Thursday, August 26, 2004

Quit giving them soundbites!

From Keyes' newsletter today:
The complete video of yesterday’s joint press conference on firearms legislation held by Alan and State Senator Ed Petka is available exclusively online at the Illinois Leader Check it out to hear the rest of the story that has been left out by the sound bite driven media.
Then quit giving them soundbites, Alan! You chose to speak in soundbites, so of course that's what the media is going to report. I tried to listen to whole thing, unfortunately the quality was poor and I could hear best when Keyes was yelling. But the question that started the "soundbites" was something like "how will you answer the accusation that will probably come from the Obama camp: that you will arm the whole country with firearms?" That is when Keyes replied with "The accusation that Alan Keyes would arm the whole world is not I think nearly as damning as the truth that Barack Obama would only arm half the world. The criminal half. I frankly find this prospect to be hell itself."` In answer to a question about accidental shootings, Keyes continued talking until he got to a speech that firearms laws aren't about safety, but about freedom, taking away rights from the people. Then, he launched into the rationale unless the common people are armed, you are advocating a return to medieval, acristocratic government. The Uzi question came a question or two after Keyes said that the common people, with proper training, had the right to the same weapons as infantry soldiers. Admittedly, the media got a lot more interested in the press conference after Keyes started getting riled up, but if he doesn't want the media to report soundbites, he needs to quit making it so easy!