Planet America

You might be surprised at how differently we do political commentary plus this is the ABC - they have to “both sides” everything

 

The mass shooting was in a tourist town - Port Arthur and it held the record for the most dead for many many years. Since then and depending how you classify mass shootings, we have had a bare handful, no school shootings, a couple of scares though but no one shot touch wood.

As for high speed rail - we use “road trains”

 

Yes, I do recall now - Port Arthur. Wasn't that the straw... - outlawed semi-automatic weapons? Even changed law so a gun could not be kept for self-defense, didn't it?

I'm afraid to ask about that truck-train.

 

Yep! Self defence is not an excuse to own a gun - we recon that if you cannot defend yourself with whatever is at hand you are rooted. Things that have been used for self defence include brooms, mops and didgeridoos. Bottom line - you are unlikely to have to face a criminal with a gun because guns are hard to come by here

Road trains are only found in the “outback” or west of the great dividing range. They are used to ship ore for smelting, bring in groceries, ship livestock etc etc etc. You won’t see them inside the coastal cities but it saved us putting down hundreds of kilometres of rail track. Near the big cities are depot where the trailers are broken up to smaller trucks. I cannot find if anyone has done the calculation on what energy saving they have but it should be something over individual trucks

 

I’ve watched a bit of your media and streamed quite a bit of audio news. I have no problem with any of it.

I was amused at the arrogance and condescension from some non American PF members displayed as they complained about the arrogance and condescension of Americans.

It was an observation of behavior of PF members, not a criticism of foreign media. The OP just gives a link and says it’s good for facts. Then the thread devolves into what appears to be a contest to see which country’s citizens can be most arrogant and condescending.

It’s like watching a cow get head butted in the ribs by another cow over a tuft of grass. Then every cow the butted cow passes also gets a horn in the ribs from the originally wronged animal. And it has nothing to do with the tuft of grass anymore.

 

But it was The United States that went out there are did the work.

 

It's a perfect excuse to own a gun...lol

 

Ok. Except for stuff like this…

 

After enduring the period 1900-1945 the US concluded the only way forward was to make other nations subordinate. And we did. NATO was not just a way to stop USSR expansion. It was designed to ensure other European nations couldn’t acquire enough power to repeat the 2 world wars.

It worked. But the US became it’s own aspiring empire built on violence. We’ve been the most violent empire to ever roam the planet, bombing and/or invading 30 nations since the end of WW2.

But I think it’s a mistake to conflate maturity with emasculation. I’m not convinced nations emasculated by NATO don’t still have nationalistic tendencies to dominate others. It’s like assuming a bank robber is reformed because he’s 18 years into a 20 year prison sentence and hasn’t robbed a bank in 18 years. I’m not naive enough to believe certain people groups have miraculously shed hundreds of thousands of years of evolved traits in 80 years.

I don’t know if it’s worse to have the US busting heads all over the planet or to have more nations busting each other’s heads all over the planet. In the 1940’s and 50’s the US decided it would be best to subordinate others to prevent them busting other heads. But we’ve busted a lot in the process.

But the US empire is collapsing. The rest of the world won’t have to put up with our head busting much longer. Soon they can get back to busting each other’s heads. And I agree with you on this point, most Americans are too arrogant to understand this empire will collapse if we maintain current course.

 

As long as one realizes that this is very much an "AMERICAN" stance/ view. Other nations think differently. Interesting that the nations that don't use "self defense" as an excuse to own guns......seem to have a LOT LESS Gun incidnets.........be it mass shootings, or "accidents" or someone going off half cocked to defend himself from being insulted. When guns are not readily avialble..... gun incidents are a lot less. People use their imaginations should it be nec. Removing the weapon , changes the equation completely.

The issue is that in the US .......it is a "right"..... and under this right many assume that owning a weapon is an essential part of being American. It is interpreted as an entitlement. It is about a LOT more than just "self defense". Weapons are literally the American identity. Hiding behind a weapon is not being courageous or tough.
Weapons do not equate security and safety. Except on some psychological level. If people needed weapons to kill for food ....that is a different story and a totally different era in history.
BUT.......that Genie has been out of the bottle for too long for anything to change. It is what it is.

 

For one reason only, Pearl Harbour.

You were not out there to rescue Australia.

 

When exactly was America designated as an "EMPIRE"??? and by whom?? Or is that the self image that exists in the US now??

 

The first is about Humpty*** and the second has SFA to do with politics.

*Rapist
*Swindler
*Bordering on pathological

 

So did we mate so did we

AND we gave YOU a hand with

1947-91. Cold War

1950-53. Korean War

1962-75. Vietnam War

1990-91. Gulf War I

1992-95. Somalia

2001- War on Terror

2003-11. Gulf War II

2001- Afghanistan

2014- Counter-ISIL in Iraq/Syria
https://usa.embassy.gov.au/timelines-alliance

Soooo think we have paid our debt yet?

 

Bingo!

 

Sooooo what is our murder rate compared to yours?

 

Same with ww2 in Europe. The US were happy staying neutral while selling arms to UK until Germany started to attack US ships delivering these purchases.

 

1. : a group of countries or regions that are controlled by one ruler or one government. especially : a group of countries ruled by an emperor or empress.

LOL. I’m using empire in a negative connotation. It’s not a good thing.

 

LOL.

This is a comment on the body politic USA.

Perhaps you don’t know what the body politic is or you forgot you are posting on Political Forum and in the Political Opinions and Beliefs subforum.

SMH.

 

SYH at this:

My comment was not about a complete political group.

 

You just made my point for me...lol.

 

Ok so you believe our murder rate is lower than yours?


https://www.statista.com/chart/3848/the-us-murder-rate-compared-to-other-countries/
5.2 versus 1.1

 

Those countries have a lot less people. Of course they're going to have a lot less violent crime.

The United States has over 10x more people than Australia; 360,000,000 vs 25,000. We have illegal aliens pouring across the border bringing their third world bullshit with them. We have more black folks than any of those countries.

 

We have 10x more people. But only 4x more murders.

Your murder rate has been the same, even with the gun ban. Our murder rate has gone down.

 

What is China's murder rate compared to the US?? It is very heavily populated. Not sure that population has as much to do with it as cultural values, and rules in place to keep a nation civil. The US culture is based on aggression and violence. In time that might tone down as the nation matures. It is still a very young nation compared to other ones that have a MUCH longer history and development.

when people have been programmed to believe it is their RIGHT.... that dynamic is different from places where legality is the governing factor. And certain QUALIFICATIONS are to be met.. .

The dilemma arises when a weapon has been used in a crime or is abused. It may be illegal for that person to own a weapon......and yet it is his "right"
Comes down to losing one's rights ...as punitive measures.