Liberal Forum

I posted this in another thread about a guy who walked into a JC Penney's store with an AR-15 strapped to his back. I never got an answer, so I'll pose the question here. If everyone was walking around with an AR-15 over their shoulder, which many people say they have the right to do, how do we tell the good guys from the bad guys? really? for a man to carry a rifle in that manner? you know he's a good guy. a criminal would never be so bold. a criminal would hide his firearm until the moment he used it. this man doesn't appear deceptive whatsoever. if i seen this guy walking down the street? i would honestly laugh, simply at his brazen attitude. i wouldn't feel threatened at all.

really? for a man to carry a rifle in that manner? you know he's a good guy. a criminal would never be so bold. a criminal would hidehis firearm until the moment he used it. this man doesn't appear deceptive whatsoever. if i seen this guy walking down the street? i wouldhonestly laugh, simply at his brazen attitude. i wouldn't feel threatened at all.You didn't answer my question lews.Many people feel that everyone has a right to carry a weapon just like this guy did.People in that thread said, he was just exercising his right to KABA.So if we had a bunch of people exercising their right to carry an AR-15, why would a criminal have to hide his weapon? He could walk into any place he wanted to with it on full display.Could you tell a good guy from a bad guy just by looking at them?

From another thread: Yes, Jamie. I think that's what we all strive for, to be a racist homophobe like JT. You thought. That was your first mistake. Your second was saying you weren't going to continue on with that thread. So you bring it here. Is this an invitation to start talking only in this thread for everything I have to say about ***? It's Sunday - I have nothing else better to do. So much for your not having time for "drama." And you wonder why I think you're nothing but a wash up.

You didn't answer my question lews. Many people feel that everyone has a right to carry a weapon just like this guy did. People in that thread said, he was just exercising his right to KABA. So if we had a bunch of people exercising their right to carry an AR-15, why would a criminal have to hide his weapon? He could walk into any place he wanted to with it on full display. Could you tell a good guy from a bad guy just by looking at them? no. but i can't do that now, either. so really, if i had the option, i'd rather see the firearms. this is gonna sound racist, but i don't care. it's just the truth. when i'm in a convenient store at night, i get nervous when i see a black man walk in. it's not that i hate black people, obviously. my kid is a 1/4 black. it's just that when you turn on the news, all the store shootings are committed by blacks. when they walk in, i immediately glance for signs of concealed weapons. this man you placed a photo of was carrying his gun in a non-threatening manner. if i saw a man carrying his rifle in such a way into a store....lol....yes....even a black man......i would feel relief. why? because thugs don't carry their guns in such a way.

when you turn on the news, all the store shootings are committed by blacksAnd most of the mass murders are committed by white males, just like the guy in the picture.this man you placed a photo of was carrying his gun in a non-threatening manner.That could change in a split second.Speaking of your kid.I've been meaning to wish her a Happy 3rd Birthday.Sorry it's a little late.

And most of the mass murders are committed by white males, just like the guy in the picture. And that could change in a split second. Speaking of your kid. I've been meaning to wish her a Happy 3rd Birthday. Sorry it's a little late. Wanna know why your wish is late? I’ve been a political junkie since I was 15 years old. First I was seduced by newspapers that were unthinkingly made available to my impressionable young mind. I read things, formed an opinion on them and then I was hooked. It quickly progressed. Soon I was reading books. Then I got an internship at a congressman’s office. By my senior year of high school, I was a full-blown addict. This is an easy way to ostracize yourself from society. The saying is not to talk about politics or religion? Politics was my religion. What else could I talk about? The weather? Sports? Celebrity gossip? Cooking? Knitting? Ick. Soon my circle of friends became smaller and smaller. I was sinking deeper into the depths of my addiction. Yesterday, I spent 10 hours, yes 10 hours flipping back and forth between CNN and MSNBC and closely watching the CSPAN website. I had a fellow junkie give me the early exit poll data - nice fix! If I had to leave the room, I would hit pause on my TiVo as to not miss a single pundit or state update. I have a deadline. I have dogs that needed to be walked. I couldn�t stop myself. I fell asleep on the couch at midnight, only to wake up at 3am to check and see what happened with Ohio. I've hit rock bottom. The addiction is insidious and subtle. It�s a slow indoctrination. One day you wake up and you�re alone with your political blog with nothing to show for it, but a couple of stellar Bush and Kerry jokes and a mild case of carpal tunnel. Where has the last ten years of my life gone? My family raised me better than this! As of today - I'm on the wagon! I'm quitting cold turkey. I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm writing only in bad recovery clich�s! As of today - I'm going to toss my hair back, smile coyly and say, "I don't know, I'm not very political. Have you heard the latest {insert sports team here} score? Isn�t Britney Aguilera wonderful? Look, I'm knitting this fantastic sweater." http://www.watchblog...ves/001796.html that's why.

Is this an invitation to start talking only in this thread for everything I have to say about ***?No.It's Sunday - I have nothing else better to do.Luckily I do. I have a dinner to prepare.And you wonder why I think you're nothing but a wash up.Well then, lucky for me I don't give a rat's *** about what you think of me, isn't it?

And most of the mass murders are committed by white males, just like the guy in the picture.That could change in a split second. Speaking of your kid. I've been meaning to wish her a Happy 3rd Birthday. Sorry it's a little late. naw. i just had her party yesterday. it's been her 3rd birthday for 4 days now. she'll simply consider your birthday wishes her perpetual due. ha ha.

Misty:Speaking of your kid.I've been meaning to wish her a Happy 3rd Birthday.Sorry it's a little late.Wanna know why your wish is late?I’ve been a political junkie since I was 15 years old. First I was seduced by newspapers that were unthinkingly made available to my impressionable young mind. I read things, formed an opinion on them and then I was hooked. It quickly progressed. Soon I was reading books. Then I got an internship at a congressman’s office. By my senior year of high school, I was a full-blown addict.This is an easy way to ostracize yourself from society. The saying is not to talk about politics or religion? Politics was my religion. What else could I talk about? The weather? Sports? Celebrity gossip? Cooking? Knitting? Ick. Soon my circle of friends became smaller and smaller. I was sinking deeper into the depths of my addiction.Yesterday, I spent 10 hours, yes 10 hours flipping back and forth between CNN and MSNBC and closely watching the CSPAN website. I had a fellow junkie give me the early exit poll data - nice fix! If I had to leave the room, I would hit pause on my TiVo as to not miss a single pundit or state update. I have a deadline. I have dogs that needed to be walked. I couldn�t stop myself. I fell asleep on the couch at midnight, only to wake up at 3am to check and see what happened with Ohio.I've hit rock bottom. The addiction is insidious and subtle. It�s a slow indoctrination. One day you wake up and you�re alone with your political blog with nothing to show for it, but a couple of stellar Bush and Kerry jokes and a mild case of carpal tunnel. Where has the last ten years of my life gone? My family raised me better than this!As of today - I'm on the wagon! I'm quitting cold turkey. I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm writing only in bad recovery clich�s!As of today - I'm going to toss my hair back, smile coyly and say, "I don't know, I'm not very political. Have you heard the latest {insert sports team here} score? Isn�t Britney Aguilera wonderful? Look, I'm knitting this fantastic sweater."http://www.watchblog...ves/001796.htmlthat's why.If that is supposed to make some kind of sense in the context of me wishing lew's daughter Vers a Happy Birthday, I'm sorry it doesn't.I don't have time to decipher some kind of a weird code.Like I said, I have a Sunday dinner to prepare.

Agree with the leadership about what?

Agree with the leadership about what? This poll was conducted last May, before the shootings in Aurora and Newtown.The survey, conducted by Republican pollster Frank Luntz for the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was carried out in May but was released on Tuesday in the aftermath of the Colorado movie theater shooting that killed 12 people last week. [...] Seventy-four percent of the current and former NRA members and 87 percent of the other gun owners supported criminal background checks of anyone purchasing a gun, according to the poll. Seventy-nine percent of current and former NRA members and 80 percent of the other gun owners supported requiring gun retailers to perform background checks on all employees to ensure they are not felons, the poll found. Poll respondents also favored eligibility requirements for obtaining concealed weapon permits, with 63 percent of current and former NRA members and 74 percent of the other gun owners agreeing that applicants must be at least 21 years old. More than two-thirds of respondents from both groups said that permits to carry concealed weapons should not be allowed for people who had committed violent misdemeanors, such as assault, or those who have been arrested for domestic violence. In addition, 71 percent of current or former NRA members and 80 percent of the other gun owners supported banning people on a terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. Poll finds gun owners, even NRA members, back some restrictions. Correct me if I'm wrong but the NRA leadership is against universal background checks, are they not? And as far as terrorists..... In another sign the National Rifle Association is confident it doesn’t need to change tactics after the Newtown, Conn. school shooting and the push for gun control it sparked, the group’s president (David Keene ) took to CNN Wednesday and said once again that it’s just fine people on the federal terror watch list are able to legally buy firearms.

I gotta go Chuck. Dinnertime.

If that is supposed to make some kind of sense in the context of me wishing lew's daughter Vers a Happy Birthday, I'm sorry it doesn't. I don't have time to decipher some kind of a weird code. Like I said, I have a Sunday dinner to prepare. Apparently you need a picture to understand the message.

Why has the CDC up until now, not been allowed to do research on gun violence?Because they come up with crap like this...From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, the CDC conducted original, peer-reviewed research into gun violence, including questions such as whether people who had guns in their homes gained protection from the weapons. (The answer, researchers found, was no. Homes with guns had a nearly three times greater risk of homicide and a nearly five times greater risk of suicide than those without, according to a 1993 study in the New England Journal of Medicine.)Absurd logic and findings. Reminds me how I used to drive down the road with the kids and I'd beep the horn. Kids ask why. I says to keep the aligators away. Kids say there are no aligators. I go "see? It works."What that study says is that in homes with people who are likely to kill each other there's gonna be more killings. If there weren't a gun it'd be with a knife or candlestick in the conservatory. Folks would off themselves by slitting their wrists or taking a bottle of pills if there wasn't a gun. Gun is just easier. Or put it like this... if I wanted to kill someone and there was a gun handy I'd shoot them. If no gun, I'd beat them to death. Whether there is a gun there or not does not change the fact that I'd get me some killing done. Now if the CDC could figure out a way to determine if those deaths would have happened anyway if no gun were available then maybe you'd have a study worth the paper it's printed on.It's good to see you teacher.I hope you've been well.Are you kidding me? I'm great. I'm the smartest man alive. I have the strength of ten men. I've been in the prime of my life for three decades now. My vision is 20/5. I've solved the greatest terrestrial non-religious mystery of man kind. I can eat my weight in chicken wings. Have we just met?

This poll was conducted last May, before the shootings in Aurora and Newtown. Correct me if I'm wrong but the NRA leadership is against universal background checks, are they not? And as far as terrorists..... Do you understand the meaning of "universal background checks"? Do you acknowledge the "universal background checks" is actually "universal gun registration"? If you answered yes to both of the above, can you tell me why the poll doesn't use the term "universal gun registration"? I can, the answer is to manipulate the results. MAIG is not going to spend money for a "study" they can't control the outcome of.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the NRA leadership is against universal background checks, are they not? Do these people look like they might be the NRA? All of these people oppose "universal background checks", and they certainly look like the type of reasonable and responsible gun owners who would support the NRA. You poll is manipulated, in fact, it's downright false. Anyone in touch with middle America knows better. http://www.dailymail...es-country.html Thousands of gun advocates gathered peacefully Saturday at state capitals around the U.S. to rally against stricter limits on firearms, with demonstrators carrying rifles and pistols in some places while those elsewhere settled for waving hand-scrawled signs or screaming themselves hoarse. The size of crowds at each location varied - from dozens of people in South Dakota to 2,000 in New York. Large crowds also turned out in Connecticut, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington state. Some demonstrators in Olympia, Wash., Phoenix, Salem, Ore., and Salt Lake City came with holstered handguns or rifles on their backs. At the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, attendees gave a special round of applause for 'the ladies that are packin'. Representing: In Albany, New York, an estimated two thousand people rallied outside the State Capitol brandishing signs, flags and weapons Hartford: A man who refused to be identified holds an AR-15 semi-automatic riffle with a green and white ribbon reading Newtown at the Capitol in Hartford, Connecticut Clear message: Jared Jeanotte of Long Island, New York, displays a hand-made sign depicting an AK15 rifle and its alleged purpose to kill fascists Activists promoted the 'Guns Across America' rallies primarily through social media. They were being held just days after President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping package of federal gun-control proposals. The crowd swelled to more than 800 amid balmy temperatures on the steps of the pink-hued Capitol in Austin, where speakers took the microphone under a giant Texas flag with 'Independent' stamped across it. Homemade placards read 'An Armed Society is a Polite Society,' 'The Second Amendment Comes from God' and 'Hey King O., I'm keeping my guns and my religion.' 'The thing that so angers me, and I think so angers you, is that this president is using children as a human shield to advance a very liberal agenda that will do nothing to protect them,' said state Rep. Steve Toth, referencing last month's elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Toth, a first-term Republican lawmaker from The Woodlands outside Houston, has introduced legislation banning within Texas any future federal limits on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines, though such a measure would violate the U.S. Constitution. According to organizers an estimated 1,800 people from throughout Oklahoma crowded into the south plaza at the state Capitol to voice their support for their second amendment rights Attacks: A protestor holds a sign showing Gov Andrew Cuomo's face, four days after he signed the nation's toughest assault weapon and magazine restrictions for the state Speaker: New York Assemblyman Steven F. McLaughlin called Gov Cuomo's new law an 'abuse of power' before the thousands of protestors Rallies at statehouses nationwide were organized by Eric Reed, an airline captain from the Houston area who in November started a group called 'More Gun Control (equals) More Crime.' Its Facebook page has been 'liked' by more than 17,000 people. Texas law allows concealed handgun license-holders to carry firearms anywhere, but Reed said rally-goers shouldn't expose their weapons: 'I don't want anyone to get arrested.' A man who identified himself only as 'Texas Mob Father' carried a camouflaged assault rifle strapped to his back during the Austin rally, but he was believed to be the only one to display a gun. Radio personality Alan LaFrance told the crowd he brought a Glock 19, but he kept it out of sight. At the New York state Capitol in Albany, about 2,000 people turned out for a chilly rally, where they chanted 'We the People,' 'USA,' and 'Freedom.' Many carried American flags and 'Don't Tread On Me' banners. The event took place four days after Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the nation's toughest assault weapon and magazine restrictions. Republican Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin said the new law was 'abuse of power' by the governor. Some in the crowd carried 'Impeach Cuomo' signs. Protester Robert Candea called the restrictions 'an outrage against humanity.' Voices heard: Braving the cold, the protestors passionately turned out to send a message to legislatures around the country All the people: A little girl carried her own colorful sign on the shoulders of a male protestor Magazine rights: Sisters Naphtali Rothrock, left, and Naomi Rothrock, both of Sprakers, New York joined the thousands in Albany Representing: John Noto of Springville, New York holds two signs attacking Gov Cuomo and representing his political views as a Conservative America

Fascism: Will Moses, of Eagle Bridge, New York holds a sign depicting Gov Cuomo as a fascist About 1,500 people showed up in Olympia, Wash. Former NFL tight end Clint Didier, who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP Senate nomination in the 2010 election, urged the crowd to prepare 'for the worst possible predicament' by stocking up on food, guns, ammunition, communication devices and medicines, The Olympian newspaper reported. In Connecticut, where task forces created by the Legislature and Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy are considering changes to gun laws, police said about 1,000 people showed up on the Capitol grounds. One demonstrator at the rally in Maine, Joe Getchell of Pittsfield, said every law-abiding citizen has a right to bear arms. In Minnesota, where more than 500 people showed up at the Capitol in St. Paul, Republican state Rep. Tony Cornish said he would push to allow teachers to carry guns in school without a principal or superintendent's approval and to allow 21-year-olds to carry guns on college campuses. Capitol rallies also took place in Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Vermont and Wisconsin, among other states. Back in Texas, Houston resident Robert Thompson attended the rally with his wife and children, ages 12, 5 and 4. Many in the family wore T-shirts reading: 'The Second Amendment Protects the First.' Not to blame: A protestor's sign reasons that more gun laws won't stop those who are already crazy in America Turn out: The 'Guns Across America' rallies were held just days after President Obama unveiled a sweeping package of gun-control proposals Patriots: In Hartford gun right supporters took a few moments to place their hands to their hearts and pledged their allegiance to the flag Symbols: Keeping warm while maintaining their patriotism in Albany, a demonstrator wrapped himself in an American flag New Hampshire: Hundreds of gun supporters rallied at the Statehouse in Concord Texas: In Austin, Steve Wandtke turned out wearing tea bags hanging from his hat in the state capitol 'What we are facing now is an assault weapons ban, but if they do this, what will do they do next?' Thompson asked. William Lawson drove more than four hours from Wichita Falls and held up a sign reading 'Modern Musket' over the image of an assault rifle and the words, 'An American Tradition since 1776.' 'I'm not some wild-eyed person who wants to fight in the streets,' Lawson said. 'This is a country of laws. But I want to protect our Constitution.' Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson conceded that the Second Amendment sometimes leads to killings, but he told the crowd that the First Amendment can be just as dangerous. Patterson said news coverage of those responsible for mass shootings can spark copy-cat shootings. 'All of us here, together, are right about our liberty,' Patterson said. 'And we will not back down.'

"One Today" by Richard Blanco One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies. One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story told by our silent gestures moving behind windows. My face, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day: pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper- bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us, on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives- to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did for twenty years, so I could write this poem. All of us as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day: equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined, the "I have a dream" we keep dreaming, or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the empty desks of twenty children marked absent today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light breathing color into stained glass windows, life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth onto the steps of our museums and park benches as mothers watch children slide into the day. One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane so my brother and I could have books and shoes. The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains mingled by one wind-our breath. Breathe. Hear it through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs, buses launching down avenues, the symphony of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways, the unexpected song bird on your clothes line. Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling, or whispers across caf tables, Hear: the doors we open for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom, buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos das in the language my mother taught me-in every language spoken into one wind carrying our lives without prejudice, as these words break from my lips. One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands: weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report for the boss on time, stitching another wound or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait, or the last floor on the Freedom Tower jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience. One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes tired from work: some days guessing at the weather of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother who knew how to give, or forgiving a father who couldn't give what you wanted. We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home, always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop and every window, of one country-all of us-facing the stars hope-a new constellation waiting for us to map it, waiting for us to name it-together.

Do you understand the meaning of "universal background checks"?Anyone who wants to purchase a gun must undergo a criminal background check.Do you acknowledge the "universal background checks" is actually "universal gun registration"?No. I haven't heard much talk about gun registration. Is that part of the proposed legislation?I know you think it's one step from registration to confiscation, but I don't agree with that.If you answered yes to both of the above, can you tell me why the poll doesn't use the term "universal gun registration"?Maybe you should ask Frank Luntz.I can, the answer is to manipulate the results.MAIG is not going to spend money for a "study" they can't control the outcome of.You do know who Frank Luntz is, don't you?I'm sure MAIG hired him to do the poll precisely because of his political leanings.He can't be accused of being some lefty.And when it comes to framing things, Luntz is the word expert.He literally wrote the book on it.

Anyone who wants to purchase a gun must undergo a criminal background check.No. I haven't heard much talk about gun registration. Is that part of the proposed legislation?Of course it is.How else is "universal background checks" (which wasn't in his poll question either) going to be enforced?It can ONLY be enforced by the government having a list of who owns every guns, IOW, registrationI know you think it's one step from registration to confiscation, but I don't agree with that.Well then you ought to be able to tall me a few times when registration DIDN'T result in guns being confiscated.Maybe you should ask Frank Luntz.You do know who Frank Luntz is, don't you?I'm sure MAIG hired him to do the poll precisely because of his political leanings.He can't be accused of being some lefty.And when it comes to framing things, Luntz is the word expert.He literally wrote the book on it.Never heard of him, but when MAIG comes out saying what I KNOW to be untrue, of course I'm going to disagree with themCheck out my pictures in the guns across America thread.Which is those people do you think approves of registeration?Where are ANY of these people who approve of registration?Look at your own source:It claims that 75% of the NRA disagrees with the NRA, but it also says that the Rueters poll shows that 2/3 of all Americans agree with the NRAClassic case of poll manipulation to get the results you want band how statistics are not to be relied on when conducted for political purposes