Hi there IS MISE...

And we really appreciated the dedicated re-builds you blokes did for us, with the SLR'S and the M60's ! Both were excellent weapons, the latter was very much appreciated during a serious 'contact'.

The only problem with the M60's was those damnable 'cook off's' you'd get when the barrel got too hot and failed to feed properly. Nevertheless it sure kept their little heads down, as well as frightening all manner of wildlife from the trees and underbrush ! And as you'd know, we all carried extra belts for the gun, as it sure chewed through the rounds at around 600/650 rpm. ?

All seems a long time ago now, as would the Korean War would be for you too ? Times are changing also, as is the Army too I expect. Still they can't take away our memories or sully our service, no matter how hard they may try ?

Thanks mate for looking after our munitions (weapons). Only those who served in a Rifle Company, would recognise just how much we all owed and appreciated you blokes, who kept our weapons functioning at 100% ! Without your dedication and skill, some of us might not be still around to talk about it ?

Dear Aidan,

<<I am an Australian citizen and have a right to free speech.>>

Indeed, you are entitled to say whatever you like, although that has nothing to do with your citizenship.

<<The government are the people Australians have elected to make laws.>>

Now that's cynical propaganda. We all know that the Australian electoral system is anything but democratic.

...But it doesn't really matter because even if Australia were democratic it would still have no moral right to impose its laws over those who never consented to be under its constitution to begin with.

<<But when the lives of children are involved, it does become the government's business.>>

Now here is a thought you may want to sleep over:

Why specifically should it be the Australian government's business?
Why not the Danish or the Russian government's?
Why not Google's or NewsCorp's or the Bank of America's?
Aren't they bigger and stronger?

Once you accept in principle that someone else could have the right to decide what's best for my and your children, then why specifically the politicians of the Australian government? Why not, say, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him?

---

Dear Wolly,

<<Such laws are there to protect, the consumer (that means you as well) from being poisoned or made unwell from contaminated food products.>>

Isn't this the common claim of Mafia's when demanding that I pay them for "protecting" my business despite the fact that I never required that protection of theirs?

<<So it doesn't matter if it is China, Malaysia or Australia there will be rules and regulations to follow. Some are determined by the government and others by the village or town or your own family circle.>>

Nothing new about bullying. That it's been around for thousand of years doesn't make it any more right. Nevertheless, bullying on such a big scale, encompassing a whole continent, is almost unprecedented and never before did such bullying entities cover the whole face of the earth. When the scale was smaller (village/town/family), if I had enough I could at least pack up and walk to the next valley.

Posted by Yuyutsu, Tuesday, 30 December 2014 1:04:06 PM

So you choose to extrapolate and make comparisons between the mafia and government health and food inspectors.

One of the main reasons the majority of people in the first world enjoy the benefits of good health is because of rules and regulations developed over the decades.

Education needs to be included as well.

Reliable power and water, safe roads and public transport.

Dear Yuyutsu,

<<Now that's cynical propaganda. We all know that the Australian electoral system is anything but democratic.>>
On the contrary, we know the opposite. 'Tis probably the most democratic in the world, though I'm willing to be swayed by a counterexample if you can find one.

What we know is that however good our electoral system is, it still gets bad results because of misinformation supplied to the voters. Better information typically benefits people more than a better electoral system, but no country has ever had to choose between the two. At least we're more fortunate than the Poms who have even more misinformation and an electoral system that's scarcely even democratic.

<<Now here is a thought you may want to sleep over:>>
Do you mean a dumb question intended to send me to sleep?

<<Why specifically should it be the Australian government's business?>>
Because it occurs in Australia. If it occurred in Denmark than it would be the Danish government's business; in Russia the Russian government's business, etc.

<<Why not Google's or NewsCorp's or the Bank of America's?>>
They're free to try to make it their business if they want, but they do not and never will have the power to enforce laws.

For those of you following at home , who haven't turn due to the utter racist on the site, here is an example of why firearms should not be allowed to be carried.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-31/toddler-shoots-kills-mother-at-walmart/5993946

By that logic cornonacob we shouldn't have cars either because sometimes drivers crash them.

But, as I said in an earlier post I'd consider carrying a gun around fairly tedious and more of a worry than anything else. You'd nearly have to keep one in a shoulder holster to know it's out of the way. I don't like carrying a wallet and now we somehow can't go anywhere without our phones as well so the thought of adding a gun to the list makes me very sleepy.
Still it should be up to the individual to choose what makes them feel safer.

When you consider the hundreds of thousands or more who regularly carry guns in the US the incidence of accidents like the one in cornonacobs link are very rare indeed. This one a freak accident resulting from the stupidity of leaving a loaded handgun in a handbag in reach of a toddler. No doubt news media will report this incident far and wide and it'll serve to remind those who carry guns to keep them secure.