Happy Australia Day!

[ZeroArmour]

Happy Australia Day! The day specially set aside to celebrate how great at being Australia, Australia is! You other countries can't be Australia. America, you are the wrong shape! China, you aren't girt enough by sea! Antarctica, you're too penguiney! Yes, for 224 years we have been the undisputed champion at being Australia.

Australia, you're standing in it!

 

[Orac Zen]

No Australia Day Sydney Star Trek meetup this year guys, sorry about that.

Such is life. I really do have to show up to another meetup one of these days.

(Aside: You still reckon Michael Clarke is "finished"? )

 

[RJDiogenes]

Edited to add - the actual chart is here

So the United States has almost 90% gun ownership? I've lived here my whole life and never known anyone with a gun, aside from some cops. I guess the gun nuts in Texas must own a hundred guns apiece or something.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Yes, I assume it means that the huge number of gunowners in the USA have multiple weapons. I know a few of the gun-lovers on Trekbbs do.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I don't own any guns but I am happy to see you.

 

[cooleddie74]

Edited to add - the actual chart is here

So the United States has almost 90% gun ownership? I've lived here my whole life and never known anyone with a gun, aside from some cops. I guess the gun nuts in Texas must own a hundred guns apiece or something.

Someone's got multiple weapons. The nation has an estimated 200-250 million firearms, which may or may NOT include military firearms. I don't own a gun and never have, but I've known plenty of people who have the license to do so and pack heat. A few of them quite serious heat.

 

[bbailey861]

I have been informed that in the State of Texas alone, there is the equivalent of 4 weapons for every person. I have often wondered it that is true or not.

 

[Maestro]

I'm feeling left out. Anyone want to recommend a gun for me?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Not allowed to own guns and run by a woman. No thanks.

You need to stay off my radar with these kinds of comments. It's clear you're just trying to get a rise out of people and have nothing constructive to add to the thread. I've already spoken with you twice about it, and if there's a third time it's probably going to result in a warning for trolling. Knock it off.

 

[Goliath]

So the United States has almost 90% gun ownership? I've lived here my whole life and never known anyone with a gun, aside from some cops. I guess the gun nuts in Texas must own a hundred guns apiece or something.

Well, you don't have to be a gun nut to own multiple guns.

My Dad lives on a farm, and owns three firearms--a .22 rifle, a 20-gauge shotgun, and his latest acquisition, a .308 rifle. And he is far from being a gun nut.

He bought the .308 because coyotes are becoming bolder and more aggressive--they aren't scared off by his dogs, or by a warning shot from his .22, the way they used to be.

Anyway--back to Australia day. What's up with this?

Sydney (CNN) -- Security officers dragged Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard out of a Canberra restaurant Thursday after an angry mob of protesters surrounded the building during a luncheon ceremony, police said.

Gillard and federal opposition leader Tony Abbott were taken out of the building after a group of between 50 and 100 protesters from a nearby ceremony gathered around the building, bashing windows and brandishing sticks and rocks, according to federal police.

Did security overreact, or was the Prime Minister in real danger?

 

[captcalhoun]

Aborigine rights protesters. The BBC News said there was about 200 of them and they were getting pretty raucous on the channel 9 footage they showed. think they decided to take no chances.

 

[RJDiogenes]

So the United States has almost 90% gun ownership? I've lived here my whole life and never known anyone with a gun, aside from some cops. I guess the gun nuts in Texas must own a hundred guns apiece or something.

Well, you don't have to be a gun nut to own multiple guns.

Well, there's multiple and there's multiple. I mean, 90%? That's hard to believe.

 

[Kemaiku]

You'd need a better scale for individual ownership, along the lines of "Sane to Apostle" or something like that.

 

[cooleddie74]

You'd need a better scale for individual ownership, along the lines of "Sane to Apostle" or something like that.

For Apostle "sane" would be the right to own your very own Stinger antiaircraft missile system as well as two Browning machine guns with unlimited ammo. That guy makes Ted Nugent look like a moderate when it comes to the Second Amendment.

 

[Kemaiku]

You'd need a better scale for individual ownership, along the lines of "Sane to Apostle" or something like that.

For Apostle "sane" would be the right to own your very own Stinger antiaircraft missile system as well as two Browning machine guns with unlimited ammo. That guy makes Ted Nugent look like a moderate when it comes to the Second Amendment.

That's why I meant actually rationally sane one end, Apostle's "collection" on the other.

 

[cooleddie74]

You'd need a better scale for individual ownership, along the lines of "Sane to Apostle" or something like that.

For Apostle "sane" would be the right to own your very own Stinger antiaircraft missile system as well as two Browning machine guns with unlimited ammo. That guy makes Ted Nugent look like a moderate when it comes to the Second Amendment.

That's why I meant actually rationally sane one end, Apostle's "collection" on the other.

I'm convinced that guy owns an intercontinental ballistic missile. He just won't fess up to it. When the zombie apocalypse comes that dude's gonna be better prepared than the rest of us.

He's a nut...but a well-armed nut.

 

[Kemaiku]

Yes but knowing him he'll use it on his mother and miss the zombies entirely.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

No Australia Day Sydney Star Trek meetup this year guys, sorry about that. I tried to find somewhere, but all our favourite places have cottoned onto the fact you can charge $300 a head on Australia Day and make a killing on our national day. I tried looking around, but nothing really appealed. Hopefully next year.

Oh is outrageous charge to eat somewhere. If there is one next year, I should be able to attend. This year, it would have very hard for me to attend.

On the subject of meetups, I reckon one, should happen around time of a convention. I'm buying tickets for Hub's Star Trek con in the next week, and looking forward to Oz Comic-Con.