"We have your president & Congress - NRA" reads the mock ransom note on a 250-foot billboard on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston. The hostages, of course, are largely willing ones, having succumbed decades ago to Stockholm Syndrome in their close identification with their captors. The billboard comes courtesy of John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence, who has often used mock billboards and road signs to promote stricter gun laws.
Mr. Rosenthal wants to draw attention to the gun-show loophole, which allows buyers in 32 states to purchase a firearm without a criminal background check if they buy from a private vendor. This loophole makes it easy for criminals to buy weapons. Though the National Rifle Association and its kept politicians claim to be tough on crime, their actions say otherwise.
To its credit, Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, but it is not difficult to buy a gun in New Hampshire, a Wild West state stuck in the East, and bring it over the border. Stronger federal laws would lessen the impact of weak laws in states adjacent to Massachusetts. Though there is no good argument against tighter gun-show laws, don't expect them soon. For the reason why not, read the billboard on the turnpike.
- The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.)
Three million and growing: That's the number of Web clicks on a steamy promotional video on the European Union's new link to YouTube. Two hundred and crawling: That's the number of clicks on an EU road-safety video. Sadly, the EU has fallen for the tawdry marketing motto that sex sells.
First, a little background. The EU has a tough time selling itself to skeptical Europeans. In 2005, the French and Dutch rejected a proposed EU constitution, and the continentals are pushing back at the idea of adding more members to this club of 27 countries.
But in the cultural realm, apparently, it's easier to make the case for togetherness, especially when it's spiced with a 44-second sprint through 18 torrid sex scenes taken from European films.
The EU should realize that not every popular trend should be paraded before the public. Soft-porn imagery is not only morally offensive but harmful. Sex may sell, sadly, but it comes at a cost, too. Governments should know better.
- The Christian Science Monitor