cleo's past comments

  • -2

    cleo

    We know you find hunters to be sadistic, barbaric, evil and perverse sub-humans, but come on.

    But come on what? A group of highly-skilled, crack marksmen are unable to use a tranquiliser gun to subdue an animal half the size of any one of them?

    Posted in: Bear shot dead after entering school in Ishikawa

  • -5

    cleo

    Sorry to read it had to be shot

    You didn't read that it had to be shot. What you read was that it was shot, by one of a group of people whose hobby is killing things for fun.

    Posted in: Bear shot dead after entering school in Ishikawa

  • 0

    cleo

    There is a very sick sicko loose in Ichihara.

    Posted in: 9 carp found mutilated in park

  • -2

    cleo

    Well the reason for the Beware of the Dog sticker on my door is to warn neighbours, deliverymen, etc., not to open the door without first ringing the bell or wander into the garden unannounced - they don't do it so much now, but it used to be a problem. It has the secondary effect of warning any potential intruder/burglar that within these walls lies a critter likely to raise the alarm should unauthorised entry be attempted.

    This being Japan of course I don't suppose anyone would believe or understand an NRA sticker, but in a place where such things are commonplace I would imagine it would encourage said burglar, if he was determined to get his sticky paws on my riches, to make sure he was well armed and got his shot in first before the toothless cretin who resides within had time to load and aim. The good thing about Japan is that you can be reasonably sure no burglar is going to be armed, unless you've got yourself in serious trouble with the yaks.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -2

    cleo

    sailwind -

    If the question was asked slightly different from as to why you wanted to own a dog to "does owning a dog provide you a sense of protection?" the responses would be almost 100 percent positive

    Yes indeed. But Do you want a dog for protection? is not the same question as Does owning a dog provide you a sense of protection? I would honestly answer No to the first, Yes to the second. And I have no interest in owning a big tough vicious dog.

    So does having a "Proud Member of the NRA" sticker on the front door, seriously think about that one just for a moment.

    Yes, I thunk about it. A 'Beware of the Dog' sticker shows you're an animal-lover (you don't want people opening your door willy-nilly like they are wont to do out here in the inaka and letting your dog out); a 'Proud Member of the NRA' sticker shows you're a spineless jerk who gets his grit from a gun.

    bass4funk -

    But I respect the guy.

    For what? What about him is to be respected?

    I don't want my country to be like Japan, especially when it comes to firearms.

    You mean you like having people shot at the rate of three an hour?

    Not sure what the reference to Piers Morgan is - I sound like a Sun/News of the World journalist? Heaven forbid. I assume he must have said something about guns, but I've no idea what.

    if the police were to do a random "frisk and search" policy

    Wouldn't that infringe grossly on some Amendment or other? Something to do with the right of the people to be secure in their persons, against unreasonable searches, probable cause and other freedom-related stuff like that?

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -3

    cleo

    bass4funk -

    Sorry, but you haven't proven anything except that you wanna gun. That was established at the beginning. You're never going to convince me that it's a good idea to have guns readily available in a country that you yourself claim is awash with loonies. (Not sure what I love my country has got to do with anything...)

    yes, I am a fan of Ted Nugent!

    I'd never heard of Ted Nugent, did a quick google ... Ugh. What a creep. Illegitimate kids all over the place, failure to pay child support, messing around with a teenager while still married, running canned hunts, illegal hunting (which earned him a hunting ban, 2 years' probation and a $10,000 fine), a potty mouth and so-called patriot who was also a draft-dodger, ie a spineless, self-centred hypocrite. Sorry, but if that kind of gold-plated dyed-in-the-wool jerk is your hero, I don't think you and I are ever going to find common ground on anything.

    I'm really quite interested in knowing (without you sidestepping the issue) what you think about this situation

    What I think is pretty obvious: that without such easy access to firearms the loonies in New Orleans would not have been able to shoot up a parade and hurt so many people.

    As for visiting New Orleans for the food - I did another quick Google, everything seems to have meat in it apart from beignets, which are fried and covered in refined sugar....don't think the food scene in New Orleans is really my kind of scene.

    sailwind-

    A very well grounded and rational sentiment that you will never ever apply to gun owners unfortunately.

    But I do apply the same rational sentiment. Anyone who wants either a dog or a gun in order to hurt someone else, isn't fit to have one.

    surprisingly 10 percent of dog owners actually cited it as the number reason for getting a dog

    So for 90% it wasn't the main reason. I think 90% fits the definition of 'most', don't you?

    In many cases just having a 'Beware of the dog' sticker on the front door acts as protection. A little yappy dog who can alert the owner or the general neighbourhood to the presence of a stranger/intruder, is great protection. A dog doesn't need to be big, tough and mean to provide protection, and someone who wants a dog for protection isn't necessarily going to choose a mean breed. You and your mini-pin know that, of course.

    guns are also used for sport and hunting

    Guns used for sport can be kept safely locked up at the shooting range; they don't need to be kept loaded at home.

    Don't get me started on hunting.

    responsible dog owners are on the whole good people and who should not be tarred as a group with any atrocious and usually criminal actions by totally irresponsible dog owners.

    I couldn't agree more. I'm a responsible dog owner and I'm a good person. Honest.

    the exact same standard in judgments should be applied to responsible gun owners

    Sorry, but it comes back again to why people want guns. For sport, target practice - fine, keep them at the shooting range out of harm's way. To shoot intruders - those people are of the same mindset as the pumpkins who think having a big tough vicious dog makes them big and tough as well. It doesn't. Quite the opposite, they're rather pathetic, getting their grit from a dog or a gun. So yes, it is the exact same standard; if you want your dog/gun for the purpose of hurting or intimidating other people, then that's a no-no.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -2

    cleo

    sailwind, let's look at the stats, shall we?

    http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/8-year-dog-bite-fatality-chart-dogsbiteorg.pdf

    In the 8 years 2005 to 2012, 251 Americans died as a result of dog attack (The number of Americans killed unintentionally by guns was over 600 in a one-year period, remember). Of these, 75% of the dogs involved were pit bulls (60%) and Rottweilers (13%). While there are some people who keep these breeds because they respect the breed or for other legitimate reasons, far too many owners of these 'big tough' breeds choose the dog precisely because of the breed's reputation for aggression towards strangers and actually train the dog to develop its aggression, or at the least do nothing to ameliorate its aggressive tendencies. And of course when the untrained or inappropriately-trained dog does attack, it's always 'But, but he's never shown aggression before'. Admit to owning a vicious dog, and the legal penalties are greater when it does hurt someone. (To paraphrase the gun argument, it isn't the dogs that are the problem, it's the kind of people who want to own that kind of dog who are the problem.)

    So yes, people who choose a big tough dog for the purpose of 'protectin' mah fahmleh' are pretty much of a type with those who feel the need to keep loaded firearms in the house for protection. Both are paranoid, and palpably not fit to handle the method of 'protection' they have chosen. If you're stable, you don't need either big tough dogs or big tough guns to make you feel safe.

    That doesn't mean all dog owners or all owners of large dogs or even all owners of pit bulls are bad; there are many, many reasons for wanting to own a dog, and for most dog owners protection is probably way, way down the list. The main reason most people want a dog, in my experience, is to have something to love and care for and to be a companion. The only use for a gun, however, is to shoot someone. So yes, actually it is quite simple.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • 0

    cleo

    Coming after me and my family in a violent way is enough for me to take proper action.

    So thought Rodney Peairs.

    only if I'm engaged and have no other recourse

    But how do you know if there is any other recourse or not, if you are going to shoot without hesitation?

    That is simply and absolutely NOT true, I have given stats to you from every major international press backing up my point.

    No you haven't. A while back you produced some links to stories of yobboes with knives in Europe. Not a one of those links provided any suggestion that people need to arm themselves with a Glock whatever-it-was and shoot without hesitation at anything that scares them.

    If it's stats that you want:

    http://smartgunlaws.org/gun-deaths-and-injuries-statistics/

    In 2010, guns took the lives of 31,076 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. This is the equivalent of more than 85 deaths each day and more than three deaths each hour.

    Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period

    In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the U.S., however, every seven weeks

    In 2010, unintentional firearm injuries caused the deaths of 606 people.

    From 2005-2010, almost 3,800 people in the U.S. died from unintentional shootings.

    Over 1,300 victims of unintentional shootings for the period 2005–2010 were under 25 years of age.

    People of all age groups are significantly more likely to die from unintentional firearm injuries when they live in states with more guns, relative to states with fewer guns. On average, states with the highest gun levels had nine times the rate of unintentional firearms deaths compared to states with the lowest gun levels.

    A federal government study of unintentional shootings found that 8% of such shooting deaths resulted from shots fired by children under the age of six

    And to back them up, a few anecdotes to add flavouring:

    http://raniakhalek.com/2013/05/01/at-least-9-toddlers-were-involved-in-accidental-shootings-in-april/

    April 1: A 3-year-old in Sandy Springs, Georgia, shot himself in the thumb with .380 pistol

    April 6: A 4-year-old boy in Wilson County, Tennessee, accidentally fired a pistol during a family cookout, striking and immediately killing a sheriff deputy’s wife

    April 7: Rekia Kid,22, was sleeping with her 3-week-old and 2-year-old at their home in Carroll County, Tennessee, when the toddler accidentally fired a Glock 9 mm he found hidden underneath Kid’s pillow, striking his mother in the stomach.

    April 8: A 4-year-old Ocean County, New Jersey boy shot his 6-year-old neighbor, Brandon Holt, in the head during a play date

    April 9: In Sumter, South Carolina, 3-year-old Qui’ontrez Moss accidentally killed himself with a gun that belonged to his uncle

    April 12: Gavin Brummett, 7, accidentally shot himself in the head with a semiautomatic 9mm handgun

    April 14: 9-year-old Shayla May Shonneker was playing in her back yard when she was struck in the face by a bullet that came from inside her house

    April 16: A 6-year-old girl in Mission, Kansas, was accidentally shot in the leg by her 14-year-old cousin

    April 20: A 2-year-boy reached into his father’s pocket, pulled out a gun and accidentally shot himself in the chest

    April 22: A 3-year-old shot a 10-month-old in the face with a loaded handgun while left temporarily unattended in their parents car

    April 27: A 4-year-old Henrico County, Virginia boy was shot in the leg by his 10-year-old sibling who accidentally fired a gun he had located in their home.

    April 30: A 5-year-old boy in Kentucky accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister with a .22-caliber rifle he received as a gift.

    All in the same month. All kiddies. Probably every one of those guns was bought with the intention of 'protectin' mah fahmleh'. And the owners of the guns likely thought they were responsible, legal gun-owners exercisin' their constitutional rights.

    And that's only unintentional shootings. If you want a comparison of stats on overall crime in a country where not everyone feels the need to carry a gun for protection:

    http://www.nationmaster.com/compare/United-Kingdom/United-States/Crime

    Murders committed by youths:

    UK 139 (ranked #29th)

    US 8,226 (ranked #3)

    Murders with firearms:

    UK 14 (ranked #29)

    US 9,369 (ranked #1)

    Total crimes:

    UK 6,523,706 (ranked #2)

    US 11,877,218 (ranked #1)

    As is evident from the Total Crimes stat, the Brits are certainly no goodie-two-shoes; but the gun crime stats speak for themselves.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -1

    cleo

    I can at that point and time ascertain that the threat is serious enough to cause me and my family bodily injury, you betcha!

    Just like Rodney Peairs. How do you think you can ascertain that the threat is serious enough if you're intent on, as you said earlier, shooting without hesitation?

    I am NOT the one that is going to attack someone, therefore, I don't need to be paranoid.

    Mm, no one needs to be paranoid. It's a mental illness. And if you are going to shoot someone without hesitation because you're convinced without reason (no time to assess a reason if you're shooting without hesitation) that they're a threat to you, then I'm sorry, but you are the one who is going to be attacking people.

    you have loons everywhere this BS notion that it is only in the US is over the top laughable, seriously.

    Then seriously, why do people in other countries get by without carrying guns and without getting shot/knifed/drowned by all the loonies? And why can't America do whatever it is all those other countries are doing right?

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • 4

    cleo

    You think it's more sensible to wait until she gets sick before having the mastectomy?

    More sensible? No. Just not something I would find it easy to do. Call it denial if you will.

    A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had a mastectomy, undergone chemo and all kinds of other not very pleasant treatments, and next month goes for tests to see if the cancer has spread. I am amazed at how stoic she is about the whole thing, and I have immense respect for her and the strength of character she has shown. I don't think I would be as dignified if it were me standing in her shoes.

    Posted in: Women hail Jolie's mastectomy revelation

  • 2

    cleo

    Based solely on her family history, she decided to have healthy tissue removed. My family has a strong history of heart disease, but I haven't asked my doctor to schedule a heart transplant.

    Not based solely on family history; tests showed that she does have the faulty gene that gives her a much higher chance of developing breast cancer. Still, like you say, she decided to have healthy tissue removed. Not very inspirational, and not something I would be happy doing.

    Posted in: Women hail Jolie's mastectomy revelation

  • 3

    cleo

    The ones on their mobiles aren't working, they're playing Candy Crush.

    Posted in: Afternoon break

  • -1

    cleo

    yea, say, a person like that would come near me or my family, deranged, having some weapon in her hands

    Her weapon of choice was a bathtub of water. Your example is ridiculous.

    I would not hesitate, NOT for a second

    So if some person unknown to you approached you in what you perceived to be a threatening manner, you would shoot first - without hesitation - and ask questions later? Another Rodney Peairs in the making.

    And you still say you're not paranoid?

    those laws need and should be modified

    What a lot of us have been saying all along. No one with the possibility of developing mental illness (according to the Mayo Clinic, about half of all US adults will develop a mental illness at some time in their life) should have access to firearms. Those that do have access (police and military) should be carefully monitored at all times.

    Don't want them to walk the streets, I want them locked up!

    Again according to the Mayo Clinic, about 1 in 4 adults has a mental illness in any given year. You'd have the mental asylums more crowded than the prisons (at nearly 750 per 100,000 of population, the US already has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world). Why do you imagine so many Americans need to be locked up?

    not one of us has a history of mental illness

    =Your paranoia has not been officially documented. Because it isn't written down doesn't mean it isn't there.

    anything is possible

    You said it.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -1

    cleo

    Anyone remember Andrea Yates?

    You're saying you need a gun because of a sick lady who drowned her kids?? What kind of a threat was she to you?

    You realise that until the mentally-ill are diagnosed as such they have as much right as you to go into a shop and buy a gun? If you're aware of the myriads of mentally-ill people considered fit to walk the streets, why would you want them to have access to guns? And how do you know that you won't one day flip, suffer a psychotic episode and use your legally-obtained guns for a purpose your sane self cannot imagine?

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • 0

    cleo

    Vegetarianism in Japan is getting a lot easier. At a wedding I attended recently the veggie feast I and several other guests were served was every bit as good as, if not better than, the 'proper' menu; in small restaurants during GW the staff seemed to take great pride and pleasure in upgrading standard menu items to delicious, nutritious veggie versions. One very posh hotel was unable to produce anything but rice, fish and misoshiru for breakfast, though. Won't be going there again, though otherwise it was a very nice hotel indeed.

    Jack Stern - Often you can find different kinds of beans being sold at little roadside stalls in the mountains. Keep your eyes open next time you go for a drive. My local supermarket offers butter beans, haricot beans, chickpeas and some other huge black-and-pink beans (they turn browny-purple when cooked) that I don't know that name of. Try shopping around!

    Posted in: The fresh, mainstream look of vegetarian cooking

  • 1

    cleo

    The real question is, do YOU know what it means.

    Yes I do, and you're exhibiting classic symptoms. A desperate need to 'protect' your family, the need to carry a weapon to 'protect' yourself, seeing 'basket cases' and 'crazy loons' everywhere....

    having crazy loons walk the street without proper medication and supervision, that is the underlying problem to this whole debacle.

    How come other countries don't have all these crazy loons in need of medication and supervision, and don't suffer from this 'whole debacle'? (At least now you can see that the situation is a debacle.)

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -1

    cleo

    bass4funk

    Do you even know what the word means?

    You're the one who claims to live in a 'good area' yet to still need protection. And who thinks there are so many nutters currently crawling the streets that a concerted mental asylum-building project is in order.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -6

    cleo

    Lots of intrepid hunters clicking the thumbs-down.

    Personally I think I'd rather have wolves roaming the woods than these old geezers with guns that they demonstrably do not know how to use safely.

    Posted in: 64-year-old deer hunter shot dead by fellow hunter in Miyagi

  • -2

    cleo

    there are those violent persons who intend to rob, murder, or rape....

    the time may come again where the reason for the second amendment to the constitution exists becomes extremely valid again....

    I would rather have a carry pistol on me when someone tries to rob me or stab me....

    as for day to day gun ownership I would rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it....

    If the US didn't have guns, people like you would find other ways to bash Americans....

    Paranoia.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

  • -1

    cleo

    you also threw in Boston which as far as I know hasn't had any mass shooting incidents

    Didn't the perpetrators get in a firefight with the police, killing an officer, before one was killed and the other was found bleeding in the boat?

    I refuse to live in fear of a couple of nutballs therefore I will choose to protect myself.

    You feel the need to 'protect' yourself because you live in fear.

    when you take one freedom away whats next? its a slippery slope.

    That's right, and judging from the sentiments expressed here and on other threads about guns in the US, you have already lost your freedom to walk in safety down the streets, the freedom to send your kids to school secure in the knowledge that they will come home safe, and the freedom to sleep easy in your bed at night. And from today, the freedom to let your kids enjoy a harmless little street parade without getting shot up. Next slip down the slippery slope is everyone needing to carry an arsenal and wear kevlar. Little kids to be wheeled around in a kevlar capsule. I prefer to have the freedom not to fear for my life on a daily basis.

    Posted in: Gunmen open fire at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade; 19 wounded

View all