jfields

Mike, Your right. The stolen guns used in accidents was a cut-n-paste error. I meant people killed by stolen guns (omitting accidentally). But please give the guns-buckets-bathtubs analogies a rest. They really don't prove anything, but they make you look incredibly silly.

Just as all the gun control folks are concerned with their rights as well, which is why they are fighting the other side. Just depends on which rights you value. I value my families right to life more highly than I value somebody else's right to be careless with firearms and hurt my family. Note that I said careless, which doesn't apply to everyone. I've read it. I agree with the fact that it teaches a lesson. On the other side of the gun control debate, I'd give you some reading as well. It would be the gravestones of people that have been killed due to firearm accidents by stolen weapons. Be especially careful to do the math and find all the children.

That was a stupid question.

Me too. Just to clarify, I call my penis "my penis". I'm not saying that I call Scott's penis "my penis". Got it?

Or "Avery".

If he has a sidekick with a speech impediment or a hunchback, run away.

With my post numbers, I prefer the voluntary $25 I just sent. Much cheaper.

I don't think "Self Employed Sheep Gigolo" will make you independently wealthy. On the other hand, when you like your job so much, why retire?

Sadly, that could be precisely what he was trying to say.

Joe, I think you are absolutely correct. I'm just saying that in my case, I wouldn't want the hassles of business ownership to be a good small business. If I'm going to put in the effort, I want to start something that will become a wildly successful big business. Admittedly, that is a much more difficult prospect, which is why I'm still (happily) working for someone else. But I do understand what you are talking about.

No problem, Remster. Having intuitively grasped your intellectual inadequacies, I decided to interpret for you.

Skymama, This is actually a little confusing to some people. Your use of the negative in the question would mean that "No" votes would be the ones wanting to institute the change. As in, "No, I don't object to giving Sangiro some cash." It could be confused with, "No, I don't want to give him any money because I am an ungrateful moocher", for example. I think it should remain voluntary, with occasional reminders like the one you posted. I evaluated my own usage and decided that I did value the service he provides. So, while not obligatory, I did step up and PayPal him $25 just now. Who is going to step up next?

Oops.

Nope. That definitely clears it up!

Good one, Erno.

Although it doesn't apply to me, there are other options you missed. For some occupations, self-employment isn't a realistic avenue. People that love to fly airliners, work on subatomic physics experiments and such can't ever create the facilities do to it themselves. Another reason is that while being self employed can give you a higher income, it also requires more time. Right now, I can drop what I'm doing at 5 o'clock and go home to play with my daughter. Also, as other people have mentioned, not everyone likes to be on the administrative end of a business. I've watched the hassles my father and his business partner have gone through and it isn't appealing. Under the right circumstance, I'd still give it a go, but it would only be worthwhile if I had some brilliant idea that would take off in an area nobody had done yet and I didn't have tons of competition. Damn, I had to edit that because I made so many typos. See what I get for posting before my morning tea?

I really don't think I speak enough Spanish to qualify. Don't tell me that I actually learned something in those Spanish classes I failed?

Steve, We aren't giving our rights away. They are being bought by unscrupulous special interest groups. And as I assume you are a card-carrying member of the NRA, you are one of the people writing the check. I would love to see the budget of the NRA. I'd specifically like to compare the marketing and lobbying portion against the educational and safety programs that are touted as being the main purpose of the organization. Other groups try to do the same things. Pharmaceutical companies, airlines, AARP, whatever. But lets just be straightforward about it and admit that the groups (including the NRA) are trying (successfully) to buy politicians. That is how our freedom is getting pissed away. That is one reason I generally hate politicians, but that is another topic altogether.

Silly, silly Kallend. You just don't get it, do you? This imbalance between the military and civilian citizens is why we need to allow private individuals to own grenades, Stinger missiles, mines and a wide array of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. After all, it is our constitutional right to bear arms. Please, God, grasp the sarcasm, everyone.

Mike, If the weapons were seized and mishandled, then the owners have a justifiable gripe. I'm not condoning such actions, if they were in fact as you describe.

Mike, the next line of the post from which you quoted was: "I don't think you believe that." Also, you haven't expressed the same willingness to intentionally and willfully ignore the law. The post you quoted from was my response to someone who had stated precisely that disregard for the law.

One affirmative vote duly noted.

I did say at the outset that my Spanish skills sucked. I know about enough gutter spanish to get me to the bathroom, to order food, and to get me smacked by any woman nearby. In your professional opinion, do you agree?

Really? So what the recent sniper was doing is cool by you? Hey, he is entitled to act the way he wants. Just sucks to be one of the victims, huh? I don't think you believe that. But you aren't acknowledging the role of laws in setting boundaries of what people can and cannot do. We decide the laws, through the channels of government. I'm not saying those channels are efficient, but the laws we create generally reflect the middleground of the country's wishes over the long term. Without laws, (or with them if totally unobeyed), what you are proposing is anarchy. Valuing freedom, responsibility, the laws we have created for our country, and our role in maintaining our country is democracy. Are you saying that having to register ownership of a gun is equivalent to slavery? If so, I think that is demeaning to human life and the fundamentals of freedom you claim to value. In regards to slavery, I'm with you. I see a higher justification for the violation of laws pertaining to the ownership of humans. I'm not a totally inflexible "law-freak". But I also have a great deal of problem with equating human slavery to mere firearm registration. True. So we have a choice. Do we choose to work to fix the courts and change the bad laws, or do we just decide to throw the whole system and our constitution out and start over with something else? I'm in favor of helping to fix our system, rather than trying to subvert it.

Run quick, before Clay finds you.