Matt Schonert

An anti-authoritarian take on matters affecting Michigan

Archive for the ‘United States’ tag

Two years ago today

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Written by mattschonert

October 27th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

Steak knives don’t kill people

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Starting today, Arizonans with concealed weapon permits may carry in bars and restaurants, as long as the carrier abstains from drinking. Restaurant and bar owners have the power to opt out and maintain the ban at their place of business.

Mark DeSimone, owner of Phoenix’s Hidden House Cocktail Lounge, opposes the change:

“You don’t want people to even have a stick,” he said. “When I take steak knives out (for customers), I look for the ones that don’t have pointy ends.”

If violent tempers dominate the Hidden House Cocktail Lounge so much that patrons can’t be trusted with steak knives, perhaps banning customers is wiser than banning guns.

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Execution summary

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Here is the list of countries which carried out executions in 2006, courtesy of Amnesty International:

  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Botswana
  • China
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • Korea (North)
  • Kuwait
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • Pakistan
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Somalia
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Uganda
  • United States of America
  • Viet Nam
  • Yemen

Stats for 2007 were not available.

Facts & Observations:

There were no executions recorded in the Western world except for the 53 persons killed by federal and state governments in the United States.

Of the world’s 1,591 documented executions, 1,010 were by China. An additional 6,500 to 7,000 undocumented Chinese killings are estimated by “credible sources”. (The official count is a state secret.)

The top five executioners are (in order): China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, and Sudan. The United States is next in line. These six nations account for 92% of the world’s executions.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Written by mattschonert

April 13th, 2008 at 12:18 pm