I usually avoid injecting my own "finds" into another person's blog - especially one as potent as this but this article is really one that it think the intellectuals here will find fascinating. It's all about the origins of the neo-conservative psychological war that is going on.

http://alternet.org/story/15935/

Really worth checking out.

Thanks stupid git, a very interesting read.

Adam Gopnik's article makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately because the gun-loving mentality in the U.S. semi-automatic Glocks and Walthers, Cho’s weapons, and other such weapons will never be outlawed. The propaganda from the NRA is very powerful and even most liberals buy into it.

Thank you for the Adam Gopnik article; I am spreading it far and wide, because I'm not ready to give up yet.

Hot Fuzz is bloody brilliant!

Thanks for the link to Gopnik, Norm, it's good to read it again. I remember thinking when it first arrived in the mail that it's the best piece of commentary I've seen in the NYer in a very long time. Straight up common sense, extremely well laid out.

The Gopnik Arguement is exactly on point. I don't want to take away every gun you own, but there is no reason why congress and Bush should have let the High capacity-semi automatic weapon ban lapse. Those guns are only good for killing massive amounts of people.

was reading alistair cooke's "america" recently and he quotes the second ammendment-in fact, the entire bill of rights- which i hadn't read since maybe high school. it seems so clear the right to "keep and bear arms" is directly connected to the need of the nascient united states for a civilian militia to augment the armed forces- something that doesn't exist today, and is in fact illegal. wtf? and where do these gun nuts get off?

and willey, its not quite true what you said. the ones with full stocks make servicable canoe paddles:)

I just saw Hot Fuzz, larfed me ass off. I liked it as much as Shawn of the Dead.

"Shaun of the Dead" was overrated - perhaps one or two chuckles at the most, so I'm not surprised the effete "look at us we're different" crowd is falling all over itself to proclaim brilliance on "Hot Fuzz". Nevermind it's exactly the same as "Reno 911", that's an American show, and we all know if it's British, it's brilliant!!!

Except of course for "Coupling", "Pop Idol", "East Enders", and on and on and on ...

So are you saying it's crap because it's British, not American?

For many who liked Shaun of the Dead, the fun take off on the classic zombie movies was the joy, not the accents of the characters.

Sure the English entertainment media produce a lot of real crap. But for more crap per ton of product, you can't beat the good old USA, although Bollywood is trying very hard.

It isn't good or bad simply because of where it is made.

There is a lot of social and cultural commentary in these flicks which might be hard to get if you don't understand the cultural context.

"Shaun of the Dead" was overrated - perhaps one or two chuckles at the most, so I'm not surprised the effete "look at us we're different" crowd is falling all over itself to proclaim brilliance on "Hot Fuzz"

What an odd thing to say.

Anyway, I thought Hot Fuzz was much funnier than Shaun of the Dead. But then what the hell do I know, I am just an effete contrarian...

"So are you saying it's crap because it's British, not American?"

I'm saying I fail to understand why mediocre films from outside America are so beloved here.

"For many who liked Shaun of the Dead, the fun take off on the classic zombie movies was the joy"

But that's the thing - it was such a 'light' comedy. If it were American nobody would even remember it. I don't even remember a single joke, except when the two characters from 'The Office' met, and that wasn't a funny scene. Some stuff about the pub, and some slapstick humor. Oh, yeah, and commuters look like zombies. Clever.

"It isn't good or bad simply because of where it is made."

That's really my point - that there is a common misconception otherwise. It's like any film that isn't American is judged on a lower standard, while critics constantly bemoan the death of film in America. It's a tiresome dirge.

"There is a lot of social and cultural commentary in these flicks which might be hard to get if you don't understand the cultural context."

I get it. It's just not funny, and the 'cultural commentary' really isn't there - unless you mean some lifeless pop culture references. The pub jokes were funnier in 'Men Behaving Badly', and the zombie parts were just crap.

And it's not that I hate either film. It's just that they're so mediocre. And everyone goes crazy about them. It's baffling.

"Anyway, I thought Hot Fuzz was much funnier than Shaun of the Dead."

That shouldn't be hard. I think British people should avoid the zombie movie genre, even as a joke. Between Shaun and the '28 Days Later' franchise, it's just an embarrassment.