Sorry for your pain, Robyn. The abuse you suffered was unconscionable.

I've posted plenty of pro-RKBA perspectives here at DU, so maybe you consider me a 'gun-nut.' All I will say here though is that any of us who aspire to truly be responsible gun owners must do much, much better than the example your father set. None of the behaviors you describe can be described as responsible.

Whether there are guns in our homes or not, staying a loving person, not descending into bitterness or anger, and raising our children with love & safety are worthy ideals for us all.

-app

My understanding is that most of the industry-sponsored studies 'proving' the safety of GMO crops lasted only 90 days. I have even heard that when a study found deleterious effects, it was retroactively terminated prior to those effects showing up. Voila! No bad results...

Do you critique pro-gmo study methodologies, or only focus on the anti's?

And what of the very real financial bias within the companies themselves? ANti-gmo activists may have confirmation bias from fears or principles, but negative result for gmo safety could cost Monsanto billions; do you really think that they let the pursuit of knowledge be their only guide? Why do they place such heavy restrictions on the research that is done? Have you seen one of their non-disclosure agreements?

What of Monsanto's history? They lied about PCB's, they lied about Agent Orange. Why should the slate be wiped clean with their latest technology?

-app

I found this post via the "Greatest Threads" Page, and just assumed it was another GD post. Is asking questions such as I did really forbidden here?

Forgive me for disrupting the sonorous harmony of your precious echo-chamber hidey hole, oh "delicate flower," as some on one side of the RKBA debate are particularly fond of saying.

On edit- Sarcasm and my own error aside, I asked my first question above in a spirit entirely consistent with the purpose of this group. I'm as against gun violence as anyone here, and will gladly sign-on to measures that actually reduce gun violence while also respecting Americans' rights. If gun control advocates want to advance legislation, there will have to be some horse trading (not to mention respect for the Constitution). That's politics. So, do you want to ban guns or not? An answer of "yes" will mean that your legislation will likely continue to fail.

-app

I rec'd for the hopeful OP pic, but I'll kick for this excellent response too. I was raised Catholic, and long ago left that all behind. The still-religious friends and family I can actually get along with are those who indeed "cherry-pick" their religion. They eat shrimp & shellfish, wear clothing of mixed fibers, treat women and all races as equals, would find slavery abhorrent, etc. despite guidance to the contrary in their Bible.

The one important point you miss, MellowDem, is that people ARE rational to value their cultures, or at least certain tenets of them. Even though I find far too much about Catholicism to be absolutely repugnant, I also recognize the joy & comfort possible through the community of the Church, the smell of incense, the familiar prayers & rituals, the bone-shaking rumble of a pipe organ. Do I hope that more Catholics can resist misogyny and authoritarianism even as they continue to embrace the beautiful parts of their culture? Yes, I do. There's no law that says people have to be rational all the time (and even if there was, secular humanist rebel that I am, I would be sure to break it).

I agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with criticizing religion. But give these young fellows some credit: if they are really walking their talk about women's rights, then they are helping to move Islamic culture forward. It may seem as silly as a pro-choice Catholic (I know plenty) or a scientific Baptist (I know a few of those too), but it's certainly better than a world filled with close-minded fundies.

-app

Spread fracking brine on our public roads?!?!? Who would think this a good idea?

Years ago, I lived near Times Beach, MO. The dioxin contamination that caused the whole town to be evacuated arrived via trucks spreading waste oil on dirt roads to control dust. Their legislators were told THAT was safe back in the day, too.

Industrial wastes of any sorts do not belong on roadways where all of us travel. Glad that Goshen got it right, but very scared to imagine all the municipalities who are not thinking this issue through as thoroughly.

-app

I respect your commitment to hand-pulling, Xipe Totec, but why not let the clover (and, if you're in a biome similar to me, also the henbit & creeping charlie & plantain & chichweed & yarrow & queen anne's lace & lambsquarters & pigweed, etc. ) be in your lawn as part of a more diversified pastoral landscape. Many of these plants were accepted as natural components of lawns prior to the invention of broad-leaf herbicides. Once a chemical tool existed to rid us of them, the lawn companies tried to convince us that real lawns were only grass. I remain unconvinced, and believe that natural diversity in a lawn, mowed at 3"-4" depending upon site & species composition, will result in a pleasant & healthy open landscape.



-app

I'm with Eleanors38 on this, along with Nuclear Unicorn and the other pro-RKBA posters in this thread. As far as I am concerned, the debate should have been settled once and for all when our Founding Fathers reserved to citizens the right to keep & bear mlitary-grade arms via the explicit text of the Second Amendment. We have fallen away from this ideal considerably already, what with NFA regs for ordnance and fully-automatic firearms, but it's here I draw the line. My semi-automatic pistols and rifles will not harm you, Uzair. Indeed, they are not intended for offensive use against anyone. During these peaceful times, they shall remain historical and sport-shooting pieces. Should more troubled times arrive in the future, some of my firearms might be useful for self-defense, but heck, I am most definitely NOT a tough guy, or former SEAL high speed low drag operator or anybody remotely like that, so who knows what the future will hold or what might be of use?

Regardless, Uzair, you do not get to dismiss me or my rights. I am not now, nor have I ever been, an NRA member. But if anything were to convince me to join them, it would be arrogant and clueless statements such as yours, Uzair. Sticking your head into the sand about guns will not make them disappear. Indeed the "panic buying" of guns & ammo over the last four months or so has been driven by the gun grabbers' statements & efforts more than anything the NRA or the manufacturers could have tried.

-app

I respect your openess & honesty, but will oppose your goal wholeheartedly. While I fully believe that individuals can live a free life whether each one chooses to be armed or not, society itself must recognize the individual RKBA in order to be a free society. I believe that citizens have the rights to think dangerous ideas, speak dangerous words, protect dangerous privacies, and, yes, possess dangerous weapons. Your choice to forego weapons is fine by me. My weapons will not harm you. Nonetheless, I will remain that peaceable, but armed, citizen.

-app