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Albert,

Bill,

Vas ist Los?  Even in Taiwan no one is prepping. Of course with 4,000+ people per sq mile how are you going to stay away from people?

What happened to everyone Albert?  Did eveyone go into hiding?

I can't even think of something to make people mad enough to write something.

Albert;

Oldasrocks, Some members leave for various reasons, and new ones join and take their place.  It's the nature of forums.  

Yes,  Mary R I still love you no matter what they say about you. Je Taime choo choo.

I just wish I was a better writer like Twoof or someone to get my message and thoughts through better.

Oldasrocks,
                     44ICUROK.....You will be remembered for a long time  .

Take Care

Albert, I hate to bother you, but I am still locked out. Not sure how to get to my old account. Or do I just build a new one? I thought that I had the right login and password, but it is not taking it. I do have a different email; but I can not get into to change or update it. I also got locked out of the Pandemic Help site; not sure if it is related or not (note: I did reregister my info).

Happy Me, Happy Me!!! Thanks Albert (AKA Da' Man)

This is my first post on the forum, but I have been a reader for a few months and I hope to add my presence to a great group.

I am an Aussie and we are known for our Humour so let the occasional joke out or we will all die of boredom

You can't be locked out of the forum if you're able to post.      

Oldasrocks: I don't know if I count but I'm still here.

I'm listening with great care but I'm afraid I can't think of anything polite to say.

I think you'll find that this site is run and controlled from the U.S.A.

We observe and on occasion we contribute what we can. On other occasions it seems wiser to remain silent. We have noted the complete lack of controversy and deeply regret its removal. Still, musn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Scotty, Please explain further. "no controversy?" I guess you have not seem some of the answers and comments made to me. I've been called everything but sane.

Beth I feel sorry for the citydwellers as the plight they will have to endure if the BF does hit.  I get  claustrophobic just thinking about being trapped in a city, especially in a high rise. They are at the  complete mercy of others for food, water and power.  No place to run to and no easy way to run there.

Our lives and livelihood are controlled by others to qite an extent.  But aren't yours also?  What do you perceive as the differences in this respect?  Beth

oldasrocks: Have you been stirring it whilst I've been away? I guess I missed all that. Like you I enjoy a bit of controversy as long as it doesn't get too personal. I miss it badly but I can only play the guy they put in front of me and the guy in front of me keeps throwing his rattle out of the cot.

Reference the U.K. population I think its about 500 per square mile but this needs to be taken in context. I guess that 90% of our land mass has a population of less than 50 per square mile so you can guess how crowded the remaining 10% is.

I envy you your space, I envy you your freedoms and your written constitution. There is a lot to admire in your country and your people. They are charming, witty and likeable. If you want something controversial then here it is.

You have built a society within which guns are desirable and in some cases almost necessary. The rest of the world manages perfectly well without them and yet you cannot sense the possibility that you are wrong, let alone have a meaningful debate about why you need such things.

Excellant point Scotty but  we can all cite a number of cases when the average citizen was  disarmed and at a disadvantage. Look at the  Jewish population before and during WW@. Look at what  happened to the Polish people after Hitler disarmed them.

More recent in the disarming of Australia. I have a couple friends down there. one from there and one that moved there from Texas.  In the year after disarming all the citizens armed robbery went up 72%, (how ? everyone turned in their guns didn't they?) rape up 87% murder, breaking and entering etc etc were up double digit figures. They now are outlawing large knives. So I contend the problem is not the guns but the people.

I have heard that is why American has been so terrorist free for so long. The bad guys like to pick on unarmed people. The UK is disarmed? I think I have heard about something called the IRA around there that was armed.

 I do not see how you think the rest of the world is unarmed.  Even in Switzerland it is mandatory for every man to have a gun in the house.  I see example after example of people being at the mercy of armed thugs.

In Tawian where it is a mandatory death penality to be caught with a gun the bad guys carry Uzis and hand grenades. Same in Japan.  Show me one example where the citizens are fully protected being disarmed. North Korea?

If you can show me a 100% way to disarm the bad guys I will give up my weapons.  Until then I will continue to carry my 45 under my armpit.

oldasrocks: How can we have a good slanging match if you keep descending into civilised debate? I thought that you guys were supposed to explode into fits of rage whenever guns were mentioned?

I can only really speak for the U.K. and here the crime statistics are horrific. If you exclude the street theft of cell phones from the under sixteeens then they fall dramatically. We have very low rates of violent crime and our murder rate, excluding crimes of passion and the so called honour killings of young asian girls by their own families, is extremely low. This is still a country where many urban dwellers don't bother to lock their doors. Whatever it is that we do, or don't do, it seems to be working.

The key to the difference between the U.S.A. lies in the taxation policies of these two economic groups. We have chosen the low growth high taxation route. You live under a regime that has always favoured low taxation and subsequently higher growth rates. They don't burn the money that they take from us in taxes. They use it to create employment for low grade unqualified people. They also use it to create safety nets for the sick, the elderly, the unemployed and the misfits of society who would otherwise turn to crime.

I don't claim that either system is in any way superior to the other. Each has its merits. I'm just saying that the U.K. is a very safe place to live. Many of your "A list" celebrities keep houses in London for that very reason. There is no universal clamour for the right to carry guns. There is a constant demand for the police to do a half decent job of crime prevention. Some of our police force now carry guns and the only noticeable result has been a huge increase in the killing of innocent people by our police force. We are, by nature, an extremely violent race. Right now Joe Public slaps his wife and she hits him with a frying pan. If they both had guns there would be bodies all over the place.

jo007athome: Do you carry a loaded gun when you walk the dog, or answer your front door, or fill up your tank, or when you get into an elevator? If you do, is it aimed and ready to fire? If you do not do these things then what use is a gun anyway?

Is there any evidence to support the theory that guns reduce the number of violent crimes? Do the Amish carry guns? I understand that the crime rate in Amish areas is virtually non-existent.

Scotty, The differance in the Amish communities is they keep their children under control. The kids are taught to respect, study and know there is swift punishment for doing wrong. No so in most of America unfortunely.  Terachers are sued for even giving bad grades much less  swatting a kid.  In Catholic school I got swatted a lot but I'm a fairly decent person because of it.  With our welfare system kids are paid for having babies who grow up with no morals. I'm sure you have the same problem in part.

We even have a real stupid program called  "home schooling"  parents are allowed to teach their kids instead of formal school.  The police gets sued by the criminals for doing their job.  Our system has a lot of severe problems starting with too many  attorneys but guns are not the start of the problem. They are a tool both for bad and for good.

You asked Jo about her gun.  I keep one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen and a pistol to carry back and forth down the hallway. snicker- not really 

I had a neighbor that came home one Saturday afternoon and found someone loading the stuff out of his house on a pickup. He hollered at him and the badgun shot back.  My neighbor pulled his 9mm and put 3 slugs in the guys chest.  Now unless we have personal one on one police protection how would we otherwise deal with this situation?  Well we could outlaw guns since that has worked so well keeping the drugs out of the country.

I feel a person has the right and the responsibility to take care of themselves. If you people want to be sheep and herded around by the goverment so be it.    If Mr Blair --who I like-- decided to round you all up and put you in camps what could you do about it? our constitution writers decided to keep the power with the people not the goverment.

Oldas,

PS Can I take it that the Amish do not carry guns and that, far from suffering a higher crime rate, they enjoy exactly the same unarmed status as we do in the U.K.