pandering to the settlers is detrimental to Israel. At most, Israeli politicians seem to think that the settlement issue can be used as a club to bludgeon the Palestinians with when they do something they don't like. But that's been the Israeli response to everything the Palestinians do, and it's clearly not working. the only way force can settle this matter now would be if the Israeli's opted for outright extermination or conquest...something that has about no chance of being a politically viable option. Not for a state that gained international legitimacy as being a bastion to victims of genocide, not in today's world. Now they could try outright conquest...but that'd lead the problem of how you'd integrate hostile Palestinians into Israel. Make them second class citizens and Israel abandons ALL pretext (as minimal as that might be in the minds of some people) of not being another South Africa. And if all the Palestinians were integrated, the basis of Israel as a majority Jewish democracy goes right out the window. The Two state solution is really the only viable long term plan. There needs to be a viable Palestinian state that Israel can make peace with, maintain order and prevent further attacks, as well as helping to improve living and social conditions enough so that the inclination to wage war against Israel subsides. But this is inherently impossible when Palestine cannot get recognition as a state, or ensure that radicals in Israel won't slice off more and more of its territory. Obama has every right to think the Israeli's have no idea what's in their best interest.
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2013-01-17, 17:49 | Link #25793 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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There was an arguement that there are no new settlements, just natural expansion of teh existing ones. The problem with this is that if you are negotiating for borders and such, you don't go and keep pushing your marker farther into the other guy's territory and not expect there to be a fight about it.
If you are going to claim all the lands, so it, don't try to take it meter by meter via construction projects. (I still consider that Israel should have just taken it all reguardless of what the UN said in 1967, as that was the traditional way of things/ Spoils go to the victor.). Because the world won't allow the "defender" to claim territories it won in a war, the Palestinian are kind of noplace and Israel has settlements in mind. Meaning that the only solution left if a two state solution, or another war where Israel takes the lands and keeps them (the UN still won't allow it). The worse response from Israel on the settlements though would be "we need breathing room".
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2013-01-17, 18:16 | Link #25794 | |
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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Incorporating them as first class citizens is problematic. Both since it threatens the national Jewish character (something of subjective value, but I'm assuming the Israeli's think it's important), and also runs into the problem that a war of conquest where you give the conquered people full say in the government of the conqueror is bound to not end well. ...which leads us from the inconvenient option, to the down right ugly option. Making the Palistinians second class citizens. This is ultimately the real reason why Israel has tried to dominate Palestine without officially incorporating it into Israel. When Palestine is treated as a quasi separate state, Israel cannot be said to *officially* be violating the rights of it's own citizens. But the second they bring in all the Palestinians into their country, but continue treating them as they are currently? There really isn't any argument or pretext against Israel being nothing more than another South Africa. Israel cannot destroy Palestine, and it cannot consume Palestine into itself. The only logical course of action is to make the Palestinians into as stable and amicable neighbors as possible.
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2013-01-17, 21:36 | Link #25795 |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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In fact, the Israeli policy reminds me a lot of the South African "Bantustan" policy, whereby they created "nation states" to contain all the the black citizens. Their aim was to justify the lack of Black rights by claiming they lived in independent nation states, all the while South Africa dominated them economically and politically.
The parallel between Palestine and the Bantustans is a bit uncanny. Israel is fast running out of friends these days. They've already lost favor in most of Europe (even in Germany!), and the only reason they haven't yet in America is because Americans are poorly informed. But by all appearances, America's political class is already losing patience with Israel. If Israel continues on it's current course, I think it's fairly doomed. |
2013-01-18, 00:53 | Link #25796 | |
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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Frankly, to me it seems nonsensical that in the event of a serious open conflict that the settlements will enhance Israel's security.
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Last edited by Roger Rambo; 2013-01-18 at 01:05. |
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2013-01-18, 09:51 | Link #25797 |
YOU EEDIOT!!!
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: I'm right behind you
Age: 41
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The grounding of the 787 is probably as big news in Japan as in America, and not just because the problems have surfaced in Japanese airliners. A third of it is made in Japan. It also seems that the batteries that have been especially problematic were made there.
And as you can see, Boeing products dominate their JAL and ANA's fleets. Whether you think the 787 is just experiencing normal teething problems, or this represents a serious design problem, at least action was taking before a major accident could occur. As an American, I hope things turn out all right for Boeing and this plane, but I respect any decision world aviation authorities make, provided a fair trial occurs. |
2013-01-18, 15:48 | Link #25798 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Most airplane releases in the last 50 years have had nail-biting issues. Aircraft are so complex now that the fundamental engineering process can't hope to catch all the bugs during the project in time to keep the management and stockholders happy.
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2013-01-18, 15:49 | Link #25799 | |
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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Is Christie running for the Republican or Democrat Presidential Nomination?
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2013-01-18, 15:51 | Link #25800 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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He's made the decision to jettison the "raving lunatic" faction of the GOP. We can only hope that it emboldens the other cowards/politicians of the GOP to do the same so we can return to having two relatively functional political parties. (wishing we had more - not a fan of either presently)
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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