I just recieved this-and it makes me very sad :'( I signed!!!
Folks
Please take a moment and check this out. It looks like the hoplophobic folks in Scotland want to ban all swords even historic and fencing sword ones because of criminal activities.
I would sure hate to a fine cultural heritage surrendered to politicial aspirations and thugs.
Feel free to click on the link and sign the petition. Pass it on to your lists, friends, if you please. If you dont agree please accept my apologies I am not trying to stir up a storm.
Josh
(thanks, Rindy)
Scottish Sword ban issue. Dear All,
The Scottish executive has recently announced its proposals towards establishing new laws in Scotland, which include a ban on the sale of swords. Exemptions are included for religious, cultural and sporting reasons, yet this is despite a public consultation on the subject confirming that most respondees were entirely against a ban on the sale of swords.
The original story can be found at - Click Here BBC World News-
Rational explanations democratically presented to the Scottish Parliament have yet to be heeded - that a licencing scheme for manufacturers and retailers will have no impact upon street crime, this being the supposed reasoning for such proposals and laws being pushed through.
Such schemes will only incur costs and additional paperwork for manufacturers and retailers in Scotland while anyone wishing to circumvent the new `tough laws` can simply order online or by mail order.
To this day, the Executive has yet to back up its assertions that swords present a great threat to the Scottish public with any hard facts or figures. This means that we are in danger of seeing the Scottish Executive press ahead with proposals and implementation of new laws based entirely upon supposition and their own media fearmongering campaign. This heralds a very dangerous precedent for any new laws being established in Scotland and cannot be allowed to happen.
The facts are that physical attacks with swords in Scotland are of course extremely few and far between, forming considerably less than 1% of all attacks with ANY edged weapons.
The Executive would also have us believe that `non-domestic knives` are a great threat and problem, and is presently proposing a licencing scheme for the sale of these in Scotland. Again, NO hard facts or figures have been presented to prove that any such danger exists.
The facts are that most knife attacks in Scotland are carried out with DOMESTIC knives, these being the cheapest, most easily available and concealable of all blades available on the street today. The Executive has yet to back up its assertions with any facts and prefers to hide behind a smokescreen of scaremongering in the hope that the Scottish public shall simply follow in deference to its voice of `authority`.
The Save Our Swords petition was handed in to the Scottish Parliament last year with over 2000 signatures in total. At that time, the petition was open only to Scottish residents. Now, we open the campaign to all and any interested individuals worldwide who wish to support our cause.
We would like to collect as many more names and comments as possible in response to the present threat to Scottish culture in seeing swords disappear from our High Street retailers. If the Parliament gets it way, any tourist visiting Scotland would not be able to purchase a sword as a symbolic souvenir of our cultural nation. Let us not allow this to happen.
This petition is open to all and shall be resubmitted to the Scottish Parliament with a greater voice and an extensive and detailed covering letter addressing our most recent concerns. If you have not already added your name and comments (sensible ones only please, aggressive or inappropriate comments shall be removed), then please do so by following the online petition link below. If you have already added your name, please forward this to as many interested parties that you may know.
so what else is new? england wants to do away with points on knives..... duh? we should just linch the dirty offending guns knives and swords.... its all their fault....
you can stab and kill someone with a dam butter knife...
Group: Celtic Nation
Posts: 911
Joined: 18-Nov-2003 Zodiac: Oak
"A knifeless man is a lifeless man" -old Nordic proverb In Viking times everyone was expected to need and have a knife at all times. Not as a weapon, but as an everyday tool. By law, even slaves were guaranteed the right to keep knives.
The knife is a basic tool, possibly the basic tool.
To ban such a basic tool because it can be misused is sheer idiocy. What next, banning stones because stones can be used to bash someone's head in. Perhaps automobiles should be banned, as using them causes too many deaths. Then there's alcohol, tobacco, etc . . . where to stop . . .
hey, come to canada. where guys wearing turbans can carry a ceremonial knife to school, geesh don't get me started.....
crime can be committed without any weapons too......then there are the hugh weapons like airplanes and bombs and bullets....i mean is nothing left sacred?
ceremonies are an important part of who and what we are, they bind us with scared connections....are those people idiots or just fearmongers???
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non nobis domine,non nobis sed nomini tua da gloriam.
I think what we really need to do is ban all weapons. Pencils, pocket knives, rocks, rulers, shoe strings, baseball bats, socks, anything that could potentially be used to kill someone.
That or we can just cut everyone's arms and legs off.
Course, I'm sure people would figure out how to kill each other even without arms and legs.
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May those who love us love us And those who don't love us May God turn their hearts, And if He doesn't turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles, So we'll know them by their limping.
I think what we really need to do is ban all weapons. Pencils, pocket knives, rocks, rulers, shoe strings, baseball bats, socks, anything that could potentially be used to kill someone.
That or we can just cut everyone's arms and legs off.
Course, I'm sure people would figure out how to kill each other even without arms and legs.
Arrrrggghhh, you didn't pull my teeth out.
Which circle of hell is it in the Inferno of Dante, that has two people trapped in some kind of thing up to their necks for eternity, gnashing each other's heads? I forget . . .
i think the americans have got it right in regarding some of their statute laws.
in scotland you can purposely stab and kill someone and expect a prison sentance of no more than 8 - 12 years.
in american you do the same you can expect a sentance of life without parole.
Now I'm not taking a stance against you - it is sad that political aspirations and thugs will eat away at culture and heritage BUT is shown that countries with stricter and harsher penalties have more violent crimes. In an essay I once had to write, we had to argue:
are the severe penalties a reaction to the violent crimes? or is there a correlation between the attitude of punishment within a society and the crimes committed within that society?
Evidence showed that it is a downward spiral with countries like the USA where the death penalty exists and the serious violence that takes place hourly.
Though, this essay in itself supports this petition because such strictness will result in an underworld use of swords (even fencing) that will become difficult to regulate and legally support genuine sport injuries.
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Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i´m gwlad Tra môr yn fur I'r bur hoff bau O bydded i´r heniaith barhau