Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Well, well , we see that I am right on how Americans respond nowadays. First, you Gene. You call me a Socialist. Only in America do scurrilous charges get hurled at someone when you disagree with them. This does not happen in Europe, nor in Britain (and generally not in Canada either). Yep, Gene you are a true American. FYI, I was the liason for the College Republicans when I was an undergraduate (2nd in command within the group), and I was elected to go and work for 3 months in the Reagan Whitehouse as the most academically inclined Republican in my school. As usual you have jumped to conclusions. Frankly if I were you I'd just bow out at this point. With your batting average I would be embarassed to even show myself anymore. And let's give you a history lesson shall we? First, the Nazi gov. did not institute gun control--the nascent Weimar Republic did that (1923 or 1928, I can't remember the exact date anymore). And why? Because the Nazis (i. e. , the Brown Shirts) were running around with guns and intimidating people. Hindenberg had a very unstable regime on his hands and at every twist and turn he underestimated just how determined the Nazi party was. They were under threat of being overthrown by the Nazi Party (yes Gene, the guys WITH the guns, showing that private gun ownership in some cases can prove disasterous) and so they enacted the prohibition. They, sadly, were to afraid of the Party and consequently they did not try to enforce the ban. The rest is history. And what of your inane comments on Britain. Another lesson appears to be in order. First, Britain is the one true ally that we have today. They patrol the no-fly zone in Iraq and vote with us in the UN over 99% of the time. No country has been more true to the US than they. One case in point concerning their grasp of modern scruples over human rights. The US right now covers over half the world with economic sanctions due to human rights violations. The most recent inclusion was due to the BJP party in India (the ruling rightwing Hindu fundamentalist regime) firing off the 'A' bomb. No other nation actually has such a long list of prohibited nations except one--that's right, the UK. Da** those British, standing up for human rights like that! Gene, in 1890 the greatest of all German statesmen, Otto Bismark, was asked what the most momentous factor would be for the 20th Century. He relied, "That the British and the Americans speak the same language. " What he meant by this comment is that Britain and the US would bond together to effect all the world in ways that both countries agreed on. And that way, Gene, was spreading democracy and human rights. When you wrongly surmised that the British laughed at us (wrong in the sense that the entire lot of First World nations wag their head at us and consider us gun totting rednecks who can't not see the forest for the trees on this issue) you castigated our greatest ally, and in terms of the 18th Century!!! Gene, at least come forward to 1812, at least that's progress. Only an American would be so stupid as to lay charges based on events over 200 years ago. What if a person from another country castigated the US based on slavery? We would all say, 'Geez, this is 2001, not the 18th Century, or the first half of the 19th Century. Get real. ' But of course an American can feel quite at ease with applying this ridiculous method on another country--and our best ally at that. Shame on you Gene, your exactly what's wrong with this country. Disagree with an American and you our some sort of Commie basta**d or a oppressive monarchial fool. As for being afraid of taking up your questions nothing could be further from the truth. As I already mentioned you do not even know the basic statistics that we all have to work with when we try to make sense of the trends and so on. When asked to entertain the primary data your response is that the Clinton people have fudged the data!!!! Never is any proof for such an inane charge adduced, just accpted as somehow self-evident to all. My God Gene, the reason that I know longer engage you is that you are so hopelessly behind the learning curve on just the basic facts alone that I can draw up a more cogent defense of gun ownership than you can. I mean, would it kill you too at least get the basic statistics down before you enter into the fray?
Now we enter into the realm of arrogance. Let's see "Canada is a mere principality" (!!!!). That's not an arrogant statement? Let's go to the Great White North and pose that question to the people there and see if they do not judge that as an typically arrogant American statement. Want to bet how many people judge you as arrogant? So you are not arrogant? Only by American standards my friend, only by American standards. I shall add another post in just a minute.
Now we enter into the realm of arrogance. Let's see "Canada is a mere principality" (!!!!). That's not an arrogant statement? Let's go to the Great White North and pose that question to the people there and see if they do not judge that as an typically arrogant American statement. Want to bet how many people judge you as arrogant? So you are not arrogant? Only by American standards my friend, only by American standards. I shall add another post in just a minute.
