You don’t want to wear out your welcome at your friend’s house, so you will probably be hit and miss. I could go to a few over-priced local places and use their ‘free’ WiFi, but it isn’t encrypted, so I don’t use them.
Thing about aircraft is that they don’t always remain in the air which affords you the opportunity of having a brisk walk through the muck or an ‘ocean voyage’ in a dinky inflatable raft. I certainly did not have it as bad as the guys who were on the ground their entire tour, but I saw a few of the local ‘attractions’ when I was stopping by as a ‘tourist’.
Some people just won’t take a hint, and the only effective solution is targeted violence, like the Lindt Cafe for example. When people are determined to be martyrs there are no other options on the table until someone develops a truly safe knock-out weapon. It would be really nice to be able to ‘set phasers to stun’.
Christians really should read the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They would then understand about angels, and might even figure out that the real reasons for the destruction was violating the requirement to show hospitality to foreigners, and to help the unfortunate. Jewish scholars are all over this issue. The whole sex thing is minor league in comparison. The mob wanted the angels because they were foreigners, and that’s why Lot’s daughters were not an acceptable substitute. Actually, they should read the whole Book for themselves and stop accepting other peoples’ interpretations. They can at least read the R rated stuff [violence and sexual content]. The story of Lot has a juicy bit of incest at the end involving the daughters.
]]>You are correct as usual Bryan. 🙂 I try not to use shorthand, but ‘old habits’… 🙂 And yes, sewers is a very apt metaphor! Sewers literally (probably not for your USAF days, but maybe your LEO days), and of the mind (which I’m sure you were forced to deal with as I was! The worst kind of sewer there is!)
Badtux my friend (I mean that sincerely), you and the other regulars here are the reason Bryan and I did what we did. Because sadly, the World is full of people with an opposite view. I’ve only had to use my skills once in civilian life, when I worked for Amnesty. I resigned not long after, Though I saved the lives of 8 teenagers from around the World (including the USA) at the cost the lives of four local armed gang members. I did not enjoy it. I never wanted to use my skills ever again. But I am glad that day that I had them. I don’t talk to many about what I did, it’s like that annoying uncle some have that only get’s invited to a party when you need a distraction. At other times, he never get’s mentioned and you keep him hidden. 🙂 People hate what I did, but love me when their lives are on the line. Nobody wants to be reminded that evil people exist, and there are those like me who can remove them, until they are threatened of course. 🙂
And I know my skills may be needed again one day. I can’t walk to the local store without practicing my ‘situation awareness’, ‘threat analysis’ and other tactical observation skills. By the time I’ve walked 100 meters, I’ve already figured a dozen ways to kill someone from several points. I’ve figured in weather, time of day, local conditions, what’s available to use as a weapon (pretty much anything for me, and I have my Swiss Army toolkit with a very good blade on me at all times) etc. In all honesty, I have no idea how to turn it off, and I’m not sure I want to. *shrug*
Most people don’t like what I can do, until It’s needed. Unless they are morons and wannabe Rambo’s… then they think it’s soooo cool! And the first question is “How many have you killed?” The last guy who said that -about 14 Months ago- I punched out, broke his nose. I used to warn them or ignore them, but I no longer have the patience for fools. People are very surprised at how fast I can move, and how strong I am, because I look like an unassuming, somewhat portly, middle aged guy. 🙂
I didn’t sign up because I thought it would be ‘cool’ or fun. From my Grandfathers accounts, and that of others, I knew it would be anything but! I did it because I knew it was necessary. I have no idea how many lives I ended, nor do I care. I do know I saved the lives of thousands of innocents. I do know there are at least 3 young adults now in the World who carry my name, who would not have had I not saved their parents. 🙂 So, in my view, the scales are well balanced in my favor.
And you are quite right m8, the rule of the gun, or of any means of threat to coerce any citizen, is a very bad idea. Sadly, I see the World moving that way. And I grow more certain each day… My skills will be necessary again. Oh well. *shrug*
I do not enjoy violence in any form. And I hated that I was forced to be violent, and take lives. But… It WAS necessary!
One thing that amuses me about most Christians, is that they have this amusing idea that Angels are benign and will love and cherish them if they ask. Sorry, but Angels are God’s Warriors, and they feel nothing. They obey orders, and they are supreme killers and destroyers. They forget that Satan was an Angel once. All according to the Bible that is. 😉 😀
]]>OT: Good luck with the move, and we’ll see you when you are connected again.
]]>Bryan is correct. We worked to remove as many ‘bad actors’ (a term I haven’t heard for many years Bryan 😉 ). But we are not wholesale murderers. The people I removed had a proven history of wholesale death and destruction, and were deemed to be nonredeemable. The KKK, and others, in my view, are similar. And were I still on active duty and given an order to remove an official from such organizations, and the evidence proved beyond doubt that they deserved it, I would not hesitate. As I said elsewhere, I never followed orders blindly, and always double checked the data. I trust nobody.
Make no mistake. I will not hesitate to kill if it is the only option I have. Whether self-defense, or to save another. I am neither a murderer nor a vigilante. However, if someone gives me sufficient reason, they are dead.
Thanks Bryan. 🙂
OT: Well, I have limited internet now (public). I officially start my new lease Sat. and move this weekend. Will take up to 4 weeks to get internet connected, so online time will be limited until then.
Be well all, and take care! 😀
]]>We had been discussing the moral problems involved in doing our duty and where we drew the line, which was essentially ‘are we convinced based on the information we have that these people really guilty?” The Klan has a long history of terrorism in this country. If you join you are assuming the onus of that history. That’s why they spend so much time and effort attempting to rewrite history.
As to your point about guns, we agree with you that guns don’t help to reduce crimes and actually make violent crime easier, because a major source of the weapons used in crimes are stolen from non-criminals in burglaries.
]]>We understand that violence doesn’t solve the problem of the bigots among us, but neither of us would suffer with any moral quandary if directed to target certain people, like terrorists.
]]>A gun, in other words, is not a magic talisman that makes the good guys win, and rule of gun generally ends up with a society that I would prefer not to live in. Rule of law in civil society is boring and sometimes bad guys get to stay above ground who we all wish would go away or get a clue, but it is like democracy, the worst of all systems other than all others that have been tried.
]]>I have been absolutely loving this! LOL I always enjoy when Murdoch comes out of hiding and has something to say! LOL The gift that keeps on giving. 😀
I like JK Rawling comments, and several others, posted here:
JK Rowling had the best possible reaction to Rupert Murdoch’s anti-Muslim tweet
This piece is interesting also:
What everyone gets wrong about Charlie Hebdo and racism
The only reason Rupe is so wealthy proves that the World is full of stupid bigoted morons. Humanity is doomed to fail.
Good.
PS. Murdoch is a US Citizen, since ’85 I think. Not our problem! 😛
PPS. I would have no problem at all practicing my skills on the KKK, or others like them.
I would never consider posting any of the anti-Islamic cartoons from the Danish newspaper or Charlie Hebdo, but will defend their right to be assholes, because of my firm belief in freedom of expression. I’m with Voltaire on this issue. I will offer the same defense to anyone who wants to point out that the people who publish the cartoons are assholes.
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