The blind to be allowed gun permits?

Jackie22 has a valid point. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. City by city legislation won't work, nor will state by state. Uniform legislation across the whole country is the only workable solution.
Jambi, you just Godwinned yourself and the current situation has nothing in common with pre war Germany.
 

Jackie22 has a valid point. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. City by city legislation won't work, nor will state by state. Uniform legislation across the whole country is the only workable solution.
Jambi, you just Godwinned yourself and the current situation has nothing in common with pre war Germany.

Chain as strong as the weakest link? Are we talking about crane rigging or human rights?

If jackie want cower down and expect other people to defend her, it's her right. If I choose to not cower like a beaten dog, that is my right.

I want a gun so that you cannot come and take my gun from me. Why do you feel you have a right to steal my property and prevent me from defending myself?

Again, anyone who says a mass extermination can never happen again is a fool. It happens every day.


you just Godwinned yourself and the current situation has nothing in common with pre war Germany.

Never heard that term but it sounds anti-Semitic.
 
Almost a dozen pages ago, this thread started out as a simple story about a blind man.
It quickly took on a life of its own, first as a discussion about gun control here in America, and then continued into a debate about owning guns in general.
Now, it has reached the point of almost becoming radical, and all the friendly little chit-chat has been done away with.

There is no way that either side is apt to change their mind, or possibly not ever even understand each other's passionate beliefs about this issue.

I would hate to see something like this destroy the friendships that we work so hard to build here together, and I can not see any agreeable conclusion getting any closer.
I am respectfully asking Matrix to close this thread, and possibly even ban the topic altogether, and close any other threads that it diverts away from the original topic, and into a gun debate.
 

The Speakers' Corner is a better spot for discussions like this, however, nobody should go off the deep end and get so hot that they edge on being insulting. Warrigal will make sure that even discussions on that group will not spiral into something ugly.

Almost a dozen pages ago, this thread started out as a simple story about a blind man.
It quickly took on a life of its own, first as a discussion about gun control here in America, and then continued into a debate about owning guns in general.
Now, it has reached the point of almost becoming radical, and all the friendly little chit-chat has been done away with.

There is no way that either side is apt to change their mind, or possibly not ever even understand each other's passionate beliefs about this issue.

I would hate to see something like this destroy the friendships that we work so hard to build here together, and I can not see any agreeable conclusion getting any closer.
I am respectfully asking Matrix to close this thread, and possibly even ban the topic altogether, and close any other threads that it diverts away from the original topic, and into a gun debate.

I agree, and have noted in a couple of my posts here, that this was supposed to be about the blind being allowed to get gun permits. And, although the discussions went way off track, as I figured they would, we all conducted ourselves in a civil manner. The last few posts on this thread are beginning to jump over the line, IMO.

I agree that a close to this thread is wise at this point. I don't want to persuade others to change their views, and I would resent if they tried to change mine. However, I don't think any topics should be banned from forum discussion, as long as folks remain on thread topic, and act respectfully.
 
Awesome suggestion, Di ! The Speakers corner is a perfect place for anyone who wants to discuss this kind of an issue.
There are great points to both sides of the debate , and the group is set up just for discussing politics and other issues like this.
I really enjoy this Seniors Forum, but the debates distress me when they get serious. I am just not engineered for arguments.
Just a peaceful old FlowerChild.....
 
These arguments have distressed me and may beyond my ability. I may have to consult the governor, Governor Sara Palin, to get her expert opinion.
 
Perhaps we should make it mandatory that EVERYONE; man, woman, child; own a gun and if you refuse you will be shot . . . by a blind man...
 
Perhaps we should make it mandatory that EVERYONE; man, woman, child; own a gun and if you refuse you will be shot . . . by a blind man...

I just can't see that.

Personally I've been in far more heated debates - heck, all-out flame wars with death threats being hurled from both sides! - so this discussion didn't even appear on my threat radar. But far be it from me to go against the masses. It's just a shame that a discussion that invokes good participation and a boost to the board's stats will be tucked away somewhere where no one will see it.
 
It's just a shame that a discussion that invokes good participation and a boost to the board's stats will be tucked away somewhere where no one will see it.

Well, it wasn't closed. It was only put into the forum that was appropriate for it in the first place, I put a lot of my threads into Chitchat. The General Discussions forum is supposed to be about talk of Senior Life, as it says in the description. A blind person getting a gun permit is hardly a discussion about life as a senior. :rolleyes: Tucked away where nobody will see it?..., I personally don't get that.
 
Well, it wasn't closed. It was only put into the forum that was appropriate for it in the first place, I put a lot of my threads into Chitchat. The General Discussions forum is supposed to be about talk of Senior Life, as it says in the description. A blind person getting a gun permit is hardly a discussion about life as a senior. :rolleyes: Tucked away where nobody will see it?..., I personally don't get that.

Sorry for the confusion ... I saw where someone said to put it into "Speaker's Corner", which I believe is a group, which I believe you not only have to be registered to join but also might not be indexed by Google and other bots - not 100% sure of that point, but the more hidden-away a discussion is the less good it does for both casual visitors and for SEO.

Diwundrin said:
That thing about no one being able to see it? Are they paying to read our pearls of wisdom?

See above. ;)
 
Stuff it anywhere you want but the Governor says, "when you talk gun control you're really talking about taking away American's freedoms."
 
It was suggested that a better place for serious gun debates would be a group like Speakers' Corner, rather than hijacking a thread about blind people getting permits. Never meant to put this thread there.

Okay, that clarifies it - thanks!

You have to consider some seniors that may just be contemplating joining a forum of their peers, because maybe they don't get out much, are lonely or desire information about things that are happening that affect the elderly, or just want to chat about everyday things. Well, they go to the first forum that's supposed to be about senior life, and they read an escalating gun control debate that mentions the killing of the Jews, etc., that just may make them move on as far as senior talk. But if they go to Chitchat, where all topics can be expected, then the discussion wouldn't seem so radical perhaps.

Understood, although I disagree that putting it in Chat would be a solution. That might actually be one of the first places after General Discussions that a newbie would go. I say "might" - I don't have access to the traffic data here but I know Chat is usually one of the most popular sections on any forum. YOU must know that - I was under the impression you run / had run forums or sites before. ;)

I see it more in the overall "tone" of a board; 4chan is a place for young Turks to light the world on fire and the place is filled with pirate warez, porn and more cussing than a shore party of drunken sailors. That's THEIR "tone". Other forums are so staid and straight-laced that they could put a meth addict to sleep.

I like to think that SeniorForums does a nice balancing act, but there's always that awkward first moment of "contact" when a controversial subject brings up people's blood. Then you usally see the division we see here - some want to bury the discussion, ban any further examples of that discussion and generally want the board to be ruled by an iron-fist with no room for individual expression or plain old-fashioned debate.

The other faction wants everything to be open game, nothing verboten and to take on all comers.

Achieving a balance between those two audiences is almost impossible, from what I've experienced on the 'Net. You either lean one way or the other, because to balance the two extremes is far too difficult and time-consuming. And then there are the very few boards that somehow get a magical mix of members that are self-policing and mature enough to work things out on their own. I'd like to believe that's what we have here, which is why it pains me to see people suggesting banning certain topics, because you KNOW how that works out - they want A,B and C banned, I counter by screaming for the elimination of D, E, and F ...

And then the board disappears.

I'm not a webmaster by any means, nor would I ever want to be one, but to me, consideration of members and visitors to the forum is top priority over bots, google or seo...just looking at this through the eyes of the average person over fifty, who may not want arguments, conflict, blood and guts when they visit a forum. Honestly, I'm far from a wimp, but if there were any flame wars or death threats on this forum, I'd be history.

Yes and no to the first part. Unfortunately, while it is true that a forum succeeds or fails on the strength of the members as well as the management, the way to GET those members is to become at least a part-time servant of Google. They are the ones with the power of life over death as far as traffic is concerned, and traffic means not only more members but more ad impressions are being clicked and thus more money is being earned. Although I'm all for the human element I also realize that the mechanics of the situation have to be followed, otherwise you'll have a stagnant board with the existing members slowly leaving.

As for flame wars and such being a turn-off, I totally agree. But I just did not see that happening in this particular case. We all sometimes go to extremes to illustrate our position - I'm one of the biggest practitioners of that particular art - but as long as no one is leaving the board or fire-bombing the Admin I think it's still below an actionable level.

Once again, that's just my opinon, but I'm just a nobody with a big mouth. :cool:
 
I don't want to close this thread, actually I think this is one of the best threads on SF. It may not convince any members to change their minds, but we have many guest readers, this thread will certainly help some of them understand the gun issue better.

I understand some members may get a little upset during the debate, but believe me, it's worth it. There is so much wisdom to be learned from seniors, I know I learned a lot and had so much fun just by reading this forum. We have had young members joined to seek advice from seniors, most young people won't join us but many do read.

As for moving threads, I will be more careful, please feel free to post anywhere you like, don't let it ruin the fun.
 
Understood, although I disagree that putting it in Chat would be a solution. That might actually be one of the first places after General Discussions that a newbie would go. I say "might" - I don't have access to the traffic data here but I know Chat is usually one of the most popular sections on any forum. YOU must know that - I was under the impression you run / had run forums or sites before. ;)

True, Chat IS a popular section on forums also, that's what I was getting at, it's not like putting the thread on the back burner, or in a basement somewhere. They would go there after general discussions (on senior life), and they would see that the Chat forum was for off-topic discussions. I never ran a forum at all, but I currently help with moderation on the Pet Forums and the Health Forum. Also helped a gal moderate a yahoo group many years ago called 'women getting fit over fifty'...but that's it.

I like to think that SeniorForums does a nice balancing act, but there's always that awkward first moment of "contact" when a controversial subject brings up people's blood. Then you usally see the division we see here - some want to bury the discussion, ban any further examples of that discussion and generally want the board to be ruled by an iron-fist with no room for individual expression or plain old-fashioned debate.

I think it's well balanced here also. I can only speak for myself. I don't want to bury any discussions, or ban any topics, as I already said in a previous post. Good old fashioned debate is fine, and I've seen many intelligent discussions take place here in a very mature and considerate manner.

The other faction wants everything to be open game, nothing verboten and to take on all comers.

Again, I can only speak for myself, but I'm not one who gets their jollies visiting a forum for conflict or arguing, and obviously I'm not alone in my thinking here.

And then there are the very few boards that somehow get a magical mix of members that are self-policing and mature enough to work things out on their own. I'd like to believe that's what we have here, which is why it pains me to see people suggesting banning certain topics, because you KNOW how that works out - they want A,B and C banned, I counter by screaming for the elimination of D, E, and F ...

Well, in my opinion, I see from the members here that we are mature enough to discuss various topics in a civil way. Anyone knows that subjects like religion, politics, sexual orientation, racism, guns, etc. will cause emotions to rise and may get heated. But, I already said in another post, that I personally disagree with the banning of any topic on the forum for discussion...BUT, they should be posted in the appropriate forum...in this case chitchat.

There's nothing wrong either with heavier topics to be started in Groups, that was Warrigal's thought and it was a good one, IMO.There's no reason either that interested members can't mosy on over to a group to discuss a topic that they are passionate about.

Once again, that's just my opinon, but I'm just a nobody with a big mouth. :cool:

I think I speak for many of us here that your opinion matters a lot. You're a somebody with a little mouth. :love_heart:
 
1) Huh? Take a deep breath and proof read your posts Jambi, you're sounding a bit OTT.

2) Don't call S.W.A.T. on what is essentially just a bar argument between pals.

3) You're scared of Jackie??? (kidding, but that's how it sounds when you write that way.)

4) So, how's the weather in Ruwanda? Been there long?

5) Sorry Jambi but no one's attacking you personally, or your views, so no need to spout all that holocaust and 'last stand at the Alamo' type rubbish. That isn't doing your argument any good at all. It just shuts down people's interest in anything you have say at all and brands you as a 'frother'. You're better than that.

6) If you really want to get your point across on a forum you need to persuade, not bully. We need all points of view on this subject and yours is just as relevant as anyone else's and is another important piece in the puzzle of it all.

7) We/I actually do see your point, just not as intensely, or as being the only answer over the long term.
What may be right in one place isn't everywhere.

8) We're just talking about it, there's no prizes for changing anyone's mind, only for seeing their point and understanding why it has relevance to them.

9) It doesn't have to be right, or wrong for our own particular circumstances, just an interesting insight into how others are affected, and what their ideas are for changing it if it needs it, or like yours for keeping things as they are.

10) Persuade us Jambi, calmly.

1) Sorry, I can see how I came across that way.

2) Nothing like that, I see it the same.

3) No apology neccesary. You were seeing an obscured veiw of the point I failed to make. My point was why sould someone waggling their finger from a recliner have their will enforced by anyone but themselves? Mother Theresa; Deeds, not words. If you don't feel strongly enough about it to be the change, why should anyone else?

4) Hot, dry and dusty. I would have stayed longer, but my machete became so dull it was taking four hard swings to sever the elbows of even the smallest children.

5) I didn't take it personally, but I can surely see how my posts made it seem as if I had. Sorry again. Thanks for the compliment, but I just may not be any better than that. Again, I find it difficult for someone to say they fear the Japanese, but another Holocaust could never happen. (A Town Like Alice, anyone?)

6) I am truly ashamed if I came across as a bully, that is the last thing I would ever want to be.

7) Yes, no, maybe, ok?

8) I really don't expect to change anyone's mind. Sometimes they do reveal their thought process, and that can be interesting.

9) "What is right and what is wrong? Need anyone tell us these things"

10) I can persuade no one. "When the student is ready, is when the teacher arrives"
 
May i make a suggestion, why not start a new topic just for Serious Discussions and list a few of the serious discussions in there under separate threads,namely Politics, Gun laws etc, most people would bypass it if they saw it was serious discussion, you could also add in the description of the topic that is for debating current affair issues.
Personally i don't feel it belongs in the Chat thread, leave that for the light hearted discussions, i don't believe putting it in the Group Speakers Corner is the answer, in my opinion if a person is looking at the forum to join and sees that there is quite a few topics including one for serious discussion, it won't scare them away in fact they will most likely embrace it and join so they can join in on all the topics on offer in this lovely forum, that's my opinion
 
I see nothing wrong with a 'hidden' forum or two or three. Warning on the door "Enter st Your Own Risk", or "Abandon hope ye who enters here"

Some such category where answer #4 might keep dentures from hitting the floor or coffee from soaking a keybard.

1) Philosophy

2) Cynicysm

3) Duality of man

Maybe 3 is really covered in 1 and 2, or maybe only 3 ?
 
Nah, let's just try to talk in a civil tone and apologise if someone appears to be offended by something we might have said.

We're all adults and should be able to discuss almost anything as adults but we need to remember that we know nothing of each other's history and that some people are going to have some raw wounds which we might inadvertently trample on sometimes.

No censorship or Chinese walls are needed. Just courtesy and consideration.
 
I have also thought about things, and I do like that even controversial subjects can be discussed, and I did not in any way mean to stop that from happening.
I simply was seeing the discussion seeming to escalate to levels that worried me that it might break up the group and people would get upset and leave.
Obviously, my perception was way out of line, and I was worrying for nothing, everyone else was enjoying themselves.
This is something that I have always been too sensitive about, for personal reasons, and I offer my apologies to the group.
 
I am a terrible debater but I do enjoy reading others opinions. I do not partake in serious discussions as I tend to get carried away and say some things I wish I hadn't.

I am a gun owner, three as a matter of fact, and do have a concealed weapons permit. This is my choice and mine only. I totally respect others views on gun ownership and would never, ever, try to change your personable views on this subject.
 
I want to apologise for any ill feelings that I may have caused, it was never my intention to enforce my will or my thoughts on anyone. I am a staunch Democrat, a political junkie, have always tried to keep up with whats going on in Washington as well as locally and have always tried to defend my views as I see it...just trying to show another opinion when needed...in the future I will try to be 'less staunch'... lol...and more respectful of others' views

Also would like to say that I really appreciate the ability of some on this forum to be fair, peacemakers and open to all views, you set an example that I will try harder to follow.
 
...been said before, special bunch here, glad to be in the mix! :love_heart:

autumn_peace_bloom.png
 


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