SA Footy

I've been vaguely following the debate in the US on the Tucson shootings.

Like some of those with Foxtel, I sometimes watch FoxNews with a morbid fascination, usually for a very short time hoping for reasonable discussion, but probably more so to see what depths of dumbness they descend to.

I think I saw the nadir yesterday. Glenn Beck is one of the major targets of those against the right-wing shock jocks and is one who many think has incited some to violence. I don't make any comment either way on that, as I don't know enough to form an opinion.

However, as I watched, he said that a US Senator was going to bring in a bill to prohibit citizens from buying 30 round magazines for their guns (yes, this is America and it's a different place).

Naturally he was opposed to that (we all need big magazines for our Glocks). His argument:

"If you ban things that are bad, then why not ban other things that are bad.

Like sadness. Sadness is bad, so why not ban sadness"

As I quickly changed channels, I think you can all imagine me saying words to the effect of:

"You're kidding, what a ******* dickhead"

People believe these idiots

So you're saying it's not gun laws, or aggressive political rhetoric that's the cause of violence...

It's that Americans are dumb and getting dumber with every generation?

Not at all, Q. I certainly think their gun laws are a disgrace and their right-wing political rhetoric is just as bad and IMO an incitement to violence. (I put it badly in my first post - I was merely not looking to debate that issue in that post).

I don't think Americans are dumber than anywhere else, but they are certainly more insular by a long way. Nothing exists outside the US to them, generally speaking.

1% of their population owns 90% of the wealth, also.

Mike Moore's Bowling for Columbine is a must see.

Love the opening scene when Moore opens a bank account and receives a free gun ... then asks the staff with puzzled looks whether it's a good idea handing out guns to customers.

dedja wrote:Mike Moore's Bowling for Columbine is a must see.

Love the opening scene when Moore opens a bank account and receives a free gun ... then asks the staff with puzzled looks whether it's a good idea handing out guns to customers.

Watch manufacuring dissent. You'll change your mind on that opening scene. Think you can watch the whole thing on google videos, but it definitely on the web somewhere.

I think Hitchens sums up Mike Moore best.

"But speaking here in my capacity as a polished, sophisticated European as well, it seems to me the laugh here is on the polished, sophisticated Europeans. They think Americans are fat, vulgar, greedy, stupid, ambitious and ignorant and so on. And they‘ve taken as their own, as their representative American someone who actually embodies all of those qualities" refering to Mike Moore

redandblack wrote:I've been vaguely following the debate in the US on the Tucson shootings.

Like some of those with Foxtel, I sometimes watch FoxNews with a morbid fascination, usually for a very short time hoping for reasonable discussion, but probably more so to see what depths of dumbness they descend to.

I think I saw the nadir yesterday. Glenn Beck is one of the major targets of those against the right-wing shock jocks and is one who many think has incited some to violence. I don't make any comment either way on that, as I don't know enough to form an opinion.

However, as I watched, he said that a US Senator was going to bring in a bill to prohibit citizens from buying 30 round magazines for their guns (yes, this is America and it's a different place).

Naturally he was opposed to that (we all need big magazines for our Glocks). His argument:

"If you ban things that are bad, then why not ban other things that are bad.

Like sadness. Sadness is bad, so why not ban sadness"

As I quickly changed channels, I think you can all imagine me saying words to the effect of:

"You're kidding, what a ******* dickhead"

People believe these idiots

Yeah, but Glen Beck is barking mad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ0mdxXw8Ac

Thanks, LL, that made me feel much better

Leaping Lindner wrote:Yeah, but Glen Beck is barking mad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ0mdxXw8Ac

That was fantastic !