RE: "It's always too soon to talk about gun control"
04-07-2018, 07:27 PM (This post was last modified: 04-07-2018, 08:10 PM by Dartz.)
04-07-2018, 07:27 PM (This post was last modified: 04-07-2018, 08:10 PM by Dartz.)
The majority of our police are unarmed. Armed security is, at most, incospicuous. It's not as visible as it would be in the States where you'll see a security guard with a holstered gun. It's just not done that way here.
This is, of course, based on the whole Policed by Consent model where the Police are both permitted to do their work, and recognise that they are being permitted to do their work by the good will of the people around them so don't have to get the whole hitting sticks out.
This was established in a country that had an armed inssurrection ongoing at the time - and was imposed in a rather ballsy move right in the middle of the civil war.
The Army is only there to defend the State from the outside. It doesn't do much except complain about being underpaid. Nobody hates it. Nobody specifically reveres it. It just sort of is there because it's the done thing to have an army.
The government is powerful enough to run and defend the State, but still toothless enough that a horde of people marching in the streets is enough to make it think twice before doing something.... untoward. It relies upon the good will of the people to still maintain itself - and help it defend itselt - the people can marrily grind the country to a halt without firing a single shot just by not going to work.
The government only becomes the bad guy when it is permitted to become the bad guy.
We had a referendum not to long ago. The government proposed a new amendment to the constitution which would enable the government to conduct inquiries and make findings as to peoples actions (Which is currently forbidden and was prompted by the government wanting an inquiry into why the police shot a man*) It was badly worded, such that it enabled the house to 'balance the rights of the individual with the public interest'. In theory - while it enabled the government to make findings on an inquiry, it also might enable HUAC style hearings under the guise of 'public interest'
It was defeated. The people said 'nope'.
On multiple occasions the government has attempted to change the electoral system to an FPTP one - it's been rejected multiple times. An attempt was made to abolish the Senate recently - some people wanted it dead, some didn't - it was defeated.
The Ballot Box is far more effective than the Armalite is at controlling a government.
It seems to me, however, that the US doesn't particularly have this provision - the Government just sort of agrees amongst the States to amend things without asking the actual people (Am I right?). There is, in fact, quite a bit that's dysfunctional about US democracy already.
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*Incidentally, this was farmed out the FBI as impartial experts. The FBI faulted the Police for holding fire for as long as they did and placing themselves at risk - which was not the result the relatives of the victim wanted. It was known the victim had psychiatric issues, and nobody was particularly willing to be the one to fire the shot.
This is, of course, based on the whole Policed by Consent model where the Police are both permitted to do their work, and recognise that they are being permitted to do their work by the good will of the people around them so don't have to get the whole hitting sticks out.
This was established in a country that had an armed inssurrection ongoing at the time - and was imposed in a rather ballsy move right in the middle of the civil war.
The Army is only there to defend the State from the outside. It doesn't do much except complain about being underpaid. Nobody hates it. Nobody specifically reveres it. It just sort of is there because it's the done thing to have an army.
The government is powerful enough to run and defend the State, but still toothless enough that a horde of people marching in the streets is enough to make it think twice before doing something.... untoward. It relies upon the good will of the people to still maintain itself - and help it defend itselt - the people can marrily grind the country to a halt without firing a single shot just by not going to work.
The government only becomes the bad guy when it is permitted to become the bad guy.
We had a referendum not to long ago. The government proposed a new amendment to the constitution which would enable the government to conduct inquiries and make findings as to peoples actions (Which is currently forbidden and was prompted by the government wanting an inquiry into why the police shot a man*) It was badly worded, such that it enabled the house to 'balance the rights of the individual with the public interest'. In theory - while it enabled the government to make findings on an inquiry, it also might enable HUAC style hearings under the guise of 'public interest'
It was defeated. The people said 'nope'.
On multiple occasions the government has attempted to change the electoral system to an FPTP one - it's been rejected multiple times. An attempt was made to abolish the Senate recently - some people wanted it dead, some didn't - it was defeated.
The Ballot Box is far more effective than the Armalite is at controlling a government.
It seems to me, however, that the US doesn't particularly have this provision - the Government just sort of agrees amongst the States to amend things without asking the actual people (Am I right?). There is, in fact, quite a bit that's dysfunctional about US democracy already.
---
*Incidentally, this was farmed out the FBI as impartial experts. The FBI faulted the Police for holding fire for as long as they did and placing themselves at risk - which was not the result the relatives of the victim wanted. It was known the victim had psychiatric issues, and nobody was particularly willing to be the one to fire the shot.
I love the smell of rotaries in the morning. You know one time, I got to work early, before the rush hour. I walked through the empty carpark, I didn't see one bloody Prius or Golf. And that smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole carpark, smelled like.... ....speed.
One day they're going to ban them.