And images of the drone king shooting skeet - as the new world order moves its obsolete pawns through the maze of mind making images - pictures - crafted to create - more of the same and less of us - the no longer needed warriors or workers.
Yes - there will be no Rollerball, no Jon-A-Thin - just as there is no more JFK or MLK, Just images and high paid men smashing each other to sell guns and pepsi for their masters.

Not being a fan of professional sports (and being married to man who is not either, for which I am very grateful), I had no idea that this was a part of yesterday's soul-sucking spectacle.

This was a very righteous rant.

Sometimes, it's just all too damn much.

Disagree. Strongly.

I’ve checked the local newspaper for Newtown and I’ve checked the online discussion about the Super Bowl appearance on the town’s website. The pride in the kids’ performance was universal. If there was anyone in Newtown who felt exploited, they haven’t made their voices heard in any forum I have seen. Pairing them with Jennifer Hudson, whose family was also the victim of horrific gun violence, made a statement that I found moving.

It sounds like your objection is really about the Super Bowl itself. Fair enough. Is the Super Bowl an ode to American excess, gluttony and self-satisfaction? Absolutely. That’s the subject of a good rant. I’ve thought about writing it myself. But to use the performance by the Sandy Hook kids as the basis of that rant – well, I think your cynicism got the better of you this time, Marianne.

But congratulations on the Editor's Pick. It's about time they gave you one.

America the Beautiful, the incomprehensible, the place that for all its abused beauty takes trust and the dollar as indisputable proof of its sovereignty over the rest of us.
We're done.
Hello China, Nee Ha.

Cranky, I still just cannot find the good in this. Of course, anyone would be proud of their children appearing at a major event, but it all seems exploitative in the end, awareness of such by the Newtown community or not.

And thank you re: the Editor's Pick...I didn't know! ;)

You make some points, but I'd defer to the parents of the victims and survivors on this one. If they thought it was helpful and appropriate and gave their approval, then I'm good.

If I could, I would give them a stable of ponies, all the glitter and Christmas lights that exist, and a parade every weekend. Sometimes it is just what it looks like, and I am going to go with the thought that this was done out of compassion and deep sorrow for what happened, in the hope of giving those kids some better memories. I may be wrong, but I choose to see it that way.

If this weren't tied into just a plain old commercial fact that the appearance of these children at the Super Bowl was guaranteed to bring in broadcast viewers that perhaps normally wouldn't even tune in, I might be less appalled. People made money off them.

A sincere effort to help these kids, their families, their community, and our country's violence problem didn't need to be part of an entertainment package.

Money making business spectacle the Super Bowl is, but it's also high profile, other motives aside it was another reminder of what happened at Sandy Hook and the American public is usually in dire need of such - we look away too soon and too easily. The current national fight over our guns case in point - do whatever else ya can to 'fix' the problem but don't take away our gun 'rights', don't even mention it, the only answer to bad guns is good guns. More guns.

Rated for hope you feel better now for having your say, but I doubt it.

Thanks, Seer. I do understand the point that there may have been some motive to keep the tragedy fresh in the minds of the public in this, one of the most-viewed TV events in any year. But I will never believe that was the prime motivation. In the end, it was hollow, did nothing to help anything, and is already forgotten. What's next? An American Idol spot? Dancing With The Sandy Hook Kids? I remain appalled.

It does nothing is the point - and is why some keep saying we have to move fast with changes to the weapons status quo - the outrage is already fading on a national scale, the time for change was finite and is probably nearly past. Nothing will get done. Nothing will help the kids of Sandy Hook, just like nothing has helped any of the other survivors of all of the other mass killings, or will help the future survivors of those that will happen. Nothing.

It is appalling, absolutely, but in a few days that will be nothing as well.

Any change has to be driven hard via our sympathetic lawmakers, but even if and when that happens, it won't be near enough. We have such a beautiful country. We are bound and determined to destroy it in so many ways.

Please see the 14 Feb 13 Rolling Stone article by Tim Dickinson,
'The NRA vs. America'

That the chorus would have had 20 more children singing.

Marianne - I'm with you on this. In the end no gun legislation of ANY significance will pass; even the fukking Dems can't get all there Senators behind an assault weapons ban or universal background checks or high capacity magazines.

We will all forget about it ..... until the next massacre when we go thru the pious bullshit all over again - just like after Verginia Tech, Aurora, Columbine.

We just watched some crazy bastard in Alabama - he was apparently worried about the "gummit". Lucky he didn't kill the kid.

Sheesh.

I read this at Our Salon and commented there...

(if anyone's interested...)
http://oursalon.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-sandy-hook-bowl

Excellent rant - textbook. Hopefully a gun toter or two was reminded to lock the old gun cabinet. A team named after a poem prevailed over a team running The Pistol. A ray of sunshine?

I hope so, Damon. Thank you.

I'm with you on this topic. Could be because the media hype money-grubbers have always been this way! Well-written. R.

Thank you, Lyle.

Although the USA is losing out in medical care, education, police brutality, citizen's rights, and a few other non-essentials, there's just no beating it for bad taste. It's always been right up there at the top in that and its glory in that vital factor is undiminished.

That's a sad fact, Jan.

I don't watch the Super Bowl, but saw the news stories about this. I was wondering if anyone would notice how obscene this spectacle was. Thanks for writing it. Gads, the times are so weird. You can't make this stuff up.

Thanks, John. Glad to have a forum to speak here!