Saturday, December 10, 2011

Ringo Starr on Gun Violence for the Anniversary of John Lennon's Death


Ringo Starr, arguing for stiffer gun laws yesterday on the anniversary of John Lennon’s murder. He was speaking at a Non Violence Foundation soiree, where he unveiled his psychedelic take on the “knotted gun” statue, which he designed on his iPad. Because if there’s one lesson we can draw from the UK, it’s that more gun control laws work.
What's your opinion? Why do you think the Armed Intelligentsia love to mock people who decry gun violence? Isn't that another way of aligning themselves with the criminal gun owners? When celebrities like Ringo Starr talk about the need for stricter gun laws, they're referring to criminals, they're talking about ways to keep guns away from criminals. Why then do the so-called law-abiding gun owners take such offense?

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

16 comments:

  1. Yes, they are correct to want to ridicule people who try to make it hard for people who want to try to prevent the insane from buying guns.

    They will get them anyway.

    So, let's just give the insane guns.

    I've realised that makes perfect sense.

    The gun fairies will protect us.

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  2. "When celebrities like Ringo Starr talk about the need for stricter gun laws, they're referring to criminals,"

    False.

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  3. Aztec Red is, of course, correct.

    Criminals are never bothered by laws since they are criminals.

    Only poor law abiding citizens are inconvenienced when a criminal robs or shoots them with a gun.

    But, we can't stop criminals since we already have laws against robbery, assault, murder, and so on.

    So, why bother with laws?

    I think Aztec Red is correct: there is nothing we can do about criminals getting their hands on guns--we should make it easier for criminals to get them.

    After all, only the law abiding will be inconvenienced by this situation.

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  4. Laci, I see you HAVE seen the light.

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  5. Laci the Dog,

    Now I'm worried about you. But as you say, we let crazy people join our club. By the way, don't you or Dog Gone have anything to say about the photograph in this article?

    To everyone,

    Please, so another celebrity is on the side of gun control. That's no more significant than Charlton Heston being in favor of gun rights. And let's note, Mr. Starr didn't ask for stiffer sentences against those who use a gun while committing a crime. He called for stricter gun control laws. That doesn't refer to criminals, and that's why we are against it.

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  6. There is plenty we can do to keep criminals from getting guns. The problem is Ringo and most other celebs don't talk about it.

    They talk like the average gun control organization which basically runs the gamut from bans on certain guns to bans on all guns. Or in the words of Ringo: "I can’t stand up and dictate to the world it’s over; no more guns."

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  7. When Ringo Starr argues for stricter gun control, he's a rational, intelligent human being and an expert on the subject. When Ted Nugent argues for gun rights, he's a lunatic who's just a rock musician anyway.

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  8. GC write: When Ringo Starr argues for stricter gun control, he's a rational, intelligent human being and an expert on the subject. When Ted Nugent argues for gun rights, he's a lunatic who's just a rock musician anyway.

    Um.........NO.
    Ringo Starr has had a far more distinguished career as both a musician and actor.

    Ted Nugent is sleazy, and frankly is not nearly as talented a musician, or actor.

    I haven't seen something like THIS that is the case with Starr:

    In 1978, Nugent began a relationship with seventeen-year-old Hawaii native Pele Massa. Due to the age difference they could not marry so Nugent joined Massa's parents in signing documents to make himself her legal guardian, an arrangement that Spin magazine ranked in October 2000 as #63 on their list of the "100 Sleaziest Moments in Rock".[27][28]

    and he's just one more macho swaggering asshole who is in fact a coward - in Nugent's case a greedy coward.

    (See original document pictured.) "Since we've been discussing Ted Nugent lately, this seemed a good time to bring up Nugent's draft dodging. It's well known that Nugent claims to have gone to great lengths to flunk his Draft Board physical. What's not so well-known is that he got a student deferment at the same time he was touring with his rock band, putting in an average of 300 shows a year. How was he going to school and touring that much at the same time?

    One of our readers sent me a copy of an extract of Nugent's Selective Service records, obtained via a FOIA request (copy below). As you can see, Nugent received student deferments in 1967 (1-S) and 1968 (2-S). But according to the Internet Movie Data Base website, Nugent has been "performing professionally since 1958, non-stop yearly touring since 1967, averaging more than 300 shows per year '67-73." Hmm, that would include the two years he was supposedly too wrapped up in his studies to be serving his country.

    But that hasn't stopped Nugent from insisting that if he HAD served, he would have been one big mofo soldier. As the Rutland Herald reported, Here's what Nugent said he would have done if he went to Vietnam:

    "... if I would have gone over there, I'd have been killed, or I'd have killed, or I'd kill all the hippies in the foxholes ... I would have killed everybody," he told the Detroit Free Press in an interview published July 15, 1990."

    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9a1_1250550290

    Your lot has some very scummy heroes. Sorry, but there is no comparison between the former Beatles drummer and this pond scum Nugent.

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  9. Dog Gone,

    I'm not a fan of either musician. The Beatles strike me as the founders of pop, not what I'd call rock. They're the ancestors of Michael Jackson and American Idol--not exactly a great legacy. My point was that telling us what a celebrity has to say is something of a fallacious appeal to authority, since Ringo Starr knows no more about gun policy than anyone else.

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  10. Talk about you bizarre comparisons, Ringo to Ted.

    Greg, thanks for the laugh.

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  11. Sadly MikeB, I don't think Greg meant that to be a joke. In his mind the two somehow equate - which is again why he clearly demonstrates an inability to engage in critical thinking.

    Ringo Starr is a noted philanthropist.
    http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/483-ringo-starr

    and then look at Nugent -
    http://www.tednugent.com/about/involvement/

    let's see we have Kamp for Kids, which apart from not teaching correct spelling, is all about shooting stuff. Because of course, what kids need is more GUNZ!!!!

    Given his conduct with that 17 year old, having him involved with kids is the last thing that would seem like a good idea.

    And then we have Nugent trying to put lipstick on the pig of his military service dodging with this crap:

    "have such respect for our military and their families and feel that while they are fighting for my freedom, I should be doing something to give back to them." Although to be fair, that is ostensibly from his wife. I suspect he's afraid God would strike him down with lightning if he said it.

    The point being, this asshole has no right to be doing his little patriot posing; he's a gutless coward who dodged military service, but is now making money off conservatives so he gives it lip service.

    His actions speak louder than his words.

    There is no valid comparison between these two. Nugent is an ignorant asshole, Ringo Starr is a world traveled far more significant musician, who has dedicated a certain amount of his life to learning more about the world, much of it first hand, and doing something about the problems in it.

    Nugent is just insincere scum.

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  12. Dog Gone,

    You say that I have problems with critical thinking, and yet you listen to a celebrity on a subject that requires some actual knowledge? Ringo Starr is as expert about guns and gun policy as Michael Jordan is about underwear. I respect some musicians and actors who have actual skill, but I care only about their relevant skill. Their personal lives and their political or social notions are none of my concern.

    And if Ted Nugent is teaching teenagers to shoot, good for him. I know, you don't support anyone learning how to shoot--except, of course, yourself.

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  13. Greg Camp:

    Ted Nugent is a misogynistic, draft dodging chickenhawk piece of shit.

    "Good for him'? Is that the best you can do, give "props" to misogynistic, draft dodging chickenhawk piece of shit?

    Does Teddy Teabaggin' think that the M-16 is a carbine?

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  14. I still have to wonder why none of the bloggers on this site feel the need to criticize Starr's apparent disregard for the rules of gun safety in the photograph.

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  15. Good point. I disaprove of that kind of photo. But those were probably in his acid days, so ...

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  16. Aw, Greg Camp is still about touchy about his amazing FAIL on the M-16 thread, tsk,tsk.

    This:

    "I still have to wonder why none of the bloggers on this site feel the need to criticize Starr's apparent disregard for the rules of gun safety in the photograph.

    December 13, 2011 10:17 PM"

    is pretty hilarious, though.

    Look closely at the photo, shit-for-brains. Now, look at this photo: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1961990144/nm0823592

    You may notice that Mr. Starr is a bit more, what, youthful looking? in the photo of him pointing a gun to his head. Admittedly he knew jackshit about gunz, prolly, but hey it was just a publicity photo. He could have as easily donned a long, duster style topcoat, put on a ridiculous hat and stuck that hogleg in an improvise gunbelt. The finger on the trigger thing is just an example, however, of how fucking clueless a hippie musician is about teh Four Rules and proper gunz handlin' technique.

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