Enough of this...

In a message dated 98-05-13 00:08:20 EDT, Tom Hughes writes:

<< Relax John, the stuff we do is all a game! The real nut cases don't
play
 with soldiers, they join militias and pretend to be soldiers (you
aren't
 a militia man John are you?) >>

     OK, let's nip this in the bud right here.	
     John is talking about using SG2 to represent actions far more
common and
unpleasant than most of us like to think that most wars have.  Yes,
shooting
at crowds with machineguns is disturbing, but honestly, if people are
watching
a crowd threaten men with machineguns, the situation is getting out of
hand
anyway.  That's what wars are about.  When other options fail, or are
not
effective.  I'm sure that John is not endorsing random violence (& our
Yank
ghetto problems are NOT caused by trained soldiers, thank you). 
Over-reaction
and the wisdom of certian crowd control techniques are VERY different
when you
are the one who is being threatened with dismemberment, OK?  Some
situations
are obvious to outside observers, most are not.  Good troop commanders
are
often put in positions where they never should have been, and are faced
with
decisions that the should never have to make, even as wartime
commanders.
They are put there by politicians.  Blaming the hammer when a screw
doesn't go
in right is the real idiocy.
     And could we please refrain from flame-baiting?  Whether or not
John is a
member of any particular organization is rather irrelevant.  
     And now my personal comments as a father of a young child : My son
loves
going outside.	We live in an area where that is not a good idea all the
time.
We are trying to get out of it as quickly as possible.	I am concerned
about
bullet-drop - physics most people can't comprehend.  I hear gunfire
nearly
every night.  I own firearms, as a collector, enthusiast & for
protection.  I
don't pretend to be a soldier.	I do know enough to protect my family. 
I
would rather have soldiers on the street corners than those who reside
there
now.  That way I would know that the people with the guns are properly
trained
in their use (with a bit of police training thrown in, maybe, or a LOT
more
cops, with better guns).  A GOOD troop commander might make my
neighborhood
safe.  He would care about what happens to my son, 'cause that's his
job!