Hmmmm, knife control now?

[+pcpilot 181]

Whats next, walking stick control? re-bar possession laws? Umbrella use limits? Geeze...

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20080718/ts...unnervesbritain

 

I'm no expert on the mentalities of Nations but it has occured to me that Europeans and the rest of the so-called old world are used to a LOT of goverment oversight in their daily lives. Heck, England has to be the camera capital of the world just to name one example. But the reactions of the people and the goverment is a little scary to me, an independant thinking American. Of course, to be fair, Im been seeing of lot of this regulatory mentality here too for the last couple decades. I know we just had a gun-control thread recently so not trying to turn this into a gunsrights debate even though Im a firm beleiver in gun ownership and the right to defend myself and family and home. I'll NOT rely on the goverment/police thank you.

But the focus here to me is the mentality involved to constantly invoke goverment oversight everytime some perceived need or threat arrises. We think goverment can cure all our ills, the economy comes to mind, so I cant help but wonder if we all havent become more like sheep and less capable to take care of ourselves. That independant spirit we like to talk about and are so proud of disappears quick when a bad guy is near or the neighbor's dog barks too much. Call the cops and hope they get there in time...call the animal control shelter...etc., etc... Are we burying ourselves under an avalanche of laws? A couple years ago when I left California, they had that year alone enacted over a thousand new laws at the start of the year...dangme! Is this really nessassary? Everytime a new law is invoked, another chip in my freedom to decide for myself and think for myself is taken away.

Edited July 19, 2008 by pcpilot

[super61 0]

I have to agree. Yesterday, my wife told me of a truck driver who was pulled over by the police in either Mississippi or Alabama. The driver has been a naturalized citizen for over 20 years, speaks English, yet was fine $500 for "not speaking English clearly enough". The reporter & my wife could clearly understand the truck driver during the interview. I was like WTF? Freedom of speech? EPIC FAIL!

[Syrinx 13]

Well, this is true...

 

Council refuse collectors in certain parts of England will not dispose of your rubbish if you do not present your wheelie-bin in the correct place or position as stipulated by your local council. Even not correctly aligninng the said wheelie-bin perpendicular to the pavement edge may result is a missed collection.

 

Utter madness.

 

So I am rebelling big time. We have recycling bins (microchipped of course, so that Big Brother knows how often you use them) which I refuse to now use.

 

Sod 'em. I don't recycle, I don't accept the global warming bullshize anyway. I'll do what I like, when I like. Not when some pencil-necked-do-gooder-leftie moron tells me to.

 

There, that's got it off my chest.

 

Umbrella use limits...just around the corner. You'll see

[+SkippyBing 8]

To quote Eric Cartman 'it's all just a bunch of tree hugging hippy s***'. Part of the problem is that as things become safer generally, to generate news the papers focus on events that previously would have been less significant. I think the British printed media is to some extent more a driver of public opinion than the US, plus the exchange guys I bit are still blown over by Page 3.

Interestingly the latest wheeze from our Government (of Cretins) is to alter the law so that you will not be prosecuted for killing someone who breaks into your home/threatens you etc. (you generally wouldn't be anyway but it's now formalised) the problem is having banned handguns and knives sharper than a crayon it's a bit hard to figure out how to kill the b******s although I have a baseball bat lying around....

[+NeverEnough 78]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/avi...h-your-peanuts/

 

How is this for for a "too stupid to be true" story! Apparently, there is this gigantic pool of individuals who are otherwise unfit for gainful employment who find a home in a government bureaucracy......

[+SkippyBing 8]

On the plus side, no one is likely to try hi-jacking and airliner if they introduce those things. On the downside that leaves several brazilion* ways to blow s**t up that no one is covering because you can disable all the airline passengers.

Seriously there's a limit to how much you can limit the activities of a certain group to prevent terrorism before the terrorists try something else, I'd say we've reached that point with air travel. The fishing boat with a dirty bomb on-board is now probably a much more serious threat to the worlds capitals, well those on a major waterway at least.

 

*It's a punch line to a joke not a spelling mistake

[+Erik 1,732]

I love the UK and when I see things about all the big brother stuff there it freaks me out that it's publicly acceptable.

[Syrinx 13]

I love the UK and when I see things about all the big brother stuff there it freaks me out that it's publicly acceptable.

 

I know. It's ridiculous how far it's got.

 

Everything looks ok on one level, but when you dig a little deeper and look into things there's a whole new layer of the nanny state poking it's large unwanted pimply nose in.

 

We're tagged, bagged and gagged from the cradle to the grave I think. Some stuff I can live with (security issues etc) but it's the rest of it that's really bugging me.

 

Oh for a green card.

 

I love my country but "my country" and the ideals I hope it stands for is being fast eroded. Sad to say, but I'd emigrate tommorrow should the opportunity arise.

 

Anyway this is getting far too political for a pub. Mine's a pint of Stella, who's buying...oops don't want to go over the government recommendation of daily alcohol limits now do we.

 

Really, you couldn't make it up.

[Roopod 0]

The EMD safety bracelet reminds me of an old TV show called "The Prisoner". That there are people who actually considering this is despicable. That there were people in California who were considering putting remote control thermostat in everybodies homes that could be operated by some state run department is also something I find to be despicable. One more despicable item is the term "gun control". Knowing that it isn't about guns as much as it is about control over you. Who do these people think they are? Answer? Watch this clip: Click to watch

[Caveman 1]

did anyone catch the reaction of the ppl behind her....the guy was smilin like he was saying that was dumb show your hand that early and i belive there was a woman sitting next to her and it looked to me like her reaction was one of OMG!!!!!! i can't belive she told them what we want to do!!!!

[+SkippyBing 8]

Mine's a pint of Stella,

 

For the love of God no!! The most evil of lagers and possibly Belgium's revenge for err something...

 

Actually had my Aviation Medicine update brief recently (I was only 2 years out of date) and there was a section on alcohol consumption. The Doc had a nice graph of units per week versus the increase/decrease in the chance of something bad happening to you e.g. heart disease, cancer, accident etc. There was kind of a trough around 8 units a week i.e. your chance was reduced to a minimum at that point, below not drinking at all, which was the point he was trying to make. I think I ruined it when I pointed out you were technically no worse off drinking 24 units a week than none. Regrettably it does turn out you're supposed to spread them over the week rather than two days which is somewhat disappointing.

[eraser_tr 29]

For a second, I thought I was actually agreeing with Roopod until the "blame democrats!" video link.

 

Its not republicans, its not democrats, its the government has been taken over by people who think they know better about everything and want to control society. Should they ever implement something like that bracelet, I'm never flying again, period. I'd wind up spending entire flights having seizures.

 

Because you know it won't just be "Oh s**t! a hijacking" ZAP!! it will be "he's having an arguement with a flight attendant" ZAP!!!!! and "He didn't turn off his mp3 player or put his seat upright for takeoff/landing (which I utterly refuse to do)" ZAP!!

 

Never mind an aircraft hijacking will likely never succeed again with passengers rising up against would be hijackers. Or if someone with a brain could think of security measures that would make it impossible to hijack a plane without intruding on innocent people.

 

How? Simple.

 

Sealed cockpits, no direct communication from the passenger compartment to the cockpit. Once the cockpit is sealed, no would be hijacker could gain control of the plane. Without direct communication from the passenger compartment to the cockpit, there's nothing anyone in the back can do to get the pilot to open the cockpit( ex threatening to kill a hostage) Only ground control to cockpit communication, cockpit to passenger communication and passenger to ground communication. Very few pitfalls and no threats to liberty.

 

Pitfalls I can see:

 

bathroom use by pilots - can be solved by installing a cockpit only bathroom, or if the airlines want to be really cheap, use those bladder bags military pilots have to pee in.

 

Non-security emergencies in back like a medical emergency - this is where passenger to ground communication comes in. Stewardess can speak to someone on the ground and explain issue, ground can relay simple flight plan directions to pilots (land at airport X instead of planned destination) and directions would be given exactly the same if there was a hijacking, so pilots wouldn't know otherwise until the plane was safely on the ground.

 

Little kids being unable to see the pilots and cockpit - boo-hoo.

Edited July 20, 2008 by eraser_tr

[serverandenforcer 33]

Why do I think of "V is for Vendetta" when I read this topic?

[i90807065 0]

For a second, I thought I was actually agreeing with Roopod until the "blame democrats!" video link.

 

Its not republicans, its not democrats, its the government has been taken over by people who think they know better about everything and want to control society. Should they ever implement something like that bracelet, I'm never flying again, period. I'd wind up spending entire flights having seizures.

 

Because you know it won't just be "Oh s**t! a hijacking" ZAP!! it will be "he's having an arguement with a flight attendant" ZAP!!!!! and "He didn't turn off his mp3 player or put his seat upright for takeoff/landing (which I utterly refuse to do)" ZAP!!

 

Never mind an aircraft hijacking will likely never succeed again with passengers rising up against would be hijackers. Or if someone with a brain could think of security measures that would make it impossible to hijack a plane without intruding on innocent people.

 

How? Simple.

 

Sealed cockpits, no direct communication from the passenger compartment to the cockpit. Once the cockpit is sealed, no would be hijacker could gain control of the plane. Without direct communication from the passenger compartment to the cockpit, there's nothing anyone in the back can do to get the pilot to open the cockpit( ex threatening to kill a hostage) Only ground control to cockpit communication, cockpit to passenger communication and passenger to ground communication. Very few pitfalls and no threats to liberty.

 

Pitfalls I can see:

 

bathroom use by pilots - can be solved by installing a cockpit only bathroom, or if the airlines want to be really cheap, use those bladder bags military pilots have to pee in.

 

Non-security emergencies in back like a medical emergency - this is where passenger to ground communication comes in. Stewardess can speak to someone on the ground and explain issue, ground can relay simple flight plan directions to pilots (land at airport X instead of planned destination) and directions would be given exactly the same if there was a hijacking, so pilots wouldn't know otherwise until the plane was safely on the ground.

 

Little kids being unable to see the pilots and cockpit - boo-hoo.

EXACTLY! Couldnt agree with you more!

[eraser_tr 29]

I just saw a video of a talk by an author, Naomi Wolf, who wrote a book "The End of America" where she researched the steps every despot takes closing down a free society and found every single one of them is underway here. It also turns out, when she traveled, she was always getting stopped for searches. She found out she got put on the terror watch list (mocking it with just how she, some jewish girl from new york be a threat) and how its essentially being used against activists and people who are speaking out against such things, and 2 days ago saw a report on that same list on CNN. One of their reporters wound up on it for doing a report critical of the TSA, and someone whos worked in the white house was placed on it.

 

In a more optimistic tone, I heard a story about the FISA wiretapping. Some FBI agents found that american citizens were being spied on in the surveillance they were doing, they proceeded to destroy the tapes where Americans were wiretapped.

[+pcpilot 181]

Its interesting to see the depth of feeling in this thread. Its nice to know that there are folks who take exception to all the regulation...everywhere. The nice thing about a thread like this is it gives people a chance to vent a little. But I think we also need to make ourselves heard at a higher level. Here in Montana, there are some darn good politicians who dont have a problem listening and still understand they are in office to serve, not rule. I think I'll write some letters. Yup, its only one voice, but by God, it'll be heard. And you folks like NFG and you other young people, you'll probably think your swimming upstream with all the popular feeling for more goverment oversight. But things will never change if you dont say something will it? My generation forgot their ideals and sold out for hedonistic lifestyles and BMWs. Wealth can corrupt. Dont let it happen to you...be responsible as a citizen, but also think free.

 

"V" for Vendeta...never heard of it so looked it up. This thread isnt about violent revolution and no one said anything about it so why bring up something like that? That just risks the thread degenerating. Though against a totalitarian goverment like in the comic book reminds me of the American revolution. To me this thread is about being tired of being ruled. Remember, we're Americans? Im old enough to remember when Americans could make up their own minds for the most part. But times have changed and not always for the better. The constant justification of the goverments' existance seems to be to make more rules. Some goober hurts himself doing something stupid and someone cries out for another law. Heck, lets not even go into a disussion of all the litigation that goes on for one frivolous or whiny reason or another. I remember when I worked at a mall and we had this British couple walking down the promanade taking photos of store fronts. I was told to ask them to stop. When I did, the gentleman said, "Hey, I thought this was the land of liberty!" I told him, "Well, its used to be. Now its the land of liability..." He said, "Point well taken", and left. So, are we sheep that need tending? Or are we free men?

Edited July 20, 2008 by pcpilot

[i90807065 0]

Heard this quote somewhere but dont recall where

"...I love the land that I live in but I hate the people in charge..."

It just about perfectly sums up how I feel about our country in its current state.

[BUFF 8]

Well, in a country that has relatively little access to guns knives are/were an easily available offensive weapons for the gangs etc.

& I say this coming from a city with a reputation for knife attacks (& indeed a German Dr. came over to work in Glasgow hospitals because he had an interest in sword wounds & it turned out that Glasgow is 1 of the world hotspots for those )

 

However, you also have to factor in the sensationalist press & governments that are more interested in looking good now than actually doing good in the long term.

This means kneejerk reactions & hurried, often flawed extra legislation where existing laws if properly enforced were perfectly adequate. Of course the modern PC society in many ways has hindered the police from doing that.

[ONETINSOLDIER 2]

That bracelet scares the crap outta me, but then everyone that has a cell phone already has a GPS tracking device pinned to their shirt,and you cant get a cell phone that DOESNT have it anymore, and cell phones that are older that dont have it will not be activated anymore, trust me, I've been turned downed by all the major carriers when I tried to get a 3 year old sony/erricson activated.

Pffft, your Social security number is another example, it cant be used for valid identifacation, BUT YOU HAVE TO GET ONE. I meen no disrespect to anyone here of the jewish faith, but I've seriously considered getting mine tattooed to my forearm.

Dont get me wrong, folks, I love my country, but I fear my government more than any terrorist group. Sometimes I have to laugh when I think of the fact that at least the communists are honest to their people, they make it clear that they are in charge, when my government has B.S.'d us all into believing that "we the people" make the rules,,,,,

Edited July 20, 2008 by gwar

[eraser_tr 29]

Thats the beauty of it. "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who believe they are free." Don't remember where its from. I have an ancient LG thats still active with verizon that doesn't have any of that crap, but even then they can still track you. And yes, a tyrannical government is infinitely more frightening than a (real) terrorist. Such savages don't scare me the slightest. Faceless government agents being able to kidnap me, never to be seen again, with no repurcussions against their actions and it being criminal to defend myself against that.

 

Stop and think. With the way the media reports things, if someone was to shoot a cop/government agent/soldier for trying to "detain" them, the report would brand them criminal scum, a terrorist "enemy combatant" psychopath. Not someone using their 2nd ammendment right to defend themselves against tyranny.

 

Alot of the "frivolous litigation" is hype as well. Judges should be smart enough to toss out such cases. And things like putting hard caps on compensation allows the biggest guys to get away easy. If you're making hundreds of millions for example producing cars and there's a defect, its a hell of a lot cheaper to just settle a bunch of lawsuits with a hard cap of say $250,000 than it is to do a full recall, and fix the defect. Whereas getting a $50 million suit against you makes doing that recall more cost effective. Its unfortunate, but by financial necessity, they are forced to do the right thing or risk going out of business from lawsuits. I can't remember which car it was (the pinto or maybe the explorer/firestone tires) but ford was doing exactly that, deciding it was cheaper to settle lawsuits than to fix a defect that was causing accidents and injury.

 

The sad summary of all of it is that money has become more important than people now.

 

If I was that british guy, I'd just go on taking pictures, but then again, I'm the most arrogant person around when people try to make me not do something I want to do.

 

And of all things, I'm going into law

Edited July 20, 2008 by eraser_tr

[TX3RN0BILL 3]

Somehow all this makes me wonder if the world really IS coming to an end... almost seems like it!!!

 

2012, right? Makes me wonder which to choose - life on Earth or in Heaven... Guess that's why I want to learn how to fly - gets me closer whilst I'm still alive!!

[Roopod 0]

For a second, I thought I was actually agreeing with Roopod until the "blame democrats!" video link.

 

Its not republicans, its not democrats, its the government has been taken over by people who think they know better about everything and want to control society. Should they ever implement something like that bracelet, I'm never flying again, period. I'd wind up spending entire flights having seizures.

 

You're right, it isn't about the good cop, bad cop factions of the Republican and Democrats. What the clip was about was a U.S. Senator making a completely idiotic statement by suggesting the government should run an industry. That's why she almost stopped in mid-sentance. Historically, that's always been a recipe for disastor but also in the USA it would be illegal. Unless your building a totalitarian society. That's why her statement was so outlandish and why I posted it. Just focusing on what she said, would that be representative of just Democrats? No, I didn't think it did. Nor is the world coming to an end just because someone had a calender that ends on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12). I'm hoping on enough people will wake up to how ridiculous some of these things are we've pointed out in this thread so that some day they won't be suggesting such despicable things. But I won't be holding my breath anytime soon either.

Edited July 21, 2008 by Roopod

[eraser_tr 29]

What you said, no. But the video description on youtube does.

 

The government running certain industries isn't totally absurd, and not in a communism seizure type way like that is. Essential services need to have the government doing it to ensure access and availability. Can you imagine the fire department or police being privately owned and operated on the basis of profit? We've had the healthcare discussion already.

 

But certainly never for goods/commodities, that is unequivocally communism. That doesn't mean businesses should get away with anything they please. Has anyone seen that documentary Enron: the smartest guys in the room? Its amazing what those slimeballs managed to do, did you know that whole energy crisis in California was created by them? They put a gigantic strain on commerce, government and people's lives(and I think a few heatstroke deaths during power outages) for their profit. Making money is just fine, but they need a close eye on them all the time to make sure they're not conning their way to wealth, just as government always does to keep them from abusing power.

Edited July 21, 2008 by eraser_tr

[+Typhoid 231]

"The government running certain industries isn't totally absurd, and not in a communism seizure type way like that is. Essential services need to have the government doing it to ensure access and availability. Can you imagine the fire department or police being privately owned and operated on the basis of profit? We've had the healthcare discussion already."

 

that underscores the essential difference between the left and the right, where the left thinks everything should be taken over incrementally by the government, with themselves of course in charge, and the right believing fundamentally in free market private enterprise. (Notice that I did NOT say Democrat and Republican)

 

And yes, many essential services can and are contracted out to private enterprise in competitive bids. That results in two key things happening where that occurs;

1. The services are provided at the lowest cost per stated performance standard.

2. the winner pays taxes INTO the treasury rather than a government branch taking funds OUT OF the treasury.

 

wherever that can be accomplished, the community is better off.

 

and Healthcare absolutely is and should remain a private enterprise area where doctors in private practice are able to provide the best services in a competitive environment. (I will believe otherwise when all Lawyers are federalized and put on a set, government salary...........)

 

I absolutely can believe in fire departments being bid out, ambulance services, etc. Police - no. that is and should absolutely remain a governmental responsibility to provide sworn officers. but beyond that, private security firms pick up a lot of those services.

 

we will remain on opposite sides of that argument.

 

nuff said. closed.

[eraser_tr 29]

Fire departments? are you totally nuts? What the hell would happen there? fire companies not responding to calls because there's no obligation to or it wasn't profitable? Would they hand a bill to someone whose house just burned down?

 

No, not everything. Thats a blatant distortion. And despite what Milton Friedman tells you, free markets aren't so benevolent (see enron example how they "created" a market for electricity and artificially created a supply shortage) Doctors having their own private practice is just fine, the problem lies with the practices of HMOs preventing people from getting care and coverage for their benefit. Anyone would be on that side after having been through their ****

 

Oh and its December 24th 2012, not the 12th the world is supposed to end.

Edited July 21, 2008 by eraser_tr