For a couple of reasons so far I have not watched a single frame of broadcast or cable new coverage of the shootings in Aurora. I have been following the horrible news online.
Yesterday and today I have received, if not a flood, then a steady stream of various kinds of electronic communications from various associates and acquaintances arguing that the shootings were part of some government plot to take away American guns, usually linked to the UN Arms Trade Treaty. I think I saw Roger Ebert link something like this to his Facebook page yesterday before (sensibly, I think) deleting it. This kind of whacky conspiracy theory ranting is of course just part of the flotsam and jetsam of the internet, and I would typically just ignore and delete. In this case, I am getting the communications from some unlikely sources - people who I know to be somewhat conservative, but not certifiably insane, or brain-dead stupid. I am not really in a mood to engage these people in actual discussion about these delusions right now, but I am wondering if there is some reason that may explain them entering into the consciousness of more mainstream conservatives? Have they been talking about it on the TV news? Have the Michelle Bachmanns of the world gotten behind it? I can't believe the NRA would be foolish enough to lend their name to it, but maybe some third party group is pushing it to the NRA mailing list (this is kind of what the profile of the people I am getting the communications from looks like)? -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
