Television’s Lame Attack on Guns
by John LottWhen script writers run out of something else to say (e.g., there are only so many times they can say everyone is uninsured and miserable about it), guns and gun makers are easily available to demonize. “Life” and “House” have both gone after guns in recent episodes.
Life’s episode “Initiative 38″ has a fairly unbelievable plot: a woman working on an initiative to ban handguns is murdered and there is one major suspect, P&K, a gun company. Here is some of the dialogue:
Detective Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis): We are saying that someone came here to kill your wife. Can you think of who that might be?
Harold Amis: Yes, I can. Initiative 38.
Woman who works for Initiative 38: Initiative 38 is a comprehensive ban on handguns. Lisa was working to get it passed.
Detective Seever (Crews’ partner): How comprehensive?
Woman who works for Initiative 38: We were working to take back our streets.
Seever: Getting any push back from the gun companies?
Woman who works for Initiative 38: Getting push back? Ya, there was a lot money coming in against us from the other side. From P&K guns. I didn’t think that they would do this though. Lisa was the face of Initiative 38.
Seever: Lisa Amos is the face of Initiative 38. If that passes, P&K guns gets hit hard.
On the one side, the show notes all the carnage from guns being used to kill people. The only argument offered for guns is that they produce jobs for those who make them and that guns are the one manufactured product left that we can produce cheaper than China.
Of course, there is no mention of defensive gun use and that guns are used to stop crime about 4 to 5 times more frequently than they are used to commit it. No mention that while police are extremely important in stopping crime (indeed, my research shows them to be the single most important factor), the police themselves understand that they virtually always arrive on the crime scene after the crime is committed. Obviously, the question of what victims should do when they are facing a criminal by themselves is ignored.
The notion that gun makers, which are fairly small companies, are going to donate a lot of money to defeat an initiative as the episode suggests is also fairly unbelievable. The donations to defeat such initiatives would tend to be a lot of very small donations from people who care about being able to defend themselves and their families and the principle of self-defense.
“House” often goes after gun ownership. It only mentions people not having health insurance more frequently. In the episode “Simple Explanation,” Kutner (Kal Penn) commits suicide with a gun. There is all the normal dialogue about how he probably bought the gun for self defense and instead used it to commit suicide.
For those interested, the National Academy of Sciences released a 2004 report that comprehensively reviewed academic research studying guns and suicide. The panel set up under the Clinton administration surveyed the extensive literature from public health, economics, and criminology. The Academy concluded that, “Some gun control policies may reduce the number of gun suicides, but they have not yet been shown to reduce the overall risk of suicide in any population.” The point is that there are a lot of ways to commit suicides, and you would pretty much have the same rate of suicide even if guns disappeared tomorrow.
However, I would argue that there isn’t even a lot of evidence that gun bans or gun lock laws reduce gun suicide rates.
Kal Penn was killed off in the show so that he could go work for the Obama administration. It is probably somewhat appropriate that he got killed off in a way that provided a politically correct lesson for viewers.
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I saw 60 Minutes doing a big anti gun thing last night too. It must be time for Hollywood and the MSM to try and push the goverment to further their agenda and go after guns again. All gun bans do is keep law abiding citizens from owning them, it does nothing to stop crime…look at Chicago.
Surprisingly that episode of Life, while setting up the gun manufacturer as the villian ended up not making them the villian. It also showed the anti-gun wacko as a weasal who would do anything to get what they wanted.
While they were a little over the top showing literally everyone at the offices of the gun manufacturer packing a pistol, they did show, in a good way what would happen in a situation if more people carried guns.
I'm a little lazy to look it up this morning but aren't most "American" gun companies owned by foreign companies now.
Surprisingly that episode of Life, while setting up the gun manufacturer as the villian ended up not making them the villian. It also showed the anti-gun wacko as a weasal who would do anything to get what they wanted.
While they were a little over the top showing literally everyone at the offices of the gun manufacturer packing a pistol, they did show, in a good way what would happen in a situation if more people carried guns.
I'm a little lazy to look it up this morning but aren't most "American" gun companies owned by foreign companies now.
Where ELSE would someone learn about life other than from a tv drama? A tv comedy? The movies?
The only thing about Mr Lott's post that we find unusual is that there is any surprise here… as the previous post said, look at Chicago- we Chicagoans know the futility of handgun bans. What isn't being widely reported is the rolling back of punitive gun bans thanks to last year's Supreme Court decision. Here, collar suburbs such as Glencoe and Wilmette have decide not to go to court and reversed their bans; one suspects that the Daley administartion which has chosen to litigate will lose in court.
Ultimately, folks, it is incumbent on you to provide for your own personal protection. The Police are there to preserve the peace, ergo 'Peace Officers' the late 1890's Supreme Court decision. The slogan 'preserve and protect' is a fiction… so, Hollywood is pushing a losing cause… what else is new?
I am so sick of this kind of thing. Shows and movies making guns seem like more than a tool sometimes used by evil people for evil purposes. Take away one tool (if you could even do that), and people will find another. Murder has been around since the dawn of man. Guns are recent tools introduced in the last several centuries. To somehow suggest that no guns = no murder is short-sighted and naive.
<a href="http://lonewolfarcher.blogspot.com” target=”_blank”>http://lonewolfarcher.blogspot.com
Washington DC,'s ban worked really well, right? No wait. How about NYC, that works well, ah, no. How about in Germany, right, tightest gun laws in Europe>? Well, no they just had a mass murder there.
England, right>? well, knife massacres are all the rage.
Suicides? Well we have to ban knives, razors, rope, windows in tall buildings, bath tubs, bridges.
Hope and Change, yes we can!
Washington DC,'s ban worked really well, right? No wait. How about NYC, that works well, ah, no. How about in Germany, right, tightest gun laws in Europe>? Well, no they just had a mass murder there.
England, right>? well, knife massacres are all the rage.
Suicides? Well we have to ban knives, razors, rope, windows in tall buildings, bath tubs, bridges.
Hope and Change, yes we can!
Experience, your parents. your loved ones, books, news?
Everyone needs to email Congress, EVERYTIME a politician mentions "Gun Control" every time, period! Tell them you will not be disarmed, by ANYONE, to include the U.N.
I've long thought that it's hypocritical of many Hollyweird celebrities to push for gun control after making shoot-em-up movies. A few examples:
Michael Douglas carried a shotgun in "Romancing the Stone"
Matt Damon used guns in "The Bourne Indentity"
Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig used guns making the "James Bond" movies
Leonard Nimoy used phaser pistols in "Star Trek"
That's just a few. Hollyweird has long used guns in movies. Actors have long used them, then try to tell me I shouldn't have them.
I am sick of arguing in defense of the Second Amendment. The infringement on our right to bear arms is already intrusive — and it has to stop.
This is an area where we shouldn't be having these types of discussions.
The one thing I can't get out of my head is we have a radical administration with an attorney general bent on destroying the second amendment. It's frightening stuff — made worse by the entertainment culture that is pushing the agenda in this manner.
StlDan is right: Email congress every chance you get. These bums need reminded as to why the second amendment was given to us.
I read in some samurai/ninja/martial arts book about the popularity and usefulness of staff-based fighting techniques. Guns, swords, bladed weapons–all these can be banned. You can't ban walking canes. You can't ban brooms. You can't ban shovels, rakes, toilet plungers… We Americans are an adaptive people. We should fight to keep our guns, absolutely. But there's no harm in learning how to protect yourself with what's at hand.
Good point- and the UN is the biggest threat here. There is a move to submit our courts to the World Court; and that would allow our constitution to be subverted under the guise of 'world justice'… there are too many M-16's out there (they don't talk about the ubiquitous AK-47's, those are Combloc weapons, natch) so the US is 'flooding the world' with small arms.
The Bush administration fought this tooth and nail. Obamanisn most certainly will not. Stay alert…
The suicide arguement is hysterical especially given Japan has had the world's highest suicide rate as long as we have tracked such things and they have very strict gun laws. If you wanted to limit suicide it seems like a ban on pain killers and razors would be the way to go.
At least people in SC have it right.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/747998.html
I dunno.. maybe I missed seeing the same angle that you did John… I would have swore the show (I tend to only watch Life about every other week..) did just the opposite?
That the real bad guys just made it "so easy" to point the finger at any gun-manufacturer, just by pressing the 'emotion' switch, even when they had no involvement in any given murder?
In fact, everyone (including the cops at times) were ready to blame the gun manufacture and claim "case closed"?
Have a murder? Hollywood screams "Blame the gun company!"
Oh wait.. this show just showed (in a roundabout way) that you can't do that!
When Hollywood and the computer game industry stop producing violent gun related products, then maybe I would submit to a ban on AK-47's for home use. But until that time, I'm keeping my options open.
I love it that this is the new talking point. Spent the weekend checking out new versions of .45,.40,.380,.357 mag.
From Walthers to Kimber customs, had five beauties in a safe case. Later in the day, sat on the deck with friends talking about the weather, and the guns. Half the group was sort of quiet, now I know why. They had picked up their talking points that morning from Kos, or wherever they get their stuff and guns must have been on the agenda. Ha ha ha. Maybe the silver lining will now be an undercurrent of personal fear for expressing support for cap and trade. After all , all these killers are conservatives aren't we ????
Bang !
It's a given that in any dramatic situation, if a gun is seen in the first act, it must go off by the final act. In PC TV the gun is in and of itself often evil. Characters will sometimes grab a weapon as their home is being invaded, but rarely is it effective. More often when we see a character purchase a gun for self defense, it will later be used to murder someone or accidentally endanger an innocent because of the purchaser's 'fear' and over-zealousness. This is just how most writers view guns (unless they're writing 'action', in which the guns' effects are closer to cartoon violence). I think what's interesting is that when the Left argues that they do not have a huge stranglehold on the 'media', they neglect to include the vast array of fiction that inculcates the Sheeple day in and day out on shows like "Life", etc.
"Japan" is probably the one word rebuttal to the guns = more suicide bromide. Good iso on that one.
One of the tenets of the Left is to not take responsibility for your actions. That is why it is no problem for them to blame guns rather than people for shooting deaths. Even suicides, when only one person is involved, become the fault of guns and those who provide them. After all, it's easier to blame guns than to actually use their brains.
You have a very easy to read writing style Northstar. Your observations here also happen to make a lot of sense. Thanks for the well articulated take.
Unfortunately, not nowadays. And therein lies a part of the problem.
When is drawn into leftist liberalism and begin to defend it, they are its slave, and they will dance to the tune the left plays. The truth is that liberals want control of our lives. They want to tell us what to eat, drink, say thing, and if we don't bow to them, they want to be able to punish. They know that people will fight back, and they are afraid. They fear loss of acceptance by the group, not being loved, and someone saying "NO" and if you keep it up, I'll change your nose. Long nose cowards are what they are.
Oh, of course! It's the gun companies that are intent on putting themselves out of business. That's why they "kill" off their competition.
I can't stand political messages in my television!
It's why I've never watched "House", and now I'll never watch….what's this show?
It is likely that these actors' most significant point of reference with firearms is their own make-believe world on the film or television show location. Likely also the firearms advisers/trainers on the film sets give them a lot of "I'm an expert, don't try this at home" kind of hokum.
The actor's make-believe education does not measure up to those of us who have been trained and utilize these tools in the real-world. Make-believe is mystery and wonder. Real-world is knowledge and skills.
TV is so boring and predictable I thank God I don't have a "feed" of any kind in my home.
At least it keeps the program makers employed, and the viewers off the streets for a few hours a day !
p.s. How does that woman see the target with her hair hanging like that ???
The staff and stick have been popular fighting tools in all cultures. There was significant martial arts training in ancient European countries on empty hand, throws, kicks, and weapons that are very similar to the Asian martial arts that became popular in Europe and the USA after WW2.
And yes, outlaw a weapon and ingenuity will find a replacement for it that is not thought of as a weapon.
This YouTube video is an interesting illustration of similarities in ancient European Martial Arts and modern Military Combat arts borrowed from Asian Martial Arts.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHldHRSi-jo” target=”_blank”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHldHRSi-jo
And a YouTube video of the training of sickles, sythes, flails, etc. from old Europe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97neHuFfPLI
House is actually a pretty good show. I think the three episodes that have a gun in them have been blown entirely out of proportion on this board, but that's probably just me. For every episode in which a gun appears, there are two seasons without guns.
There is a much stronger anti-hypochondria/anti-Munchausen's message than anti-gun.
20/20 is doing some anti-gun thing this week too. I guess they are now all going to try once again to prove they are insane. The American public is not interested in gun control. Less now than ever. Yet they keep trying. Its the definition of insanity. Trying the same thing over and over again expecting different results,
Bev – have you seen that ad from Utah floating around – showing a petite woman waking up, calling 911 about a break-in – and telling the dispatcher that "there is no time" – next scene shows her with some fully automatic weapon spraying the intruder as he is breaking into her door. The commercial, by a local gun dealer, is hilarious on several levels – maybe you could be the first on your block to show Mr Bloomberg that you are mad as !#$% and won't take it anymore?
Life is a favorite of mine, and I thought the pro gun side won the day on this episode. I urge the readers here to view the episode available free from NBC.
Despite the propaganda shown on Life and House, they remain 2 of the few programs I like to watch. My impression of the Life episode was that they portrayed the gun company CEO as ruthless and the anti gun woman as a political weasel.
Personally after hearing the same tired old arguments for 40 years I think most people's minds are made up one way or the other.
Aside from a few big screen movies such as Harry Potter, Hollywood is out of ideas. How? They remade Friday the !3th! Halloween! And quite a few other pointless remakes.
Don't even go there with me about Mayor Bloomberg. I'm waiting for him to ban all sharp, pointy objects! Soon we will only be allowed to eat leafy organic greens and tofu in NYC. I say "NO" to a 3rd term for our local "Dear Leader".
I don't know, maybe I’m totally wrong in this, (but I doubt it), but don’t most of the these big Hollyweird type “stars” and their families have armed bodyguards and armed security teams following them from their mansions to their studios, hair stylists, personal trainers etc. and back home?
So, am I to understand that the average Joe and Jane private citizen, don’t need to be armed because, (in essence), they are all potential murders, but the big time “lefty“ musicians, studio executives, super stars, chauffeurs and caterers to those folks have the need to be protected by the “evil handgun" because they are somehow "more in need" of that protection, than those knuckle dragging, beer swilling, crotch scratching inbreeds who actually pay to watch them perform.
OK I get it now. *Scratching crotch as I type with one hand*
Time to “ammo up” people.
Keep your hands out of your pockets and loosely at your sides
Not Over.
I've never seen either of these shows – in fact, I can't have regular network television on in my household without something I don't want my 5 year old daughter to see. I did watch CBS network during the NCAA tournament, and I remembered why we don't watch these stations: while I don't advocate gun control, I don't need my daughter to see guns blazing away or pointed towards people, especially women, or women diminished to mere sex objects in practically every commercial break, (the specific commercials promoted different TV programs or movies).
There's a reason the Hannah Montana movie kicked ass, and it's not because the plot was contrived and formulaic. Figure it out guys.
If language is dictated by hate-law speech codes then script writers will never write better material; instead of creative inspiration they're devolving back to their Darwinian state of slime.
The writer, the poet, the actor, the master director have become botoxed zombies killed by their very own politically correct politics.
Actually, gun control is the poisoned bait of the left. The reason the Obama administration and congress haven't gone after guns yet is that they have bigger fish to fry. They've postponed more gun control until re-structuring of the economy, education and especially health care is done according to the Eurosocialist model. They know the gun control issue cost Gore the presidency and they aren't eager to repeat that.
I didn't watch it, but I did see the ads for it. It looked like they were going to show a hidden camera-type of study, leaving kids alone in a classroom with a gun on the teacher's desk, to show the lure guns have on children. I might be wrong, but I thought that study showed that the kids who went up to play with the gun were the ones who didn't have a gun at home, whereas the ones who did, left the gun alone. That wasn't how they presented it in the commercial, though.
Anyone know either way?
Danny,
I agree with your sentiment. (And, when was the last time any of those knuckleheads in DC listened to the voice of the “great unwashed?”
But, when the “hammer falls” on the new bans. (and it IS coming my friend, only a matter of a few months away now), and the balloon goes up, I really don’t need my IP address to fall in the hands of some over zealous Gubmint bureaucrat, with orders from on high, to track me down and find out what kind of arms I have in my home.
Am I being too whacked out and paranoid? Maybe.
But, we’re “living in interesting times”
Not Over.
Did we watch the same show? The gun company was the innocent victim of unfounded suspicion. The gun company was shown exercising their 2nd Amendment rights safely and very publicly. The anti-gun movement leaders were the bad guys. The use of a hadgun to fire a warning shot led not to a night in jail but a very positive pronouncement that the operator was well within her rights. The show wasn't a sloppy kiss directed to the NRA but how did you get so upset about it?
I have to agree with you, the program is getting a bad rap here. I didn't pick up on an anti-gun message in the episode, although it did play into some stereotypes. The anti-gun activist was shown as the weasel using everything, including the death of a friend to advance her cause and ended up being one of the villians.
The show, from what I've seen doesn't have a history of being anti-gun. From my perspective it's a deceptively brutal show when it comes to violence, whether it be with guns or anything else.
I also don't think it's a show that preaches one way or the other about anything and I consider myself to be pretty sensitive to that type of crap.
Okinawan karate has a lot of basis in tools converted to weapons; the staff was once used to balance baskets over the shoulders, like a yoke, and the tonfa originally was used to spin the stones of the grain mill.
I agree in principle; while saying that, the emphasis is (or should be) in defense, not appeasement of the attacker.
Not everyone can break bones and strike points with precision and energy enough to incapacitate, and the attacker, who is now in close proximity to you, may not like your ideas too much, and have some of their own they wish to implement. if you can resist attack at range WITHOUT allowing the attacker to close, you are a great deal safer. Ergo, a missile weapon. The most effective of these is a firearm.
Yeah, sometimes I'm a little bit oblivious, but I've never really noticed a strong anti-gun message from House. As far as the suicide goes, I figured they mostly went for the dramatic image, something immediate and shocking – a body laying in a pool of blood.
Then again, there was also a House episode a few months back I thought was pretty decent towards religion, but others here (or actually, a site that was linked by here) took it completely differently. Maybe I really am too optimistic when it comes to the intention of the writers.
I did recently watch an old rerun of ER, and that was blatantly anti-gun. It was from eight years ago, yet I still wanted to, uh, write a strongly-worded letter.
I saw the show the same way you did. I admit I was talking back at the screen most of the time, because it looked like it was going the way of most TV dramas. The denouement came as a pleasant surprise. The gun-grabbers simply cannot comprehend that so many of us have had guns in the house for self-defense our entire lives and have never had to use them. It's sufficient that the bad guys know we would if we had to. And the left will never understand that if we needed to do so, we wouldn't be giggling in glee that we were forced to take another human being's life.
A major part of the problem. And the left counts on that.
Speaking of deceptively brutal, the last 3 minutes of what I am afraid will be the last show of the series certainly merits that description.
Remember, when seconds count the Police are only minutes away…
All the pro-gun arguments are out there so, I won't reiterate any. Gun control activism is population control activism, pure and simple. Any politician, journalist or hollyweird fruitcake that states differently, is lying or just a simpleton. The only way the political class can achieve population control is through a complete weapon ban, period. They fear our weapons. It keeps them in check. They couldn't care less about gun violence until it affects them directly. How much anti-gun activism did Sarah Brady participate in before James Brady caught a bullet? Nada. The accumulation of power is the ONLY thing that matters to these people. I hope they enjoy all that power, packin' a pitchfork and a red union suit, in hell.
As to Mr.Lott's main question, "can;t these guys think of better material" the question is no, the objective of these liberal hacks is to go after guns as much as possible, in every form of our lives – to attempt to pound the liberal handbook into our brains…
Agreed! It was nothing short of awsome … until I realized it was the season finale! But, please don't sound that death knell yet! This has been one of my favorite network series in years and I'm not ready to give up on it.
I agree that the episode mentioned does not get the proper treatment here. At first, it appeared to be anti-gun, but Crewe's partner at the time gave a damned fine defense of the Second Amendment. The writers made the anti-gun individuals smarmy and unsympathetic, and the gun-manufacturer a sympathetic character. Other than the portrayal of everyone that works at P & K guns carrying (even the mail guy, for crying out Pete's sake!) I would say this epsiode was a net positive for gun rights.
LHSF, you were right…we will cross paths occasionaly. After watching this particular episode of Life I would have tossed it into the big hollywood campaign. At the very end Cruise said…."I need a bigger gun". Now anyone that watches the show knows that he meant bigger political clout in order to take on the russian organized crime element. At no time during this episode did I get the Anti Gun vibe. If this show isn't a perfect example of counter intel (FBI style) I don't know what is. In fact….im a regular watcher of the Cruise Zen show about life in law enforcement. I also thought his part in Band Of Brothers (as lite Col. Winters) was one of the best I have seen. Toss this nom towards HBO and NBC again. Can catch episodes of life online @ Hulu.com or NBC's website.
You bet….way back from ww2. I personaly am a big fan of everything from SA. Kimber and S&W after that. Bet you didn't know that SA firearms are made in Chicago did you. If it held up in combat and won wars….thats the kind of gun I want.
Well, network TV is off limits at my house, as is anything put out by Hollywood. Why? When the transmitter went down after 9/11, we had a political conversion after a year or so of no television – suddenly everything became quite clear. How anyone allows that poison into their hiome is beyond me. Now I just have to convince the other 300 million that TV and Hollywood = leftist brainwashing.
Someone please tell me why Brady can't just be happy he stopped bullets from getting the pres and STFU? All the sudden Brady got HIT and all the good defensive protection that guns provide for ordinary citizens goes out the window. This is the definition of liberal left wing propoganda.
I agree with opus. On balance this episode of Life was pro 2nd Amendment.
The president of the 'evil' gun company was a woman. And she was HOT! I wanted her and women viewers wished they could be her.
The anti-bun pols were portrayed as the skunks they are in real life.
These same celebs who are such wingeing lefties in LALA Land become feudal land barons on their properties in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. They fence off square miles of THEIR property, and patrol it with armed guards.
Like public schools, public transportation and public health, it's for the Little People; not for them.
Didn't Karl Marx claim that it was the machines that determined it was time to begin the capitalist stage of history? Maybe I'm remembering that incorrectly, but I can see that people who would believe that could also somehow believe that the guns caused the crimes…
Glad to know SA made inChicago. Dealt in guns for years and miss the boys from Remington and Winchester, thank god for Bill Ruger. Next stop Wilson !!
Was at Turner's Outdoorsman in Reseda today. There were some rifles and a few large hand guns, but that's it. This isn't like Turner's. "Where are all the guns?" I asked, looking over the near empty displays. "Can't keep 'em in stock" was the reply. It's the same in Calabasas and Simi Valley. Hmmm, I wonder how many Hollywood lefties are donning shades and coming into buy some protection in the days of their king.
You know Louis, I don't blame James Brady in this at all. He is used as a prop by his power hungry chattering class wife who is a useful idiot for the power hungry gun grabbers. Sadly funny, they really haven't achieved very much. The step that signals real problems is compulsory registration as espoused by that emminent blowhard and certifiable dreg, Pelosi. I fully realize what district she has been elected from but how, even those people can keep electing levee waste like that, is beyond mystifying. The states will never agree with Federal Compulsory Registration. I think there is a serious States Rights issue involved there. Not being a lawyer (though, I played one in the third grade), not sure.
I remember a 60 Minutes piece on James Brady some time ago. Guy was in constant pain, could hardly move or do much of anything, nothing working from the waist down.
This is when it came to me that Sarah Brady's personal crusade was against phallic symbols. "Those people took away my pistol, so I will…!"
I'm serious. Really. Take notice how she became much quieter after the little blue pills hit the market.
When a stick can protect me from someone with a longer stick, let alone stronger and better skilled, at a distance where that stick can't possibly hit me, then I'll consider it.
The stick was such a useful weapon, early man figured he'd better sharpen an end and throw it to get the real work done.
I'm in the same boat, at first I thought the show (which I love) was going to go all PC on us, but it turned out that they were actually making the case that gun ban was nothing more than a politically expedient measure for politicians to get behind for votes. So I thought the show wound up showing a pretty positive message about guns in general and not a typical prime-time drama swipe at them, since the gun company wasn't the bad guy, the politician trying to falsely accuse them for his own political ends, was.
That's how I saw it too Mark, everyone was knee-jerking against the gun company when they were actually the victim of a criminal conspiracy cooked up to gain votes.
You'll be able to use properly blunted biodegradable bamboo chopsticks for all your eating needs of course. But they have to be properly blunted or blood could flow in the streets…
One of the (many) things I don't understand about Bloomberg is that isn't he justifying breaking the term limits statute in NYC because of an "ongoing crisis" so that you couldn't afford to risk changing governments? Okay well by that logic why wasn't there a groundswell of support to have Rudy run again, if an election held just a few months after 9/11 didn't constitute being during an "ongoing crisis" then I don't know what would the heck would. I pay as little attention to NYC politics as I can (keeps me sane) but I really wonder about that one.
I know it's been said… but I didn't find that episode of Life anti-gun at all.
Any *good* story-teller will have a variety of conflicting opinions voiced by different characters, and Crews himself usually keeps his (the character's) own opinions to himself. It's not usually possible to tell what he actually thinks about most things because he's expressing possible suspect motivations and not his own.
Anyway… the episode in question shows the anti-gun crusader to be an immoral, manipulative, b*tch, even before we find out that she "did it." Not to mention the hypocrisy involved and the blatant opportunistic conversion to "anti-gun" of the husband. There was a whole lot there for gun-rights people to be happy about. The gun manufacturer employees all carrying at work was neutral enough… depending on who you are, it could be "scary gun nuts" or IMO, "oh, what a neat place to work" and a clear statement that they had a Right to carry in the facility, if their employer wants to let them. Also, there were several clear statements that public opinion and polling numbers were *massively* opposed to the anti-gun measure.
Anything *more* gun friendly would have been seriously unbalanced. A *good* television show (or book or…) isn't going to needlessly exclude viewers.
I heard of a guy who hung himself from a door knob. Apparently while sitting there with the pressure on the neck arteries, you only have to wait for the loss of consciousness then you'll soon die.
Would they stop at banning door knobs, or anything higher than two feet from the ground you could attach a rope to?
Hmm, you know, traditional Japanese interior design does have a certain look to it…
John, the "Life" episode was not I thought anti us. We should be careful not to use bad examples that the otherside then uses to question our fairness. The "60 minute" thingee was clearly witless anti us, using VA Tech families who clearly did not and do not represent the majority, and are clueless as to the shooting or the nut who shot their relatives. The real problem I thought was the clearly stupid willingness of the gun show promoters to promote their sales by using CBS; that guy did us harm for his own profit. We should clean our own house of such scum before bashing the producers at "Life".
In all fairness to the writers-producers of "Life" (an excellent series starring "Band of Brothers" Damien Lewis), the particular episode played what might be called "the Rob Thomas Game."
In the late, lamented "Veronica Mars," writer-producer Rob Thomas in the show's third and last season, ran a particular formula. Knowing that audiences expected PC, he gave them a PC villain and "hero" and then flipped it around showing the "villains" to be heroes and the "heroes" to be villains. Examples: a "snooty sorority" suspected of being complicit in date-rapes is actually hiding a different secret — growing Marijuana for their terminally ill with cancer Den Mother. The sympathetic gay guy who could NEVER be a campus rapist is actually in love with the rapist and assisting in his crimes. The Christian Televangelist who was suspected of doping his unmarried, pregnant daughter with an abortificant did no such thing, he loves his daughter unconditionally, it was the daughter's militant feminist (and Black, a daring touch) room-mate who decided how the woman would live her life for her.
"Life" was a classic set-up in the Rob Thomas mode. Give a PC villain who is "obvious" (the Gun company), a PC heroine (the slain Congresswoman's aide) and show that the roles are reversed as the detectives dig through red herrings to get to the truth.
"NUMB3RS" did this once upon a time, with a "Minuteman" guy revealed to be a law abiding "observe and report" type and the "Immigrants Rights Activist" being a brutal drug smuggler and killer. It since has retreated into PC dogma.
Nevertheless, those who are willing to use the Rob Thomas formula from "Veronica Mars" by ruthlessly exploiting past PC dogma can surprise and shock audiences dramatically. The caveat is that many audiences particularly female ones do not like PC dogma being upset.
The largely female fan-base of Veronica Mars was livid with feminists, gays, and non-Whites being villains, and Televangelists, sorority girls, and the like being portrayed as sympathetic good folks. Ratings dropped off significantly from prior years and the fate of the show sort of underlines what most have suspected.
TV is a female/gay ghetto for the most part, that functions as propaganda for PC dogma about who is pure and good, and what groups are bad and evil.
Thats the problem….I could care less whats happening in the brady home. Im just concerned that some bad guys intentions equal my rights being taken away. Is it sad? Hell yes! Nobody is arguing that the rest of the worlds muslim countries or russia dissarm. Isnt that where the threat originated? Our enemies? All the sudden in 1981 three years short of an orwell 1984 we have to start thinking and living different according to a victim ideology. BS……take it back! Greatful that Red Dawn was made in 1984 instead. Screw you Russian's…..we are better or the walls wouldn't have fallen down. Same goes for Muslim countries and any enemies of the US constitution.
Considering how that episode of Life ended, I wonder if the Mr. Lott even actually saw the program.
He's 180 degrees off, IMHO.
What bothers me is how the main reasons for the second amendment are ignored by the Left and misunderstood by the Right. At least by the politicians.
The number one reason for the people of this country to own guns is so we can take them up to free ourselves when our government tries to enslave us!
Number two is to protect our homes and families and private property.
Number three is survival in a dangerous world (now mostly the sport called hunting).
What do you think the weenies in DC would do if the free gun owners in this nation had a march on Washington and carried our guns with us?
Actually gun crimes and home invasions shot up oin England and Australia after their gun grabs. The old saw still applies. Take guns away from honest people and only criminals will have guns.
I absolutely agree with Opus and Nettles. Mr. Lott is completely off base, IMHO.
I had gulped hard and told my wife I felt another anti-gun show coming on. Then I watched with trepidation, and happily I found I was mistaken.
it's no small irony that most cops will tell the victim of a violent crime to buy a gun.
Actualy in much fewer words…..you surgicaly summed it up. There is "Us" and there is "You". Your opinion is noted.
Pop up targets
Don´t forget scenes where guns are so ineffective that having one is like a death sentence. Think Jurassic Park 2, where even the biggest guns are useless and only the unarmed survive.
I've been a fan of the show since the beginning. Damien Lewis (Crews) has been in important parts in several movies, though the roles themselves were relatively small. He's always been good, and nobody's going to accuse him of being a Hollywoood pretty boy. "Band of Brothers" was full of mid-level stars, including Lewis, and almost all of them shined in the parts. Except for David Schwimmer, who was merely obnoxious.
Oh, here's the great irony. There WAS a ground swell of support for Rudy to run again or at least, delay Bloomberg's swearing in by 6 months. Rudy had done such a exceptional job we wanted him to continue until things settled down and the city got back to "normal". Bloomberg was the one that yell "Not fair!"
Just for the record, how can NYC politics keep anyone sane??
Mr. lott was indeed off base in his criticism. The show ended with the anti-gun guy being a hypocrit. The fully armed gun company was black comedy, apparently over the head of some.
'Life' is a pretty good TV series. Excellent cast, fine, if erratic, writing. The season finale was rather sublime.
correction…..crews.
I am the new Milius. Come to me if you want bad assed parts and written badassedness. You can find me on breitbart and can email chadk08@gmail.com
I hope my post didn't come off as being rude. I didn't even catch your error until you corrected it. I was too busy agreeing with you to notice. So where are they going to go with David Earley? He's been in and out of the main plot several times, and I can't imagine they're going to dump him. He's almost as complex as the main character.
Claiming that a "gun" kills instead of allocating the accountability to the individual is about as logical as saying that "the pencil misspelled the word"
I'd love to be in a situation with an anti-gun person when someone decides to attack – I'll pull out my gun and protect myself and we'll see what the anti-gun person is able to do "with their words"
It's called self-defense because a person cannot rely on another – self-reliance – self-governance – it is my personal responsibility to make sure I ensure my own freedoms – police only show up after the fact and they are not required to defend or protect – I can appreciate they want to, but it is ultimately my responsibility.
Take away my choice to have a gun and protect myself and I won't be responsible because I can't be self-reliant to protect myself
It's no one's place to decide my life except me!
If you take away my responsibility, then you take ownership of my life and will be held accountable if anything happens where otherwise I could have taken care of myself
stop imposing your ideology on the backs of self-reliant people like myself so you can have "comfort"
You are not entitled to "comfort" in this nation
No rush. I look forward to hearing from you.
Ah, but personal tragedies provide the PR fuel for the gun banners. It's all about what's acceptable to the public. People are killed and maimed by cars, but banning cars is ludicrous, we need cars. Drunk drivers kill, but it's silly to ban booze so just go after the irresponsible use. A person is shot, and this isn't the frontier days, we have police, you can ban guns. If the victims and those left behind would soundly blame the attackers and refuse to be gun banner PR fodder because they know guns are needed by responsible public citizens, there'd be a lot less grease for the wheels of their un-American campaign.
Well, he did volunteer (there wasn't a draft in place) to serve the president.
And Reagan wasn't at fault, it was a crazy. So, it would seem more appropriate for Mrs. Brady to go after mentally challenged being out of hospitals, or running low on medication.
BTW, has she been active against Jody Foster for giving the assasin a motive?
I wonder if that has anything to do with DC's desperation to have some of the strictest gun control laws on the books?
I wonder if that has anything to do with DC's desperation to have some of the strictest gun control laws on the books?
Ok, I think early will inherit management of rayborns estate…..The direction of the show is getting kind of spooky and shady. There is way too much rogue vigilanteism going on. The shows hero's run the risk of crossing too many lines and becoming the corruption they fight. You really can't take David Early's character out of the show…..he is the behind the scenes guy and Crews confidante. At some point….maybe from the FBI…they will try to get to Crews through Early.
That makes sense, and I tend to agree about the show getting spooky and shady. Well, let's give them a little more time to see where it's going. Thanks.
As a vet…I cringe anytime I see a post about violence towards a public official for political purposes. I took an oath to protect and defend the constitution and the President of the United States. Brady is a hero in my book and I can understand the need to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. Its a very complicated issue. Whats next? Registries for gun owners and the mentally ill? Should I dissregard my first ammendment protection of free speach in TV blogs because big bro might be listening in? We are headed towards some interesting times my friend.
Did you see the 20/20 "special". It turned my stomach. There was so much misinformation, half-truth, and a handful of just outright lies in it that it staggers the mind. I especially loved the entire segment on how you were more likely to shoot someone you care about than actually shoot an intruder. It's just enraging to see the pure propaganda our supposed media puts out these days.
troll team jeepwonder / thankfulforMarx / 331769
Is this really the best you can do? I expected more insults, more something.
This is boring 3rd grade stuff like a liberal would use.
How predictable.
Is this cutting into that chuckle time you like?
"My chuckle is that Iran is going to slip one through our admittedly very porous southern border and then detonate this in a US city…"
"
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