AWells

I only hope that was intended to be funny on the part of the author. Have to love... 'Oops, I messed up this, sorry, turn yuor computar monitor ovar upsidedown to see it right'

quote: Is SAAB being played at all anymore? Good question... Sci-Fi was running it all the time for a while during the week days, but I really don't know if they still do that.

Epsilon 5, that song should be titled 'Don't take your guns into the bar'. Alcohol and guns just don't mix. Granted most people I know who carry will drink socially while carrying (socially I define as one beer an hour or less), none of them would even think of handling firearms drunk. Responsable firearms ownership requires maintaining clear judgement, which obviously the cowboy was lacking if he decided to draw his weapon because somebody was laughing at him. quote: And that, darling, is called Darwinism. I like Dragon Lady more and more every day

quote: You'd have Jhon Who fanatics carying twin Beretta 92s, Macho men and old grannies carrying Desert Eagles, war vets with their colt 1911s, Dirty Hary wannabes and other old grannies with mid/long barrel 45 revolvers. The "techies" with Sigs or Glocks with scopes, laser sites, suppresors and extended clips. As well as the rest with just a stuby revolver or a 22 pistol. And just think... in most of the United States all of that is perfectly legal. Hundreds of thousands of Americans legally carry hand guns every day and guess what? Most of the time you'd never know. In the United States guns are used to prevent crime vastly more than they're used to perpatrate it. In the majority of cases where guns are used to stop a crime in progress a shot is never fired. The mere fact that a criminal's intended victim was not willing to be victimized is usually enough to send the perp packing. Criminals prefer to prey on the weak. And guess what else? These armed citizens own cars and have to drive in traffic everyday just like the rest of the population. I've yet to see a gun fight erupt over traffic conditions, yet, have you??

quote: I'm not familiar with any vocal expression that could physically harm anyone, so your analogy is a bit lacking. I seem to recall a particular European leader who took power in the 1930's. Vocal expression was his strong point, actually. Through his speeches and rhetoric he insighted a nation to support genocide and a campaign of conquest that cost millions of lives. Oh... and he supported gun control, too

quote: quote:Star Trek spin offs... I'm sorry, not a Trekie, so sue me don't be silly, everyone is a trekkie..you just don't know it! I don't know... Star Trek never really hit the spot for me. The original series was alright when I was growing up, but I never really got into it... I think the world of Star Trek has never really had a gritty enough feeling to it for my taste. And speaking of series with cheesy effects, what's that one that Sci-Fi plays... Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea... oh and Seaquest DSV, which in many ways seems like a modernized version of the former. Not my favorite shows, but they were good to watch when they both used to be on in the mornings back to back on Sci-Fi.

quote: The poor guy probably only had a double barrel, should have had an Automatic and none of the witnesses would have survived!!! Actually it was a pump action Winchester holding 5 shots. I think I read somewhere on that site I linked to that the wounded burglar was hit with over 100 pellets, so he was probably shooting bird shot which is probably why he only killed one of them. The lesson... use at least #4 shot for defense. A few more misc tidbits from across the way in the United Victim... you're statistically 3 to 4 tmes more likely to mugged in London than in New York City. Doctors in England are recieving training from Army personnel on battlefield medical techniques in response to the ever growing number of gun shot wounds. Two school teachers were arrested recently for having guns in thier house... I bet that people in England feel safer knowing guns are out of the hands of those dangerous teachers. Also, the same British lawmakers who brought the nation the joys of gun control are looking at other ways to combat crime. One of their latest ideas is the doing away with the protection from double jeopardy. This will allow the government to prosacute the same person over and over again for the same crime until they get a conviction. Also, they want this new change to be retroactive. This means they could bring somebody back to court for a crime they were found innocent of 10 years ago or more. And of course some nice bits of info from the good ole US of A... In a two year audit is was discovered that the Immigration and Natulization Service had some 539 weapons (mostly firearms) that they seem to have misplaced... the FBI has an additional 212 weapons that seem to have been lost. There's also an additional 211 FBI weapons that went missing in a period not covered by the audit. At LAX airport, security screeners consficated a 2" plastic rifle from a G.I. Joe figure. It's nice to know that GI Joe won't be hijacking any aircraft, isn't it? During the Clinton administration, Janet Reno sent 130 federal agents armed with automatic weapons to 'rescue' 6 year old Elian Gonzalez and send him back to Cuba. Just 10 miles away from this spectacle of government force in action terrorists where taking flight lessons in preparation for Sept. 11th. [ 09-25-2002, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: Litvyak ]

A link to another source about the farmer here.

Anyways, reading the latest issue of "America's First Freedom," a magazine published by the National Rifle Association, and they have an in depth article on gun control across the pond in the UK. It made for interesting reading, and I was wondering what other peoples opinions on the issue is, especially considering the fact we have people from that side of the pond in our little community here. Here's a few of the highlights that the article mentioned... England enjoys a near total ban on firearms and is currently working on adding pellet and bb guns to the banned list, and Australia isn't too far behind as far as gun control goes. England and Australia have the highest crime rates among the top 17 industralized nations. The UN Interregional Crime and Justice Institute released a report in July which found England and Wales to be far ahead of the rest of the Western world in violent crime. In 1999 a farmer confronted three burglars in his home with a shotgun. He killed one, wounded another, and third got away. All three burglars had between 29-53 prior arrests for eveything from burglary to assault police officers. The farmer recieved a life sentence for the burglar he killed, ten years for the one he wounded, and an additional 12 months for having an illegal weapon (a higher court later overturned the sentencing and reduced it to a total of 7 years). The wounded burglar was actually consulted on the issue of whether his intended victim should be eligable for parole! Even worse, the burglar is out of prison already, while the farmer is still locked up and the Government has given the burglar 5,000 pounds (roughly equal to $7,000 or so US) to help fund a lawsuit by the hardened criminal against the farmer who shot him!

quote: I'll just die,if they are forced to raise the prices!!! Nobody needs to force them to raise prices, they do it quite well on thier own accord. Not long ago I used to be able to get a meal at Micky D's for less than $5... now I'm lucky if it's under $6.

quote: Robotech was great...until I watched it(well, it's first season, anyway) in it's true form, Macross. It's hard to watch Robotech anymore because of that. Yeah... Macross is much cooler. Really it's the other series that they used to make Robotech that ruin it... especially the one they used for the Southern Cross portion... it totally blew IMNHO. I've actually yet to see many of the episodes of the real Macross series sequels, besides Macross Plus. Oh... and Macross II, but that movie isn't really a part of the Macross, anyways... it's just crap with the Macross name tacked on. Maybe someday I'll find a chance to watch them. quote: Ah, anyone remember Bravestar? Voltron? Heck, even Saber Rider? Oooh! Voltron! How could I miss that one. Though I'm afraid I probably won't be able to watch that anymore, since thier color coded uniforms, and animalistic combining robots would just remind me too much of Power Rangers and cause me to vommit.

quote: quote:it was basically a glimpse of a future where government has total control over everything. you mean they dont already?? Well, there's no denying that they sure try like heck to control everything. That silly little Bill of Rights has long been a thorn in the side of policy makers. Of course it seems they find more and more ways around it for the 'good of the people' every day.

quote: I probably shouldnt mention this, but I recently had an indepth conversation with the actor who plays the Red Dwarf AI Holly when he called into the office after some Internet Support. Since I recognised his name, I decided to ask him what was going on with all that, and he confirmed that a Red Dwarf Movie is on the cards for production early next year. As a huge fan of the series, im somewhat excited by this development. Thanks for the info, though of course I'll do my best to forgot that I heard it

Oh... doh. Almost forgot, who remembers this ill fated Sci-Fi series that was forever branded as a children's show because of the massive mattel tie in. It was the show that caused children everywhere to shoot at thier TV sets. If anybody ever wondered what J Michael Straczynski was doing before Babylon 5.

Speaking of misc Sci-Fi cartoons I remember watching as kid, who remembers this one? I can barely remember watching and enjoying it as a kid, but can't recall enough to judge if I'd still find it any good. [ 09-24-2002, 06:19 PM: Message edited by: Litvyak ]

Well... let's see... in no particular order Dr. Who was awesome. I used to love those Daleks when I was kid V was also way cool. It actually started out as a concept for a mini series about the French Resistance during WWII, but they decided to take the story and put into a modern setting with aliens instead of nazis. Buck Rogers was another good one I used to love growing up. If I remember correctly there was two different series... one with Buck on earth in the future, and the other with him on board a ship.... the Searcher or something like that. Bab 5, of course, is like the king of all Sci-Fi shows in my opinion. I don't think there's much more I need to say about that one. The British comedy Red Dwarf was good for laughs, though certainly not a serious Sci-Fi show. Battlestar Galactica rocked... well except for that follow on series... Galactica 1980 or whatever it was called... that was one of the worst disappointments in the history of Sci-Fi programing. As mentioned in another thread... Space Above and Beyond would be awesome to have back on the air. I liked Transformers growing up, but I was over a friend's house just this past saturday watching TV and she'd flip to cartoon network during the commercials. They had some Transformers Armada or something like that... it just didn't seem as appealing to me as I remember the original series being. And on the subject of animation... how about Macross or Robotech? If only I still my tapes of those... oh well... can probably get them on DVD, now. I think of a bunch of other Sci-FI based cartoons I loved when I was growing up, but can't recall the names of them. Oh well. What I don't want to see anymore of... Star Trek spin offs... I'm sorry, not a Trekie, so sue me Too many of the darn things already.

1984 was probably one of the darkest books ever written. For those that aeren't aware of it, it was basically a glimpse of a future where government has total control over everything. Definitely not the most pleasent book, but I'd certainly recommend it. And for the less literally inclined there is a movie, though the movie is long and not exactly action packed so it might be hard to sit through. Personally I liked Anthony Burgess's views of the future in books like "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Wanting Seed" if only for thier easier reading, since they're written with a humorous slant.

SA&B also showcased what's in store for future military technology developments. Like the new super replacement for salt peter, demonstrated in the episode where Vansen will do anything to call home, and the best idea a sailor(!!!) can come up with to reliquish his place in line is a bowl of strawberries! Certainly a far cry from the Navy of today [ 09-24-2002, 08:25 AM: Message edited by: Litvyak ]

Oh... sarcasm I could've dealt with, but finding something I posted interesting? Well, you'll need to seek professional help for that problem... hehe

quote: Colonel McQueen was a tank too? Yep... he was, actually. There was an episode that has a nice flashback to his days of being a munitions handler. Tanks were made to do it, since handling explosives was considered too dangerous for 'real' people.

quote: remember space above and beyond? Probably one of the better Sci-Fi shows that's been made, really. I think the only thing that bothered me about it was why the Marine Corps would send highly trained fighter pilots in as grunts every other episode... it was one of those things that just seemed to defy logic... it would be like giving a bunch of F-14 pilots M-16s and sending them in to fight as a rifle squad. Sure they might be able to handle the mission, but why the heck would you send them??

quote: Fascinating Now, I'll wonder if that's suppose to be sarcastic or if you're really fascinated by my ramblings...

I've always liked Israel. They deal with Palestinian terrorists armed with everything from assault rifles to explosives and it's not unheard of for ordinary citizens to shoot those bastards dead. It almost makes me embarassed to think that terrorists can come over here with nothing but box cutters and kill 5000 people because the American citizens are taught to protect themselves with restraining orders and 9-1-1 calls. Honestly, I don't think you can compare the military actions taken by Israel against radical Palestinian groups to the terrorist actions that those groups initiate against the Israelis. The IDF might kill civilians, but they don't set out to do it intentionally, where as the radical PLO groups specifically target civilian targets, even school children. Then again, I don't think I'd personally loose any sleep if Israeli F-16s where to drop napalm on Palestinian settlements, anyways. Really, those are the same people I remember seeing dancing in streets on CNN just over a year ago inbetween footage of Boeings slamming into the WTC.

I wish I could afford to eat out several times a week. Wait a minute... that's it! I'll call my lawyer and have him draft up a law suit against McDonalds... I'm too thin because McDonalds charges too much for thier fattening foods! LOL