America takes awful care of its citizens, some other countries certainly do better. I wish we’d focus more on addressing the root cause issues that push people to commit violence instead of superficial actions like banning weapons, though. Even if all guns disappeared overnight, the conditions that incentivize violence would still be around.
I mean, “mass shooting” used to colloquially mean a random act against the public. I feel like people still think it means that when they see stats like this, but practically all the shootings in this stat are from gang violence and organized crime. A drive-by is a mass shooting.
Not to downplay the severity of it, but I hope people aren’t thinking that there have been ~45 Kroger type shootings this year already. Solutions that address crime like this are different than addressing sick, politically motivated domestic terrorists. Not to say we don’t need a lot of both, though.
Bernie wasn’t much of an anti-2A advocate until he ran for the Democratic bid in 2016. Align with party values or get out.
Our country is sick. Healthcare is inaccessible and right out unaffordable, the Bible belt vilifies science, education is both piss poor and stupid expensive, we’re the richest country on the planet but a tiny handful of grubs are hoarding all the wealth, something something preaching to the choir.
People wouldn’t commit politically motivated domestic terrorism if living here wasn’t made intentionally shitty by the people in charge. I want our planet to stop burning, but they’re only focused on revoking trans rights or whatever fabricated problem they’re whining about this week. Americans need to wake the fuck up and stop being so complacent.
I interpreted Donjuanme’s comment as sarcastic, where “no way a background check would’ve stopped this” implied that they thought a background check wasn’t performed, but if it would’ve been, this murder wouldn’t have happened.
Not everyone who commits a violent crime with a gun has a previous record of doing that, or other indicators that would fail a background check for that matter. Not a lot of anti-gunners seem to remember that though, which is partly why I interpreted the comment that way.
You can’t trust Amazon reviews either though.
* Sellers frequently farm good reviews by including cards in their packages that state “give us a 5 star review and get a full/partial refund!”
* Amazon doesn’t allow reviews after 30 days (?) from purchase, so items poor durability will not have that reflected in their reviews
It’s a damn shame, but between this broken review system and their incredibly low quality items and quality control, they’re not worth the money or headache to use. Especially since most of their products are no name Chinese garbage that are exclusively available on Amazon. They’re basically Wish, Tubi, or Alibaba.
Edit: Amazon must’ve updated their review policy since I’ve last used them, 2+ years ago. They explicitly ban monetary rewards for good reviews, and I don’t see a mention of review deadlines either. The only references I found about their review deadlines is a few Reddit posts from a year ago. So my bad!
If nothing’s changed though, they still sell hot garbage.
I’m sorry, looks like I got that wrong. I didn’t realize the wiki omitted that.
The NPR article I found that explained this also says that the jury was asked to consider lesser charges but still acquitted. I’m not sure what lesser charges exactly, but I assume it was second degree accounts. For first degree intentional homicide, Wisconsin law lists “mitigating circumstances” that downgrade first degree charges to second degree charges if proven true. It’s 940.01, found here.
He wasn’t charged with 1st degree murder, that’s nonsense. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and two counts of reckless endangerment. Here’s the wiki.
I watched almost the entire trial live, and it was clear as day that his actions were textbook self defense. The prosecution had essentially no evidence - at one point they argued that Kyle had a desire to shoot people because he plays Call of Duty. I’m not making that up.
Everyone I’ve talked to about this incident who believes he should’ve gone to jail were unaware of what actually happened. The media lied about what happened and smeared his character leading up to the trial, so I’m not surprised that people think he’s a murderer. I am extremely disappointed though that the media blatantly lies this way in order to push a narrative or agenda, and people who consume it do little to no research to check it’s accuracy.
Edit: Clarity below
Why? The circumstances between the two are very different.
I feel like a lot of people who hold this opinion are unaware of what actually happened with Rittenhouse. The media painted him as a careless kid who used a gun law loophole to take part in riots, where he committed a mass shooting in a state he didn’t live in and got away with it.
What actually happened, is that he went to Kenosha (where his Dad lives, like 10 minutes from his Mom’s house),to help protect his family friend’s business, help peaceful people that got hurt during the riot/protests, and to clean messes left by disorderly people like graffiti. Later that night, he tried putting out a fire that rioters started near at a gas station, and they attacked him for doing that. Someone threatened to kill Rittenhouse, started chasing him, cornered him, grabbed his gun, and only then did Rittenhouse shoot him. He then immediately went for the police, but was chased down and attacked by more people, where one clubbed his head and another pulled a handgun on him. He shot and killed one, then shot another but backed off after he was clearly no longer a threat.
This was textbook self defense. We can discuss whether what he did was intelligent in regards to his own safety, or whether the laws he followed should be changed, but point is, a mob was literally running him down with clear outspoken intention to murder him, and Kyle only defended himself when running away was impossible.
And he wasn’t charged with 1st degree murder, that’s misinformation. A five second search clearly shows this. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and two counts of reckless endangerment. These charges have much lower bars than 1st degree murder, yet a jury (who judged him based on real facts, not bullshit media narratives) acquitted him of all of them.
Edit: He was charged with first degree accounts, the wiki doesn’t state this. However, the jury considered lesser charges and still acquitted. Here’s an NPR article that goes into more detail.
Ahhh yes, but you see, on page 176 §12.4.11 of the EULA it clearly states that by using our products you’ve given us your consent to rip you off.
I don’t care more about guns than dead kids, stop intentionally misinterpreting my opinion and arguments. Respond to my arguments intelligently and provide counterpoints so we can better understand each other. So far, you’ve provided nothing constructive.
You say that guns are “fucking murder machines” then in the same comment state that the guns we have are too weak and useless to use against an oppressive government. Pick an argument and stick with it.
If our government is launching drone strikes against me, then they’re launching drone strikes against you too. We’re on the same side here, except if push ever comes to shove, it sounds like you’ll lay down and lick boots while others fight for you. If you’re not ok with living in a dictatorship, the least you can do is not actively get in the way of the one check/balance that the people have against our government’s military.
Gun ownership isn’t a right for Ukrainian citizens. Imagine how it felt for citizens in Mariupol, Donetsk, or Kyiv during the first few weeks of the invasion. I’m not suggesting that lone “muh guns” rednecks would save the country from a military invasion alone, but I’d bet my ass that most people who lived this would’ve been safer and fewer citizens would’ve died if they were armed and able to defend themselves while evacuating and seeking safety. The Ukrainian government backtracked and shipped citizens in Kyiv and a few other cities guns and ammo afterwards, but because gun ownership was outlawed before that, no one was trained on how to use them so they were effectively useless.
This is what you’re fighting for. A disarmed, helpless society that’d rather feel safe than be safe. It’s the same fear that ushered in mass surveillance and the complete degradation of personal privacy in the name of counter terrorism. People cheered for it.
It’s possible to have a well-armed society that isn’t rife with murderers; your grandparents lived it. Maybe we should refocus on making our society worth living in again for the marginalized people perpetuating violence. Give gang members and hopeless people an honest way to earn a livable wage, provide free and good access to mental and physical healthcare, revamp prisons so they reform instead of punish, reduce carbon emissions so our children won’t choke on their air… But you can’t boil that down into a headline as short and sensational as “children murdered because people can buy murder machines.”
“Guns are far better killing machines vs any other method you can come up with.”
Murder is murder. Banning guns doesn’t get rid of violent people, so assuming nothing else changes, we’d at best have 5 dead children instead of 8 or something. Sure it’s an improvement, but not a solution. I don’t feel that’s with it given the tradeoffs.
“Countries that ban them do not have the same rates of shootings and when they do have them are a lot less deadly.”
I’m sorry, but no shit. “Country that bans cars sees no more deaths by car accidents.”
“Blaming it on the lack of welfare is misdirection.”
I’m not blaming it on lack of welfare, I’m mostly blaming it on our decreased quality of life. Since you’re ignoring that mass shootings basically didn’t exist 60 years ago when Americans had comparatively unfettered access to guns, then look at any poor country today and their violent crime rates. When moral, legal avenues for leading a fruitful and happy life are unobtainable, then people will resort to illegal means to make that happen. This is nothing new.
“The Constitution does not need to be amended, it just has to be read. Are you in a well-regulated militia? No? You don’t get a gun. Go join up the National Guard if you want one.”
Well-regulated meant well armed and functioning, and the National Guard is a branch of the military, which is literally what a militia isn’t. Sounds like you need to read it.
"And if you think your shotgun is go to stop a dictator you will have to excuse.me while I laugh too hard to type. "
What makes you think that dictator will be on your side? If you think our current political climate is bad, itll pale in comparison to the one your kids will grow up in if Trump wins. Roll over and let your kids suffer if that’s what you want, I’d rather fight so they don’t have to.
Gentle reminder that poor rice and goat farmers have won almost every conflict against our military the last 60 years. Regardless, if our military ever goes whole hog on us like you’re suggesting and starts bombing your neighborhood, I’ll be sure to message you to ask if you’re still licking their boots. Chances are, you probably will.
There is no obvious solution.
If guns magically disappeared overnight, the people who would indiscriminately kill children would still be around. They’ll just run kids over with their car during recess, lock the doors and mix a ton a bleach and ammonia, run in with an axe, or anything else. People are creative.
We can point to Australia, Canada, or England as “proof” that banning guns = stopping murder, but people conveniently forget that they also have universal healthcare, a higher income compared to cost of living, free or cheap education, etc. These conditions breed fewer people with motives to kill indiscriminately.
The US government can continue trying to ban guns, which would start with amending the Constitution, and would end with police going door to door to round them up because most people won’t comply.
Gun control has only gotten stricter over time, yet indiscriminate shootings have only gotten more frequent. If you feel that isn’t explained by our decreased wages, social cohesion, and overall quality of life, then how else would you explain it? My grandparents could mail order machine guns to their front door, yet school shootings never happened. They could also support a family of 4 with a single parent working right out of high school, which js hilariously unimaginable today. Is that coincidence?
We’re also 12 months away from a potential dictatorship, yet people are still callling for their own disarmament. Some people think gun ownership is nuts, but I think not owning a gun right now is nuts. They might be ok with not protecting their family, but I’m sure as hell not.
Not all his videos are privacy focused but Louis Rossmann is a good right to repair and privacy advocate. Very entertaining to watch when he gets irritated haha.
I understand where you’re coming from, but a lot of violence that police encounter is spontaneous and unpredictable.
Say they pull someone over for speeding, but the driver has a warrant for their arrest or something like drugs in their car. The cop begins this encounter expecting to issue a ticket and nothing more, but the driver knows more is riding on the line than that. Violently attacking the cop to increase their chance of getting away might sound like a good option, otherwise they’ll spend years in jail for the additional charges they’re avoiding.
A lot of this behavior wouldn’t exist if our prisons focused on rehabilitation instead of cruel punishment. A simple drug charge can ruin someone’s finances and career, which almost everyone agrees is unjust. If they’re already facing many years in jail for crimes a cop would arrest them for, what’s risking some additional time in jail for a chance to avoid an arrest altogether?
Prison shouldn’t be something that people want to avoid at all costs, and the conditions we live in shouldn’t push people to commit crime to get by. Currently, our prisons are cruel and our living conditions are terrible, pushing people to steal, sell drugs, and avoid prison at all costs.
Edit: And just to clarify, I’m only highlighting that police encounter violence in situations where people wouldn’t expect it. A simple speeding ticket can end with the cop getting stabbed or runned over. Our justice system motivates people to violently avoid arrest, and our living conditions push people to commit crime. So not only do our police need reform, but we need to fix the underlying issues that push people to commit crime and avoid prison to begin with. If that’s done, then police encounters that begin non-violently would more frequently end that way too.
I’m in the same boat as you OP - a tongue tied adult who’s considered treatment a few times before.
I’m not sure of all the benefits there are to getting it fixed though, other than being able to lick [icecream cones] with competence. I also can’t roll my Rs which made high school Spanish miserable.
I’ve read that recovery is rough the first few days after surgery, and I’m sure we’d have to relearn how to talk to some degree. This tradeoff doesn’t seem worth it to me, so I haven’t gotten it fixed.
Besides, it’s a fun conversation piece if I ever need it.
Tenant: “Hey landlord, my furnace isn’t working anymore. Fix it please.”
Landlord: Makes one phone call to a contractor and uses 10% of this month’s rent to pay them
My landlord makes maybe two phone calls like that a year, and she will have “earned” $40,800 of my money. Somehow, people like her have convinced people like you that simply owning a home that and doing 1 hour of cumulative work once a year is worth 30% of an engineer’s income.
Fuck off, leech.
Your plastic is jammed. I think the clicking sound is from the extruder moving, but since the plastic is stuck, it compresses a mil or two before springing back and compressing again.
Your jam might be in the hot end. Heat it up really hot, pull the plastic out, and clear the nozzle with a fine metal pin. If that doesn’t fix it, you might need to replace the nozzle and reseat the bowden tube against the nozzle, making sure the end of the tube is cut very straight and perpendicular.
Hope that helps! This happens to me too from time to time.
During my senior year of college, I made a burner Google account for my girlfriend and I to use with apartment/property websites. We needed a place to live after graduation, but neither of us wanted to use our personal email addresses to make accounts because fuck 'em.
The last year of engineering school requires completing a design project, typically for real business owners. My senior design team and I had a weekly video chat with my clients where we gave progress updates on our project.
During my video call the week after I made this burner Google account, the first thing my clients say is “OP, what is wrong with your name? It says something very strange.” I had no idea what they meant by this, so I shrugged it off and the meeting continued.
Later that week while I was driving home from class, what they meant finally dawned on me. I forgot to log out of my burner account before joining the video call, and the name I gave this account was “Joe Lickembottom.” So instead of my real name shown under my face during this meeting, Joe Lickembottom was.
This may not sound that bad, but one client is a self-made Texas rancher sorta character, and the other is a retired Navy SEAL commander. These people meant business and were dead serious the whole time I worked with them.
But hey, they offered me a job after graduation so they must’ve not thought too much of it haha
Pretty sure they’d have to, otherwise they couldn’t charge phones that use it
Paranoya.