That reminds me!

I used to be dead against going to America. I didn't want to be somewhere where people can walk about with guns.

I'm now not as bothered by this. I'm not pleased by the prospect of the guns, but I've put it in perspective. I wouldn't let it stop me now, and Emma and I fully intend to go travelling there once we can afford to do so.

I've been working on martial arts techniques for dodging and deflecting bullets with household objects too.

(April 22, 2016 at 11:43 am)robvalue Wrote: That reminds me!

I used to be dead against going to America. I didn't want to be somewhere where people can walk about with guns.

I'm now not as bothered by this. I'm not pleased by the prospect of the guns, but I've put it in perspective. I wouldn't let it stop me now, and Emma and I fully intend to go travelling there once we can afford to do so.

I've been working on martial arts techniques for dodging and deflecting bullets with household objects too.

You'll soon discover the motorists are far more dangerous to your safety than the gun owners.

Particularly in Sarpy County NE . . . . .

That's settled then! I'm not going after all

I used to think that the whole 911 thing was an orchestrated conspiracy. I wasn't a strident truther or anything, I just didn't have access to the facts the way I do now.

(April 22, 2016 at 11:19 am)Bella Morte Wrote:

(April 22, 2016 at 11:11 am)Yeauxleaux Wrote: I used to dream big about moving to the states. I wanted it more than anything else.

Now I don't

Although I still want to visit New York and do a big tour of the Southwest.

Same. I still kinda want it though. I'd like to visit Texas...but not exactly sure if I'd be welcome there.  

I wanna go Texas too, it looks crazy and fun. I'm sure it's not as bad as the media paints, especially in the cities where people would probably be more cosmopolitan.

I'm hoping to see Texas, The Grand Canyon, The Monument Valley and Navajo country, Phoenix AZ and Los Angeles. I think a lot of people who do this sort of trip do Las Vegas as well, my aunt did, but it doesn't appeal to me personally. Doubt I could do it in one long trip but I'd love to see all this.

Hard to pick one out in particular. Growing up and into high school I just kind of followed the beliefs and values of the culture in which I was brought up, which were pretty boilerplate conservative religious. I never really investigated them or seriously considered them; I was Catholic-Republican by association.

Once I went to college I started actually searching on my own and investigating the veracity of things I had just taken for granted.

So it wasn't ever one dearly-held belief that got routed in a eureka moment, but a whole host of norms that I had turned upside down over several years of research and argument. Among those views were of course abortion, homosexuality, and god.

(April 21, 2016 at 4:19 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Militarism.

This. When I went into the military I was rah-rah "America's made mistakes but we're still the good guys" in mindset.

Four years and one war later, I came out knowing that I hadn't fought for or defended my country or Constitution, but just the businesses that own the country. (Technically, the only thing I ever fought was fire -- I'm not a combat veteran).

I've also recently come to the conclusion that spanking a child is not right ... this is as a direct result of Drich's thread. My first argument with you, Napo, was on that topic, and I defended my spanking my son at that time -- almost two years ago.

But reading the experiences and studies in Drich's thread has made me change my mind and realize I was wrong to spank my son at all.

So that's two. There's more.

(April 22, 2016 at 11:19 am)Bella Morte Wrote:

(April 22, 2016 at 11:11 am)Yeauxleaux Wrote: I used to dream big about moving to the states. I wanted it more than anything else.

Now I don't

Although I still want to visit New York and do a big tour of the Southwest.

Same. I still kinda want it though. I'd like to visit Texas...but not exactly sure if I'd be welcome there.  

Sure you'd be welcome. If you're ever in the Austin area let me know.

(April 22, 2016 at 6:07 am)SteelCurtain Wrote: Just like Min, the military.

It's not "the military" so much as it is the concept that every problem can be solved by dropping bombs on it.  We spend a lot of money to train soldiers to obey orders which is why they are soldiers and not thugs.  We should train the fucking cops a quarter as well. 

There was an interesting observation in Richard Engel's "And Then All Hell Broke Loose."  The generals were not happy with the ease of Afghanistan.  They wanted a real war where they could push flags across a map and be big fucking heroes.  They felt deprived of that when the Northern Alliance chased the Taliban out of Kabul so easily.  They couldn't wait to get into Iraq where they could "love the smell of napalm in the morning."

I don't blame soldiers for doing what they are told to do.  I'm less impressed with the officer corps.

(April 22, 2016 at 3:16 pm)Minimalist Wrote: It's not "the military" so much as it is the concept that every problem can be solved by dropping bombs on it.  We spend a lot of money to train soldiers to obey orders which is why they are soldiers and not thugs.  We should train the fucking cops a quarter as well. 

To be fair, you all get conditioned in a manner that would be unthinkable in any other part of the Western world. My brother lived for two years in Atlanta and my nephew wnent to school there. The amount of greeting the flag and making pledges was tremendous. I always keep saying that it's because the US hasn't seen a real war on it's soil for over a 150 years by now.

And, as far as support the troops goes, the best way to support the troops is to keep them out of engagement.