• Texas governor draws criticism for joke about shooting journalists
    22 replies, posted
[quote] Texas Governor Greg Abbott joked about shooting journalists while visiting a gun range on Friday to sign a bill lowering the cost of a handgun license, drawing criticism from gun-safety and free-press advocates who called his remarks "dangerous." Abbott signed the bill at an indoor gun range in Austin, the state capital, then demonstrated his own shooting skills at an upstairs firing gallery before holding up his bullet-pocked target and quipping, "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters."[/quote] [url]http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-governor-guns-idUSKBN18N009?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=592901f704d30143581c350c&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter[/url]
At what point do we just call this a neocon war on free press in the US?
Someone get this boneheaded lunatic away from my state...
can't wait to see his approval ratings climb in his state due to the fucking dumbshit, chest-thumping manly man demographic
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52279962]At what point do we just call this a neocon war on free press in the US?[/QUOTE] "Democracy dies in darkness." Without a free and honest press keeping the public informed and involved in the operations of our government, our government will become completely unaccountable to the people. For those seeking power for power's sake, the free press is a barrier. Is it any wonder that the more fascistic and authoritarian members of the political right are working so hard to tear it down and/or discredit it?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;52279962]At what point do we just call this a neocon war on free press in the US?[/QUOTE] Obama's second midterm.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;52280191]"Democracy dies in darkness." Without a free and honest press keeping the public informed and involved in the operations of our government, our government will become completely unaccountable to the people. For those seeking power for power's sake, the free press is a barrier. Is it any wonder that the more fascistic and authoritarian members of the political right are working so hard to tear it down and/or discredit it?[/QUOTE] given the (atrocious) state of much american media and the press these days it's no surprise that people are starting to attack it, or don't care enough to defend it
as someone who believes that firearm ownership is important and an integral right for our country, this dude needs to fuck off. reporters are important to a free state and i hate seeing idiots tarnish the right to bare arms like this with this kind of drivel
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;52280530]given the (atrocious) state of much american media and the press these days it's no surprise that people are starting to attack it, or don't care enough to defend it[/QUOTE] american media isn't quite the problem its the places like fox which hold their "opinion" hosts to no standards and present their segments as factual reporting, its the conservative talk radio that dominates the airwaves every day, its the major players out there spreading the notion that only their news is true, fair, and "balanced".
[QUOTE=Sableye;52280728]american media isn't quite the problem its the places like fox which hold their "opinion" hosts to no standards and present their segments as factual reporting, its the conservative talk radio that dominates the airwaves every day, its the major players out there spreading the notion that only their news is true, fair, and "balanced".[/QUOTE] if that's the case then why do the vast majority of americans distrust mainstream media? it isn't because of the evil rightwing brainwashing everyone - it's a systematic problem that they can capitalise on because of the failings of the mainstream media (especially the laughable "fact-checking" shit going on these days)
[QUOTE]quipping, "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters."[/QUOTE] Really guys? You're demanding his head over a joke? Yeah, it might be a bit of a sour joke, but don't most 'important' people joke about reporters all the time anyway? While I get he's a Governor, and probably shouldn't make jokes like this... It's not like he's actually being serious.
[QUOTE=Rowtree;52281204]Really guys? You're demanding his head over a joke? Yeah, it might be a bit of a sour joke, but don't most 'important' people joke about reporters all the time anyway? While I get he's a Governor, and probably shouldn't make jokes like this... It's not like he's actually being serious.[/QUOTE] Yeah just after a reporter gets fucking chokeslamed for asking a question it's appropriate to joke you'll kill a reporter. Yep. How about seeing why this is increasingly a dangerous view?
[QUOTE=Rowtree;52281204]Really guys? You're demanding his head over a joke? Yeah, it might be a bit of a sour joke, but don't most 'important' people joke about reporters all the time anyway? While I get he's a Governor, and probably shouldn't make jokes like this... It's not like he's actually being serious.[/QUOTE] I'd just like to provide some context. Free press getting choke-slammed by Utah in-the-running congressman for asking a question. Free press getting military machine gun waved at them in Florida; Governer laughed about firing blanks at them and called them little crybabies. This guy's joking about carrying a gun to use it on the free press. While being handed a saber at the commencement ceremony at the US Coast Guard Academy, Kelly told Trump he could use it on the press and Trump agreed; they both laughed. Trump spent most of his campaign building animosity against the media and any reporter in it. At what point does the laughing stop being about jokes and start being about hiding real hatred?
[QUOTE=Firgof Umbra;52281273]I'd just like to provide some context. Free press getting choke-slammed by Utah in-the-running congressman for asking a question. Free press getting military machine gun waved at them in Florida; Governer laughed about firing blanks at them and called them little crybabies. This guy's joking about carrying a gun to use it on the free press. While being handed a saber at the commencement ceremony at the US Coast Guard Academy, Kelly told Trump he could use it on the press and Trump agreed; they both laughed. Trump spent most of his campaign building animosity against the media and any reporter in it. At what point does the laughing stop being about jokes and start being about hiding real hatred?[/QUOTE] Oh I agree, there's a very thin line between jokes and real hatred and this guy completely messed up by making that kind of joke in the current political environment. He messed up here, the joke was bad, dangerous, and I can see why people would assume this as intended malice. But he didn't straight up and say "I'm gonna shoot some reporters with this", he said "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters". Both have completely different meanings.
[QUOTE=Rowtree;52281204]Really guys? You're demanding his head over a joke? Yeah, it might be a bit of a sour joke, but don't most 'important' people joke about reporters all the time anyway? While I get he's a Governor, and probably shouldn't make jokes like this... It's not like he's actually being serious.[/QUOTE] its not individual events its the sum total, there was just a journalist assaulted for doing his job.
[QUOTE=Rowtree;52281482]Oh I agree, there's a very thin line between jokes and real hatred and this guy completely messed up by making that kind of joke in the current political environment. He messed up here, the joke was bad, dangerous, and I can see why people would assume this as intended malice. But he didn't straight up and say [B]"I'm gonna shoot some reporters with this", he said "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters".[/B] Both have completely different meanings.[/QUOTE] How? He's clearly implying if he sees reporters when carrying a gun he's gonna shoot them. It sounds like they have the exact same meaning, one less blunt than the other.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;52280747]if that's the case then why do the vast majority of americans distrust mainstream media? it isn't because of the evil rightwing brainwashing everyone - it's a systematic problem that they can capitalise on because of the failings of the mainstream media (especially the laughable "fact-checking" shit going on these days)[/QUOTE] As one of the people who distrust the MSM, it's simple: They care more about ratings and politics than they do relaying current events. They focus on and amplify the negative, they fearmonger, they politicize things to push agendas that shouldn't be pushed by the media. It's so bad that they influence elections....hell, it's this politicization that's a large part of why we have an Orange in Chief to begin with! Long gone are the days of Dan Rather, where you could tune into the news and get it laid out straight and fair, with minimal bias, with minimal sensationalism. These days, it's all about who can get the most views. That being said, I'm also 100% against the GOP's assault on the media. Flawed as it may be, we need it.
[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;52281497]How? He's clearly implying if he sees reporters when carrying a gun he's gonna shoot them. It sounds like they have the exact same meaning, one less blunt than the other.[/QUOTE] It was [I]obviously[/I] a joke and I would fear for the mental stability of anyone who honestly believes he was serious. I don't believe he is going to shoot the next reporter he sees. However, it was [I]very[/I] stupid and inappropriate of him to make a joke like that especially with the recent tension with the news media.
it's kinda pathetic how people complain about how the news is sensationalist trash when it's almost entirely their own doing People only consume the tabloid garbage, get mad that it's inaccurate and misleading, and then blame it on journalism as a whole. It's like eating nothing but lard, getting sick, and then whining that "food is so unhealthy".
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;52281863]it's kinda pathetic how people complain about how the news is sensationalist trash when it's almost entirely their own doing People only consume the tabloid garbage, get mad that it's inaccurate and misleading, and then blame it on journalism as a whole. It's like eating nothing but lard, getting sick, and then whining that "food is so unhealthy".[/QUOTE] I like that analogy haha
[QUOTE=Sableye;52280728]american media isn't quite the problem its the places like fox which hold their "opinion" hosts to no standards and present their segments as factual reporting, its the conservative talk radio that dominates the airwaves every day, its the major players out there spreading the notion that only their news is true, fair, and "balanced".[/QUOTE] It's not exclusively the Conservatives. Take a stroll down the media bias fact check. There are extreme examples on both sides. Fox News and MSNBC have similar degrees of bias and factual reporting. The only "mainstream" media sources that come up as "least biased" are Reuters, Associated Press, USA Today, among other less known sources. Most the others have some kind of right or left bias. Both sides wallow in shit. It's hard to see when your up to your eyes in that shit. Conservatives only bitch about liberal media. Liberals only bitch about conservative media. Both are lying to you.
[QUOTE=Rowtree;52281482]Oh I agree, there's a very thin line between jokes and real hatred and this guy completely messed up by making that kind of joke in the current political environment. He messed up here, the joke was bad, dangerous, and I can see why people would assume this as intended malice. [I][B]But he didn't straight up and say "I'm gonna shoot some reporters with this", he said "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters". Both have completely different meanings.[/B][/I][/QUOTE] [del]Fuck off with this bullshit. It's very clear what he was implying. It may have been a 'joke', but I see little difference between him saying "I'm gonna' shoot some reporters with this gun" as a joke and him saying "I'm gonna' carry this gun with me in case I see any reporters" as a joke. The intent of the joke is the same. Stop giving people the benefit of the doubt when there is no doubt.[/del] Yeah you're right, I jumped the gun on this one. I'm just sick of seeing criticism deflected from politicians by looking for a flowery interpretation to what they say that I'm jumping at shadows.
[QUOTE=Rufia;52282266]Fuck off with this bullshit. It's very clear what he was implying. It may have been a 'joke', but I see little difference between him saying "I'm gonna' shoot some reporters with this gun" as a joke and him saying "I'm gonna' carry this gun with me in case I see any reporters" as a joke. The intent of the joke is the same. Stop giving people the benefit of the doubt when there is no doubt.[/QUOTE] He wasn't carrying a gun. He was carrying a target. [editline]27th May 2017[/editline] The distinction is "I'm going to shoot people with a gun." and "I'm going to threaten people with my shooting skillz." [editline]27th May 2017[/editline] Though it would probably be a safe assumption that Abbott is armed. [editline]27th May 2017[/editline] Also, don't tell people to fuck off.
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