Leaderboard

So... 1) Re-ban on assault weapons (Clinton era) 2) Background checks on all gun purchases 3) More funds for mental illness 4) More funds for school safety I don't see the problem here. Where did he overstep the Constitution? Will you be able to buy a gun? I just find it amusing, that's all...that people think they need 5-10 full automatics, a bazooka and an Uzi to protect themselves from home intruders. I guess if you're Jesse Ventura and Ted Nugent, you'll need an array of weapons, tanks, fighter jets, and drones to overcome that inevitable government hostile takeover.

That wasn't the question. That's basically like you saying, "Yeah, I COULD fly an airplane today...and so could an employed pilot." You asked if cops should be able to carry certain weapons and opened the door for a comparison between a cop and a citizen. Truth is, you face the threat of being burned alive in your house every single day...so should you own a firetruck and equipment, just in case your family has trouble making it out?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1423438/mikewoodsonsig.gif

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130115_IND@CHA

Nothing will stop every incident from taking place...not even the total removal of guns from US citizens. It's not a means of complete prevention, but an effort to make it more difficult to pull off such acts in the first place. Fine...what's your proposal to stop all of the hammer-wielding killers out there, if you're so concerned with those? I already know what you're going to say.

No one is dumb enough to think that you can legislate every single incident. You can't, we get that man. But what we do have the ability to do is make them as rare as possible. These major national incidents are becoming way too common now over the past several years. Any type of weapon that can shoot a lot of people in very little time should not be made available to just any citizen. The guy from Aurora shot 70 people in the matter of minutes. If he had just a simple hand gun where he had to re-load, or as the founding fathers intended, if he had a god damn musket, he isn't shooting 70 people in the matter of minutes. You want to have a hand gun in your house because you feel safer? That's fine. I can understand that, and have no problem with that for self-defense or even if you are a hunter and have guns for that, or a sportsman. That's part of some people's hobby. But making guns more difficult to get into the hands of criminals and limiting high capacity magazine clips that can kill a lot of people in very little time (see Newtown), those need to be banned. And, to act like just because criminals get their hands on guns, we should do nothing .... that's like saying people will drink and drive, so we should not have any type of DUI laws in place. I'm pretty sure alcohol related accidents have dropped quite a bit since 1996. I don't have the statistics right in front of me, but I read about it several months ago that when stricter laws were enacted on Drinking and Driving, the amount of alcohol related auto deaths dropped quite a bit.

If the last ban on assault weapons did nothing at all, why are you so against it? If it does nothing, it shouldn't matter either way, correct? Yeah, a person turns to a hammer if they don't have a gun. I'd rather have an idiot come at me with a hammer. Would you not? You never answered my question from the other topic, by the way...so I'll ask it again: have you ever had to confront an armed man, with your life threatened, or have had to chase one down, like most police officers will have to throughout their careers? Also, yeah...I hope I don't have a gang of people come into my house to gun me down, either. It happens a lot, I hear. ------------------ Not too long ago, a man I went to school with (well, he was a bit younger than me) decided he was broke and needed to feed his kids...so instead of being smart and looking for a job (since he didn't work), he stole money from family, went to Wal-Mart, and bought a gun. He walked over to a sweeper repair shop early morning, a block from our high school, and tried to rob the place...and he was shot and killed by the old man (owner). I support having a gun. I'm glad the old man had one. I don't support being able to get them as easily as Terrence Clark did. If you have a clean slate, background-wise, you have nothing to worry about. Is it THAT much of an inconvenience? If you don't collect guns, I don't see why you'd have anything to worry about. The ONLY reason that is worth listening to...that would require you to have an assault weapon...is if there was a government takeover, but let's be truthful: you, and everyone else, won't have shit compared to the opposition, so it's really not going to matter. It's one thing to fight against your own country if you live in Libya. You really think people will have the goods to go against the US?

http://jcolenation.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/124uf02.pngHe mad.

Well, instead of having him defend everyone else on the court, D'Antoni is asking him to lock up the PG's. It does help when Gasol isn't out there, and we have Earl Clark (who is a defensive player) putting in work.

http://completeoutrageredux.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/bugs.gif

i still don't get how future is famous..

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/regulator8534/Picture601_zps4f8c92d1.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b3mftcV0dY

The DiscussHoops logo kills that sig.... need a different picture in for that.

GOAT

Much deserved. An owner to end all owners.

Thanks guys...didn't really want to be "inducted" yet, figured I'd get in another 2-3 more guys before the end of the year, then follow with the rest of those that are qualified before Kyle dove in with this, but he wasn't going to take NO for an answer, haha. Nice write-up, by the way. Sounds like something I would write, lol. Simply put, all I ever wanted to do with this site was to give people a place to talk basketball. I don't need money off of advertising, don't need to find a way to put out articles for others to read them, etc. I never really did want to close the site down until most recently, when I talked about ending it on our eight-year anniversary (and proceeded to consider ending it earlier)...every bit of that was true, but the reasons go far beyond what was explained, anyway. It's nothing I have to talk about...those that have been around long enough can probably come up with ideas why I may need to walk away someday. It's just very difficult to do that, though...not because I built this from the ground up, but because other people did. Installing the board, paying for hosting, buying the domain name...it's either a one-time thing, or a once-a-month occurrence. I have always needed something to drive me down that road, to keep me from turning my head. Seeing the site alive and well, even through some of the worst downtime we've ever seen (ex. the lockout), it provides me with a legitimate excuse as to why I'm still feeding effort and money into it all. Personally, I think it's outstanding that we've gone nearly eight years without a major staff issue. I have yet to have to boot an administrator or moderator for disruptive behavior, never had to settle a real fight between two staff members. That kind of stability means a lot to me. I know I do a LOT of things on my own, refusing help when it comes to graphics, ownership, promotion, social networking, coding, and more...but that doesn't have much to do with trust in my staff (maybe only those outside of our site, looking in), and has everything to do with me having this place on my shoulders at all times, just in case it all falls apart. Because of that, it's why I've never considered selling. Eight years of work, by all of us, can't be purchased. If the site crumbles, it has to go down the way it went up. Otherwise, everything we've done for so long has less meaning, and more focus will be placed on the post-sale, why it all went wrong, and not how far we traveled together. It's crazy to think that some of you, especially quite a few of you that registered in 2005 or 2006, were in junior high, or freshmen in high school...and now you're in college. I mean, I have tons of memories to share, but I won't go that route...some of you will probably have flashbacks immediately, haha. One day, OTR will close down. I don't know when, but it will happen. Instead of worrying about it becoming an event that is closer than ever, we should focus on what's ahead of us. At this point, we don't have much room to improve. It's well-known that we thrive off of our basketball knowledge, and opening the door for new members is a bit of a risk...but one we're going to have to take. In previous years, we've taken these new members and watched them learn and contribute before our very own eyes...even some of us, today, can vouch for this, as they are a part of that group I'm discussing. We can get back to that, but we have to work as a community...and I'm the one, as owner, that has to take the biggest step in recruiting before anything else. If it doesn't work out for us, and it hasn't been as of late, we will continue to move on, but what we need will only become more important as we progress down the same path we've been traveling on since the hack. As far as my eye problems go, I really don't like to talk about it unless it's for a good cause (telling everyone else how dumb I was for not taking care of my diabetes), but I'll say that I was, and will always be, very grateful for just how many of you stepped up and kept this place going while I was gone for so long. When I literally gave the site to Aaron (ALCS), making him the owner...well, when my brother did it for me...that was tougher than you guys can imagine, and I realize it's "just the internet" and doesn't seem as serious to probably anyone else here, but when you push yourself to create something like this, and see it grow and become a success, and you aren't being told what to do or paid for your efforts, the results of such a project are something to be proud of. It taps into your personal life, honestly changing the way you go about each day, whether I like it or not. I come here every day, and aside from the months I was completely blind, I have done it since 2005. A number of you have done this as well, surely not at that magnitude (because part of my time here, especially staying up way too late, has been a requirement mixed in with me just wanting to improve the skin, add features, or build on post content)...but, regardless, you have done something similar. As individuals, we all bring something to the table...may not like each other from time to time, but there's always a positive to point out for each and every contributing member that logs in each day. As a whole, as a basketball community filled with those same individuals...we will always find the desire to discuss hoops, and as long as we are seeking ways to fulfill that desire on this website, nothing can ever force us to walk away from it all. With all of that in place, again, thank you. I wouldn't want to be apart of any other team.

Be honest, for how long has he been begging you to make this post? He probably flooded your inbox with pleads and caused that PM overload a couple months ago.

It's fine, Kyle. No need to jump in. Thanks for cleaning out the PM's. I've been backing some of you guys for years, even after coming at me with remarks that I would never allow a person to say to my face. I'd honestly rather see you guys leave the site for good, on your own, if this is going to flip over to me. Real talk, not even mad at this point...I don't know.

I've seen childish actions for quite some time now. I don't have a corner to force childish members to stand in, so any alternatives will have to do. I haven't had many dedicated members come out and say they don't care about a ban, either, but if we are at that point...oh well. Just an all-around disappointment, honestly, but I do blame myself for not babysitting as much as I used to, for removing the word filter, and going away from what defined this place 5-6 years ago.

Hey Justin, remember that massive Wii vs 360 vs PS3 thread I did way back in the day, well before any of the consoles came out? That thing was a beast, wish I could go back and read it again, lol. Thanks Shaliq. Did you know that I've had a total of 3 name changes during my tenure here? Gamerguy15 --> GamerGuy, then GamerGuy --> Kairu, then Kairu --> GamerGuy. I think I was rolling with Kairu for a good two years or so before switching back. Well, I guess I technically have 4 name changes if you count that one time with Aaron...but I mean hey, it was just guy love. Brandon: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/Koyote/LOL.jpg

Never underestimate the powers of His Greatness.