I purposely decline to read or watch or listen to “news” stories like this, because they’re really little more than the news version of pop music. I like being beaten over the head with them about as much as I like being beaten over the head with the peppy, poppy, insidious, every-15-minutes-on-the-radio notes of “Call Me Maybe.”
But even I, pop news hermit that I am, can’t help noticing there are THIRTY-ONE front page news headlines on ABCNews.com related to the event.
If there was such a thing as a depraved mass orgy for news organizations, it would be this. Christ, I wouldn’t be surprised to find shooting-victim favorite recipes in the Food section.
This exact phrase popped into my head when I first became aware of the event:
“Wasn’t PLANNED. Will be USED.”
Even without reading any stories on the event, I have so far seen it used to make points about gun control, about access to mental health care, about violence in movies, and — gag! — about the inevitable result of this nation falling away from God.
One thing more comes to mind, though, a point that nobody in the mainstream will ever dare to make:
Political cynic realist that I am, I can’t help but imagine that somewhere in the GOP inner sanctum, there is a gleeful rubbing of hands at this distraction from Mitt Romney’s tax returns. Worse, I’d lay odds there is studied calculation — meetings, whiteboards, careful notes! — on how to turn it to further advantage in the coming months of the campaign.
Watch for it.
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Oh, hell. Trying to get into the heads of the ‘wingers, so I can understand what motivates them or what they’re likely to do in certain situations, I think of some ugly shit sometimes. Such as:
The GOP could do worse than to plant a few rabble-rousing protest stories, tailored to the two political audiences:
WHY WON’T THE PRESIDENT DEMAND AN END TO EASY ACCESS TO GUNS?? HE MUST HATE THE INNOCENT VICTIMS OF THIS HORRIBLE SHOOTING!! LET’S ALL VOTE AGAINST THE BASTARD!!
— but also —
IN RESPONSE TO THIS SENSELESS TRAGEDY, BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL FREEDOM-HATING COMMIE-BAMA IS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO DESTROY OUR GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO OWN GUNS!! LET’S ALL VOTE AGAINST THE BASTARD!!