Last we saw, Catalonia had what I suspected would happen – a muddled, slightly pro-independence election result.
How do you say “Big Freakin’ mess” in Catalan?
So, what has been happening?
Well, near and dear to me – Switzerland has been dragged into the mess. One of the separatists from the Left, Anna Gabriel, logically skipped showing up to the Spanish Supreme Court to answer charges of being naughty and not wanting to be part of Spain. After wisely choosing to flee to Switzerland (look what happens when you stick around) she has indicated she will stay there. One of the more theatrical elements of this action by the Spanish Government…no extradition request was attached to their arrest warrant (Switzerland has mentioned they would probably not extradite anyways). And to remind you all how awesome Switzerland is….they have previously offered to mediate between Madrid and the separatists. OK,OK, that is enough Swiss strokin’.
What about me?!
Carles Puigdemont, once (and future?) President of Catalonia’s regional government, is squawking from his exile in Belgium, that he should be running the show – but any kind of law to allow him to do so hasn’t been moved forward. So we are left with a dozen political leaders in exile or jail and Madrid issuing symbolic arrest warrants. Oh, and Madrid not being content with things being muddled, but peaceful, has decided to stick a big middle finger up to the Catalans, regarding one of the sorest points out there.
In my opinion, Madrid is caught on the horns of a dilemma – do they try to keep a sort of soft squashing of independence going (the arrest warrants – but no extradition requests, hovering around and waving Article 155 – direct rule by Madrid – of the constitution, and diplomatically pressuring other nations to not recognize Catalan independence) or do they clench a fist and swing – disbanding the regional government again, pushing Spanish language and national feeling, and actively trying to round up leaders of the independence movement.
At least it is still jaw-jaw (mostly, pay no mind to the jailed and exiled) and not war-war. But sooner or later, one side is going to fish or cut bait. Right now, I’d say it is likely Madrid will be the first to push hard. We will see, one way or the other.
They’ll agree to Catalan independence so long as Barça agrees to stay in La Liga.
I’m half serious there.
The Popular Party doesn’t seem to be aptly named…
Yay, thread fail!
4 seats each side for the “Popular”… splitters!
Related – http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2018/02/22/5a8ec7ce468aeb4a5c8b464c.html
I say they move to the Bundesliga
I support regions separating, so of course Catalan will fail.
There are a bunch of secession movements in Europe, including Italy. They mostly seem to be the productive areas.
You know, it’s almost as if productive people don’t want to fund the unproductive…
In the new caste system, does “welfare recipient” rank higher in power or lower in power to “slave”?
Welfare recipients are Petty nobility. No personal power, but living off the labor of others.
It’s funny, though, isn’t it? Even in these lefty utopias, they end up hating freeloaders.
Reality has an annoying habit of asserting itself.
Millenial at the gym asked my what I thought of Bernie Sanders. Really. I said “you mean the guy who got booted from a commune for being a freeloader?”. Kid got a little huffy, but I reminded him that when you ask people questions, sometimes they answer. I then gave him a quick lesson in economics and sent him on his way. It kind of made my day.
Did you tell him the first lesson of economics is scarcity?
It’s funny considering the north Italians were the ones originally pushing for a united Italy weren’t they?
Blame the House of Savoy that were originally from Turin (northern Italy), but ended up in Sardinia (that second Italian island that everyone forgets about) by the time of independence
Or, for that matter, blame the Romans for granting citizenship to all inhabitants of the peninsula and fostering the notion that the various Italic, Etruscan, and Latin tribes all shared some commonalities.
Yup. Garibaldi and Cavour were both Sardinians.
I think Garibaldi was from Nice and Manzini was from Rome (?). But, Cavour was an aid to the House of Savoy and was from Sardinia. Either way, I blame the Sardinians for unification….and the Romans
Garibaldi WAS from Nice, which was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia at the time, and served in the Sardinian army.
Except in the case of Quebec, that doesn’t apply. Quebec is a ‘have-not’ province. Ontario rules Canada and Alberta is the wealthiest but Quebec is the one that’s wants out because of culture and language.
I have a question. For Americans who seem to support the Catalans (my cousin lives in Spain and he’s against it and finds the leadership to be dullards) would they extend this to say the secessionist movements in the USA? California was the latest to make noise about it.
Well, technically Ontario is the wealthiest (in fact, southern Ontario one of the most prosperous regions in North America) but Alberta has rivers of cash thanks to oil.
I especially support the secessionist movement of California. But, I also support Vermont’s effort. Let them go
Absolutely, whether the expected leaders of the new sovereign territory are dullards or not.
Catalonia, Scotland, Languedoc, Vermont, California, Texas, Quebec. Let ’em go.
I would be more than happy to see California break away. That would be fantastic.
I’d be happy if part of california broke away. Namely the coastal derp enclaves. Inland can start with a fresh status as a tarritory and write a new constitution as it applys for statehood – preferrably as smaller blocs.
That’s not how it works. When an autonomous region breaks away, there are always some areas in that region that want to stay within the larger country. The desires of the majority in those areas are ignored. Crimea might be the only exception in the modern history, but few people claim it a success story.
This is why we don’t let them leave – we expel those regions that are most gangrenous.
Crimea might be the only exception in the modern history, but few people claim it a success story.
How is Crimea an exception? In the most charitable interpretation, it played out like Texas.
Exactly Grizzly. For example, Montreal has no desire to live within an independent Quebec which led to murmurs of Montreal seceding from Quebec.
Yes. Although the geopolitical situation of the US losing the entire west coast (Cascadia would follow shortly) and what that means for it’s ability to police the Pacific would be “interesting”.
I am not sure of that. They would probably wait to see how it goes.
And I think San Diego would stick around, so the entire west coast wouldn’t be lost.
Yes.
I can only get so erect.
Fun Fact: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America did not mention or provide a mechanism for secession. Some would say that is because the right to secede is obvious. Others might say – Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss.
Pretty much yeah.
As a practical matter America is far too large to govern and have any hope of limited government
Honestly, I’ve never seen the logic of not just letting peaceful separatists have home rule. The tactic seems to generally take the wind out of their sails and keeps them in the fold for a lot of the big stuff.
Catalonia has significant autonomy – but the want the whole thing.
but it is one of them cases when they are richer than the whole
Well, anything less than total autonomy isn’t any kind of autonomy at all, is it?
Shut up and pay your taxes!
Personally I would find it more amusing if Venice got independence. Then they can have a fight with the Turks for the Mediterranean.
Rematch!
Or Reboot!
Whichever.
Battle of the Has-Been empires!
Bring back the Doge!
It would bring my dream of sacking Venice one step closer to reality.
Fucking goddamn Latins.
“And to remind you all how awesome Switzerland is….”
Well, their flag is a big plus
Bravo!
DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM.
I’m just trying to be positive.
You’re not adding to this conversation
*starts to narrow gaze then checks internet…*
Hmmmmmmm
*rolls eyes*
Yeah, I have to give him that one.
Now I have to cross that pun off my list.
Is it or does it just seem big since the flag is smaller and the font is helvetica?
It seems bigger when you’re on your knees right in front of it.
What odds do you give to actual Civil War?
That would force everyone to reevaluate what it means to be a member of the European Union.
what it means to be a member of the European Union
Is that the infamous FYTW clause?
Here or in Spain?
I may not be around for afternoon links but too good not to share.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/02/22/beijing-cracks-down-on-funeral-strippers/
I hate to be the mean guy, but there was nothing ‘brave’ about the people at that CNN town hall yesterday slandering everyone who isn’t in favor of banning guns as “murders”. Being granted a public platform by a sympathetic and biased press so you can yell at political opponents and accuse them of being complicit in murder is the opposite of ‘brave’. We really need to teach definitions better in schools. If one of those kids went to that town hall and pushed back against the hyperbole and defended the unpopular position (at that event) of owning guns- that would have been ‘brave’.
Very few people are saying this because it’s crude, but….fuck those little shits. You allow yourself to be puppets for the left, you lose your little halos.
^This. My only response to those Gonzales/Hogg kids would be “Molon Labe, motherfucker.”
I’m with you. A facebook acquaintance did that stupid, guns or kids which is more important. And I told them, my oldest, worst, piece of shit firearm means more to me than all your kid s put together. Molon Labe, bitch. Cause I got something for you and your little shitstain.
The appropriate reaction to this sort of emotional screeching is to come back twice as hard with twice as much venom. They aren’t trying to be rational or reasonable, why should you fall for it?
Throw in there that my firearms are here to protect myself and my family, not yours, so if you give a shit about your own kids you’d go out and buy a gun for yourself.
Just be firm.
No, you can’t have my guns. I will not give them up to you or the government.
They can’t stand a polite refusal.
Bravery is cowardice, cowardice is bravery comrade.
You’re not being mean. The whole thing was an exercise in shutting down your opposition thru the use of victimhood to confer moral authority. They were using empathy for the victims as a rhetorical weapon.
As I mentioned in the Morning Lynx, I thank G-d that our ideological enemies are so stupid. Their pathetic little show trial hurt their cause much more than it helped. It was like a Klan rally; it’ll get the true believers whipped up into a frenzy, but Normies and mushy middle types will be repelled by it.
Every day we seem to slide closer to an American version of the Cultural Revolution.
It’s not a coincidence that the Cultural Revolution was also largely a youth movement, as was the Khmer Rouge and the NSDAP.
Young people are idiots. Millennials especially so.
/yeah I collectivized, what of it?
So let’s allow them to vote! /s
Simply pointing out they need to put up or shut up and amend the Constitution would fall under the “brave” category.
One tried but they gave him a scripted question.
And then claimed he was lying when he blew the whistle on them.
When has cnn ever been untrustworthy?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN_controversies
It’s pretty bad when two of the allegations of bias are being confirmed by… WaPo, the most unhinged of all mainstream newspapers (even worse than the NYT, which is quite an accomplishment).
What sort of monster would dare question and cast aspersions on a survivor of such a horrible attack? CNN, apparently.
Also OT: I didn’t watch the “CNN “Town Hall”…thing knowing I can just catch the highlights. I’ll give Marco Rubio some credit, he pretty much walked in there knowing there was no way he was going to walk out not looking like as ass.
Seriously, the guy they put up is obviously an emotional wreck, and understandably so. You can’t really tell this guy if you ban AR-15s that really just means the next kid will get killed by a shooter with a .300 Win Mag.
I find the session with Trump was far more productive. And look up the father (Pollack I think his name was?) who spoke.
. You can’t really tell this guy if you ban AR-15s that really just means the next kid will get killed by a shooter with a .300 Win Mag
Tangentially related: it seems that most mass shootings are done with pistols or semi-auto rifles. I’m surprised the 12ga shotgun isn’t the weapon of choice for these nutters. Things would be significantly worse if they were to go psycho with a tactical shotgun loaded with 00 or home defense shot.
Something I brought up halfheartedly last night, was how many people survived simply because the shooter isn’t skilled with the weapon nor is even knowledgeable enough to know there are better weapons for spray and pray?
I expect the teachers unions to negotiate with “See, this is why we need smaller class sizes.”
Wife and I had a chat where she expressed worry that I might become a mass shooter because I have an AR-15. I re-assured her that if i ever were to go on a kill spree in a confined area I would be smart and use a shotgun, not an AR. Also, buckshot don’t leave ballistics. This seemed to allay her concerns, even though I have a shotgun as well. Chicks, man.
Maybe she’s concerned that some new law will be brought in that impairs your ability to perpetrate a killing spree.
Knowing that you have a backup option is a comfort to her.
That’s the ticket.
Vepr 12 or GTFO.
God yes. I’d love to have one of those.
Tube magazine shotguns are slow to reload, and you don’t get any real spread on the shot at indoor ranges. For an indoor kill spree, I would probably go with handguns. I think .45 ACP would be adequately lethal per shot, reloads are quick, and rifles just aren’t the right tool for the job, IMO, when you are indoors.
SBR.
Correct. That is what use for HD. Now if my suppressor would get here…
Kel Tec KSG 25
Not that Kel Tec makes anything in quantity greater than Oleg Volk requires to take a photo of it.
That’s prime quality snark. I like it.
Pistol caliber SBR?
I suppose if you’re going to walk away from your desk for 45 minutes, you should probably refresh before posting.
I forgot about the Saiga-12! its magazine fed.
7.62 is the way to go.
I’ll give Marco Rubio some credit, he pretty much walked in there knowing there was no way he was going to walk out not looking like as ass.
I won’t. And maybe that makes me a dick. But, I’m starting to care less and less about that as I get older.
Yeah, the father was justifiably an emotional wreck. What that should mean, what that would have meant as recently as a couple of decades ago, is that you don’t go to the guy for an analysis of national firearms policy. You respect the guy’s grief and let him mourn his dead and let him come back when his emotional pain isn’t the sum total of his argument. It’s the same reason you don’t base firearms policy on the screaming of traumatized teenagers.
But, somehow, we’ve dumbed our national discourse (I’m sure other countries have too. I’m not picking on America.) down the point where emotional pain outweighs substantive argument. And the trend only appears to be getting worse. Give it a few years and we’ll be going to war because some other country is a “bunch of poopyheads”.
Showing up for this only indulges the trend.
^THIS
Same thing with the NRA. Don’t be a foil in a make believe debate.
Wave the magic prog wand and make all guns disappear from planet Earth and some psycho will just wait until school lets out, then mow them all down in an F-350 while they’re coming out the door.
THE. WORLD. IS. NOT. SAFE.
One year the local news made the mistake of showing everyone how easy it was to call in a bomb threat to the school district without being traced. We had so many building evacuation events that year. Our observation while standing there, waiting for the building to be swept, was that if anyone really wanted to bomb us, they’d put the device in the assembly zone, call in the threat and set it off when everyone clustered around it.
Yeah, same way you don’t crash the plane, you set of the suicide vest in the TSA line at Washington National on Friday afternoon
I said in 2001 that if they had been going for deaths instead of symbolism, they would have crashed the planes into the Big House and Neyland on a Saturday when UM and UT both had a home game.
My wife was watching it when I got home. I went and played COD zombies.
Undead Fish don’t taste so great, and lead to gatrointeritis
*narrowed gaze*
If I were Madrid, I’d offer independence if they met certain conditions, but then set the bar awfully high – say, 60% for independence in consecutive referenda two years apart. If they can clear that, they really want out, there’s no keeping them without fighting; if they can’t, then they had their chance and my conscience is clear when I tell them to shut the fuck up.
That is my idea for Puerto Rico.
Every presidential election, let them vote on 3 options: Statehood, Independence or status quo. If they reach 60% (which is tough in a 3 way) then do it.
No. Take Status Quo off the table. In or out but close the door.
OT: (TW: VOX) https://www.vox.com/2018/2/22/17039950/gun-control-laws-military-parkland-shooting
In case anyone was wondering out military ‘leaders’ whom served under His Chocolate-ness are anti-freedom. Fuck Petraeus, Dempsey, McRaven, etc.
I love when they go this route. Military veterans’ opinions carry special weight, huh? Wanna put it to a vote of us? Think you’ve got a majority of vets on your side?
To me it really illustrates that military leadership is just an extension of the deep state. Don’t trust anyone over Lt Col.
Especially if they’ve spent a lot of time at the Pentagon.
I forget which podcast it was on but I listened to Scott Horton wishing they could get any General to come out against our various foreign wars. I’m paraphrasing, but he basically said there are lots of Colonel and below anti-war advocates but you can’t find a single General. Pretty telling.
should have said *retired General
Now that we’ve got improved communications, we should go back to having generals lead from the front. If there are any soldiers between you and the enemy, you start losing pay grade.
A condition for making General should be a legally binding contract that at the termination of your military service you will never in any way work for the government, a defense contractor, or any other apparatus in any way connected to the military industrial complex. All the sudden all our brass would be wanting to bring the troops home.
If I were commander-in-chief, I’d rotate the Pentagon generals into Afghanistan for a tour to replace the enlisted guys.
They tend to be a bit old for line animal stuff.
What odds do you give to actual Civil War?
I wonder what the NATO treaty has to say about this.
Tangentially related: it seems that most mass shootings are done with pistols or semi-auto rifles. I’m surprised the 12ga shotgun isn’t the weapon of choice for these nutters. Things would be significantly worse if they were to go psycho with a tactical shotgun loaded with 00 or home defense shot.
Wasn’t at least one of the Columbine weapons a shotgun?
*too lazy to look
I think so, but I’m not sure it was ever used. I know most of their victims were killed with, of all things, a Hi-Point carbine. The AWB was so effective!
Oh, and Solvay pharma actually took Luvox off the market because Dylan Kleibold happened to be taking it.
Retarded overreactions are not limited to gun grabbers.
That’s it – not a rifle but a carbine.
They did use the shotguns. Surprise, surprise they sawed right through those gun laws and shortened them with a hacksaw. From the “Columbine” book (recommended on here; it’s excellent) the author indicated they mostly used them for the library executions. Small victory; Eric Harris broke his nose from the recoil of the last person he shot; that may have been why they quit shooting and left the library where there were still some living people.
Yes. IIRC, they both had shotguns. One also had a Tec-9, the other had a rifle.
OT: South African Farm Murders.
Percentage of whites in SA in 1980 was 16%, in 2011 it was 8%. I suspect it’ll be Zimbabwe’d by at least 2025, if not sooner. Since it’s politically correct to commit genocide against white people, and the police/government are complicit, I’d be packing my shit to leave too. Funny how babies being boiled alive and people’s eyes and genitals being cut off is a “robbery gone wrong” (how the gov’t classifies the murders).
Sayonara to the one semi-non-shithole country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It’s sad. We know how this is going to turn out. As clear as day.
I read an article a few months ago that noted that a pretty sizeable majority of black Zimbabweans would prefer a zombie Ian Smith to the existing government. Think about that for a second. They have a government that is so unmitigatedly awful that they’d rather be governed by a guy who was racist against them than the “democratic” government they’ve got.
Racist though Rhodesia was, black Rhodesians inarguably had a better quality of life than black Zimbabweans.
Botswana is still doing relatively ok, despite their neighbors best efforts.
About $16k in GDP per capita PPP.
Which is about 90% of world average. Not bad at all.
Richer than China, poorer than Mexico.
Wait. Mexicans are richer than Chinese, but they still sneak into the US? How bad is it to be Chinese?
“They sneak into the irredeemably racist, classist, hateful and oppressive US”
FIFY.
1: Mexico is directly adjacent to the US
2: Per Capita GDP does not reflect the actual standard of living of the individuall
3: Mexico is a narco-warzone at the moment.
4: Mexico is a long established corridor for illegal migration to the US, including nationals from further afield. Joining the flow is not as difficult as it is for the Chinese to get across the Pacific.
So are Chinese streaming into neighboring countries.
The Chinese do make up the largest group of legal immigrants to the United States though.
2: Per Capita GDP does not reflect the actual standard of living of the individual
Correct. They live pretty well in Mexico City compared to the average American. In Northern Mexico? Not even close.
“relatively OK”
They’re only #3 on this list!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_HIV/AIDS_adult_prevalence_rate
“Svalbard is reported as having no cases of HIV/AIDS”
Orgy in Longyearbyen!
Did you mean to catch three types of Herpes and Hep C?
I went looking for why china’s Rate is so low and found this.
Homosexual sex was decriminalised in China in 1997 and removed from the official list of mental disorders in 2001.8 However, economic and cultural factors means men who have sex with men often face stigma and discrimination and hide their sexual identity. This hostile environment is preventing a greater understanding of the epidemic in China among men who have sex with men.9
Didn’t really answer my question, I just didn’t realize gays were persecuted until so recently. I had heard Asians were less hard on the gays, traditionally speaking.
In fairness, Botswana is one of the few sub-Saharan nations that can accurately measure the rate of infection before progression to active AIDS. They also have a medical industry robust enough to distribute antiretrovirals widely enough to noticeably increase the life expectancy of those with HIV. The combined effect is that their rates are probably not out of line with other African nations, they are just the only ones with accurate numbers that show the full impact, and people with HIV are living longer which keeps the numbers high. The incidence of new infections is hard to compare against other nations since most African nations lack the ability to track such things, but the rate is going down.
Botswana still has a massive problem with HIV, but so does the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Botswana had the best chance of actually dealing with it though.
Yes, “best house in a very, very bad neighborhood” is a perfectly reasonable observation.
saying “Not bad at all” based on nothing but comparison of average Per Cap GDP, not so much
I was grading strongly on an Africa curve.
I was surprised it is as high as it is.
True, thus my “relatively ok”. Botswana is interesting to me, because by all normal calculations they should be much worse off. They have few natural resources, the vast majority of their country is a desert, what little trade they have to offer is hampered by then being landlocked, culturally they have the same make up of their neighbors South Africa and Zimbabwe. Everything points to them being just as bad as anywhere else in sub-Saharan Africa, but they aren’t. Even though they were much poorer than Rhodesians or South Africans when they were granted independence from Britain in the 60’s, Botswana is now ahead of them. The main difference seems to be that when Botswana became independent they purposefully adopted a western style of government.
A write up comparing the rise of Botswana with the fall of Zimbabwe/Rhodesia and South Africa with a focus on their comparative economic and political systems would make for an interesting series of articles. Doubt I have the historic chops to do it justice though.
An arrest warrant without a request for extradition is basically an order for exile. I suspect the Spanish are happy to have her out of the country, and really don’t want her to come back or have to put her on trial. Exile it is, I suppose.
Bust a deal, spin the wheel …
The next guy caught gets sat backwards on a donkey while wearing a giant bobble head.
Let go old school…
You know who else challenged the prevailing order and went into exile in a German-speaking country…
Evil Jared Hasselhoff?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Hasselhoff
Hey, a lefty who actually made good on that asinine promise. Props to him.
Napoleon Hitler?
Lenin?
Would it be premature to label this as what happens to a disarmed populous?
Feature not bug. How else are we going to get a one world government?
Nuke most of the world so conquest becomes feasible?
Random musing: What are the odds that Donald Trump has ever fired a gun in his life? Or that he’s owned one or even held one?
I thought he had a CCL.
Yup
https://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/guns/2012/nov/14/miller-donald-trumps-guns/
He went to a military academy for high-school.
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-attended-new-york-military-academy-2016-12
i don’t know how much ‘shooting’ was involved, but my dad went to a similar place and he was on the rifle team
Same with my son – the had a basement range for .22s and trips to an outdoor range for centerfire rifles.
I believe Trump is one of the very few people permitted for CC in New York.
He’s a CCL and I’m pretty sure he’s shot the gun more than a few times. I doubt he’d be what most of us would call ‘proficient’ though.
Probably carries a Desert Eagle.
BFR.
With those tiny hands?!?
Cmon, what could be a Trumpier firearm than the Desert Eagle?
Taurus Judge? Either way, both are gawdy and impractical….
My cousin owns both, I own neither.
Both seem like they would be decidedly useless as side arms and expensive/obnoxious to shoot at the range. I’d certainly pass on both.
The Judge isn’t awful to shoot, but you’re right, it’s an impractical carry piece.
Uselessly big and powerful? 500 magnum. Ridonkadonk powerful and expensive? FK BRNO.
I remember going with my buddy to the gun store when he asked if they had a desert eagle in stock. The attendant bluntly said “what the fuck do you want one of those for? Their expense to buy, shoot and they break after 1000 rounds.” I appreciated his candor.
I’m trying to think of one, but can’t.
Heh. I can think of a couple
AMT Automag 44 with 6″ barrel?
Gyrojet Pepperbox?
Gyrojet Pepperbox
The glow in the dark $100 bill finish glock.
FK BRNO?
Gold-plated AK.
Probably carries a Desert Eagle.
…With Gold Tiger Stripes.
IIRC he has an S&W Airweight of some kind. Can’t remember where I read that though.
I would think something more like a pair of these
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/esH9AmknTuI/maxresdefault.jpg
He’s fired guns. Huge guns. The best guns. Big guns. Guns so loud they’ll make your ears bleed. Guns so powerful they’ll through the wall at the gun range and hit a car in the parking lot. Guns like that. All the time.
*golf clap*
Justin Trudeau making an absolute ass of himself in India.
The pictures and video are a scream. What a clown.
According to that article on Reason, if you ignore blips right after mass shootings interest in gun control has been steadily going down in the US.
this is true.
just look at state by state gun laws since the 1990s. pretty much everywhere, they’ve been drastically liberalized
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_carry_in_the_United_States
shooting sports have boomed, albeit in spottier regional distribution
far more people have exposure to firearms today than in the 1990s. and exposure to people for whom its ‘normal’.
which is why the left’s repeated attempt to characterize everyone on the other side of the issue as “gun nuts” doesn’t actually ring true to most people outside NYC/LA/DC
Well, outside of a few exceptions, the Left doesn’t really exist outside NYC/LA/DC and consider it a badge of honor to remain ignorant of the rest of the nation.
“the Left doesn’t really exist outside NYC/LA/DC”
i think this is a misconception.
in a sense you might be right about something, but it wouldn’t be “the left”: it would be a sort of extreme proggy sort of character-parody. And even then there would be exceptions, because there are plenty of San Frans and Portlands and Seattles or mini-cities like Greensboro (so i’m told) which mimic the politics of the bigger cities.
but the reality is that even in “Red states”, in the reddest of the red communities, the actual political split is, “60/40” (conservative to liberal) rather than “90/10”
its true that in the bluest of the blue places (e.g. “college campuses”) that you do get something close to complete political hegemony. But in actual ‘towns’, the most partisan-biased places tend to still have significant minority opinion, albeit one that isn’t often expressed publicly very often.
What are the odds that Donald Trump has ever fired a gun in his life?
Well, there was that time he shot the guy on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight.
And people still voted for him!
Only because the Russians tricked them.
Well, we now know the conclusion of the gut-wrenching tragedy of the racist NYU Black History Month lunch menu (which may or may not have lynched a man. Reports are still sketchy at this time): the two dining hall employees were fired. Oh, and they are black.
If you are going to NYU, you are one of those most privileged human beings in the history of mankind. Sickening.
JUSTICE IS SERVED!!! Well, self served now.
*opera applause*
Fired? Pathetic, just pathetic…
They *should* worry. They keep dying on this hill, they just can’t help themselves.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/374961-dems-want-gun-control-but-worry-it-could-cost-them-midterms
They seem to think gun control will be a winner in FL, but I heard 1/3 of Floridians own guns and about a million have a CCL.
1.3 million, double Texas.
I find it hard to believe only 650k Texans own guns.
I read that as relating to CCLs
Concealed carry.
they just can’t help themselves.
I’d love to see Tester shoot himself in the foot(!) and jump on board the Demo gun control bandwagon, but I don’t think he’s *that* deeply immersed in Swamp Culture. Close, but not quite.
It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part, but I think a lot of people are ready to put him out to pasture in November. The morons who voted for that dimwit cowboy poet will vote for Tester, but I cannot help thinking his prospects are dim. He manages to bring home a significant quantity of bacon, though…
https://twitter.com/DavidRutz/status/966769340723990529
“How dare the President call us the enemy of the American people. Also, generals why can’t you just confiscate everyone’s guns?”
What could be more American than the military inserting itself into domestic politics? I can’t possibly see THAT going wrong, can you?
Someone didn’t take a history class.
Also, generals why can’t you just confiscate everyone’s guns?
They do, on base. And a lot of people say, “SEE? Not even teh warfighters need gunz!”
And that never had any downsides. Oh wow. Didn’t realize there had been two shootings at Fort Hood. And the Washington Navy Yard shooting. And Chattanooga shooting.
Dad’s nurse just lectured us on gun control. Somehow she segued into the topic when discussing grandkids and how different their lives are. Saw she had an unsympathetic audience and immediately fell into the “my family are hunters but nobody needs 5 guns used in war.” Dad’s a little cognitively impaired but still chuckled at her bullshit.
I hate how people use that argument.
It’s not up to others to prove why they ‘need’ something.
It’s up to you to prove how it’s worthwhile taking it away.
They are going to be crushed again on gun control. The ‘we protect everything else we value with armed guards but not our children?’ point is going to really highlight their hypocrisy in the minds of a lot of people. They dont have an answer to it because there isnt one. They will keep hammering away on specious bullshit and whatever emotional appeal they ginned up will evaporate.
What is going to be even worse for them is if Trump manages to get armed guards in schools (really a state issue) and solve the school shooter problem. Between that and the economic rebound they are doomed in the mid-terms and again in 2020. In the background I keep hearing Pelosi lecturing the deplorables about staying in their place as tax-cattle cuz ya’ know, they serve the government, not the other way around.