Rather Polite of Him, Wouldn't You Say?
in [Cobol]
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From: HeyBub on 19 Nov 2006 11:40 docdwarf(a)panix.com wrote: >> In general, however, we Texans encourage most people - not just the >> constabulary - to carry guns. "An armed society is a polite society" >> as the saying goes. > > That saying, of course, accounts for the *exquisite* politesse of the > Japanese... ummmm, the Chinese... ummmmm, the Swedes... oh well, it > accounts for the well-known politesse of Dodge City... ummmmmm, > Tombstone... ummmmm... hey, a lot of those 'sayings' are just old > wives' tales, anyhow. That is, if "A implies B" it is NOT the case that "B implies A." I'm afraid you've fallen into the trap of the fallacy of affirming the consequent. And, far from being an "old wive's tale" the expression came from Robert Heinlein, and old writer. > > (Before anyone trots out that fine, old chestnut about how the murder > rate in Dodge City during the height of the Wild West Daze was half > that in Washington, DC in the 1990s... remember, the assertion was > about being *polite*, not about committing murder; the phenomenon of > politesse is, I would say, an intricate social phenomenon having to > do more with the aspiring towards a reified ideal than a fear of > unlawful death... as the saying goes, 'Cowards die a thousand deaths, > the valiant taste of death but once'.) Hmm. I've never met a coward I had to kill more than once. Cats may have multiple lives, but cowards? I'm afraid not.
From: Pete Dashwood on 19 Nov 2006 20:34 <docdwarf(a)panix.com> wrote in message news:ejpri3$of7$1(a)reader2.panix.com... > In article <4sa2piFup9cdU1(a)mid.individual.net>, > Pete Dashwood <dashwood(a)removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote: >> >><docdwarf(a)panix.com> wrote in message >>news:ejo7an$4nq$1(a)reader2.panix.com... >>> >>> Warning... it might be a Very Good Idea to make sure one's mouth is >>> clear >>> of liquids before bringing up the belowgiven URL. >>> >>> From http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/895064 : > > [snip] > >>ROFL! >> >>Thanks for that, DOC. > > Glad you enjoyed, old boy... actually, it was you I first thought of when > I read it. > Not in the role of policeman, I hope... :-) Pete.
From: on 19 Nov 2006 20:35 In article <12m128anscmdo31(a)news.supernews.com>, HeyBub <heybubNOSPAM(a)gmail.com> wrote: >docdwarf(a)panix.com wrote: >>> In general, however, we Texans encourage most people - not just the >>> constabulary - to carry guns. "An armed society is a polite society" >>> as the saying goes. >> >> That saying, of course, accounts for the *exquisite* politesse of the >> Japanese... ummmm, the Chinese... ummmmm, the Swedes... oh well, it >> accounts for the well-known politesse of Dodge City... ummmmmm, >> Tombstone... ummmmm... hey, a lot of those 'sayings' are just old >> wives' tales, anyhow. > >That is, if "A implies B" it is NOT the case that "B implies A." Not in the least... I made my attempts, noticed that a few of them didn't fit and arrived at no conclusion; I believe that I've stated before that ''implication' is in the mind of the beholder. > >I'm afraid you've fallen into the trap of the fallacy of affirming the >consequent. Your fears are obviously unjustified... but Being Cautious is a good thing, or so some have said. Tombstone, AZ, USA during the period between 1870 and 1900 was, by some standards, a rather well-armed society; I do not recall it ever having been referred to as a 'polite society'... and likewise for Dodge City... but perhaps we are using different definitions; can you point to an example or two which might bolster you assertions? > >And, far from being an "old wive's tale" the expression came from Robert >Heinlein, and old writer. Quite the sociologist, I've heard... do tell, where and when did he do his field studies? Was there a particular methodolgy applied... or did he just sit in a house-trailer and write Tall Tales? When an opinion is bolstered by 'something I read in a novel' it might do well to give it as much weight as an opinion bolstered by 'something I saw in a movie'. DD
From: on 19 Nov 2006 20:35 In article <4scf1iFus6fqU1(a)mid.individual.net>, Pete Dashwood <dashwood(a)removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote: > ><docdwarf(a)panix.com> wrote in message news:ejpri3$of7$1(a)reader2.panix.com... >> In article <4sa2piFup9cdU1(a)mid.individual.net>, >> Pete Dashwood <dashwood(a)removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote: >>> >>><docdwarf(a)panix.com> wrote in message >>>news:ejo7an$4nq$1(a)reader2.panix.com... >>>> >>>> Warning... it might be a Very Good Idea to make sure one's mouth is >>>> clear >>>> of liquids before bringing up the belowgiven URL. >>>> >>>> From http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/895064 : >> >> [snip] >> >>>ROFL! >>> >>>Thanks for that, DOC. >> >> Glad you enjoyed, old boy... actually, it was you I first thought of when >> I read it. >> > >Not in the role of policeman, I hope... :-) Nor in the role of the 21-year-old daughter, either... just as a resident of that part of the globe. DD
From: Pete Dashwood on 19 Nov 2006 20:44
"HeyBub" <heybubNOSPAM(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:12m0mavmuobu16a(a)news.supernews.com... > docdwarf(a)panix.com wrote: >> Warning... it might be a Very Good Idea to make sure one's mouth is >> clear of liquids before bringing up the belowgiven URL. >> >> From http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/895064 : >> >> --begin quoted text: >> >> The wanted man eventually gave himself up. >> >> --end quoted text > > I post dozens of these on tx.guns > > Check the one: "Kidnapper shoots self in testitcle...Ouch!" Bit of a balls up, so to speak? > When you live on an island inhabitated by less than 3 million people, there really isn't much point in NOT giving yourself up... Where can you go? The nearest land mass is 1400 miles away... too far to swim or steal a dinghy. Airports and docks are subject to surveillance; the justice system is pretty liberal (no capital punishment - even when there SHOULD be...), might as well have your day in court and get it over with. Although Doc thinks it was polite of the man to give himself up (and I suppose, in a way, it was) it is just simple common sense in the long run. Besides, after seeing the hilarious incompetence of the cop on the scene, he probably was too weak from laughing to make an escape...:-) Pete. |