[guest post by Dana]

Former President George H.W. Bush was hospitalized tonight due to experiencing shortness of breath. According to a Houston Methodist Hospital spokesman, Bush “will be held for observation, again as a precaution.” The senior Bush is 90 years old.

And, showing an utter lack of class, an activist with #BlackLivesMatter mocked:

(via Weasel Zippers)

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

According to this report, Sony has reversed its previous decision not to release The Interview and will now screen it at select theaters and through video demand on Christmas day:

“We have never given up on releasing ‘The Interview’ and we’re excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment in a statement. “At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.”

“I want to thank our talent on ‘The Interview’ and our employees, who have worked tirelessly through the many challenges we have all faced over the last month. While we hope this is only the first step of the film’s release, we are proud to make it available to the public and to have stood up to those who attempted to suppress free speech.”

No explanation was given as to why the reversal was made. Some of the possible influencing factors cited: Sony stood to lose a lot more money releasing it online than in the theaters; Sony decided not to cave to vague and anonymous threats; if the film was released and there was an attack, it would be seen as an act of war and would NK be willing to risk that? Or, could it possibly be that Sony examined its collective conscience and took George Clooney’s protests to heart as well as president’s admonition: “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States…That’s not who we are.”? Uh-huh.

Anyway, from the White House today regarding the decision to release the film:

“[T]he president applauds Sony’s decision to authorize screenings of the film. As the president made clear, we’re a country that believes in free speech and the right of artistic expression.

p.s. One can’t help but wonder how the close relationship between President Obama and frequent White House visitors, Sony CEO Michael Lynton and his Obama fundraising wife Jamie Alter Lynton factored into the decision.

-Dana

[guest post by Dana]

A new PSA is making the rounds in an effort to stop gun violence:

Either the makers of this awful PSA are just plain ignorant or have conveniently ignored critical issues for the sake of pushing their message. Part of that message also appears to pit parents against their kids as schools become the go-to safety net for young people.

Interestingly, the main character is not a clueless small child who might sneak into his parent’s drawers to play with the gun, nor a mentally off-balance son who might be tempted to commit mayhem, but to the contrary, the makers of the video have intentionally drawn a well-rounded young man with a working conscience, sensitivity and big sense of responsibility. As such, it would be natural for that same young man to approach his parents about the gun being kept (unsafely) in the house. Likely he did, and the viewer is to infer that his parents are bitter-clinger types who love their guns more than their son and wouldn’t listen to him. That would not only be convenient but also leave the responsible and conscientious son with no other choice but to take the gun out of the drawer, and not knowing if it’s loaded or if the safety is on (and not checking), put it in his backpack to take to school and give it to a responsible adult. But what if the gun accidentally discharged en route? What if other students were injured or killed as a result? This doesn’t seem to be a concern for the video makers. Also, if he is so troubled by the gun and everything surrounding it, why not have him hand it off to the first adult he sees when he walks into the school’s front doors instead of waiting until the end of a class? That would immediately relieve him of his heavy burden while not continuing to put others at risk.

The makers of this shameful video don’t even see how ridiculous this all is: They created a level-headed, responsible and conscientious character and have him behaving utterly irresponsibly just to be able to push their message.

Further, as others have pointed out, a number of laws were broken in the video:

He takes a gun out of his house (not only is this felony burglary, but he’s not old enough to carry a firearm in public); he then takes that gun into a school (that’s against federal and state law); and, finally, he transfers it to a teacher without a background check, thereby breaking the very rule that progressives tell us is necessary to keep us all safe from gun violence.

But apparently it’s okay because it’s in the name of anti-gun violence. Any exploitation of kids, any disregard for safety, any law breaking, and any gross negligence and irresponsibility is all justified if it’s for the right cause.

–Dana