You know, I really liked
George Clooney.
Seems he's descended to the level that all celebrities descend to, sooner or later... meddling in public affairs, to his detriment. By that I don't mean the act of public commentary and stating his opinion - last I checked, we all had the right to do that - but making an
asshat of himself. (Thank you,
Rachel.)
To say, as Clooney did,
"Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer's." (snip)
When questioned about the remark by New York Newsday, Clooney sputtered: "I don't care. Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association. He deserves whatever anyone says about him."
-- simply defies belief.
A couple basic self-evident (or should be) statements here: No one
deserves Alzheimer's. It's a remarkably nasty way to go. Most NRA members are not Uzi-toting maniacs. I don't own a gun myself, and I doubt I ever will, and I don't have problems with gun control - that said, I have/had relatives on both sides of my family who hunt. In rural areas and during the Depression, it's how you got your protein; it's what kept you alive. It's also a cultural thing, I suppose. I don't pretend to understand all of it but I will say that I find it extremely ironic that those who so often protest the factory farming method of raising chicken, veal, etc. also protest hunting - I mean, how far from factory farming could you get?
I think the NRA could stand to negotiate a bit. Arguing for automatic weapons goes more than a bit too far. But to demonize a large - very large - group of your fellow Americans and to say that their leader deserves to get Alzheimer's is just, you know, over the line.
Talk amongst yourselves.
posted by Dr. Alice at #
