Obama; New Type of Hope, Same Type of Stupid (Gun Control)

[Jolt]

The problem is that most people can't afford that - by the way, there has been quite a successful resistance in Iraq using mostly small arms.

That is against a Democratic Government (USA) which is highly pressured by Public Opinion and obeys (Or tries to) the high standards of avoiding colleteral damage. Do you think a dictatorship would think twice before using much more aggressive methods to quell the Iraqi resistence? Do you think a dictatorship the said Americans would try to fight would think twice before using every and all methods to build the out of them?

I'll give you two examples. One you got the Sicilian Mafia. In both Democratic Governments of Italy (Pre and Post-Mussolini until nowadays) the governments obviously valued more the interest of the general well-being of the society than ruthlessly quelling the Mafia. When Mussolini got to power, the tactics the Mafia used to protect themselves were quickly turned against them as Mussolini had little sympathy for those who were leeching off the state. He coerced (Jailed, tortured even) Mafioso famillies to bring them out of hiding. As a result what the democratic government couldn't achieve a dictatorship did so with extreme success.
Another example: Gandhi's peaceful resistence movement. The success behind his movement layed in the fact that the UK were a parlamentary monarchy which obivously also took into account their own public opinion, thus why the British Indian authorities didn't do anything rash against him. Gandhi himself said Hitler was a successful man (Or something to that effect), imagining it was Hitler's Germany controlling India, do you think Hitler would think twice about executing Gandhi for trying to free one of Hitler's possessions and censuring the press, as well as crushing any rebellion which would spawn following Gandhi's death? I'll give you a real example based on his peaceful resistence. After he died and there was a call for the French and Portuguese enclaves to join with main India, there was a peaceful resistence movement which together with International pressure made France yield Pondicherry to India. On the other hand, Gandhi's followers came to Dictatorship Portuguese India, using their peaceful resistence movement. Since the dictatorship couldn't care less for its own public opinion they massacred the peaceful resistence followers which entered Goa.

Giving examples for oppressive governments based on Democratic actions is wrong since both follow different patterns and lead to different results.