political debate

[Optomitrist]

That is one thing I have a problem with in the United States. I think 16 is too young to start driving. A car is a weapon. Would you give an irresponsible child a firearm. If I was making the law.(Probably thank god I'm not, some of you are saying.) I would make it ok to consume beer and wine at 16, under adult supervison. At eighteen one can drive, buy beer and wine. At 20 one can buy and consume hard stuff.

Any thoughts are welcome.

The percentage of automobile accidents caused by the young adult bracket is equal to the percentage of accidents caused by the elderly. You put caps on the the teens for not being old enough you would have to put a cap on the 70-up bracket as well.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I don't understand the difference between allowing beer/wine and hard liquor - it's all alcohol, it all has the same effect. Except the hangovers are worse with beer and wine.

As far as driving - driving age is a huge deal here in the prairies where many farmers depend on their teenage kids to drive. I'd say most farm kids have driven a truck by the time they're 12, if not younger. I think in Alberta there was a push to lower the driving age to 14, not sure if it succeeded.

Anyways people in their early 20s and under are still kids (although nothing offends an 18 year old more than being referred to as a kid) but you have to draw a line somewhere. I like the idea of the voting/drinking/drafting age being tied together.

[bullet08]

gun control: ability to hit the target with first shot.

iraq: it's international politic.. self interest.. self interest.. if france/germany had enough balls to do it they would have done it too. by the way.. france never asked 'may i' when they went into ivory coast.. once again self interest.

bush: hey, we vote him into office. he's our president. if EU and asian countries don't like him, too freaking bad. you vote your president, as we do. don't like it? wait next 4 yrs and hope for the best.

gas price: guess who has the oil, and guess who sets the oil price? it's supply and demand.

peace loving EU: guess why france and germany didn't want to go into iraq? because they were peaceful? hell no! they were busy waxing saddam's anus.

pete

[Akai Bushi]

Yes, I can understand out in the farmland areas the need for younger people driving. But, If you saw what I see everyday here in San Diego you might be scared for your life. These high school students have no care for other people's safety. Completely oblivious to the people around them.

And the difference between hard stuff and beer and wine is it's alot easier to die from drinking too much Rum than drinking too much beer. Beer just makes you too full to get that point of alchole poisoning, unless someone is cramming it down your throat. What I'm thinking of is getting people use to their limits before they just dive into a bottle of 151.

[louisvandalen]

I believe your 'founding fathers' specifically added the right to bear arms so that the American people could stand up against their goverment..

Aight, on sale next: M1A1 Abrahams and F16's in mint condition. And the best part: you can drive them as soon as you reach 16 (or 12 in some parts of canada).

Man, that's gonna be a dangerous continent.

Best regards,

Louis

[Commander]

The UK is so screwed up compared to the US.

Scrap council tax!


everything is so expensive here it just isn't fair, if only someone could stand up take control and do something about it.

Who is with me??

[DCPan]

gas price: guess who has the oil, and guess who sets the oil price? it's supply and demand.

No, gas prices gone up last week despite a drop in the price of crude oil.

[TylerY]

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/video_player...playerType=wmp


US politics scares me

[drizzt]

to the debate about age and drinking. I personaly look at it this way. I would refuse to be drafted in the US because im not a ful citizen. I do not have all the rights of a Full citizen. even an imigrant thats over 21 has more rights than i do. I find it offensive that im treated as second class, yet can still be drafted, can still be executed as an adult........

just my opinion. i have a new topic im going to bring up tommorow, but its a fairly sensitive issue and i want it worded 100% right before i post.

i apreciate the fact that people have followed the guidelines and kept this thread clean for the most part. It is interesting to have a fun, non derogatory, political discussion. Thanks alot guys, and lets keep this going

[Fonsz]

Hiya Drizzt,
Just heard about the setbacks you are encountering. I wish you all the best and strenght for the near future. This has nothing to do with this thread but I just wanted to tell you this.
To get back on track try to do suburi and practice your grip while doing this. Hopefully you will get a grip on your life and your Kendo this way.
Greetings

[drizzt]

Hiya Drizzt,
Just heard about the setbacks you are encountering. I wish you all the best and strenght for the near future. This has nothing to do with this thread but I just wanted to tell you this.
To get back on track try to do suburi and practice your grip while doing this. Hopefully you will get a grip on your life and your Kendo this way.
Greetings

thanks for the kind words man. Im not even going to be allowed to put weight on my foot for four weeks or more. ive been doing the wonderful world of doctor hopping all day. hopefuly i can get my gear down here and sit in bed working on suburi pretty soon. Im going to try to find a local dojo after im back up to moving and start working before i go back to my home dojo(at A&M)

this is absolutly miserable, but im lucky. this is not the MSRA version of staff, so it is going away and the wound is closing. its about 2cm deep at its deepest(the peak depth was over 7) and is about 2inches across. hopefuly it will heel up soon. the biggest worry right now is if it is realy on the bone at all. were not shure of that one.

anyway, thanks for the concern . i appreciate it

[Wifenmummy]

drizzt hope it all gets better for you soon!
oil price is going up.. we pay thru the nose for fuel here average price is over $1 a litre isnt all meant to do with demad and with iraq oil being slow to produce with risks and militants and stuff? And didnt a few refineries (sp?) close last year or the year before in africa or somethin (cant really remember)
America has a huge problem with guns here in aust its pretty strict going but of course theres still the small amount of illegal firearms held by the bikers, asian gangs in sydney and a few retired old men who like the odd illegal hunting every once in awhile.. not incrediably voilent over here with guns.. thank goodness! Altho there was one instance of a kid bringing a harpoon gun and crowsbows to school? i should know as it was in this state but not sure which was used.. Doesnt bowling for columbine movie say it all for USA? that they just love guns so theres no way for any gun reform?!
learning to drive while young is perfectly fine as long as the young adult/teen is responsible, knows the consequences, laws etc. As long as they have had some classes and good lessons with a adult driver passes a few government based tests and then remains a responsible driver. I personally dont drive myself..
as for france.. dont expect alot of aussies liking france.. we compete with their wine and stuff.. not to mention how its wrong for someone else to invade but its ok for them.. ???!!! go figure!
another thing can someone put it simply but what on earth is syria military doing in lebanon?! why arent they in syria?! whats with the whole middle east countries in other countries?!

[drizzt]

the problem with gu control, it majoritivly keeps the guns out of legal, responsible owners hands. thieves will get guns no matter what. i mean, look at the number of illegal weapons(assault rifles, machine guns purchased illegaly)are floating around, despite our laws. majoritivly there in people who ont legaly own guns, nor use them for target practice or hunting.

gun control is very ineffective for the most part. you ban guns, and people will smuggle them in. its just that simple.

[samurai999]

Hmm. I remember that there was a school shooting in Britain a while back where this maniac went in an shot up some kids in a school yard. Britain has a "no guns" policy. I guess if people need guns, they'll get 'em.

Tim

[Hank]

the problem with gu control, it majoritivly keeps the guns out of legal, responsible owners hands. thieves will get guns no matter what. i mean, look at the number of illegal weapons(assault rifles, machine guns purchased illegaly)are floating around, despite our laws. majoritivly there in people who ont legaly own guns, nor use them for target practice or hunting.

gun control is very ineffective for the most part. you ban guns, and people will smuggle them in. its just that simple.

Hmm...What about the people on the terror watchlists going to gun shows and buying up huge quantities of guns? The ease of buying weapons in the US has made the country an international clearinghouse for guns of all types.

Also, criminals with connections will get guns, yes, but I think the control laws are more aimed at people who perform crimes of passion - not hardened criminals, but those who need to solve a perceived problem and just happen to find a gun laying around the house. A huge proportion of gun deaths are family members killing other family members in a fit of passion when a gun happened to be handy. Granted, this is a societal problem (people should be rational enough to not shoot each other), but a quick fix would be to try to make it harder to just pick up a gun and shoot someone (ie possibly trigger-lock mechanisms or easier bullet tracing, not having the gun there in the first place - I don't know).

How do you explain the drastically lower amount of gun deaths in countries with strict gun laws? Even in those with moderate gun laws there is a much lower number of deaths via guns. Either we in the US are just much more violent and pathologically self-centered than everyone else in the world, or it's the availablity of guns. Or a mixture of both, which is probably the case.

Now, I don't particularly like Michael Moore and I thought Fahrenheit 911 was pretty over-the-top and inflamatory, but Bowling for Columbine brings up some very good points. It's just too bad it was the obnoxious Moore who pointed them out.

Hank.