I think there is a lot this fails to capture because certain things are unprecedented. Michigan’s GOP is in utter disarray and it isn’t the only one. And overturning Roe v Wade has energized the left and disillusioned whatever center remains.

Now these facts are baked into the polling already, so obviously that’s a big concern, but I believe this means polling is too far right across the board. I think who makes up likely voters has shifted. RvW drew in younger voters and I think now that they are engaged they will remain so.

Time will tell. I’ve seen far less Trump support this year than I did in 2020, which yeah is anecdotal, but I think it’s an indicator. Of course, even if I’m correct, Michigan isn’t going to carry the election alone, and it looks like the rest of the rust belt is further to the right.

I suggest creating a nice hermitage, because human stupidity is a constant.

Could be. I just picture guns to be involved in a much larger proportion of violent crimes.

That’s definitely part of the question.

That makes sense. So you’re suggesting that maybe the number of violent crimes has gone down but the number of victims per crime has gone up? It doesn’t seem like there are enough mass shootings to account for that big of a difference, but I can see where it would contribute. Suicides seems to be the leading candidate for now.

Thank you, genuinely. I’ll see if I can confirm that explanation independently, but that gives me an angle to research.

Sure but that isn’t the point of my question, and treads perilously close to the area I’m trying to avoid. I’m not interested in the political decision here, but the facts that purport to underlie it.

I can’t argue in favor of this action citing facts that not only seem to be bullshit, but also threaten to undermine the narrative that people don’t need guns for protection because violent crime is so low.

Here we have the surgeon general saying gun violence is so bad it’s an emergency. How is that going to play with people who hoard guns out of xenophobic paranoia over their own safety?

Absolutely. I’m not saying this shouldn’t have been done. But the article states the reason for it is an all time high gun violence and I’m just having trouble reconciling that with all time low violent crime.

If this is a tool that can be effective in addressing gun violence, I’m 100% for it. But I can’t fucking stand bullshit. If you can’t build a case for taking action without lying to people, stay at the drawing board until you work it out.

That said, just because something trips my bullshit meter doesn’t mean it’s a lie. So I’d be remiss not to seek out a better understanding. I’m damn sure going to be called out on it myself if I defend it to more right-leaning folks in my life, so my own reputation is on the line and I’m not going to be caught repeating bullshit when I argue so hard to get them to check their facts.

I hope I can ask this without leading to a bunch of religious fervor about pro or anti-2A. For the record I support having some rights to guns, but as long as anyone claims 2A is a reason we can’t have sensible legislation about guns, then I’m against 2A entirely. I say that in effort to establish I’m not asking in bad faith.

Violent crime is at an all time low, according to many articles. So how is gun violence at an all time high? Is there an excess of non-criminal gun violence? Like perhaps suicide is at a high? Police shootings making up the difference? Is there gun violence showing up in hospitals that isn’t being reported to law enforcement? Is there a different standard of what constitutes gun violence between the healthcare and law enforcement communities?

I read the article and a couple of linked ones, but I couldn’t find any answer. At first glance it doesn’t seem like both things can be true, but I’m going to assume instead I’m just missing part of the picture, so what is it?

He’s a retired general so I’m sure he earns a pension, if nothing else.

I’ve always been a bit salty that wrestling kept preempting my science fiction shows, so I wouldn’t call myself a fan, but I have seen a lot of WWF (haven’t watched since the name change). I know exactly what you mean and that would be pretty epic.

Okay, but why would I give a fuck if it were true? Trump sure as hell is going to be. Let’s see whose best is better.

I said in 2020 I’d vote for a ham sandwich if it was the only alternative to Trump. If Biden is a coked up vegetable, I’ll so vote for him over Trump.

Fuck that traitor. I’m not sure how he isn’t facing charges.

Look at our current set of lawmakers. Many of them are unserious people and you can’t take what they say seriously. Which is why we should endeavor to stop electing them.

It makes sense. I’m pretty sure I’d be a total asshole if I were rich. No worries on that front, though. I’m not going to be rich. Ever.

We need like a global swing/orgy day. All monogamous relationships are suspended once a year. Only requirement is they can’t be the same skin color unless both are… ethnically ambiguous.

There, we fixed population collapse.

“No! Not like this!”

I don’t care what fucking color everyone is in 1000 years. We should all just fuck each other to end race once and for all.

No. You’re going to have to walk me through the thought process that led you to ask that. My whole point is if you can’t win through voting, don’t try to start a war because you aren’t going to win that either.

If they lose by less than the margin of Covid deaths that’s going to be hilarious. Until they realize that it was a conspiracy all along and they were tricked into not masking.

If you don’t have enough people to win the war by picking up pens and voting, you definitely don’t have enough to win by picking up guns and shooting.