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Here's my thing . . . why do we assume these guys are dumb, or purely looking for "shock value"? Is that because we assume gun advocates are morons for some reason?
Think about it - a guy in NH (whose state motto is "Live Free or Die") carries a sign about retaining freedoms, while legally holstering a gun. Why wouldn't we assume this is in direct opposition to Obama's semi-moronic claim that non-urban states "cling to their guns" and all that (a claim which Obama basically recanted on)? Doesn't it seem most likely this guy is making a point, and one that is actually fairly well stated?
Sure, the guy with the AR-15 slung over his shoulder is creating a visceral image - just like Nancy Reagan's fried-egg "Brain on Drugs" or PETA throwing red paint or any number of other campaigns in the past. Does it work? Not generally, but that doesn't make it implicitly dangerous.
It really is fear-mongering of the highest order, a media-fueled level of stupidity that I just can't fathom. Let me tell you - a guy who is planning on taking a shot at Obama probably won't have the gun slung over his shoulder on a street corner, right?
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