Walsingham

It is one of the Army's most charming practices that if a parade is kept waiting for any length of time then the NCO taking the parade will often requestsoldiers step forward and share jokes.

Sometimes it's a guaranteed ticket to an . I had no idea what the hell that guy was doing. Ninja Mono is the limit of my abilities. The pickup one is my favourite. I'm just getting the hang of it. I'm trying to find a copy of 'polka your eyes out' by Weird Al Yankovic to see how that runs.

Oh come on. What about the one with the goalkeeper?

You're basing your response on what you IMAGINE the episode was like. I see. ~~ I like Gorgon's idea. It's how I got over being a shortarse.

Yeah. Strange story, what with the previously undisclosed broken nose from when I was a kid, but I have a bad back going a long way back. Possibly due to injury. Bloody weird. But it got set off in boot camp. The ribs splitting almost certainly came from irregularities with the back transmitting strain in weird ways. I've been advised I could seek compensation, but I'd rather get kicked in the nuts than take money from the injury fund when it's needed for combat casualties.

What if the unarmed man was Chuck Norris? Jumping to Gorgon's point, I don't see it as a problem that the Govt routinely whups militias. I used to argue with a militiaman waaaaay back at the start of the internets and he was as mad as LoF. Only unlike LoF he used to put in hours of training each week, and made the commitment to actively purusing his goals, in addition to putting in some time working for charities by organising sponsored abseiling and shooting competitions. Anyway, the point is that it small armed groups could challenge government that would mean an effective end to democracy, not a protection of it. But large mobs of a size which would be democratically significant but are refused democratic process MIGHT be. Personally I think that in the USA mobility and sustainability would count for far more than raw lethality, but that's not my point. It's what the greedy dunderheads in Washington think that matters.

It's official. I'm getting booted from the Army! On the one hand I'm gutted because I really enjoyed it, and I had high hopes of deploying and doing a first rate job. On the other hand I'm pleased because it isn't easy, and it means my life gets a lot easier from here on in! (finger's crossed) I was also immensely cheered by the praise I got from the officer concerned, who said that in his opinion it was a great shame as I would have done a good job, and showed 'excellent commitment'. So on balance, I've decided to be pleased.

Adiosurf. I felt like I needed cheering up. Absolute pure ****ing genius. Basically the game converts media files (but not DRM protected media files) into a racetrack. So far so good. But I hate racing games. The thing I didn't realise is that in fact it's a racing puzzle game. You hit things as you go round the track, and you buidl blocks of these things, like a sort of tetris. While racing. Inspired by your favourite music. It's mental. My favourites so far include Beethoven's Ninth symphony 'The Ode to joy' Run DMC/Aerosmith Walk This Way The Tiger Lillies Bully Boys. The program doesn't really pay much attention to drumming, but it goes nuts over accordion music.

I had the most terrifying nightmare last night. Dream was one of those lucid ones. Granted I was on a plane, but I was in business class, and looking forward to stuffing my face and chatting up someone. We took off, and I was on my first brandy, and just about to unbuckle my seatbelt, when I felt teh plane hit turbulence. We sank, rose, then slipped sideways into a literally sickening nose dive. I remember seeing the clouds outside at an angle I'd never seen before, and thinking 'these seatbelts are rubbish, I'm practically falling out'. Then I realised I was going to die, in a matter of minutes. No-one was really even screaming. Everyone was just too confused, looking at one another. I woke up heart racing.

You may be deliberately ignoring my central thesis, but i'm interested in what you think, Gorgo. Large disparate polities tend towards central dictatorships. An armed polity discourages this trend from progressing too far - albeit more in the mind than it would in reality.

Through the Looking Glass is even better.

I'd agree with Monte's assessment of why we are interested in the UK, and add that gun crime is growing enormously. We also have armed police officers routinely at train stations, public events, and airports. We think YOU are where we might end up. obviously that's going to interest us. Again, I have to clarify. I don't agree with the notion that people can only get by in life if they are carrying concealed handguns. I can empathise with that view, mainly because I've held it at various times when my life has been threatened! My opposition now is so complex I've written and re-written my next sentence seven times. I simply don't believe that the majority of people - even law-abiding people (actually ESPECIALLY law abiding people) have the self-control and judgement to manage access to lethal force at all times. The smaller the gun, the more often you can carry it, and the greater the likelihood of using it in error. I would honestly feel safer with everyone owning .50 MGs than everyone owning .40 automatics.

You are quite mad. Porn is as old as stone carving, FFS. You can get porn in the local newsagents here in the UK. It being on offer in your phone is a given in my opinion. It's ADULT content. The clue is in the name.

UFO NUTTERS CONFIRM IT'S A HOAX http://www.ufo-blogger.com/2010/04/ufo-uk-...he+UFO+Truth%29 Although what's scary is that the trucks in the foreground are also 3d models, apparently. Makes you wonder how much film news we'll be able to trust in another five years.

BUt think of the opportunity for you! "Charlie." "What?" "I found out something today." "What?" "I found out million's of people think you're a ***"

Enoch certainly makes a keen edged point about the results of citizen uprisings. Mob rising tends to be followed by mob rule, and mob rule is as much fun as it sounds*. As for Monte's point about unarmed civilian uprising there may be something to it. But Britain is - despite what comedians tell us - a very homogenous place. We are broadly united in what we will and won't stand, even if we disagree on many issues of policy. I would suggest that an armed citizenry is rather like a nuclear deterrent. But only in so far as it it becomes redundant as soon as it is put into action. It works best because it is an unspoken challenge to authority. Finally, Gina, I cannot agree that a civilised society should rely on lethal force resting in the hands of individuals for its justice/law enforcement. At the point where that happens then things have gone horribly wrong. If ordinary people were capable of exercising lethal force sensibly then we would not need to train either police officers or soldiers so carefully. *Thought: I wonder if flash mob rule would be more terrifying?

:lol: Bin Laden tweeting from his sick bed.

I want to move beyond the US and UK, Monte. I may well try Indian as Krez suggests. I've run across numerous articles over the years which struck me as excellent.

I have to wonder if I've made my case clear. I'm saying that it costs to have them loose in the system, but that the consequences of removing them would be far worse. You could argue that the mlitary cause all sorts of costs and problems - because they do - but a nation without them is worse off.

GodDAMMIT! We can't just switch sides, you know? This is politics, not country-dancing.

Agreed 100% I love the interface system, and I'm a huge tactics nerd. Point. 'Shout'. Genius.

Virtual PC?

In fairness to anyone just joining us I think it's worth pointing out that at this point I've been stuck in a chair almost continuously for nearly two months in a moderate amount of pain. So my change of heart could simply represent my desire to shoot passersby from the window as a means of alleviating the boredom. I only think I'm being rational.

I've been reading about Iran this morning, and also caught an article about gun control, and something struck me. 1. Nations that are large and disparate have a pronounced tendency to resort to authoritarianism in order to achieve political mobilism, and governmental action. 2. Authoritarianism can easily slide into dictatorship where there is no political 'long stop'. 3. One could argue - and as I say I am now convinced - that free gun ownership represents a (pretty weak, but still tangible) long stop. 4. Without this long stop the USA might have long ago descended into overt authoritarianism, and possibly dictatorship. I have therefore changed my mind on gun control. That is despite the manifest problems it causes, and the bonkers qualities of many gun owners, a non-fascist US is worth it. Having said this, I would emphatically reject the notion that handguns are of any use whatsoever in ensuring freedom. If people are to own weapons in order to fight, then they should be weapons of war. I would also accept, given my thesis, that an alternative would be nullifying the size and disparate quality of the USA. But given this would lead to a MASSIVE global pwoer vacuum to be filled by the Russians and Chinese i don't think this is worthwhile.

By the sound of it MSyesyoulooklikeabitch.exe