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Posts by Tacitus  

Joined: 6 Jul 2017 / Male ♂
Warnings: 2 - OQ
Last Post: 25 Mar 2024
Threads: 2
Posts: 1,354

Displayed posts: 1356 / page 8 of 46
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Tacitus   
23 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

yet tons of shootings rules

Except France has no "tons of shootings." And Mexico's war on drugs dwarves anything that happens in France.

nytimes.com/2016/06/14/upshot/compare-these-gun-death-rates-the-us-is-in-a-different-world.html

where gun laws are alsl lax.

This is not true. Gun laws are tougher in the Czech Republic and Switzerland than in the USA. Just read the Wikipedia page here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_Czech_Republic#Categories_of_licenses

You have to get a license first in the Czech Republic, which takes some time. The same counts for Switzerland. The danger that an angry pupil gets a gun and can use it in his school is far smaller than in the USA.

re like a warzone - according to their own policr.

Which is not true: government.se/articles/2017/02/facts-about-migration-and-crime-in-sweden/

They are certainly no war zones.

next time migrants

Because there have been so many massacres commited by guns and migrants compared to massacres commited by native people? Was the last school shooter a migrant?

organized crime has no problem obtaining and using automatic sub machine guns.

This is a lie. Gun crime is almost non-existant in Japan: bbc.com/news/magazine-38365729

Even the Yakuza has trouble getting guns: atimes.com/article/japans-gun-control-laws-strict-yakuza-turn-toy-pistols/

Perhaps larger groups will still be able to get their hands on guns, but those groups are more vulnerable to get caught by police. Those "lone wolves" who plan such incidents on their own are the real danger, because they are more difficult to detect. But those people often lack the ressources to pay thousands of dollars for a gun on the black market.

Gun control works. Anything that limits the possibility of dangerous individuals getting guns works.

Americans might have resigned themselves to seeing mass shootings as a natural occurence, but thankfully people in Europe are thinking differently.
Tacitus   
23 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

Charlie hebdo, paris massacre,

We are talking about mass shootings here. The fact that you always mention the same cases where migrants were responsible is speaking volumes.

and countless more all committed by muslims.

Which is not true. Breivik was a native citizen. We had 3 mass shooting incidents in Germany in this century, in all cases native Germans were responsible.

Amd a gun doesnt cost thousands of dollars on the black market. A handgun with bodies on it costs $50 or is even given away for free

Perhaps in the USA, but it is far more expensive to get a gun in most countries with strict gun control laws.

Why were terrorists able to kill 100 people with aks if gun control works so well?

Because naturally a larger group will have it easier to acquire weapons than one individual.

The better question is why do we count the length between mass shooting incidents in years in European countriesm while often only weeks pass between such incidents in the USA. Why did the number of such incidents immideately drop (as in completely disappear) after Australia introduced gun control?

France suffered 3 mass shooting incidents this century (those which you like to point out). How many mass shooting incidents have happened in the USA since 2015?
Tacitus   
23 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

But even if we look at only mass shootings, well then clearly frances gun control failed on numerous occasions.

There have been 3 mass shooting incidents in France in this century according to Wikipedia.

If gun restrictions did nothing but decrease the number of mass shooting incidents, it would still be worth it.

Actually,[...] ike czechy and switzerland have less shootings than countries with very strict laws amd low rates of gun ownership like sweden germany and france.

Everything in this statement is wrong.

Switzerland has more gun crimes than France and Germany and Sweden. Czech Republic has more gun crimes than Germany and Sweden.

Both France and Germany had 3 mass shooting incidents in the last 20 years, yet each country has several more times (at least 6 or more) people than e.g. Switzerland (8,5m) and Czech Republic (10,6m).

Switzerland and the Czech Republic had one notable massacre:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zug_massacre

Uherský Brod shooting

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

Of course statistics are difficult to apply in such small numbers, but claiming that those countries are less likely to have gun violence or mass shootings is wrong.
Tacitus   
23 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

This proves czechy has lower ratws of homicide than france:

And both are higher than in Germany according to this list:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

It is also quite interesting that Germany and France have more guns per citizen than Switzerland and Czech Republic.

That can quickly be disproven

You should have read the list carefully like I did before you posted this here.

No mass shooting happened after Fort Arthur (mass shooting is usually described with 4 or more deaths). The only exception was the Hunt family murdersand as the name implies, that was a family tragedy. We are talking about cases when a deranged individual tries to kill a large number of people in a public space in a short amount of time.

Again, we are talking about mass shootings here.

Thats the same line of logic the left uses with ar15s

Except cars are not primarily made for killing. AR15 are made for killing. Banning cars would drasitically inconvenience everybody, banning AR15s would only inconveniece a few and to a much smaller degree.

Do you really find it normal that school children in the USA have to learn how to behave in case a gunman storms the school? You keep on rambling about terror incidents in Europe when people are getting gunned down at a regular base in the USA. How many mass shootings have to happen until people like you change their mind?

Another excellent video that debunks those arguments against gun control (and it is even meant to be entertaining).

youtu.be/0rR9IaXH1M0?t=2m50s
Tacitus   
23 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

Using guns to protect your family is a rather questionable anyway. If you are a responsible gun owner, you'll have your gun safely locked away where your children won't find them. But then it will be difficult to reach them in time.

I mean when I read statistics like this I am very happy that gun owners in Germany are legally obligated to have their guns locked away at home.

verywellfamily.com/gun-and-shooting-accidents-2634213
Tacitus   
26 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

The 2nd amendment is not about hunting or sporting. It is designed with the express intent as a final check against government tyranny.

This might have been justified 200 years ago bit nowadays this is simply laughable simply out of practically reasons. The government has now tanks, planes, drones, how do you think will some guys with guns stand up to this? We can see in Syria that a scrupulous government can stamp out any resistance as long as it is ruthless enough.
Tacitus   
26 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

guys in man dresses and flip flops have managed to hobble the most powerful military on Earth

Because said military still follows (mostly) the basic rules of military conduct and fights on foreign soil with somewhat limited efdort. A tyrannic government would hardly have any of those limitations.

@mafketis

they want guns out of the hands of minority criminals

You still try to deflect from the desire to prevent mass shootings by bringing up migrant problems.
Tacitus   
26 Feb 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

not easily solved by taking away guns from normal law-abiding people.

I never understood this argument. Even strict gun control does not mean that people loose their right to own guns. It is entirely possible for law-abiding citizens to own guns in countries with strict gun control like Germany, which has a very high gun percitizen ratio, and even in Japan. It simply takes time to pass all backround checks and tests that show that you can handle a gun. And given the low number of mass shootings in these countries, the system clearly works.
Tacitus   
3 Mar 2018
Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

Take note that ALL the mass shooters have been mentally ill and on prescription drugs

There are mentally ill in every country, yet it is the USA which suffers again and again from mass shootings.
Tacitus   
4 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

Germany apparently lost in 1945 what was not theirs.

That is a really ridiculous argument. Never mind that Austria had a larger claim to being the legal predecessor of Germany at the time, none of the territorial changes of the past live up to standards of our time. And even then, Austria repeatedly confirmed Prussia ownership of Silesia in several peace treaties afterwards.

@Ironside

I'm talking about it as something that should be solved long ago but due to the fact that Poland had been ruled by Soviet leftovers it had been neglected

The issue has been solved long ago. Germany does well to refute any Polish claims to the contrary, because even if it was willing to pay. Who would guarantee that a future Polish government would not come again? Because evidently agreements and binding treaties have no value to some people in Poland.
Tacitus   
4 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

It is not like Poland has any legal claim to reparations, let alone a way to enforce it. And the Polish government knows this.

This is just a ploy of PiS to distract the Polish people from their own disastrous Eu foreign policy, nothing more.
Tacitus   
5 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

You'll find that all people practiced customs that we know think of as deplorable back then. But the truly remarkeable thing about the Greeks is that they were regardless able to pass on their profound philosophical teachings to posterity, a truly impressive achievement.

If their is one obvious failing in the Slavic world, it is that they never left a deep impact on the philosophical stage.
Tacitus   
5 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

young mens' rear ends? ka.....BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!

No doubt they did, and worse, but since they were still savages they left no written records behind.

@Crow: You do know that your precious Sarmatians owed every bit of civilization to the Greeks and Romans right?
Tacitus   
8 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

Germany is of Serbian origin... . Probably the most insane thing I have read so far by Crow... .

Not that what Dirk writes has any claim to reality either.
Tacitus   
8 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

were once described as purely Slavic in some very old Persian sources

It would be interesting if you please could get me more information on this since this is new to me. Do you perhaps remember what kind of sources we are talking about, and when they were roughly written?

I have a great interest in local history in NRW (my home state) but to my knowlege all lasting settlements there were either created by the Romans or later the Germanic tribes.
Tacitus   
8 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

It is just fascinating to see how Crow can top himself with each post. His statements about Germany were just so outrageous that I had to respond.

Though the fact that I am an historian who has great interest in ancient migration history are kind of making his bs more difficult to swallow.

It is similar with Dirk. How long can he go on without mentioning migrants on every possible topic?

Though I believe him more to be a victim of extensive brain-washing by the media than outright malice.
Tacitus   
9 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

Merkel did not take in refugees for economic reasons (the EU immigration did this already) but because a) it was the morally right thing to do and b) most importantly because the countries in Southern Europe, including Hungary and Greece begged her for help. She singelhandily sqved those countries from collapse and prevented an escalation in the Balkans. That is all there is to know to her decision.
Tacitus   
9 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

Merkel nor any politician is required to let in economic migrants

Economic migrants do not have their status written on their faces. If someone claims to be a refugee, he is entitled to have his application checked, and for the mean time receive appropiate care. Obviously it would have been easier if the Southern Europeans had bothered to check the stories of the refugees themselves, bit since they simply let them go north, Germany has to sort them out.

traditional german culture and identity

Nonsense. There are few German politicians who appreciate German culture as much as she does, as her regular visits to Wagnar operas testify.

she shook her head and refused to take it.

Because it was not appropiate at the moment. This happened after her party won the election in 2013, it has been a long-standing agreements between German parties to not pose with German flags on such occasions, which might seem strange to people who show their flags on every occasion.

elected official is to put the needs of citizens first and foremost

Which is what she did. It is in Germany's interest that the EU and Southern Europe survives which she assured with this decision. If she had done nothing and an armed conflict in the Balkans had broken out, not only would this harmed German interest, it would also have leas to even more refugees entering Germany.

in the hopes of them being future voters

Foreigners are traditionally voting for the SPD, she had thus nothing to gain by this.

begs people not to listen to afd

As does anyone who is interested in the future of Germany. The AfD is a disease and represents the very worst of Germany, and if the statements of their politicians are indication, them getting anywhere near power would be catastrophic, for Germany, but also for Poland btw.
Tacitus   
9 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

Then why did she refuse to wave a German flag, and not only that but toss it aside?

I gave you an answer to this.

Germany should remain true to its Christian European heritage

Merkel was one of the few so-called "Christian" politicians in 2015 that still remembered what being Christian is all about.

BEFORE they were let into Germany

Too bad that Austria vehemently opposed any detention camps on their soil, so that was no option.

And there was no war brewing in the Balkans caused by migrants.

Not caused by migrants, but possibly fasciliated once the countries would have started to deport them to their neighbours. Merkel received repeatedly warnings by the German secret service that the already fragile situation in the Balkans could escalate soon.

would take in anyone who makes it there

Merkel never said this, and repeating this lie does not make it true. Not once did she say that Germany would accept all migrants.

That is why the Greeks and Italians sent everyone north

They sent them North because they could not longer deal with them, particulary Greece was overwhelmed.

Well, clearly millions of Germans like AfD hence their recent success.

Some Germans have apparantly a short memory, but you are of course right, this is reason enough to worry for the future.

I would reply to the rest of your posts, but it is obvious that you are incapable of reason or rational argument on this matter. You like to believe in the lies and distorted reports made by some media outlets, so be it. I just hope not too many people on this forum take your views to seriously here and refrain from visiting Germany because of this. I mean honestly, if taken at face value you could think that people are more likely to get killed by terrorists in Germany than being randomly gunned down in one of the many mass shootings in the USA... .

@SigSauer

No conscience for the EU lawyers daughter who was raped, strangled, and tossed in a canal in Germany by a 31 year old Afghani migrant who claimed to be 17 though, right?

I actually live in the city where the crime happened and go to the very same university the victim attented. In the last three years, we had 3 high-profile crimes in Freiburg. One was the mentioned murder by an Afghani, the second was the murder by an Rumanian (who is probably a serial killer) and the third was a child rape case in which a native German couple sold their son to rapists from all over Europe.

dw.com/en/suspected-killer-of-freiburg-runner-carolin-g-held-in-police-detention/a-39107444

Aside from the fact that picking this case in order to argue against migration from some people, while ignoring cases against Eastern Europeans (in which we had a lot of heinous crimes recently) is already telling, there is another simple reason why this case is now rarely brought up even by the likes of the AfD. Because the Greek authorities failed to notify their colleagues that the culprit had already been convicted of attempted murder, and broke his parole afterwards. No detailed screening beforehand would have revealed this, thanks to the failure of Greek police forces to give his profile into international data banks.
Tacitus   
12 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

he amount of land that Poland had after WW1 was larger than after WW2 by over 70,000 km2

It was also much, much poorer and underdeveloped than the German territory they received afterwards. Despite the heavy destruction, the industrial area of Silesia in particulary were still more valuable in compared to anything in the East.In terms of economic worth, Poland was more than adequately compensated.
Tacitus   
12 Mar 2018
News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

Brussels should be forced to reform itself

Indeed, and there are very promising signs for this. Merkel and Macron will no doubt instigate great changes this year.

. The hugely-complcated beaurocracy that reigns

I hope you are not implying that the EU is any way responsible for the problems in Slovakia, when in fact the EU is usually cited (including by colleagues of the murdered journalist) as the main factor to keep those tendencies in check?

with it and how Brussels was blind to it for years

Again, the problem here was not the EU being blind to it, because even if it had been aware, there was nothing it could have done anyway. The memberstates have still reserved themselves the final decision-making in most cases, and as we are currently seeing with Poland, the EU can hardly interfere even when the rule of law is at stake. Even when Greece literally depended on the help of others, the influence on it was limited.

If we look at it objectively, most problems we currently have are not because of Bruessels' power, but because of its' impotence.
Tacitus   
12 Mar 2018
News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

Is that a joke? They certainly have no mandate for any such thing since they hold no formal positions in Brussels.
[/quote]
Such reforms always have to be instigated by the member states, since they must agree to the loss of sovereignity. And France and Germany have usually the diving force behind deeper integrations, nohing unusual here.

As for the rest of your post. Macron won his election campaign with the promise to reform Europe, and Merkel has now formed a government and is thus fully legitimized to do the same. This will be her last term in office, and she knows that she can fully cement her legacy as the saviour of the EU by making sure that the EU is prepared for future crisis. She will also have little trouble with the AfD on this matter, since a) most Germans like the EU and want it to work and b) te AfD has so far done little to critize the EU because of this.

The message from voters in lots of countries has been to slow down on the pan EU integration already, it's not wanted.

Not wanted in a few country perhaps, but the core countries are still very much commited to it. But I'd prefer it anyway if some countries press on with deeper integration, and leave the rest to either follow them, or be left behind.
Tacitus   
12 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

That is a quite simplified statement.

It was a simplified correction, but it is true nonetheless. There is no question that the former German territories were more developed and thus more valuable than the former Polish territories in the East. The Allies and Stalin knew this and used this both as an argument at Yalta and Potsdam.

You know it was quite possible to keep Polish borders in the east

No, because Stalin wanted those territories, and nobody was in any position to deny him. The only question at Potsdam was, how much of German territory Poland would receive in return. It could have been more, it could have been less than it eventually turned out.

Prussia and Gdansk, those are regions whose German identity or German claims to them are not that clearly cut and dry

It is undisputable that the German territory lost in 1945 was overwhelming German in character, the cities had a very large German majority (including Danzig) and had been under German rule for centuries. The loss was the price paid for a war of agression and the numerous atrocities comited in its' wake and none of the diplomats at Potsdam considered it any different. I say this because I have read all the minutes of thei negotiations at Potsdam. The arguments about the future Polish-German border was its' length, how it could be defended and how the Polish were compensated for the lost territory in the East. Some pseudo-historical claims were not seriously entertainted, they were at best used as some justification.

coal mining, something that is scorn right now by Germany and the EU

Not really, since Germany does a lot of coal mining themselves. To my knowledge, the only problem Poland currently has in this regard is the pollution problem in their cities.

a one that refuses fulfil his obligations

It is Poland who refuses its' contractual obligations so far by not adhering to the previous agreements. Besides, this is not a purely financial matter. Germany won't make any concessions on this because there would be no guarantee that a future Polish government would not attempt the same trick in the future again.

As in you eyes it nullifies all the economical bills and all human sufferings.

No, the exchange of territory does not nullify the German crimes, but the many treaties between Poland and Germany afterwards do. The matter is closed and it is time to look to the future, there is zero moral or legal justifications for reparation claims today. It is regrettable that so many Polish people are deceived by their government on this matter.
Tacitus   
12 Mar 2018
News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

that's twooooo countries out of..... how many?

They are far from the only one, the Benelux countries among others are also in favour. Anyway we shall see how their idea proceed in the next months.

Not much evidence anywhere else of a crying need for even more centralization

No doubt the Eurozone will see some further reforms, and there have been many demands (including by EU sceptical countries like the Czech Republic) for greater military cooperation among European countries. Those are the two areas where we might see some drastic changes rather soon. It already started with the PESCO initiative.
Tacitus   
13 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

Actually Germany hadn't recognized the eastern border till... 1991

(West-) Germany recognized the border in 1970 in the name of West Germany, and 1991 in the name of a reunited Germany. 25 years is not really that much if you think about it, it usually takes a generation until such issues are settled.
Tacitus   
13 Mar 2018
News / Polish-German Reconcilliation Seminar [491]

That is rather a moot point, more or less developed it depends on a point of view, we are not talking Kuwait here.

Well the differences were rather big though. Probably as big as between Western Germany and the GDR in 1990 at the very least.

Well, the point is there was no treaty that would nullify legality of the Polish claims for compensation they have never received.

This is untrue on several levels. I have written this several times already and it is getting tiresome to repeat. The signed treaties (Warsaw 1970 and the border treaty 1991) have taken care of all eventualities, and Poland did in fact receive financial compensation as a consequence of the border treaty in 1991. There is zero basis for any Polish reparation claims, neither legally, nor morally. The issue is settled.
Tacitus   
13 Mar 2018
News / Goodbye Sunday Shopping in Poland - Hello Electoral Reform [246]

Inflation in Germany was in 2017 under 2%, indeed Poland had a higher inflation in the same time period.

inflation.eu/inflation-rates/germany/historic-inflation/cpi-inflation-germany-2017.aspx

tradingeconomics.com/poland/inflation-cpi

Besides, the fact that you continue to compare Poland's economic growth with that of Western Europe betrays your bias. Poland's economy is still developing compared to the saturated economies in Western Europe, and thus can achieve higher growth rate; in fact as delphie has pointed out, the distance might not even get closer because total growth might still be higher in the west. The important is now how Poland will be able to make sure that all citizens benefit from its' economic growth.

Regarding the topic of this thread, I can understand why many people are annoyed about these changes, but I can also understand why they are implemented. I have recently read a study that longer shopping times do not necessarily lead to an increase in total spending (because people usually know what they are going to buy, and how much they need), instead people are simply spending the same over a longer amount of time. While large companies can afford to pay their employees for the additional working times, smaller shops might find this difficult, since their profits do not necessarily increase. So this practice puts a lot of pressure on smaller shops.

It seems to me that we need to find a compromise regarding the shopping time, and to be honest I think that a ban on Sunday shopping could serve as a compromise. As long as you can shop 6 days a week, you ought to be able to get your shopping done in the allocated time.
Tacitus   
13 Mar 2018
News / Goodbye Sunday Shopping in Poland - Hello Electoral Reform [246]

Er..don't you mean over a shorter period of time?

I meant to say that if shops have longer opened, people will roughly spend the same amount of money, during the longer buisness hours.

nd even with 2% inflatio

a) Germany had less than 2% inflation, and few economists would argue that even 2% are "too high". What is worrysome though it Poland's growing debt, given its' future demographic problems and overall economic outlook. If a government still records a high deficte even in times of economic growth, that does bode poorly for the future.