(Ranked 1738 on Cribbage (Zone) Ladder) on January 15, 2003 at 05:54:22:In Reply to: Re: Cheater Alert posted by tadowe (Gold Member) on January 15, 2003 at 05:44:32:
: Whatever conclusion you wish to draw from such figures, it doesn't demonstrate the relative safety of its citizen from crime. I quoted figures which indicate that guns, conservatively, accounted for a million defensive uses per year in the US. It is obvious that British citizens can't begin to compare in such relative safety. Instead, they must be coddled into believing they're safe by a bureaucracy called the 'Home Office.' Ironically, and speaking out of the other side of their multi-jawed mouths, they quote these figures a year or so later:
: Home Office statistics reveal "a huge surge in muggings, amid a worrying rise in violent crime." The number of robberies (most of them muggings) increased by 19 percent in the year to September. And the biggest rise in crime was in London which saw a 22 percent increase -- more than one million offenses.
: Actually the funniest mouth the Home Office presents is the one which uses common sense to demonstrate how safe their advise can make one:
: The British Home Office, in its "Practical Guide To Crime Prevention," offers what are referred to -- presumably with a straight face -- as some "sensible precautions." : Regarding how to stay safe at home, it is said: "If you wake to hear the sound of an intruder, only you can decide how best to handle the situation. You may want to lie quietly to avoid attracting attention to yourself, in the hope that they will leave. Or you may feel more confident if you switch on the lights and make a lot of noise by moving about. Even if you're on your own, call out loudly to an imaginary companion -- most burglars will flee empty-handed rather than risking a confrontation. : "Ring the police as soon as it's safe for you to do so. A telephone extension in your bedroom will make you feel more secure as it allows you to call the police immediately, without alerting the intruder." : This same "Guide" suggests the following, "if the worst happens," and one is actually attacked: "You have every right to defend yourself, with reasonable force with items you have with you... an umbrella, hairspray or keys can be used against the attacker. The law however doesn't allow carrying anything that can be described as an offensive weapon."
: These statistics have little bearing on the point except to lead an inference without stating its pertinency. Actually, it does more to demonstrate the social/racial/economic/educational/etc. factors which go to making the figures a reflection of reality and says nothing about relative safety between Britain and the US. Comparing similar areas in Britain would seem more compelling? How about Somerset to Manchester?