Protecting criminals

[Outlandish_Bandit]

This topic makes my brain hurt :/ Seriously, the whole armed/unarmed discussion just makes no sense. I don't think if your average joe saw some idiots breaking into his car outside he would run out and try to go fisticuffs.

If someone breaks into my shit and tries to take something that I worked for, its fuckin on. I'm gonna use whatever I have available to get them away from my belongings. Go ahead and break into my house, or my car, or whatever. At my parent's house, I've got a semiautomatic 12 guage shotgun with 4 rounds of 00 buck in it to persuade em to leave.

On another note, my fiancee and I had someone steal $25k from our bank account. Suffice it to say, they're now in jail, and hating life. I have no respect for ANYONE who thinks that for whatever reason they HAVE to steal. Get a freakin job, something, anything, and buy it your goddamn self. If the cops hadn't gotten involved, and they hadn't fled to Chicago on plane tickets they purchased with OUR money, I woulda taken the money outta their hides, THEN called the cops.

 

[Celerity]

America vs Japan: I can only parrot what I read about when it comes to Japan. There are several people on this forum that can offer a first-hand account of life in Japan. Here are a few facts:

Crime in Japan is negligable. There simply isn't any violent crime. Thefts, murders and rape are nearly non-existent. You can easily leave your house unlocked, and roam any street at night. That's not to say that Criminals don't live in Japan, its just that living a normal life you're very safe. Japan has the highest suicide rate in the world though, so it can't be that great of a place to live. Crime in Japan is high-profile, corporate and elitist. For a "Mafia" or "Crime gang" the Yakuza are far more elite than that. It's an organization like none other in the world. If you're a common person, chances are you'll never tangle with the Yakuza. Government corruption is high, Corporate greed is high and the cost of living is still very oppressive. Guns are not allowed in Japan.

Turkey is pretty much the same thing. I have a Turkish friend. Turkey is a cut-throat place. I'm not saying it's a New York commute, I'm saying they'll cut your throat for the most arcane of reasons. Turks are very honorable of heart and intent, but they will go to extreme measures to guarantee the safety of those around them, Even if that means torching a town and collapsing a building because the son of a local business owner drove by their house twice. It's a very tough place to live. It's here that people walk the streets with AK47's strapped to their back, politely say "Hello" to their neighbors and go about their business. If a family member is hit by a car, the family will suit up and go out and completely kill the offending family. Then, they will go out to dinner and celebrate.

Given the choice, I'm still very happy that I live in the US.

-> Steve