We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
What we need is to have individual rights protected by government, not doled out to us like candy by politicians and self-appointed guardians of the social 'good'.
I have an issue with the comment “Nobody needs (whatever it is I don't think they should have)”. In this particular case, Whoopi Goldberg says nobody needs certain kinds of guns. Really? Well, I don't think Whoopi needs chocolate cake, but I'm not going to pass a law to prevent her from extending her girth to even larger proportions.
Whoopi says she has no problem with someone who wants to search for her gun (she says she's a gun owner, which I don't doubt) and has no problem registering her weapon. Good for her. I do have a problem with it. Why do I have to do it because she doesn't have a problem? I need to register because she's OK with it? Well, I want her to register with my gym and start attending with me, because I did it and it's good for me and it would be good for her.
What people need isn't someone to tell them what they may or may not "need." What they NEED is to be left alone to make their own (however good or bad) choices. There is no justification for a bunch of dim-witted people sitting around a table on TV telling individuals who are viewing what they need. Nor is there any justification for a bunch of dim-witted politicians doing the same down in Washington by passing laws about what they think the citizens need.
I didn't need the extra piece of roast beef last night, but I wanted that extra piece of roast beef.
I didn't need to drive 40 in a 25 MPH zone, but I did and nobody was harmed.
I didn't need to cross 34th Street against the light while there was traffic, but I made a choice and I was prepared to deal with the consequences.
Laws which are created by people based on the belief they are needed for others miss an essential point. The 25 MPH zone exists to protect children who live on the street. But at 1am, with well lit streets, I am fairly certain I'm not putting them at risk and I can see very well to react in a timely fashion. While I crossed against the light on 34th Street, and stepped into traffic, it was at a standstill due to a jam. What we 'need' is not always what works in a given situation, and it does not properly address the desire to pursue happiness (my roast beef, or my wish to get across 34th Street quickly).
Others telling us what we "need" or passing laws based on what they feel we "need" are really just telling us what they want or don't want us to have based on their own biases and desires. That's not what this nation was built on. It is what totalitarian regimes are built upon.
Besides being a celebrity of seriously questionable talent today (you'd have to go back to the nineties for anything she ever did that was worth watching: "Color Purple" etc.) Whoopi Goldberg proves her ignorance again with that typical liberal spiel about "automatic" weapons, and ends with the same bullshit, "Who needs automatic weapons?". Evidently she's too stupid too understand the difference between semi-automatic and automatic, the latter being illegal in the USA as everyone knows, but not too stupid to receive a carry permit in the city of New York.
Doesn't she trust the NYPD to protect her as the rest of us must?
Fully automatic weapons are not illegal, just highly regulated. You just need permission from your state and the Fed to own one.
#1.1
Frisco Scooter Trash
on
2016-01-07 16:52
(Reply)
Yeah, and please inform the rest of us an instance in any state (outside of law enforcement) where a license was issued to an average citizen for a weapon with a selector switch for full auto.
Perhaps I misunderstood, but wanted to clarify something about Class III firearms. I legally own 5 fully-automatic weapons and I'm not a military or law enforcement person, nor am I a licensed dealer. Only about 8 of the 50 states prohibit private ownership of machineguns and, at last count, I believe there were approximately 180,000 machineguns in private hands in the US. We're out here.
And I must contradict Whoopi ... I need those guns far more than I need to hear preening liberals' opinions based on profound ignorance of what the 2nd Amendment is about. It ain't about target shooting or venison; it's about "deterring" fellow citizens who may attempt to limit my freedom. Free men must be armed or they will be made slaves or subjects, sooner or later. Fact, not opinion.
Get a clue, Whoopi
#1.1.1.1
Matt the lowly accountant
on
2016-01-08 15:05
(Reply)
Instructions for making a Class III firearm purchase:
#1.1.1.2
Frisco Scooter Trash
on
2016-01-08 17:30
(Reply)
I agree. Whoopi should register at YOUR gym.....so that she is even less likely to stroll (waddle) into MY gym. My other beef (pun intended) is that most people insert "need" when the correct term should be "want" or "choose". Ms Goldberg certainly doesn't NEED a piece of chocolate cake (not even a sliver), but (as you note) that's irrelevant. The question is, "Does Ms Goldberg WANT a piece of chocolate cake?" and does her choice affect my property (this includes my person) rights.
You should be free to pursue your wants in the manner you choose without some government "expert" telling you what you need or how to get it......until you infringe on MY property rights. At that point, government has the right and the duty to step in and protect my rights.
You have the right to choose to eat that slice of cake, but when you demand that I pay for your cake or for its health consequences, you've crossed the line.
Do people need a second home on Martha's Vineyard? Or a car costing over $100K? Or to ski fast - or ski at all?
Even if personal defense were not an issue, some people just like things that go "boom," and why shouldn't they? Other people like things that go "woof" or "purr," but they seldom need them.
The subtext of "no one needs this" is "you are a substandard sort of person for wanting it." It's culture war.
#3
Assistant Village Idiot
(Link)
on
2016-01-07 14:20
(Reply)
No question. It's a 'kinder, gentler' Cultural Revolution. If you can call it 'kinder' or 'gentler' at all. It's not yet as violent as Mao's, but it sure doesn't look altogether different.
I am reluctant to say it, but one of the most fundamental problems with modern American government has been the wholesale extension of the franchise to women.
Whoopi clarity of thought and her audience's support is just one example.
