Jim McCulloch wrote:

> set me at odds with the tx.guns crowd, is that I raise the question of
> whether the good guy is altogether justified, or remains the good guy at
> all, both in some real and in some hypothetical scenarios of gun use that
> have been raised since I have been posting here.
> 
> Best regards
> 
> --Jim McCulloch
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 ME: The vast majority of the people I associate with are perfectly
capable of making a distinction between what is shown on a movie
screen, and real life situations. No one that I know of runs around
playing movie hero with a fire arm. However, I do recall playing
Cowboys and Indians with my cap guns as a child. I also, on occasion,
fantasize about being the super hero and saving the world. However,
what goes on in my fantasy world doesn't translate into the real world
activities that I indulge in.

 Object popularity is very short lived. The worlds advertisement
industry specializes in selling totally useless object to millions of
people by using campaigns to generate interest. The overall effect
lasts about three months unless the campaign is kept up, and blankets
the target population on a regular basis.

 However, the flip side of human nature works better and sells more
products. If you really want to PUSH a product (of any kind) you first
find someone, or some group to raise great objections to what ever it
is you want to sell in large quantities. This sets up the "Forbidden
Fruit" syndrome in people. People who would never respond to positive
advertising campaigns, WILL, respond to negative advertising
campaigns. This also holds true for people who will normally respond
to positive suggestion. Once an item is in the "forbidden fruit"
category, people who never even considered obtaining the product will
convince themselves that the just MUST have one. If not for use, then
just for the feeling they get when they have something that others
find hard to obtain.

 Bottom line: Telling people that can NOT have something will generate
a very aggressive tendency in them to obtain that object. The more
barriers you place in front of them, the harder they work to reach
their goal. It seldom makes ANY difference if the goal object has any
useful purpose or not. The game is played for the hunt, not the win!

 Glorification of Guns in our Society plays a very minor role in gun
sales. Vilifying guns, and setting up the "Forbidden Fruit" syndrome
DOES promote greater interest, and does assist sales to a much larger
cross section of the population than you would normally get with a
positive advertising campaign. In a negative campaign, the product
sells itself.

 Drugs, Guns, Dirty Books.. It makes no difference. The more people
you can get to object, the more sales you can expect from the buying
public. That's the way it works, that's the way it has always worked.
People "always" want that which they are NOT supposed to have.

 Mike Eglestone
---------------

 Those who would give up Essential Liberty, to purchase a little
Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty or Safety. Nor, are they
likely to end up with either.

 They say that insanity is relative. When I consider MY relatives, I
have to admit that it's more than likely true.