Taoist Crocodile
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On the article Council Approves 'Vision' Plan for North Avenue
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On the Blog Post Terrorism Remains
Taoist Crocodile
3:48 pm on Monday, April 22, 2013
ReplyThese "Bottom Line" blog posts should make everyone who actually works at Patch feel a little like a second-rate journalist. What kind of news organization publishes this garbage? This post is anonymous, contains personal attacks, and doesn't even manage to make an argument (per the old-fashioned definition of an argument as premises in support of a claim). What's the claim? What are the premises? Does the author know, or care? It's just more "Arrrrgh, Liberals are bad and the President is bad!" At least it's short - even "Bottom Line" can't bloat something so simple and pointless into a readable length.
Maybe this is the future - Patch has liberated the comments section from being merely an appendix to an actual article or piece of persuasive writing. Why bother writing the article, when the comments can flourish from such a meager seed?
I'm breaking my own rule about commenting on blogs, just because this is so interesting. How short, nasty, and vacuous does a blog post have to be for Patch to pass on publishing it? "Terrorism Remains" sets a mighty low bar indeed, but I'm confident that things will continue to get worse.
XOXO Patch
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On the article Should Women Be Allowed to Serve in Combat?
Taoist Crocodile
9:40 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
ReplyJim Price, the fact that Patch hasn't banned "WaitingForTheSpark" and "WPN1488" is a disgrace that you should take personally.
There's excellent local reporting that takes place on this site, but the reality is that it's also a platform for hate speech. No reputable news organization would allow these users to continue commenting.
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On the article What's Your New Year's Resolution?
Taoist Crocodile
7:19 pm on Tuesday, January 1, 2013
ReplyStop commenting on Patch blogs. This is it for the year; see you hosers in 2014!
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On the Blog Post Must Read: A Conservative Case for the Ban on Assault Weapons
Taoist Crocodile
8:59 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
Terry,
I would hardly call banning large capacity magazines "shooting for the moon." In fact, there seems to be a growing consensus that that would be an acceptable step.
You're right - I think that people who respond to the obscene number of mass shootings that we've had lately, by "digging in," as you put it, are just gross. And take the example of the fine ex-Marine who shot his wife seven times in the head - he was one of you stable, law-abiding citizens - until he wasn't.
Seriously, you're defending the ability of everyone, including people like him, to possess enough firepower to shoot up an entire school, movie theater, etc. What is wrong with you?
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On the Blog Post Must Read: A Conservative Case for the Ban on Assault Weapons
Taoist Crocodile
5:58 am on Friday, December 28, 2012
Terry, maybe you should re-read my post; what you are construing as insults are actually accurate assessments of the hypothetical person who would find himself in the hypothetical situation that you're claiming supports your point. As I pointed out, not only doesn't it support your point, but it actually undermines your suggestion that you're just a stable guy who likes target shooting.
And yes, what you're suggesting is the definition of prepping- collecting equipment that is only useful in an "end of the world" scenario. You could be using the same argument to defend your wish to own any type of weapon or barter currency imaginable. That's why it's so absurd, and irrelevant to a good faith discussion of these issues.
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On the Blog Post Must Read: A Conservative Case for the Ban on Assault Weapons
Taoist Crocodile
9:32 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Okay, Terry. Let's look at your example:
So, you're saying that, as with Katrina, you've remained behind in a natural disaster area, while all of your smarter neighbors have evacuated. So, your premise involves you being a huge dope in the first place.
Then, you see a gang of eight looters headed toward your house, presumably armed. Again, instead of doing the smart thing and getting yourself and your family out of there, you opt instead to grab your trusty firearm and your thirty round magazine, and.... what, exactly? Just mow them down? Or do you wait for them to get close enough to fire back? Either way, by sticking around, you've pretty much guaranteed that you're going to wind up in a prison cell or a grave.
So, to recap, you've just described yourself as someone who's so eager to put bullet holes in human beings that you ignore every better option for your and your family's preservation. That's what I meant by "sounding like a complete lunatic." Thanks for the illustration.
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On the Blog Post Must Read: A Conservative Case for the Ban on Assault Weapons
Taoist Crocodile
2:51 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Question - how many armed sheriff's deputies were present at Columbine HS, and how effective were they at stopping two high school kids, one of whom had a 52-round magazine?
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On the Blog Post Must Read: A Conservative Case for the Ban on Assault Weapons
Taoist Crocodile
2:45 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
cud1555,
The answer to your question is simply that having lots of bullets to fire before reloading makes you deadlier, but it doesn't necessarily make you or anyone else safer.
It makes it easier to attack multiple targets (especially unarmed targets), which is a benefit to a mass murderer, but not a significant benefit to anyone trying to defend themselves against a single armed assailant. That's why I want you to try describing the situation where firing 30 rounds without reloading makes you safer than firing 30 rounds while reloading twice. You won't be able to do it without sounding like a lunatic, as I pointed out above.
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On the Blog Post Must Read: A Conservative Case for the Ban on Assault Weapons
Taoist Crocodile
8:47 am on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Terry,
You are claiming that the fact that you're a stable-across-the-board dude who likes firing lots of bullets at pieces of paper, and doesn't want to reload as often, is an argument for allowing high-capacity magazines to be sold on the open market.
The reason why high capacity magazines should be outlawed, is because they greatly enhance an aspiring mass murderer's ability to accomplish mass murder. Your wish for your paper target shooting to be less of a hassle is not at all relevant to the case for outlawing high capacity magazines.
You need to grow up and accept that some things are outlawed for the good of society, which is a reason that trumps your laziness. Because that's what it is, really - you like shooting guns for recreation, but you're too lazy to reload a little more often, even in the interest of protecting school children from mass murderers.
And yes, I think your fears about a societal breakdown like after Katrina do, in fact, make you an extremist. And on top of that, the threat of a societal breakdown doesn't actually support your argument for large-capacity magazines. I defy you to describe a plausible situation, in a societal breakdown, where having a 30-round magazine is of significantly greater utility than having three 10-round magazines, without sounding like a complete lunatic.
Taoist Crocodile
10:26 am on Thursday, May 9, 2013
This is misguided.
#1: There is no need for bike lanes on North Ave., with so many nice, shady residential streets running parallel to it. I grew up in East Tosa, and we could get everywhere on bikes, only crossing North Ave when necessary.
#2: If the traffic on Wauwatosa Ave / 76th is any indication, painted bike lines do not stop impatient drivers from veering around slower-moving vehicles. This plan runs the risk of lulling cyclists into a false sense of security.
Bobby Pantuso wants East Tosa to be more like East Brady; well, then keep the chicanes, cut the speed limit, and add more visible pedestrian crossings. While we're at it, stick up a few of those permanent flashing "Your speed is..." signs. But the fascination with bike lanes is off the mark.