Always mention Switzerland

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Papal guards...wanna speculate what they carry under their pretty suits?

Air defense...As I remember, the first (and few) 2 fighters over DC were NG weekenders from Langley AFB in Hampton (SE VA), they got scrambled while they were chilling in the ready room.

Why there were no other fighters capable of going to CAP over DC escapes me. FWIW and IIRC, the NG fighters were unarmed, and would have had to crash themselves into any targets to stop the threat.
 
I have a really fancy Swiss watch that started acting up a month ago. It ticks five seconds at a time now instead of one at a time. Interestingly enough, it's still spot on.
 
I went to Switzerland in '91. I seen soldiers, without supervision and with fully automatic rifles go to and from their homes on public trains.
It is a mindset in their culture. There is no way you can explain any of their laws on how strict they are with their ammunition control or whatever.

I seen them by the hundreds, in the train stations and alone without leadership. Full Automatic rifles attached to their backpacks.

The responsibility for any misuse of that weapon belongs to that swiss soldier in that country.

In the United States:
Responsibility= Heads will roll to the highest level possible. Always
 
To be a Swiss guard you also have to be a Catholic:) Also I think you have to be over 6 feet tall. I've seen them in person. They also wear a less dress version of the uniform in blue.

IIRC they are trained on how to use the halbard, it is not just ceremonial. In a book I have the serial # range of the 100 K31 Schmidt-Rubin rifles the Swiss Guards used is listed. I wonder where those rifles are now?

I've always said that if I was not going to live in the USA, I'd want to probably live in Switzerland. Probably in the Ticino, Italian speaking area.

I used to live in Italy while in USN but I can't remember how to speak Italian at all and my Spanish is very poor:)
 
It's strange to see an article from LR.com that goes on such lengths about how Switzerland is so great compared to the US, that we have such a small army and defense budget. From a writer on a libertarian site I would have expected a condemnation of the Swiss government for its compulsory military and serious disrespect of freedoms when it comes to owning, carrying and using guns (in self-defense and sports).
Seriously, in this country every man is conscripted when he reach the age of 20. That's not something desirable in any way, even if we don't wage foreign wars and just stay in cow fields. Young men have other private business to do than wear an uniform and be shout at. I dodged the conscription and I'm very happy about it. I don't care if I'm missing something, at least I'm keeping some of my freedoms. I'm also a gun owner and I fail to see what's so great about having an ordnance rifle at home. It's not a hobby rifle, nor some weapon that you could defend yourself with. This rifle is given to you to protect the State, not you or your family. What about having the right to carry handguns, buy automatic weapons and such? That would sound better. You can do it in the US but not in Switzerland. We can't even carry a locking blade, so forget about guns. Forget about Switzerland and enjoy living in the US.
 
Seriously, in this country every man is conscripted when he reach the age of 20. That's not something desirable in any way, even if we don't wage foreign wars and just stay in cow fields. Young men have other private business to do than wear an uniform and be shout at. I dodged the conscription and I'm very happy about it. I don't care if I'm missing something, at least I'm keeping some of my freedoms. I'm also a gun owner and I fail to see what's so great about having an ordnance rifle at home. It's not a hobby rifle, nor some weapon that you could defend yourself with. This rifle is given to you to protect the State, not you or your family. What about having the right to carry handguns, buy automatic weapons and such? That would sound better. You can do it in the US but not in Switzerland. We can't even carry a locking blade, so forget about guns. Forget about Switzerland and enjoy living in the US.
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I agree with everything you say. However, in spite of our theoretical objections to the Swiss system, the fact remains that it is the only European nation to stay out of war for 200 years. And since it accomplished this feat by doing the OPPOSITE of what the "mainstream" press recommends, the Swiss example is a tremendous obstacle for those who advocate a disarmed citizenry and an unchecked government. (Which is why they never talk about it :D)

What we need is for a really committed Socialist to rise to power somewhere, and allow a true free-enterprise zone to exist as a "control group". Then we could test all our anarcho-capitalist theories :neener:.

Unfortunately, honest, sincere Socialists are rarer than unicorns :scrutiny:
 
And THIS statement is absolutely ridiculous:

"The huge US war machine could not even intercept civilian airliners on 9-11"

We all know that the U.S. Military could shoot down airliners all day long, if they had a reason. Who knew those jets were going to crash into buildings?

Why do people even go there?
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Because they are the same idiots that say the cops should just shoot people in the legs or shoot the gun out of the bad guy's hands.

It's the same people who blissfully waste their lives away in complete ignorance on how the world, outside of them, operates.
 
When did that happen? I knew the banking privacy had gone out the window a while back due to pressure from the US, but pocketknives? Sheesh.

Anyway, thanks again to the Swiss guys for filling us in!
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I'm not really aware of the law, but it seems that pocket knives with locking blades are illegal to carry. Like guns you can "transport" them but not "carry" them. You can carry a SAK but not a Buck 110.
 
American gun owners have a habit of glorifying both Switzerland and Israel without having any real knowledge of the laws pertaining to private ownership, carry, and self-defense in either place. They see pictures of reservists carrying military weapons and make incorrect assumptions about gun laws in both places.

RE: WWII
Switzerland was more valuable as a nominally neutral country for Germany's purposes. The fact that they had drawn up invasion plans, in and of itself, in no way means they had actual intentions of invading. Militaries are constantly drawing up plans for all sorts of wars, many of which seem incredibly unlikely to occur. We, in the US, probably have plans for invading Canada and Mexico. Are we going to do so? No; but those plans are quite likely there anyway. In the decades previous to WWII, when it wasn't clear just who was going to ally with whom, we had plans for another war against Great Britain on file.
 
Germany drew up Sealion but that never came about either, but Germany intended to invade the UK.

FDR did not go on the radio and rant and rave about Canada or Mexico. Hitler did.

If the HC appeared weak, they would have been nothing but fly-over country between Germany and Vichy France.
 
i went to high school in switzerland. there were bomb shelters everywhere, and a public announcement system that could be heard everywhere. dunnoh about the gun thing, i wasn't into firearms at the time. but it was a very clean, organized place, and all the people had a strong sense of duty and community. i'd live there, but it'd be impossible to have my old school muscle cars with me.
 
Hitler ranted and raved about lots of things. Switzerland was far more valuable as a "neutral" trading partner than it would have been as one more resource-poor and uncooperative conquered territory and Hitler knew that. Critical raw materials, such as tungsten, were funneled into Germany by using the "neutral" Swiss as an intermediary trading partner. Allied aircrew who crashed in Switzerland were interned, as were escapees from German prison camps. Axis personnel were returned to their home countries. No doubt, if Hitler had successfully concluded his war against the Soviet Union and the Brits had collapsed, he would have eventually turned his attention to Switzerland and the other neutral European countries. That all falls squarely into the realm of Alternate History, though. During the real WWII, he had no reason or imminent plans for invading a country as valuable to him as Switzerland with its neutral status.

Here's an interesting article.
 
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yeah, I heard the swiss aren't very kind on cars. Especially the fun kind Is that true ? or does it depend on which kanton?
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very strict when it comes to driving laws and regulations and such. but, it does contribute to the overall organization and cleanliness of the place.
 
Seriously, in this country every man is conscripted when he reach the age of 20. That's not something desirable in any way, even if we don't wage foreign wars and just stay in cow fields. Young men have other private business to do than wear an uniform and be shout at. I dodged the conscription and I'm very happy about it. I don't care if I'm missing something, at least I'm keeping some of my freedoms.
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I respect your choice, but you have a very narrow view of the life in the army as a conscripted men.

I have fun, and what I do around fighter jets in quite interesting. Im not shout at (exept at recruit school, but that is part of the game..) ..

Your freedoms, like the right to keep firearms (you seem to enjoy that one), is ALSO guaranteed by the fact that WE (the one who dident dodged the conscription) have to keep a SIG550 at home, and having such a weapon given by the government, the same government cannot tell me that I canot have firearms on my own.. and you get the same right...

You live in a country, are part of it. You have rights, but not only. everything has its counterpart.
 
It is a halbard carried by the Swiss Guard, I looked it up and you have to be over 5'-9", not 6'. For the Swiss citizen that dodged his national service, I can't believe you would be proud of that, I have no respect for someone that would not willingly serve to defend his homeland.

The book Target Switzerland is an excellent read, Germany conquering Switzerland was a real possibility and they would have loved to have done it if it was practical to do so.

And yes many USA residents think Switzerland and especially Israel are some sort of private gun ownership paradises, I can assure you Israel is not.

Switzerland is very nice though in many ways besides the gun laws there. I do believe it is a direct democracy which I like, don't you guys vote like 6 or more times a year? I also like how weapons are traditionally brought to the voting area by the voters.

Another thing that would shock USA citizens is that alcohol being served at shooting ranges is much more comon there I believe.
 
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