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Bowling for Columbine: A great bang for your movie buck
an article by John Loomis
I want to tell you about a great film. It is Bowling For Columbine by Michael Moore. "Bowling" is the latest offering in Mr. Moores's long line of thought-provoking movies, books, and TV shows. The focus of this film is to explore the shockingly high statistics of gun violence in the United States and to try to uncover the roots of this problem.
The title comes from the fact that the young men responsible for the tragedy went bowling before school on that fateful day. Including the bowling connection, every possible reason/ excuse is explored and contrasted with other industrial nations. Don't worry, even this topic might not seem like a super-fun way to spend your blockbuster dollar, Mr. Moore never lets this (or any of his other great docs) slip into nap time.
This film is a mind-blowing assault on your senses and pre-conceived notions. You won't know from one second to the next if you want to laugh or cry. Actual footage taken during the Columbine rampage is offered, as well as an hilarious stunt where the filmmaker applies for a bank account and receives a complimentary shotgun.
In the end, no answers for what happend on that tragic April morning nor the larger questions surrounding our nation's deadly relationship with firearems are found in this film. But it will make you think a little and laugh a lot. And how can that be bad? check it out: bowlingforcolumbine.com
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Under pressure from the gun lobby, especially the National Rifle Association, on April 18, the Senate of the United States failed to pass a law designed to control the sale of guns such as those used in the Newtown massacre. Here are excerpts from the account on Democracy Now.
Senate Kills Gun Reform with Defeat of Every Key Measure
The Senate has sparked widespread outrage after defeating every major gun reform measure on the table. One by one, proposals unveiled since December’s Newtown shooting massacre failed to reach the 60-vote threshold in a Wednesday vote: a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a bipartisan compromise on expanding background checks in gun purchases, and new penalties for illegal gun trafficking.
Obama Decries "Shameful Day" After Senate Defeat of Gun Control
At the White House, President Obama stood with a group of gun violence victims and their families to denounce the senators — including some Democrats — who defeated the proposals.
President Obama: "The gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill. A minority in the United States Senate decided it wasn’t worth it. They blocked commonsense gun reforms, even while these families looked on from the Senate gallery."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to pull the overall gun-control bill from the Senate floor later today.
Calling the vote a "shameful day" on Capitol Hill, President Obama vowed to redouble his efforts for gun reform.
President Obama: "This was a pretty shameful day for Washington. But this effort is not over. I want to make it clear to the American people we can still bring about meaningful changes that reduce gun violence, so long as the American people don’t give up on it. . ...more.
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