Ah, the old 'Anyone with brains' argument, the last resort of the indignant.

Have you ever bothered to look up the percentage of crimes (rape, murder, etc.) that were PREVENTED because someone had a gun with which to defend themselves?

Probably not. That might open up a second side to the argument - and no one wants to hear that, right?

I definitely meant I sounded like an arrogant dickhead. After reading that long post, I wanted to punch my own eye out and steal my own wallet.

But I think the advice is sound.

Heidi, are you sure that's an either/or?

And you haven't proven entertaining at all in any form - but, keep practicing, and there's the slight possibility that may change.

I love you too, Kev.

(((((HUGS)))))

Well, sure. There may be anger read into some of my posts that isn't present. I may think Rich is a piece of crap, but that doesn't mean I was all red-faced over it. He can say whatever the hell he wants - there's no Ellis here to boot him off when there's disagreement (see how I slid this back on-topic?). I'll call him out when I see it, though - and there's no Ellis here to boot me off for that, either.

I wasn't referring to the level of rhetoric in the guns vs. roses part of the thread except its first part. I was referring in greater part to some of the invective earlier on when people seemed enraged that the Warren Ellis forum was somehow too Warren Ellisy and not suited to their own ideas of what something like that should be. I still think that's weird.

Yes, these statistics are available. You are far more likely to have you gun stolen and used against you or someone else, than to use it to defend yourself.

Look, if guns make you safe, move to Compton. Everyone there is strapped.

Well, I'm not really angry. When I post those pictures it's because they make ME laugh, and that's all that really matters.

I do think it's pretty silly to invite people over to your 'house' for a 'discussion' - and then kick them out when they aren't reading from the script you handed them, though. What's the point in even going if you have to watch every single thing you say?

Well, Tom I don't think that's a fair characterization. Those of us that detested the Warren Ellis Forum - well, speaking for myself at least - I wasn't saying "dammit, I wish Ellis had a forum that I liked more and was run the way I wanted it to be run". He had every right to have his forum and run it how he wanted. I just couldn't stand it because of it's tone and the attitude of the "people" - and I use that term loosely - posting there. That's my right.

No one's questioning your right to criticize. But it does make me wonder about the wisdom of getting worked up about it. Plus I doubt that you were really invited -- I always just kind of show up in the Delphi Forums.

The complaints on here remind me of attending the occasional party in college thrown by people my friends and I generally disliked. Chances are they would do something that would remind us why we didn't like them and there was always a greater probablity than normal that one or all of us would be booted. But it was nothing to get really upset about.

It's even weirder to be have an opinion when the thing's gone away.