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From: csdf@mit-vax.UUCP (Charles Forsythe)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Congratulations to the NRA
Message-ID: <298@mit-vax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 1-Jul-85 08:56:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-vax.298
Posted: Mon Jul  1 08:56:18 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jul-85 03:37:11 EDT
References: <484@gargoyle.UUCP> <7800340@inmet.UUCP>  <516@unc.UUCP>
Reply-To: csdf@mit-vax.UUCP (Charles Forsythe)
Distribution: net.politics
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 47
Summary: 

In article <516@unc.UUCP> oliver@unc.UUCP (Bill Oliver) writes:
>In article  csdf@mit-vax.UUCP () writes:
>>It is impossible for untrained people to kill with their bare pinkies.
>
>As a pathologist, I can tell you that this is simply untrue.

I stand corrected. I should have said IMPROBABLE. I suppose you have
many stories of people being mugged at "pinky-point"?

>>Similarly it is impossible for an idiot to post a pro-gun message
>>without a terminal.
>
>This is also untrue, and gratuitously insulting.  Please.  Not all
>people who support individual ownership of weapons in the United
>States are idiots, 

Once again, I stand corrected. Replace "pro-gun" with "pro-handgun". It
is also true that many people who support private ownership of firearms
are not idiots, many are clever enough to block reasonable legislation.
In any case, I was implying that the poster of the message I was
replying to was an idiot. His argument was: there are lots of ways to
kill people therefore, why try to remove one (handguns). This is a
stupid argument (sorry if you're offended by my blatent value
judgement). It can easily be reversed: why not legalize napalm? As a
matter of fact, I have made napalm in the lab and I could do it again.
If I did, however, make enough to use it as a weapon, I'd be breaking
the law.

"If you outlaw napalm only outlaws will have napalm."

I don't envision this slogan inspiring any NRA members...

>and no purpose is served by such a statement 
>other than to inflame.

Political discussions are often filled with inflamitory value
judgements. If I say a pro-handgun advocate is an idiot, by all means
prove me wrong, but there's no need to dwell on my opinion of his or her
intelligence.

 
-- 
Charles Forsythe
CSDF@MIT-VAX
"The Church of Fred has yet to come under attack.
    No one knows about it."
        -Rev. Wang Zeep