Oswald Strikes Again
As an agnostic and a libertarian I'm much more open to mockery of the politically sacred than most people I encounter, so editorials like these two seem especially cranky to me. They are negative reactions to a new video game in which players recreate John Kennedy's assassination from Lee Harvey Oswald's point of view. I grant that the average person would find this game to be in bad taste, and I'll be surprised if I ever end up within 50' of a copy. But that's hardly a reason to pull it, as Keith Michaud, the self-appointed guardian of our national myths advises:
A national tragedy involving the death of a single man who was no more moral or just than anyone else, and which happened before most current US residents were born. A national tragedy involving a man who knew the risks of his job and did it anyway. A national tragedy that only momentarily blipped on the radar in terms of real impact on our way of life, although Michaud may disagree with this last point.
Like the Kennedys or not, like their politics or not, they are an American family that has significantly helped mold what the United States has become.
Culture Minister Michaud, that's an argument in favor of the game rather than against it. These idols are begging to be smashed. Are the Kennedys any better or more moral than the rest of us? If they are treated as such, I can't see the harm in bringing them back down to earth.
I won't play the game, but thanks to these culture nannies, I'll think about it.

I am going to try to get my
I am going to try to get my mitts on this one. It rather intrigues and I am willing to bet its not as bad as they say it is. Wonder if there would be the same outcry if the bloke getting shot wasn't a hero to the left.
Fortunately, people outside
Fortunately, people outside the borders of the United States are not worth as much. So we can still take delight in blowing up tens of thousands of Iraqis, Russians, and Cubans on our PlayStations without causing any hubbub.
I don't have a problem with
I don't have a problem with the game, mostly because so much time has passed. However, to say that Kennedy was "no more moral or just than anyone else" seems wrong to me. I'm no historian, but I think its fair to assume he was substantially more moral and just than all sorts of criminals, murderers, and despots.
Anyone who hates this game
Anyone who hates this game but doesn't hate a regular shoot-em-up a hundred times worse, is pretending outrage over murder when they really deplore lèse-majesté. This is a gun game where the death toll is one single human. That's atypically restrained! Only the fact it refers to a president makes it newsworthy.
[...] end of an era” to
[...] ich puts the player in