I actually agree with everything you said, except this quote. Remember, I'm the resident granola hippy. I trust our government about as far as I can throw the statue of liberty.

My point was exactly the point you're making. I don't believe our government will ever *have* to use guns and tanks and rocket launchers on the populace, because we will all be too engrossed in our mass consumerism. When the government started wiretapping our phones, where was the outrage? There was none. But we all got bent way to shiт when Microsoft decided to make eleventy billion versions of Vista, because that was bad for the consumer. President Bush vetoed legislation that would make torture illegal, but the news we were all really interested in was that every Starbucks in the nation was shutting down for 2 hours so the employees could be trained to make a better cup of coffee. (damn, I really have Starbucks on the brain. I have no idea why.)

You are exactly right. Our government is being bought and sold to the highest bidder. But we...the people...are allowing it to happen. And as long as we have our iPhones and 80-pack tube socks for $10, the government has absolutely nothing to fear from us.

Excellent post, Z. And by the way, not having gun experience is not what makes you "soft", it's the hair gel and purse coupled with the lack of knowledge and experience doing "manly things" such as changing a tire or playing catch. Even if that's not your forte, the fact that you can identify with the need to do "manly things" if necessary could, in fact, make you not "soft." (I have a feeling you're probably not a "soft" guy. Russia is not a place for "soft" guys to thrive.)



Agreed also, but once again, technology only takes you so far! What good are tanks without fuel and preventative maintenance? What good are cruise missiles without software? And in true 2A spirit, a "militia" with hunting and assault rifles would never have to fight the Army because the government would never be powerful enough to send the Army against it's own people making up the militia. Just having the bomb is enough to never have to use it (again.) Having enough of the population with hunting and assault rifles to comprise a "militia" is also enough to never have to use them.

But, I'm in full agreement with you, as long as we're fat, dumb, and happy, that's the furthest thing from our minds. But, also once again, what happens when we're no longer able to be fat, dumb, and happy?

You're absolutely right about Russia not being a place for soft guys to thrive. If I was soft before going, spending two years there certainly would have done me in.

And, for the record (and because I feel the manly need to campaign for myself a bit), I can change tires just fine, play catch, wire a house from top to bottom, etc. I can't shoot hoops for beans, however.

Z

You only need look back a few years for the answer to that. When Germany was defeated after WW1, they were poverty stricken and on the verge of starvation and collapse. The West saw fit to keep them that way. So what "saved" Germany? The rise of National Socialism. Germans needed an enemy and Hitler gave them Jews and homosexuals. It will happen the same way here if it happens. Americans will need an enemy that is the cause of our oppression, and whoever is in charge will give them the Chinese and the Arabs. It'll make the whole "Support the Troops" bullshiт that the GOP used to make thinking too much about the war unpopular look like amateur theater. Amateur theater in a Starbucks. (to continue the theme.)

I get that, Kirk, I really do. But do you really think it's ridiculous to assume that, someday, something's going to happen that causes people to take notice? Economic collapse? War? Something? Like you, I don't have a lot of faith in government or people. But I've got to believe that something's gonna change around here eventually. It's getting to a point where I don't see much difference (technology and general cleanliness aside) between the US and Russia, and I can't believe -- don't want to believe -- that decline will continue on forever unnoticed.

Z

PS: Maybe Marx had it wrong when he said that "religion is the opium of the people." Maybe the simple need for more cool stuff is the real societal drug.

Gotta go guys. It's been fun playing. Going to go spend some money on my wife. Wouldn't want anyone to think I'm a cheapskate! HONK!!! HONK!!! HONK!!!

And the real societal drug is in Starbucks cups!

I've been to an NRA firing range and it was very enlightening. Broke down all the stereotypes. The shooters were almost entirely professional, white collar people; many professional women and girls shooting; and the people that worked there were very middle class and professional.

Didn't see any overalls or camo clothing. The parking lot was full of BMVs and Audis and Porches and very few pick-ups.

There are a lot of closet gun advocates who resist coming out into the light for fear of labeling and attacks. It's still "cool" to be anti-gun. I saw it as my duty to teach my son about guns, so I starting taking him to the range. Of course he loved it and it's still a great father-son activity and carries on the traditional of teaching our sons (and now daughters) how to take care of themselves and understand gun safety. My wife at the time freaked-out and fought me on it, but I would not be turned back from what I saw as my fatherly duty.

The NRA was critical in fighting the fierce battle over gun rights during the Clinton administration's full bore attempt to scale back the 2nd Amend rights. The NRA won...and so did we in my view. I don't think that would have happened without the efforts of Charleton Heston.

Agreed! I'll have an iced Americano with 3 raw sugars please!

Can I just get a coffee? Or maybe a nice hot cup of tea?

n00b!

You Dam skippy! I dont no nuthin bout that bucket o stars place. Where I live we drink hot water filtered thru dirt

Ah for the old simple days: Cream or sugar? Regular or decaf?

Hehe. You'd feel right at home where I work. I brew my own coffee up at home and bring it to work in a thermos because I'm convinced that's exactly what they use for coffee grounds here--grade A fertilizer. And just to prove it, most of the people here seem to be full of shiт.

Ahhhhhhh, the smell of amonium nitrate in the morning....smells like.....One of those Russian "outhouse" toilets you find in the park!

Most people are surprised to see the NRA isn't made up of a majority of "good ol' boys" but "normal" people usually from middle-class or higher backgrounds. But, when you think about it, that makes sense because the NRA is, above all, a political group. Poor people don't get too involved with politics.

At the same time, NRA affiliation is sometimes a political killer, and that's too bad. Charleton Heston would've made a fine Senator or even Secretary of Defense, maybe a Homeland Security official now. Who knows.



How 'bout a warm glass of shut the hell up? You're in my world now, grandma. Check the name tag.

I'd rather have one of those outhouses than some of the "toilets" you find on the journey from Moscow to Ivanovo. Just big rooms with half meter square holes in the ground, lined up side by side, no barriers between one "stall" and the next, urine all over the floor (seriously, how do you miss a hole a half meter in width?), and more. Just absolutely vile.

Z

The more drunk you are, the smaller that hole gets.

But, seriously, you could fall in these holes.

Ewww!

No wonder so many people want to immigrate here...they want our toilets!

I don't know; in japan they have toilets that play music while they rinse your butt.

Ah...musical bidets! Clever.

I've used a toilet in Korea that had a "power flush" button. Now that's a manly toilet!

It also sprayed water all over the room if your butt wasn't covering the hole. It had like 12 buttons with pictures and everything. A far cry from the hole in the ground.

Since we're on the subject, by far the worst toilets ever were in Arabia. Toilet paper was like gold there and half the time the hose was simply a hose, no "power flush" to speak of, no shower head, nothing. Just a hole and if you were lucky, some running water to wash up. Ewwww.

Oh god. You just made me have flashbacks to my Saudi Arabia days.

There was one bathroom in Saudi Telecom that had an American style toilet. It was, needless to say, coveted by us Westerners. We had no need of the spray hose installed next to it (they're like the hoses you have on your kitchen sink), as we brought our own toilet paper. However, the Arabs who would also use it would spray that goddamned water everywhere, and every time you wanted to use the toilet you'd spend 5 minutes and a lot of your toilet paper cleaning up their effing water mess. So one day I get this bright idea. At the end of the work day, I unscrewed the cap on the sprayer, and blocked the nozzle up with some toilet paper. Then I epoxied the cap back on so you couldn't unscrew it. For about 3 days we had a wonderful dry toilet, until someone managed to break the epoxy seal. We'd re-epoxy it, and about every couple weeks they'd have to replace the entire hose and nozzle. This war went on for the rest of my stay there, and for all I know is still going on.

Keeping up foreign relations!