O Pinions!

You want to live in an armed state? Not me.

You want to live in an armed state? Not me.
14 December 2012.

Let's make some things clear: countries at war are dangerous places to live in. Perhaps the US is at war with itself? Israel has been at war since before 1948; much of south and central Africa is having major unrest. Guns are the rule. Jamaica and El Salvador are major murder centers.

Norway, Costa Rica...? People aren't afraid of each other. The safest places in the world (measured by murder rates): Polynesia, Australasia, Western Europe, East Asia.

Norway's rate is 0.6, lower than Hawai'i, Vermont and New Hampshire, the most peaceful US states. Why is Norway obsessed with the murder mysteries of Jo Nesbø then? Because they don't have them. Duh.

Breivik (the gunman at Utøya) was a nut. Norwegians accept that. It was an isolated event and the Norwegians didn't traumatize themselves as a people. Grieved? Sure, but they didn't arm themselves to the gills and go paranoid like the Americans do every time there's a tragedy.

Murder? The highest rates in the US are Louisana (11.2) followed by Mississippi and New Mexico. Texas has actually improved the last few years.

In Costa Rica the most dangerous cantones (robberies, assaults, etc.) are Garabito (Jacó) and Aguirre (Quepos and Manuel Antonio) where the tourists who come to Costa Rica to misbehave flock to. Even Limón (which has a bad reputation and does rank #2 in murders) ranked only #9 out of 81 ...after San José, Heredia, Escazú and others. Guanacaste (where the ritzy tourist beaches are) and Cartago are the safest.

Tonight I'll sleep well ...without a gun... in San Carlos de Alajuela.

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