The Lying "News" Media, Part: "They Never, EVER Stop"

I was alerted via a post in rec.guns that MSN^BS has done it again. Residents of Lampasas, Texas are holding a raffle to pay for new fencing around a school, and in fine Texan tradition, the prize is two rifles. One is a Kimber model 84 in 7mm-08, and the other is Marlin model 25N Ducks Unlimited collector edition.

MSN^BS ran an appropriately shocked and tsk-tsking story on the raffle, and interviewed Texas Congresswoman Susanna Hupp. Here's the transcript as I heard it. Unfortunately, I was unable to do a screen capture of the... Well, you'll see.

Lisa Daniels:

A school raffle in Texas is raising a few eyebrows because of the grand prize. Tomorrow night one lucky winner will walk away with a deer rifle. Some are in favor of the raffle, while others are wondering whether that prize is appropriate.

With us today from Austin, Texas is Republican State Representative Susanna Hupp. Representative Hupp supports the rifle raffle, and Representative, thanks for spending some time with us today.

At this point, the picture has shifted to a split-screen showing talking-head Daniels on the left, and Hupp on the right.

Hupp:

Thanks, Lisa.

Daniels:

So, you'll be raffling off the rifles tomorrow, and the purpose, of course, is to raise enough money, uh, to fence in a portion of a school... and I, I know that hunting is a popular sport over there, but...

Hupp:

Yes.

Daniels:

...you know what I'm going to say in this age of...

Hupp:

I like the way you say "BUT!" (laughing)

Daniels:

But! Yes. 'Cause in this age of Columbine and a lot of other school-related shootings, can you understand why some people think this is not only a bad idea, but a really dangerous one?

Here the screen switches to full-screen Hupp.

Hupp:

Well, I can't imagine why they would think it was a dangerous one. Um, in answer to the rest of your question, you know, here in Lampassas and central Texas we live in the land of common sense. And if we lived in another area, perhaps we would be raffling off a, uh, season tickets to a sporting event.

AT THIS POINT THE IMAGE CHANGES TO A WALL OF MACs, CAR-15's, AK's, folding-stock shotguns, etc., while Hupp's voice-over continues, calmly and logically. To me, it looks like the evidence room of a police precinct, as most of the weapons are heavily worn.

But the fact of the matter is, we live in a hunting area, so we chose a deer rifle we knew the hunters would slobber over.

The image pans over the wall of eeeeevil "assault weapons" while Representative Hupp's voice-over continues showing at least two dozen of these "spray-firing bullet-hoses." The camera zooms in on an Uzi, then a MAC-11, then a Thompson, then pans over a suppressed Ingram, then the shot jumps to another MAC with a suppressor in a case. The text at the bottom of the screen states "Texas School to Raffle Deer Rifle Tomorrow Night." This shot takes 28 seconds while Hupp continues to explain in a calm, reasonable voice the idea behind raffling off a DEER RIFLE. Continuing,

Hupp:

And it's something that is, has worked far better than all the, the bake sales and cookie-dough sales and Krispy Kreme sales and everything else that they've done. Uh, it's a very popular thing in Lampassas, and it's working well, and frankly my child is a third-grader at that school, and this money is going to protect him as well as the others at that school.

At this point the image switches back to the split-screen between Daniels and Hupp.

Daniels:

And, and that's definitely... I know the community overwhelmingly supports what you say, but I can hear parents right now watching their TV monitors thinking "Hey, this is ludicrous," you want to put deer rifles in the hands of these kids. You're not only sending them the wrong message, but you're basically inviting trouble. What would you say to those moms and dads?

Let me interject here. First, Rep. Hupp didn't see what was on the monitor while she was speaking, or I'm certain she'd have (rightly) gone orbital. Second, at the statement that "you want to put deer rifles in the hands of these kids" she got a shocked look on her face. If I was an ignorant Blue-stater with no more knowledge of firearms than Sarah Brady, the "Wall of Doom" they put up would have shocked and angered me. Knowing what I know, the fact that MSN^BS was propagandizing under the VPC's "anything that looks like a machine gun" strategy doesn't shock me, but I'm pissed off!

Hupp responds:

Wait a minute, wait a minute! You said we're putting deer rifles in the hands of kids? Whoever wins this raffle has to be in compliance with all the federal and state regulations. In other words, we cannot hand it to a child. But I will tell you this, again,

(as the picture switches from Hupp to a school hallway full of children)

again, in the land of common sense, uh, there are a lot of children who do go deer hunting in our area.

(Image switches to a classroom)

But that's, but that's not what this raffle is for. It has to go to an adult, and they have to comply with federal and state regulations.

Daniels:

We should mention that in 1991 after leaving your gun in the car, you watched as your parents were among twenty-one other people who were gunned down in a mass shooting in a local restaurant. Obviously... is, is that a big reason for the way you feel about guns? I know you're a strong advocate of the Second Amendment...

Hupp, as the image switches to her, full-screen:

Yeah. Um, let just say that, as a friend of mine in the PTSO put it, uh, she said, "We're use.. We are mothers using guns to protect our children." We're putting up... We're... We're raffling this rifle to raise money to put a fence around the school to protect our children. But frankly, I don't think the double entendre or the double-meaning is lost on, uh, I don't think it's lost on too many people.

(Image switches back to split-screen)

Daniels:

And I know that you're, Representative, that your defending your position, but can you understand why people think that this sounds like a bad idea?

(Image switches to a smiling Hupp who's just been asked if she's a moron:)

Well, you've asked me that a couple of times...

(Image switches BACK TO THE "WALL OF DOOM!")

...and again I have to tell you that I'm very proud of the area I live in. Um, it is a common sense area. I will tell you that there is a six year-old girl on my little boy's soccer team who just went out and shot her first ten-point buck.

(Image switches to that hallway full of targets students.)

Now I am not a hunter. My family are not hunters, but it is a reasonable thing to use a deer rifle as a, uh, a fundraiser in our area.

(Back to a smiling Hupp, then to the split screen again.)

Daniels:

All right, state Representative Susanna Hupp, we appreciate your coming on the show.

Hupp:

Thank you so very much for having me.

End of tape.

Somehow I think if Hupp knew how she'd been manipulated for a propaganda piece, she wouldn't have been anywhere near as pleased or as gracious.

If you'd like to see the clip for yourself (for however long it's up) you can view it here. Broadband is recommended, and you'll have to watch a short commercial first. Internet Exploder is apparently required as well.