Austin American Statesman editorial on CHL privacy

[Geister]

If you're going to lump people into a group like that, all you're doing for them is alienating them.

I NEVER said that everyone in Austin is a gun hating liberal who votes straight Democrat.

What I DID say and imply is that the liberal crowd in Austin overshadows every other group there, which is why it's not my favorite city.

I'm not going to even approach the subject of what you consider "liberal" because it's nothing but a label and life isn't that simple.

I won't support liberals and anti-gun politicians in office. That sums it up.

I voted for Kerry in the last presidential election. I didn't do it because I'm a Republican or Democrat - in fact, I'm registered as a Republican. I voted for him because he was more likely out of the only two viable candidates (and very poor candidates at that) available to bring a balance of power in the mess that is politics in Washington. I probably wouldn't vote for him again if he ran, for the very same reasons.

Sorry dude, but if you're voted Kerry and are proud if it, I can't really understand that at all. That pretty much conflicts with your statement that you are a proponent of the Second Amendment. Except for maybe the communist party presidental candidate, Kerry was the most anti-gun candidate out of everyone in the '04 presidential election.

The Gun Owner's of America gave Kerry a F for his voting record on gun issues. Ted Kennedy got a F-.

Perhaps you should consider voting for your BELIEFS, not trying to "swing" a balance of power in Washington. If Kerry was president right now, we would probably already have several new gun control laws in the books with the Democrat majority.

[NcongruNt]

If you're going to lump people into a group like that, all you're doing for them is alienating them.

I NEVER said that everyone in Austin is a gun hating liberal who votes straight Democrat.

What I DID say and imply is that the liberal crowd in Austin overshadows every other group there, which is why it's not my favorite city.

You made a blanket statement about the city - oh, except for the far west part, they're OK. You seemed to make the implication that we're mostly liberals who vote Democrat. Liberals (as you define them) only overshadow other groups in Austin because they're in the majority. As you also state, we voted for Kerry in the 2004 presidential elections. So yes, you're saying that most of Austin is made up of liberals who vote Democrat. Being that this is a gun forum and we're writing in a thread about an Austin paper and its editorialist's article regarding CHL privacy, the negative association with gun politics is already there.

By the way, you might want to take a look at the map of votes for Kerry again. Travis County is not the only county to vote for Kerry. Most of the Rio Grande Valley, 2 counties in the west, and 1 in the east did as well. Here's the map:

I'm not going to even approach the subject of what you consider "liberal" because it's nothing but a label and life isn't that simple.

I won't support liberals and anti-gun politicians in office. That sums it up.

This doesn't really clarify anything. I'm not really sure the point of that response.

I voted for Kerry in the last presidential election. I didn't do it because I'm a Republican or Democrat - in fact, I'm registered as a Republican. I voted for him because he was more likely out of the only two viable candidates (and very poor candidates at that) available to bring a balance of power in the mess that is politics in Washington. I probably wouldn't vote for him again if he ran, for the very same reasons.

Sorry dude, but if you're voted Kerry and are proud if it, I can't really understand that at all. That pretty much conflicts with your statement that you are a proponent of the Second Amendment. Except for maybe the communist party presidental candidate, Kerry was the most anti-gun candidate out of everyone in the '04 presidential election.

The Gun Owner's of America gave Kerry a F for his voting record on gun issues. Ted Kennedy got a F-.

Perhaps you should consider voting for your BELIEFS, not trying to "swing" a balance of power in Washington. If Kerry was president right now, we would probably already have several new gun control laws in the books with the Democrat majority.

If you think politics is simply about beliefs, then perhaps you should read up on the subject a bit more. It's about power and influence. I didn't say I was particularly proud of voting for Kerry. As I stated previously, I thought both candidates were very poor choices. What I did know was that we had a president who got us into a war with no end on false pretenses. Given the choice between him and Kerry, I chose Kerry. As for your suggestion that he would have enacted a bunch of gun-grabbing legislation when there got to be Democrat majority in Congress reiterates my point. The Democrats got Congress only because of the backlash caused by Bush's policies and the Republicans in Congress backing him. Had a balancing of power occurred by Kerry becoming President, the House and Senate would most likely have retained their Republican majority in the 2006 elections.

[Geister]

Once again you are making assumptions. Yeah, I said I liked the west part of Austin. What I left out is that the reason I like the west side of Austin: it's the geography. I think the Lake Travis area is beautiful.

I made the implication that Austin is more liberal (in lifestyle as well as politics) than many other places in Texas because I worked IN Austin for several years. Those were just quick examples I used.

I never said that I liked the RGV either, so I don't see the relevance.

I do not vote for a huge anti-gun politician for president, especially when there's another candidate in the running who's more gun friendly. And that's the only response I want to give since this is a gun board and politics in general encompass far more than firearms. Thus I'm not going to define what a "liberal" is.

Austin is simply NOT the city for me to live in. It's a personal choice for me that I do not expect anyone else to follow. I just don't like the traffic, the small size of the city, all the environmentalist bumper stickers, the "Keep Austin Weird" t-shirts, the coffee shop Democrats, etc. I'm not talking about just politics in Austin but the lifestyle and culture in Austin that I'm not a part of, therefore I don't live in Austin. My decision is outside the realm of firearms so I won't discuss it.

Did I say everyone in Austin is like that? No, I did not. There's PLENTY of good guys that live in Austin, and several of them are on this message board. But I do not choose to live there for my own reasons.

I was not trying to make a blanket statement about everyone in Austin and I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I was referring to the lifestyle, the culture, and the left-wing political influence evident in Austin; I'm not trying to stereotype everyone in Austin as being a certain type of person.

I respect the fact that you live in and love Austin. But it is not the city for me. I do not wish to discuss my decision further because it's a personal decision to me that has no bearing or effect on anyone else besides myself.