Max Divergent

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Posts by Max Divergent

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  138

  Guns: Opinions?

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

  she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

  about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

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  Max Divergent

  Gun ownership is sometimes argued on the basis of rights or freedoms... if there's a correlation between general freedom, freedom to own a gun, and the number of people killed by guns... then we should see the most free countries on earth having the highest gun death rates... Let's pick an arbitary 5 deaths per 100,000 as a stick in the mud...

  Here are gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in the world's 36 richest countries in 1994:

  >5 deaths per 100,000

  United States 14.24; Brazil 12.95; Mexico 12.69; Estonia 12.26; Argentina 8.93; Northern Ireland 6.63; Finland 6.46; Switzerland 5.31; France 5.15;

  <5 deaths per 100,000

  Canada 4.31; Norway 3.82; Austria 3.70; Portugal 3.20; Israel 2.91; Belgium 2.90; Australia 2.65; Slovenia 2.60; Italy 2.44; New Zealand 2.38; Denmark 2.09; Sweden 1.92; Kuwait 1.84; Greece 1.29; Germany 1.24; Hungary 1.11; Republic of Ireland 0.97; Spain 0.78; Netherlands 0.70; Scotland 0.54; England and Wales 0.41; Taiwan 0.37; Singapore 0.21; Mauritius 0.19; Hong Kong 0.14; South Korea 0.12; Japan 0.05.

  I suppose each person's milage may vary, but having been to over half the countries on the list I reckon the average level of civil freedom is at least as great or greater in the second group of countries than in the first group.

  Personaly, I don't think civil liberty/freedom is a good argument in favor of widespread, loosley controlled gun ownership. In the US it's probably more a historic thing that's hard to change. That's about as far as the argument can go.

  Cheers, Max - a gun lover who shoots regularly with a licenced, safely stored target firearm in a country in the second list
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  138

  Guns: Opinions?

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

  she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

  about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

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  Max Divergent

  ... the occassional accidental shooting (cleaning a gun, kid finds improperly stored firearm, shoots brother, hunting accident because Bubba Joe is drunk, etc.).

  These aren't accidents. These are killings. These are reckless, careless choices people make.
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  138

  Guns: Opinions?

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my mom isnt a big fan of guns, but after being mugged once, she appreciates the value of a well placed firearm.

  she doesn't mind that i hunt and go to the shooting range regularly with my father.

  about 6 months ago, i was out in field service with my mother and an elder's 2 daughters.

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  Max Divergent

  Imagine going to a Judicial Committee armed!

  How about field service with a 9mm in the book bag?

  Could you work an old flintlock rifle in to a student talk as a prop? Maybe compare the firepower to David's ass bone?

  A Glock each would add interest to an elder's meeting!!
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  9

  Watched Sunday, JW's at my door 30 mins later!!

  by Max Divergent in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i watched sunday this morning, then was on my way out 30 minutes later but guess who was at my doorstep?

  smooth jw elder and a little boy!

  i was very controlled, and had the choice of letting my identity as "an opposed person" or whatever be known, or to retain my cover as an ordinary member of the public!

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  Max Divergent

  My word he was.... where was Viv? This John guy was hung out to dry. Their silly letter and refusal to speak spoke volumes...
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  15

  Ozzie's Weekend Poll # 135

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, what a week!

  health problems have been our overriding concern but, as the song says, "i'm still standing!

  how's things been with you?

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  Max Divergent

  iThere were just better thinks to be doing... eating, drinkng, sleeping, JWDing, just sitting, watching Sunday, walking the dog, going to Macca's, making mad passionate love, howling at the moon... all sorts of things....
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  9

  Watched Sunday, JW's at my door 30 mins later!!

  by Max Divergent in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i watched sunday this morning, then was on my way out 30 minutes later but guess who was at my doorstep?

  smooth jw elder and a little boy!

  i was very controlled, and had the choice of letting my identity as "an opposed person" or whatever be known, or to retain my cover as an ordinary member of the public!

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  Max Divergent

  Hi OP!! My word!! They'll be hearing all about it!

  Cheers, Max!
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  9

  Watched Sunday, JW's at my door 30 mins later!!

  by Max Divergent in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i watched sunday this morning, then was on my way out 30 minutes later but guess who was at my doorstep?

  smooth jw elder and a little boy!

  i was very controlled, and had the choice of letting my identity as "an opposed person" or whatever be known, or to retain my cover as an ordinary member of the public!

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  Max Divergent

  I watched Sunday this morning, then was on my way out 30 minutes later but guess who was at my doorstep? Smooth JW elder and a little boy!

  I was very controlled, and had the choice of letting my identity as "an opposed person" or whatever be known, or to retain my cover as an ordinary member of the public! J

  I decided to retain my anonymity for another day, but I said I'd just watched an interesting show about his organisation on TV, "What was it about" he asked? "Children" was my reply... "Ah..." was his response.

  It was a good show: bethal at Ingleburn looked appropriatly sinister, and the conventon crowds decicidly odd-ball.A lot of focus went on one elder who, at face value, was in an invidious postiton, 'meat in the sandwich' in a way. I noticed all but one of the ex-JW men had facial hair that they wouldn't have as JW's. Interesting. (some how half this para was lost in my cut & paste!)

  Flindersgirl came up really well! Congrats!
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  43

  Aussies Who Missed The Sunday Program...

  by Stephanus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  it will be repeated at 1:15pm today( about 3 hours from now) on the sky news channel, if you have or can get access to pay tv.. .

  great show, btw, makes the 'tower org look like a bunch of evil prats.

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  Max Divergent

  Great show. I think the WTS putting that elder out there to dry was poor form (doubtless he's accountable for his actions though). Where was Viv? Gward... hearing that bloody accent of his again was cringe making... and hearing them singing that song... can't remember which one, but we sang it all the time.

  But what's happened to dress standards in the JW's? :-) They looked badly turned out...
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  19

  Australian TV show child sexual abuse in JWs

  by gerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the sunday tv program that is broadcast nationwide in australia on the nine network is featuring a story this coming sunday 29th may on "turning a blind eye on paedophilia".

  three years ago the sunday program exposed the child sexual abuse in the jehovah's witnesses.

  graham davis the reporter for that story won a new york festivals medal in 2004 for that investigation.

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  Max Divergent

  Sorry to hear you're unwell agin Mr Ozzie. I hope you recover well again.

  We were just reminicing on old CO/DO's who left, wondered if you knew any... won't put second names... Joe S, Alan W, Phil T (think he went back)? There was also Ray C. I think he got moved around a bit. I remember Joe S coming to our place for tea, he found The Oz and a glass of somthing intoxicating and just wandered off to read and drink ignoring the rest of us... cool guy!! :-)

  Regards, Max
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  34

  CRITICISING RELIGIOUS BELIEFS COULD BE MADE ILLEGAL

  by diamondblue1974 in

  1. social
  2. current

  copyright 2005 telegraph group limited .

  the daily telegraph(london).

  may 19, 2005, thursday.

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  Max Divergent

  Most Australian jurisdictions already have similar laws and no apostates have yet been sent to the gulag! It's Ok to critsise, but inciting hatred is a way differnt thing. .

  The US has a different outlook prefering to give more weight to individual rights than the consequences of conduct.