When will we as a nation realize we are not safe?

[Regen]

I heard a story on the radio this morning about contaminated Heparin and how the wife of one of the victims realized that we are not safe and the government will not guarantee our protection. Her quote is in this article. In particular she said

"we have a false sense of security" in a land where people expect to be protected and safe.

I think that this is the same attitude that many people have regarding gun ownership. Why do I need a gun, someone else will protect me. We expect to be protected and safe.

Why do people refuse to realize that if they expect to be protected, they have to do the protecting? Many people are willing to believe that God will protect them, but forget that God helps those who help themselves.

 

[Pat-inCO]

That's interesting. I read an article a few days ago from BBC, written by a British columnist about the British tourists. He said that it is amazing how many (as in most) of the Brit's that come over here expect to see or be involved in the "Gunfight at OK Corral" because we have guns, but find instead that they actually feel safer here than in GB.

I'll look for the link and post it, presuming I can find it again.

 

[John828]

Probably not until it is too late.

I may just be paranoid, but I sometimes feel the next four years are going to be very rocky at best.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Found it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7359513.stm

 

[romma]

We are so dependent on all of our goods from other countries,,, we are screwed every which way to Sunday.

There are a lot of different ways to wage war against the United States these days.

 

[Seminole]

This is gun-related how?

 

[foghornl]

Probably not untill well after SEVERAL major cities are nothing but smoldering ruins...

I had figured out the un-safe thing way back in 1980...

 

[Regen]

Deliberate Contamination

The FDA is also stating that they think that the contamination was deliberate and took place in China. Is this another form of terrorism?

I look at the Israelis and realize that they live with terror everyday and for the most part ignore it. Someone starts shooting at a school in Israel and is quickly taken out by armed off duty military. From taking to a number of Israelis, it seems that they are not as terrorized by these acts as Americans are. I guess you'd go insane with that level violence if you let it keep you from living a normal life.

 

[everallm]

Folks,

When was the last time you saw "good" news....?

Remember for the media, the general principle is "If it bleeds, it leads". "Nice " is boring and doesn't lead to increased viewership or advertising revenues.

Don't pander to the overblown hysteria of the mass media.

 

[ronnyreagan]

I heard that story on NPR this morning and had the same reaction. She also said it was "overwhelming to discover that there are circumstances beyond our control from which we are not sheltered."

 

[MechAg94]

That is just delusional. I think a lot of these people are just folks who refuse to face reality. I am not saying you have to be paranoid and cower in your basement, but awareness that bad things happen, awareness of the possibilities and your reaction to them is important. Just like they recommend parents plan the escape route in case of fire, you need a plan for what to do in case of someone breaking in.

The idea of depending solely on govt and police for protection is just foolish IMO. You don't have to be Rambo, but if someone is coming at you with a hatchet, you really should have a better option than "duck and cover".


We discuss people depending on Govt to solve all their problems quite often in political circles. The same attitude exists with regard to personal safety.

 

[ARTiger]

GDP numbers came out this morning . . . up ever so slightly. Had it been down ever so slightly the headline acrosss all news websites and most newspapers tomorrow would be "RECESSION" in huge type.

So how are the GDP numbers reported? Buried as a small link with the commentary quoting noted economic fear-mongers saying it's coming next quarter.

The media knows that bad news sells and fear is their currency.

To prepare to take care of you and yours is only prudent, but feeding the fear vendors by believing the hyperbole being peddled accomplishes goals of people most of you really wouldn't like much.

 

[John828]

That is just delusional. I think a lot of these people are just folks who refuse to face reality. I am not saying you have to be paranoid and cower in your basement, but awareness that bad things happen, awareness of the possibilities and your reaction to them is important. Just like they recommend parents plan the escape route in case of fire, you need a plan for what to do in case of someone breaking in.

+1

It seems too many people live on autopilot. As long as they are getting paid and have the "amenities" of life, they rock along "snug as a bug in a rug." Only when the SHTF do they realize how precariously their life totters on the edge of the precipice. Most of these people are only ninety days (at best) from total financial meltdown.

Someone asked how is this gun related? One word: Zombies.

 

[mojohand]

I was listening to an old Charleton Heston speech this morning and he had a good point about the "news" stories...(paraphrasing) "They deal in death and destruction sandwiched between ads for cars and cat food" something to that effect.

 

[Regen]

To quote myself from the original post.

I think that this is the same attitude that many people have regarding gun ownership. Why do I need a gun, someone else will protect me. We expect to be protected and safe.

I think this is gun related because it reveals an attitude people have regarding their safe and the need (or lack thereof) for people to carry guns to provide for their own defense.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I was listening to an old Charleton Heston speech this morning and he had a good point about the "news" stories...(paraphrasing) "They deal in death and destruction sandwiched between ads for cars and cat food" something to that effect.

News has devolved into yet another form of "entertainment" for the intellectually lazy.

 

[another okie]

The press seem to have adopted a policy of playing down the Muslim connections of any attack, which I think is one reason why so few people realize how many Muslim terror attacks there have been in this country since 9 /11.

 

[Cosmoline]

Mr. Strunce said that his company tried to find the original source of the contamination but was stopped by the Chinese authorities.

When will we realize we're not safe from Chicom scum is the real question. We should be at war with them, not trading with them.

 

[Regen]

The press seem to have adopted a policy of playing down the Muslim connections of any attack, which I think is one reason why so few people realize how many Muslim terror attacks there have been in this country since 9 /11.

Okay another_okie, I'll bite. How many Muslim terror attacks have there been in this country since 9/11?

 

[jakemccoy]

Regen wrote,

Why do people refuse to realize that if they expect to be protected, they have to do the protecting?

It's because of upbringing.

I dated a girl who seemed to be an independent, strong woman. I developed a passion for guns in the middle of our relationship. I took her to the range. She enjoyed it. I tried to talk about real life scenarios with her. She eventually got overwhelmed and said, "Forget it; I'll just get raped if it comes down to it." I didn't fully believe she meant that. However, her inability to process real life scenarios gets chalked up to upbringing. She's been raised to think that somebody else (a strapping man) will protect her from violent attacks.

 

[The Tourist]

You bring up a good point, but I'm going to give you a very strange answer, but please follow the logic.

I don't want it to be a safe place, meaning community, state or nation.

To render every square foot of the country tame, it would mean that a strong central government knows every opinion and leaning of every citizen. That boils down to their movements, their logical decisions based on their finances and medical records, and application of a "nanny mentality" on every non-approved action like skydiving, motorcycling or target shooting.

In point of fact, they will know where I am standing vis a vis every other citizen, and my logical use of commerce and human interaction.

They will know what I am going to do before I do it.

To blunt that, I'll have to roll back any intrusion of "the state" sanctioning anything I do--including getting punched in the nose--which covers about one-third of you members with numbers climbing.

And I'd rather risk a poke in the snoot every morning if it meant I could enjoy clear thoughts and the rush of fresh air in my freedom of riding without a helmet.

In point of fact, I want it to be dangerous for you to disuade me in any action that is none of your business.

Of course, we would have to ashcan things like excuses, welfare payments, and living forever in academia doing nothing but staining microscope slides of gay horsefly larva...

 

[owlhoot]

"Every step you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you." Sting had this all figured out 25 years ago.

 

[Regen]

jakemccoy wrote

It's because of upbringing.

I was not brought up to realize that you needed to protect yourself. I was brought up believing that the police would protect you, but I realized that they might not. At some point we as a nation seem to have lost our self sufficiency, and have come to depend upon the government and others to provide things that we ourselves should be able to provide.

 

[jakemccoy]

Regen wrote,

I was not brought up to realize that you needed to protect yourself. I was brought up believing that the police would protect you, but I realized that they might not. At some point we as a nation seem to have lost our self sufficiency, and have come to depend upon the government and others to provide things that we ourselves should be able to provide.

...Thus, fixing upbringing of kids in America is a solution to the problem.

My upbringing was similar to yours in what you described.

Nevertheless, the widespread "victim" attitude is because of upbringing mostly. Sure, throw in other factors here and there, but upbringing is at least 51% of the reason. You're trying to oversimplify upbringing based on your personal experience. You're an exception, not the rule.

 

[Regen]

Okay, so what aspect of upbringing teaches this? I was never taught this explicitly.

The closest I can think of was my father (who had a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry) telling me to question "scientific" facts. That I had to understand the source of the information and should be able to reproduce the experiments or proofs. Somehow, it appears that this, in my mind became question scientific authority, which became question authority, which lead to the authorities will not provide for you, to provide for yourself.