🚀 go-pugleaf

unruh@physics.ubc.ca (William Unruh) writes:

>palmer@icat.larc.nasa.gov (Michael T. Palmer) writes:

>>Well, don't worry.  We silly Americans tend to see the role of government
>>much differently from people in other countries.  If you really, honestly,
>>believe that it is the government's responsibility to protect your family
>>at all times and under all circumstances, then you are doomed to suffer the
>>fate that inevitably follows giving a government the power that must
>>accompany that kind of responsibility.

>Come on, learn to read. Where did I say "government's responsibility to
>protect your family at all times and under all circumstances

You just really don't get it, do you?  If guns (and cryptography) are
"strictly controlled" (YOUR WORDS!!), then you have taken away my ability
to defend myself and my family.  Naturally, since I can no longer perform
this function, it must fall to the government.

Don't you watch the news or read the paper?  Radio even?  This is the
argument most frequently used by the gun-banners... they say the militia
is really the army (WRONG!!) and that the police will protect us from
the criminals so we don't need guns oursevles (WRONG!!).

Now, maybe you think I need to learn to read because you can't see the
end results of the courses of action you are yourself proposing.  I can't
help you with that - you'll need to learn how to do that on your own.


>>And what are you going to do when the government decides that it doesn't
>>want to throw out the current "experiment?"  If you have already given
> 
> Who elects that government? HJow will this dictatorship you fear come
> into being? Of course it can happen and when it does it will with the
> agreement of the vast majority of the population, all of whom have guns
> to make sure you too fall into line.

You have lived with personal liberty so long you are blind to its enemies.
If the government decides it wants to stay in power beyond its term, you
think some silly election will change anything (if they even let it happen)?
LOOK AROUND YOU!!  Worldwide, how many elections have been ignored by the
government because the people didn't vote the way those in power wanted?
Let's see.  Angola, Peru, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Algeria... and these
are just the ones reported by the US media.  I'm sure there's more.  (Oh,
Peru isn't quite right... there the president just outlawed the legislature
and assumed full governmental authority for himself.  My mistake).

So you see, the "vast majority" of the people will NOT agree with what the
government wants to do, and an armed citizenry will help KEEP it accountable
to the people who elected it.  In the countries listed above, all of which
are in the midst of civil wars (it appears to be won in Slovenia, though),
the population as a whole was unarmed and separate fighting units had to be
formed and equipped (usually with outside help) to try to force the
government to obey the will of the people.

This is what you want?  It happens everywhere else, so don't say that we're
so "special" that it can't happen here.  Most of us are of European or
African descent, so we have common genetic and cultural backgrounds with
people in countries having these problems right now.

--
Michael T. Palmer, M/S 152, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681
Voice: 804-864-2044,   FAX: 804-864-7793,   Email: m.t.palmer@larc.nasa.gov