Welcome to Gaia! ::

About your first question. Thats what they were raised to think and believe. But as we get older and CAN think for ourselves, some of us do change what we think politicaly.

But really I'm not looking forward to the 4th. I really don't want Obama to win and "spread the wealth around."

Agreed to both of them.

I tend to be fairly moderate, usually liberal on social issues while more conservative economically.

I didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me.

I'm thinking the libertarian party is gonna make headway this election cycle so they're getting my vote for the hopeful 15%

Besides I live in Massachusetts, Obama's taking this state on the simple fact that Democrats outnumber Republicans by a VAST percentage. So no matter how I vote, he's gonna win.

But here's to the Libertarians!

Thank you all for stepping in and giving me some other perspectives!
Republican, Democrat, or Libertarian (nuef!) its all different.
But i still need "Opening Remarks" for my debate!
Anyways Thanks!

Good parents raise their children as role models. Kids want to impress their role models and gain attention by emulating them. The younger they are, the more likely they will follow.

Now, you mentioned lemmings... let me explain the story of the STUPIDEST liberal ever placed on this earth by HASHEM. This particular individual has been thrown off of every gun range and shooting gallery in New Hampshire. I met him the day we gun toting people got him arrested.

Behold... the British Made, International Accuracy AS50


50 cal BMG, or 12.7mm x 99mm for those metric heads. Weighs about 14 kilos or 30 pounds for the standard groups. Has a 5 shot clip and accurate for about 4 miles.

My friend who owns one, decided to take it up to the gun range in NH, because the ones in MA do not allow heavy weapons. Luckily he knows where a gun range is that does. So my friend invites me to go shoot targets with his enormous p***s extension, and yes, that's what I call it.

The gun range we go to has a pistol range, a shot gun range and a rifle range. It is outdoor, and all three ranges are separated by sand berms and fencing. The backstop on the pistol and shotgun range are about 150 yards away... while the rifle range has a 2 mile backstop. We're shooting at targets directly on the backstop. Specifically 90mm mini clay pigeons laying face up on the slope of the berm.

Just to make it interesting, we're not using a very powerful scope. Just enough magnification to see the orange dots on the far end of the field, which are slightly bigger than the cross hairs.

Did I mention we're crazy?

Anyrate... my friend has fired his 5 shots, his girlfriend has fired her five shots, it's my turn. I look down field and notice something strange on top of the berm. Something moving, not being able to identify it at 2 miles I call for the range master to spot down field with the high powered binoculars. He does... and then hits the cease fire alarm... much to my dismay.

So I drop the clip, remove the round from the chamber and wait... while I'm waiting for the go ahead to shoot, I peek down the scope. To my surprise the object coming over the top of the berm is a left wing moon bat, holding a large picket sign talking about how guns are bad for people and the environment in one hand... and his 8 year old boy holding his other hand.

He's walking towards us, yelling at us, making a scene. Now mind you he did not see the targets on the berm or the enormous rifle pointed at him when he first popped up, he thought that lane was clear. Not wanting to point a gun at this dumbass anymore, I slung it over my shoulder.

A few minutes later both him, and the cops arrive at the firing line. By the time the cops go out back I am officially berating and yelling at this douche for not only trespassing on the back end of a gun range, but putting himself directly in the sights of a gun that fires soft lead slugs the size of AA batteries. I could of killed him, and I wanted to drive that point home.

He decides he's gonna show his kid he's not afraid of us gun totters by shoving me. Mind you, I still have the p***s extension laying over my shoulder. I blink at him and tell him he should calm down because I am feeling threatened.

Then the cops come around back. First the state troopers look at him and c**k their heads to the side and put their hands on their hips. I believe one of them said, "Geez, you again? What is wrong with you?" Now all this time he has been given trespassing notices for going onto private property and been cited for disturbing the peace. Relatively minor crimes which get you a fine and a walk off. Today was different, when the cops realized he brought his kid with him to do this stunt, they arrested him for felony child endangerment, much to the surprise of him and his kid. So the kid is bawling now because daddy was cuffed and stuffed into the back of a cruiser. Daddy McDumbass is arguing with the cops about the first amendment. One cop takes the guy to jail, the other cop sits with the kid in the waiting room of the gun range for a DYS agent to come and investigate.

My friends and I decide that this kid went through hell today and we decide to try and entertain him, to make sure he knows that the cops aren't the bad guys and we're not the bad guys and his daddy isn't a bad guy, he was just acting silly.

So to answer your question... kids follow their parents like lemmings off a cliff simply because their parents want them to do silly things with them.

And now a word from the JPFO...

First off, all pistols that are not revolvers are semi-automatic. This would make about 75 percent of all pistols illegal. This would flood the black market with guns that people had to get rid of, and make people who don't particularly care about the law, get guns easier from the black market. So the old adage, outlaw the guns and only outlaws will have them. Washington D.C. perfect example.

Secondly, the purpose of the 2nd amendment is too ensure that if, pardon my french, but if the s**t hits the fan and we have a tyrant running the system, the people could take up arms against the Government and rebel against the tyrant. The bit about the militia means that states can have private civilian armies outside the auspices of the federal government. However since we have State National Guard units, these private civilian armies are few and far between.

Third, if the government did declare martial law, the president declared himself overlord, dismissed the congress, the supreme court and every other check and balance in the system and had complete and total control over the military. It would be in the best wishes of the writers of the constitution to rise up against him. However since the American Military has such massive high tech and the average citizen has very low tech, the actual combat would be completly unconventional. Like what Iraqi insurgents are doing in Baghdad. Those who are willing to fight, are willing to die for what they believe in. For this purpose the second amendment of the Constitution protects every other amendment and the main body politic.

In closing, If the government banned all fully auto and semi auto weapons, it would indicate to the American people that they could then ban other weapons, all modern firearms that shot cordite, reducing everyone to use muskets and other black powder weapons. This alone would put several gun manufacturing business, out of business. Also it would make crime unbearable and leave the average citizen at the complete and total mercy of the local police department.

An armed nation is a polite nation.

On the subject of "Hate breeds Hate", even though it's off topic:

Children at a young age will always listen to the big, scary, red-faced man you call "Dad", or the venerable lady-protector named "Mom". It's biological as much as psychological. Listen to your parents and the lions won't eat you style of thing. So its natural for the child to believe whatever their parents said. Listen closely to some children conversing on a playground (actually don't, unless you want to end up in court for some ludicrous charge of ****** (I nearly got arrested for telling my little brother to hold my hand in a fairground)) and you'll note that occaisonally, one kid will say: "Yeah but, my daddy said..." You'll see that this view taken as a definite fact by this child, and will defend it because he believes that whatever comes out of his father's mouth is pure and simple Truth.

HOWEVER:

At a certain age in their early teens, as biologically they are being told that it's time to move away from their nest, a child will begin to doubt their parents. They may even completely ignore their parents, and seek a role model in something else. This can be an uncle or aunt, an older sibling, an older member of their school, a teacher or any other contact this child has with the outside world. Some children do not find anyone, and begin to feel alone. In these children mild depression is common. This seperation period will lead them to take on new ideas more readily, improve their creative thought, and become more independant. At this point, you'll find that those lemmings (Which DON'T jump off cliffs or attempt to swim oceans, but will swim rivers or lakes to reach breeding grounds) cease to exist, and a logical, if sometimes cynical, human appears.

Thanking you, Dr. Behatzlacha-S, PhD.

mrgreen