Congresswoman Gabby Giffords Shot in Head

[Geniasis]

Good news guys, Giffords is breathing on her own now. Also, interestingly, they're now thinking that she was shot in the front of the head rather than from the back as was initially believed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41018273/ns ... alth_care/

[Xsyne]

IQ is going up. Everywhere.

Except the USA.

Nope. Everywhere.

[Mercator Terra]

Paul Krugman has written an Op-Ed in the New York Times that essentially echoes what we've been saying; even if the comments of the Tea Party did not directly cause Jared Loughner to shoot Congresswoman Giffords, the climate of hate they have created has made this possible.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/opini ... .html?_r=1

This should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. (Note: you may need to register with the NYTimes to read the article. It's not really imperative that you read it, just know that people in RL echo our sentiments).

EDIT: Interesting quote from former Bush speechwriter, "Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us and now we’re discovering we work for Fox.”

EDIT2: Also an open letter to WFTL-AM (850) radio host Joyce Kaufman, whose incendiary political rhetoric included a Tea Party rally remark that "If ballots don't work, bullets will" (seriously, there's nothing ambiguous about this one): http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/ ... ooting.php

lol Krugman. Is this the same Kormrade Krugman asking for a housing bubble to cover up the Nasdaq bubble? Yeah Im going take him seriously. Just like Bush isnt getting anything out of the Iraq War... Yup...

[Unhealthy2]

lol Krugman. Is this the same Kormrade Krugman asking for a housing bubble to cover up the Nasdaq bubble? Yeah Im going take him seriously. Just like Bush isnt getting anything out of the Iraq War... Yup...

What a well-argued and well-supported rebuttal that clearly addressed the points being made rather than the person making them! Good job!

[Klamaria]

Am I the only one who blames his actions on the 2012 doomsday people? Their anti government talk, saying that the Illuminati actively contol the government and are the enemies of humanity, certainly seems like it could influence a mentally I'll person into commmitting such violent acts. And unlike with the Tea Party accusation, we actually have evidence that he listened to the 2012 stuff.

[Caninope]

Still not accurate. Only half of households, at most have guns, with most of those probably belonging to only one or two people in the households.

What? You have proved nothing in my post at all incorrect. The US has more guns than Switzerland, in real terms and per capita. Mercator Terra is wrong.

They have more guns then us and have extremely less murder rates. Either that they somehow have more humanity then us or what I said is true.

Those are guns per capita, not percentage rate who own guns, an important distinction.

[Mercator Terra]

What? You have proved nothing in my post at all incorrect. The US has more guns than Switzerland, in real terms and per capita. Mercator Terra is wrong.

Those are guns per capita, not percentage rate who own guns, an important distinction.

Everyone owns a gun there. (being everyone is in the militia (im against mass conscription btw))

[South Norwega]

What? You have proved nothing in my post at all incorrect. The US has more guns than Switzerland, in real terms and per capita. Mercator Terra is wrong.

Those are guns per capita, not percentage rate who own guns, an important distinction.

Which was not what was being discussed.

The US has more guns. That is what I am saying. Marcator Terra said:

They have more guns then us and have extremely less murder rates. Either that they somehow have more humanity then us or what I said is true.

The bolded is untrue. False.

Those are guns per capita, not percentage rate who own guns, an important distinction.

Everyone owns a gun there. (being everyone is in the militia (im against mass conscription btw))

No, they don't.

It's not possible.

Not at all.

There are 46 guns per hundred people in Switzerland. (From the top of my head)

Not everyone owns a gun.

[Alien Space Bats]

On a personal note, the Arizona shooting took place two blocks from the home of my brother-in-law and his wife. They are safe, but they and their neighbors know some of the people who were killed and wounded.

---

I'd like to point out Rachel Maddow's superb response to this affair. I know that Maddow is widely disliked among conservatives, but it is noteworthy that she did not attempt to tie this incident to conservative militancy, which she has documented in past shows. Instead, she focused on another issue: The recurring nature of this sort of thing in America. Her drumbeat recital of the details of 15 previous incidents of this nature over the last 22 years (the span of Jerod Lee Laughner's lifetime) hammered that point home powerfully, but then - rather than segueing to an immediate call for gun control (the usual liberal response), she simply asked what the nation could do - if anything - to prevent such massacres in the future.

I would agree with Ms. Maddow: This is a conversation that we need to have, and we really need to make it an adult conversation rather than letting it descend into the usual political argument over gun control, health care, culture, video games, religion, or whatever.

[Mercator Terra]

Those are guns per capita, not percentage rate who own guns, an important distinction.

Which was not what was being discussed.

The US has more guns. That is what I am saying. Marcator Terra said:

They have more guns then us and have extremely less murder rates. Either that they somehow have more humanity then us or what I said is true.

The bolded is untrue. False.

Everyone owns a gun there. (being everyone is in the militia (im against mass conscription btw))

No, they don't.

It's not possible.

Not at all.

There are 46 guns per hundred people in Switzerland. (From the top of my head)

Not everyone owns a gun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politi ... witzerland
Wrong

The personal weapon of militia is kept at home as part of the military obligations. Switzerland has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world.

[South Norwega]

Which was not what was being discussed.

The US has more guns. That is what I am saying. Marcator Terra said:


The bolded is untrue. False.


No, they don't.

It's not possible.

Not at all.

There are 46 guns per hundred people in Switzerland. (From the top of my head)

Not everyone owns a gun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politi ... witzerland
Wrong

The personal weapon of militia is kept at home as part of the military obligations. Switzerland has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world.

NOT EVERYONE OWNS A GUN.

That statement is not incorrect. You have not proved me wrong. I am completely correct. The facts support me. There are more guns in the US than Switzerland, per capita (and in the useless measure of real terms). Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun. These are two completely unimportant facts about the world that are almost indisputably true and correct.

Your wikipedia article says that there are between 1.2 to 3 million weapons in Switzerland. The Swiss population is nearly eight million. Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun.

People are only in the Swiss Militia when they are between 19 and 34 and if they are Male. This works out to be more or less an eighth of the population.

[The Phantom of NS]

Not everyone needs a gun, my friend.

[Mercator Terra]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politi ... witzerland
Wrong

NOT EVERYONE OWNS A GUN.

That statement is not incorrect. You have not proved me wrong. I am completely correct. The facts support me. There are more guns in the US than Switzerland, per capita (and in the useless measure of real terms). Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun. These are two completely unimportant facts about the world that are almost indisputably true and correct.

Your wikipedia article says that there are between 1.2 to 3 million weapons in Switzerland. The Swiss population is nearly eight million. Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun.

People are only in the Swiss Militia when they are between 19 and 34 and if they are Male. This works out to be more or less an eighth of the population.

So why is their crime rate still EXTREMELY low?

[Innsmothe]

NOT EVERYONE OWNS A GUN.

That statement is not incorrect. You have not proved me wrong. I am completely correct. The facts support me. There are more guns in the US than Switzerland, per capita (and in the useless measure of real terms). Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun. These are two completely unimportant facts about the world that are almost indisputably true and correct.

Your wikipedia article says that there are between 1.2 to 3 million weapons in Switzerland. The Swiss population is nearly eight million. Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun.

People are only in the Swiss Militia when they are between 19 and 34 and if they are Male. This works out to be more or less an eighth of the population.

So why is their crime rate still EXTREMELY low?

Because it is European and therefore a civilised country.

[Mercator Terra]

So why is their crime rate still EXTREMELY low?

Because it is European and therefore a civilised country.

Im a crazy "racist" middle class white American who is not "civilized".

[Xsyne]

NOT EVERYONE OWNS A GUN.

That statement is not incorrect. You have not proved me wrong. I am completely correct. The facts support me. There are more guns in the US than Switzerland, per capita (and in the useless measure of real terms). Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun. These are two completely unimportant facts about the world that are almost indisputably true and correct.

Your wikipedia article says that there are between 1.2 to 3 million weapons in Switzerland. The Swiss population is nearly eight million. Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun.

People are only in the Swiss Militia when they are between 19 and 34 and if they are Male. This works out to be more or less an eighth of the population.

So why is their crime rate still EXTREMELY low?

Well, given what we know about crime, the best explanation would be that there is very little poverty.

[South Norwega]

NOT EVERYONE OWNS A GUN.

That statement is not incorrect. You have not proved me wrong. I am completely correct. The facts support me. There are more guns in the US than Switzerland, per capita (and in the useless measure of real terms). Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun. These are two completely unimportant facts about the world that are almost indisputably true and correct.

Your wikipedia article says that there are between 1.2 to 3 million weapons in Switzerland. The Swiss population is nearly eight million. Not everyone in Switzerland owns a gun.

People are only in the Swiss Militia when they are between 19 and 34 and if they are Male. This works out to be more or less an eighth of the population.

So why is their crime rate still EXTREMELY low?

Because the people who own guns are almost always properly trained in their use. Because the government issued military ammunition is not allowed to be unsealed, let alone used. All guns must be registered at point of sale, as with guns from all neighbouring countries and maybe not all their neighbouring countries, but most of them.

It's not a subject strictly relevant to the United States. There are major differences, in that they have a well regulated militia, rather than just people with guns.

[South Norwega]

So why is their crime rate still EXTREMELY low?

Well, given what we know about crime, the best explanation would be that there is very little poverty.

Poverty rate is 7.4%, compared to the US's 12%.

[Innsmothe]

Because it is European and therefore a civilised country.

Im a crazy "racist" middle class white American who is not "civilized".

Thals generally my point.

America is too immature to have guns.

[Grave_n_idle]

Am I the only one who blames his actions on the 2012 doomsday people? Their anti government talk, saying that the Illuminati actively contol the government and are the enemies of humanity, certainly seems like it could influence a mentally I'll person into commmitting such violent acts. And unlike with the Tea Party accusation, we actually have evidence that he listened to the 2012 stuff.

The comments about the gold standard suggest he was listening to either the Tea Party, or the same people the Tea Party are listening to.

No one is saying it's concrete, but there's 'evidence', all I'm saying.

[Mercator Terra]

Well, given what we know about crime, the best explanation would be that there is very little poverty.

Poverty rate is 7.4%, compared to the US's 12%.

Which is funny because it proves my point the free market helps poverty. Well the poor will be richer then they our now.

[Mercator Terra]

Im a crazy "racist" middle class white American who is not "civilized".

Thals generally my point.

America is too immature to have guns.

I dont own a gun but the day they are banned is the day there will be a civil war.

[Alien Space Bats]

The comments about the gold standard suggest he was listening to either the Tea Party, or the same people the Tea Party are listening to.

No one is saying it's concrete, but there's 'evidence', all I'm saying.

I get the feeling that he just latched onto any idea he heard that sounded "cool" and then tried (unsuccessfully) to integrate them all into some post-modern collage that was his own. Not that anyone could truly call any post-modern collage one's "own", mind you...

I get the impression of a slow kid desperately wanting to be bright and failing horribly.

[Mercator Terra]

Not everyone needs a gun, my friend.

Who decides what I need? You dont know me. No fat cat politician in Washington knows me. How can they decide whats best for me?

[Xsyne]

Poverty rate is 7.4%, compared to the US's 12%.

Which is funny because it proves my point the free market helps poverty. Well the poor will be richer then they our now.

Switzerland is a welfare state.