The Obama Presidency

[Nick]

And this wasn't a pronounced factor in this thing we call the 1860s?

[Diff-chan]

And this wasn't a pronounced factor in this thing we call the 1860s?

Given the choice, I'd rather not settle differences the way they did back then.

[Drewbacca]

Unfortunately we aren't there and will not be there for a while, if ever. In the meantime, schools and movie theaters become death traps.

Super over reaction.

Evidently not 29 dead kids. They died for Jimbob's freedom.

No amount of dead kids is more expensive than liberty.

[Nick]

They only went to war because of the far more important issue of abolishing slavery. If we were trying to do that today, a lot of blood would be shed as well. People are shooting children today, and not just in the lone psycho case. We have a lot of issues to address and we need to stop treating it like a ball game.

Step one is to be honest and not play to teams, because our current teams are indefensibly horrible.

[Nick]

By the way, Obama is on the right track about not playing to teams, but his performance is lacking. I do think he is one step toward a post-partisan leader, but we may never have a good one.

[Diff-chan]

No amount of dead kids is more expensive than liberty.

I find the idea that "liberty" is defined as what ludicrous guns you own to be quite debased.

What we think of when we hear about "The Constitution" is based on a lot of historical quirks and interpretations. Scalia's "originalism" is just some bullshit schtick. The same justices who keep finding these carveouts in the crystal clear 4th Amendment to justify whatever the drug warriors want talk like the far vaguer and murkier 2nd Amendment is made out of oak. It's nonsense.

[Josh]

It's the same reason ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC aren't covering the Kermit Gosnell trial. We essentially don't have independent media anymore. Everything is covered with a very consistent filter.

Citizen journalists. Get on Twitter.

[Fe 26]

Evidently not 29 dead kids. They died for Jimbob's freedom.

I guess they died for yours too. It isn't just for jimbob because you don't like guns.

So minorities are going to grow up and see the GOP light then? Or everyone else they're doing their best to alienate with their unending stupidity?

do you know any minorities? A lot of them love guns.

Hell, Mexican immigrants love religion and guns. They're more conservative than many whites.

Seriously, have you guys forgotten California Proposition 8?

[Drewbacca]

I find the idea that "liberty" is defined as what ludicrous guns you own to be quite debased.

First, I don't own ANY guns. I don't have a desire to own a gun. But I like to think that we're not so free people are constantly shitting themselves when less than .001% of the population turns out to not be as nice or civil as everyone else. This has always been an issue, pre-guns, and will continue even if guns go away.

It's the reaction and grand-standing that kind of kills it. And it's some serious cobra effect shit especially since the laws being proposed wouldn't have stopped either the theatre OR school shooting (borrowed guns, mentally competent white guys who would have passed the checks). No, I'd rather mourn the loss, empathize with the victims of all these terrible tragedies and continue preserve the openness generations of good people fought for.

[Joust Williams]

I fail to see how background checks for guns is a bad thing. The 'oh, it wouldn't have fixed THIS situation' means nothing, really.

There's a lot of other things we should can and should do too. But we have to take small steps. But since it's OH IT DOESN'T SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM, then nothing happens. Ever.