atypical_boro
Well-known member
That's great to hearAt least I might be able to speak my mind without risking being shot...and I've got my season card for next season.
I won't be going to Texas again in a hurry
- Thread starter red_harrington
- Start date
Derby_Red
Well-known member
We were over there with work in 2019 in Pittsburgh. All seemed nice enough till we got an alert email from work saying there'd been a drive-by shooting and when we looked it was only a couple of blocks from a pub we'd been in that night, and the location was on our way back to the hotel. Must have missed it by an hour at most. That shat us up a bit.
Laughing
Well-known member
Shot down but not actually shot, which admittedly is an improvementAt least I might be able to speak my mind without risking being shot
Expat Smoggie
Well-known member
one of the other problems is the use of the Bebe gun for drive-by shootings. California as you well might now has heavy regulation on fire arms but the Bebe gun seems to avoid this legislation. This year the Californian freeways have been littered with drive by shootings mostly Bebe guns — it’s scary out there sometimes, so this is when the call to carry weapons gets more more vocal. People I’ve known for years out in California who’ve never owned a firearm do so now. Moreover, as the homicide rate doubles, random acts of violence at rockets and with it the police become less visible people feel less protected and therefore decide to take action to protect themselves. I’m not a gun advocate but I've lived in the likes of Arizona where people often holster their weapon—yes it’s intimidating but that’s the situation out here.
BaronSmoggie
Well-known member
Thank God when I travel to the US, I only have to go to Ohio.
Abel Tasman
Well-known member
I wouldnt read a word that fella writes.
How a Right-Wing Troll Managed to Manipulate the Mainstream Media
When a milkshake to the face brought the spotlight on Andy Ngo, politicians and talking heads on both sides were happy to take on his cause: demonizing antifa
www.rollingstone.com
BoroMart
Well-known member
I'd change your reading habits and take in a bit less fiction
Expat Smoggie
Well-known member
Doesn’t matter which state you travel to in the US guns and gun violence will always be near you— it’s how this country came to be where it is today— it’s part of the culture. I don’t want to trivialize it either but like most things which revolve around violence if you steer clear of the so-called problem zones or areas then you should be fine. Ohio also has gun violence — a few shootings were recorded recently if you care to check out the local news— also I dare say Ohio has plenty of militias and red-necks who also carry concealed weapons— it’s not crazy it’s just a fact of life here in the Americas.
BaronSmoggie
Well-known member
It was a tongue in cheek response to the list posted above, but I take your point.
Wiseman_Vaughn
Well-known member
Haha - it is a bit heavy tbh. "The Essex Serpent" next!
The only place that I've had a gun pulled on me is Manchester. And it was all a bit silly because I was a student and had just bought my shopping for the week so I was skint and a teenager pointing a gun at me wasn't going to change that. I just told him that I had no money and advised him that maybe it was a better idea to rob students before they'd gone shopping rather than afterwards. My advise that day probably helped him to become a better robber and I'm oddly proud of that.
Andy_W
Well-known member
The thing is, that's right, it's sort of hard to know what it's all about (I'm certainly no expert, far from it), although if you take it in the context of the time it was written it makes it quite a bit simpler, like you said.
This is my take on it (probably some major parts wrong), first time I've actually looked at the timings of it:
So, it was ratified in 1791, what was going on then and before it?
Summary, how it seems to me (after looking at Wikipedia):
Up to 1500, natives and dinosaurs, Columbus popped in for a brew
1500-1760's - Various parts invaded/ colonised/ run by immigrants (us, Spanish, French etc), and seemingly we were largely taking the pi$$, naturally
1760-1776 - they had had enough of us and anyone else
1777 - Declaration of independence
1781-1787 - confederation of states and us consitution
1791 - 2nd Amendment
100 years later, civil war
So to me, that 2nd amendment was protecting against outside parties, rather than internal power struggles?
Now, the second amendment doesn't seem to be purely written based on 1791 either, it was effectively started in 1776 or maybe earlier, largely based on them gaining independence from others, not themselves. This was a time when the US was largely getting itself together, the issues they were seemingly more concerned with were external, and also founded on the below:
1) enabling the people to organize a militia system - not necessary in 2021, probably critical for US progression in 1780's etc
2) participating in law enforcement - not necessary in 2021, probably critical for US progression in 1780's etc
3) safeguarding against tyrannical governments - Didn't help against Trump, or any of the other morons
4) repelling invasion - Nobody is going to invade the USA, it could probably defend itself against the entire world, is part of NATO and has plenty of people on its side
5) suppressing insurrection, allegedly including slave revolts, though some scholars say these claims are factually incorrect - slaves are banned
6) facilitating a natural right of self-defense - fine, if it's from brit's taking the pi$$, not fine if it means walking down the street with guns, alongside 99% law-abiding citizens
But the above is seemingly what it is about, but what it's not about is full automatics and general day to day shooting up of schoolkids. Cops being fearful/ on edge from untrained and unhinged citizens carrying. Bringing in the military to police that and the police, who obviously can easily outgun any militia (as they have voted for like 4% defence spending forever).
It's not meant to be about the reds having guns to protect against the blues with no guns, or vice versa (as that was barely a thought back then), they vote the idiots in, they're hardly likely to take over and start shooting up the other half, albeit they've done stranger things.
It's weird, the gun totoers want the 2nd amendment, but they also want more defence spending, yet the 2nd amendment is meant to be about them being able to prevent the "tyrannical government", but they fund them more each year? All they're doing each year is voting for and enabling escalation on both sides. More guns, more aircraft, more bombs.
It could end in a civil war if they don't reign this in soon, but it won't be a fight of the free against the tyrannical, it will be lunatics with guns fighting decent people with limited weapons. The lunatics will become/ are the tyrannical.
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BoroMart
Well-known member
absolutely agree with this, the only time I heard gunshots when I lived over there was in Baltimore footy practice in a park 3 blocks from the projects. We all hid behind trees for a minute until we heard a lot of cop sirens, then got up and started training again. It was a drug gang gun battle.
I did have some redneck waving his gun at me in a fit of roadrage on I95 once, I laughed at him and blew him a kiss, he really lost his mind at that but then had to slam his brakes on because he was about to rear end someone.
Andy_W
Well-known member
Do you think "I probably shouldn't have done that" afterwards?
I had someone pull a gun on me in Vegas after I tapped on a guys car window, when I was half cut, I was going to congratulate him on his 22" wheels, this was an error.
Been in a few bars in Arizona where people hand over their guns sober at the beginning of the night, and then they get handed back to them later on when they are half cut, this does not seem like the best idea. It's an even worse idea when you're at some far out of town bar, and "getting involved" with the local girls.
Had people show me their guns as some sort of brag on a few occasions, and also carrying other weapons like knives etc, it just seems weird. The British lads were fairly sober, drinking vodka and comparing phones and watches, and the USA lads were hammed on a few buds, comparing guns.
Although it's funny, the most at risk I've ever felt was getting on a bus in LA (the wrong bus, the very, very wrong bus), and I never saw a gun once, whilst there.
Always felt 100% safe in NY, albeit sticking to the places that Americans are heavily diluted!
BoroMart
Well-known member
absolutely, all I did was gesticulate when he didn't let me in. I learned my lesson, it wasn't worth the chew and drove a little more laid back after that.Do you think "I probably shouldn't have done that" afterwards?
Mental. They just don't think the consequences of laws through. I lived in South Sioux City for a while, the city straddles three states. I went to a bar, and because it is on the Nebraska side of the city the bar shut at 11, so all these drunk people jump in their cars and drove over the bridge into Iowa to go to the supermarket and buy more beer. You got a convey of about 20 cars all weaving all over the place driving over the bridge together, an accident waiting to happen even with low quality american beer inside them.
Andy_W
Well-known member
It's a bit strange driving in the USA like, although didn't think much of it at the time, as we had also done some driving in Tijuana, over there it's the "cops" which are the problem, it's like an old computer game where you have to hide from cops if you have foreign plates
They love drink driving in the USA like, or did about 15 years ago when I spent the most time there. Loads of the bars had massive car parks, full of cars, I thought they were all T-total, turns out they're not, they just all get in their cars and drive home or to the next place. Ashamed to say I've been in a car with a few ladies who drove us back to theirs or the next bar (obviously drunk) etc. Probably done that 10 times or so and had one girl crash into a bollard and one rip her front spoiler off on a kerb (I legged it when this happened). I did some bloody stupid things looking back
Those city limits, or edge of state type places are like the wild west, absolutely crazy, although some of the best/ most crazy nights.
Wiseman_Vaughn
Well-known member
I had a local chap pull up beside me and point an AK47 at me in RAK in the UAE.
I slammed the anchors on and he sped off.
I don't think he was joking although you never know
I slammed the anchors on and he sped off.
I don't think he was joking although you never know
Glover_elbow
Well-known member
For me you could sum up whether a country is decent to live in for me on a few factors .
1. Countries where the majority of the population is religious, religion is a harbinger for division and prejudice, and why is its always people with a sh. it life who praise god
2 Countries where inequality is massive
3. Countries without a welfare state or support network
USA is dreadful on all counts.
Having worked in Texas briefly , i was surprised by the depravation, some areas the housing is appalling far worse than any thing in the UK. Like other posters I was also surprised by the number of people who drink and drive. Although the US speak the same language as us(almost) i think we have more in common with our European neighbours
1. Countries where the majority of the population is religious, religion is a harbinger for division and prejudice, and why is its always people with a sh. it life who praise god
2 Countries where inequality is massive
3. Countries without a welfare state or support network
USA is dreadful on all counts.
Having worked in Texas briefly , i was surprised by the depravation, some areas the housing is appalling far worse than any thing in the UK. Like other posters I was also surprised by the number of people who drink and drive. Although the US speak the same language as us(almost) i think we have more in common with our European neighbours
BoroMart
Well-known member
@Glover_elbow spot on, if you are on the 'right side' of the economic divide in the US and have no empathy then it's a very good life, if you have empathy it's always a shallow and uncomfortable existence over there
Agree with that
They've always been extremely insular and polarised and I think they're getting worse.
Isn't there some crazy stat where well less than half of them have a passport?