Monday, December 03, 2012

Who is Bob Costas?


Let me get this straight: A young guy whose entire, for lack of a better word, 'career' up to this point has rewarded him for aggressively bringing the pain, lost his $#!+ during an argument with the mother of his child and solved the problem with a gun. When his ears stopped ringing and she didn't pop up again at the re-spawn point like in Halo and he realized that he'd thoroughly and comprehensively effed up his own life, too, he offed himself as well.

This affects me how, Bob?

This may come as a shock to you, Mr. Costas, but I have worn a loaded gun pretty much every day of my adult life. I spent pretty much every working day of that adult life in workplaces where everybody else was wearing loaded guns, too. There was nothing magic about these places or the people in them. They were typical workplaces with all the typical workplace politics and the drama that entails and yet... Magically! ...we all somehow constantly managed to refrain from shooting each other, despite literally bathing in the mind-control rays you think emanate from loaded handguns.

Wonder why that is?

Highlight For Spoilers: Because normal, well-adjusted people don't solve their problems with handguns, Bob, regardless of their availability.

I do find the allegation that, in the absence of handguns, Kasandra would still be alive to be absolutely ludicrous, because everybody knows that without a handgun, there would be no way for an enraged 6'2", 228-lb. NFL linebacker to harm a 22-year-old woman. 

47 comments:

pdb said...

Because everybody knows that without a handgun, there would be no way for an enraged 6'2", 228lb NFL linebacker to harm a 22-year-old woman.

Right! Just ask Nicole Brown Simpson.

Oh, wait...

Spud said...

We have become a nation of spoiled rotten wimps. Where reality is just someone elses concept which I can take or leave, without regard for fact.

RJIII said...

The chemicals that caused his suspected "Roid Rage" are illegal, but he acquired those.

Joseph said...

The only way this murder-suicide would have improved by gun control is if Kasandra Perkins had control of the gun.

It disgusts me that folks like Costas and the quoted Whitlock would use a horrendous murder-suicide to try and get the populace to embrace something thats a proven loser (both politically and statistically).

Besides, this guy could have physically overwhelmed and murdered probably 90% of the population of the U.S. with his bare hands on a one-on-one encounter. Interestingly though, give one of those 90% a handgun and he most likely doesn't come out on top.

Sabra said...

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest this was not Mr. Choirboy's first experience with violence against women.

You nailed it right away, of course--dude was rewarded for aggression and violence his whole adult life. And his victim was probably told to hold on to that fine catch and his money.

But hey, if we ban guns no woman's ever gonna get beat up by her boyfriend again!

Noah D said...

Who is Bob Costas?

Unfortunately, still employed.

Noah D said...

But never mind that, here's a terrorist ringleader!

Old NFO said...

It appears there WAS a previous history of domestic violence, and once again spoiled athlete does what he wants with no consequences, oh wait, THIS time he realized he was not going to get a slap on the wrist, so he took the cowards way out... And Costas? F him!!!

Anonymous said...

Old NFO +1

I will say Ahole save the taxpayers some money but shorted the viewers of Court TV.

Gerry

Anonymous said...

Too late - I called DirecTV Nov 8th and cancelled the whole package. I refuse to pay for their continuous stream of Obamaganda. And I'm out in the country and can't even watch for free, since the advent of digital broadcasting - not that I'd want to.

III N TN

Anonymous said...

Don't blame Costas for his anti-rights comments, blame his microphone.

Mike

Woodman said...

Using Jason Whitlock as your muse is problem number one.

If he had used a knife she would still be dead and he would be a year long court case.

I'm not sure how these events are unfathomable. 10-20 shootings a weekend in Chicago, a few dozen a year in most large cities. And the dude had a history of abuse, it's not unfathomable, you can look at it and get a pretty good idea why it happened, and it wasn't a gun at fault.

And Jason's "Gun Culture" in KC is not my gun culture. Was it gun culture, or was it thug life? I don't think you read articles about smacking your ho up in Guns 'n Ammo.

Bram said...

Bob Costas is failed sports commentator and now political pundit. Nothing makes my channel changing finger twitch faster than Costas winding up for a long monologue during the Olympics or a pre-game show.

He sucks and I don't care about his sports or political opinions.

Jerry said...

A most excellent post Tam. Great comments too.

Marko's often plagerized memo "The Gun as Civilazation" should be required study for all our representatives.

(Please excuse my spelling.)

Sure hope you stay on.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure if wanted he could have choked the life out of her then killed himself. Costas is an idiot!

Anonymous said...

Bob Costas' entire career can be sumed up as, diahrrea of the mouth and constipation of the mind.

IdahoHunter

Jeff the Baptist said...

I loved the ticker ABC ran withbthis story on GMA: "NFL player used guns." As if guns were some sort of illicit substance.

Robert McDonald said...

One can hope harsh reality, in the form of a meth head with a steel pipe, will intrude upon Bob Costas. Maybe that'll give him a little perspective.

Leatherwing said...

He has to attack the gun culture. He wouldn't dare attack the culture of sports that regularly graduates college athletes without the ability to read, and regularly sweeps their violent tendencies under the rug.

I know not all athletes are violent off the field, but their record is worse than that of gun owners.

Craig M. said...

I'm sure if the player had used a baseball bat, Costas would have those banned too, right?

Anonymous said...

Bob Costas is what we in the journalism biz refer to as a jock sniffer. He possesses only the minimal level of talent and intelligence required to report on sport. He is barely worth the effort required to be ignored.

Pakkinpoppa said...

Based upon his likely strength level, the only way Kasandra (sp?) would be alive is if she'd had the gun...and about 50 yards of distance to deploy it before he crossed said area in...well, however fast he was.

Frank W. James said...

Whitlock and Costas are shills for one of the most lucrative industry in the USA today and that is the NFL.

Of course, they are going to do everything they can to misdirect attention away from an industry that routinely siphens money out of public treasury (look how Lucas Stadium got financed in Indianapolis) and profits handsomely from the physical injury and disabling of its employees.

There is no greater example of the Roman Circus in the modern world than organized professional football. The government can be running out of money. Unauthorized wars can continue and the citizen rights can be routinely taken away, but Gawd help us all if someone has the temerity to point out a pastime that continually damages and uses up its main commodity --- atheletes paid millions of dollars to injure and harm their fellow players.

Yeah, Whitlock and Costas really have something important to say. NFL football is NOT a sport, it's an industry that consumes gargantuan amounts money for the benefit of a very few. Costas and Whitlock being only a few of the shills and mouthpieces for those getting rich off the misery of others.

Yes, I watch NFL football, but I also acknowledge what I'm watching and where the blame truly lies, if it lies somewhere out the person who committed the criminal acts...

All The Best,
Frank W. James

Angus McThag said...

How about this, if we banned football there'd be no players hurting women or dogs!

Woodman said...

"Belcher graduated from Maine with a degree in child development and family relations. Then he moved on to his NFL career with the Chiefs."

Ok, from everything I can find on this guy he has no history of violence, graduated college early.

From 2008

"He's very much in control of himself and comes across very soft-spoken, an absolute gentleman," Maine coach Jack Cosgrove told the Bangor Daily News in 2008. "He's able to blend this quiet confidence, this demeanor, with his passion for learning, becoming a better person, a better student, a better football player."

This is not Plaxico Burris, or some gangbanging 22 year old kid. This is a successful 25 year old man, I would suspect depression and a chemical imbalance not necessarily tied to drug abuse or use. I jumped right on the violent man uses violent methods, but it doesn't seem that that dog will hunt here. Or it's already whitewashed.

Steve C said...

I am a firm 2'd Amendment follower and no fan of left-tard wienies like Costas, but you have to admit that a gun is a powerful stupidity magnifier. One thoughtless twitch of a finger gets a lifetime of consequences. We all know this, many of our favorite posts are rants about armed idiots. TO us, they are parables to be careful. To those not familiar with guns, they are a warning to get rid of guns.

Woodman said...

"One thoughtless twitch of a finger gets a lifetime of consequences."

I totally disagree with this statement and the thought behind it.

It's not one thoughtless twitch that goes and gets the gun during an argument, and it's not a twitch when you point that gun at someone you love.

Just because the last step to the top of Everest is easy doesn't mean you can say climbing Everest is easy.

Whatever happened it appears that he would have killed her one way or the other.

Steve C said...

I stand by my statement. When I'm doing repairs around the house, I will ofter use hand tools because I make mistakes too fast with power tools. Same with guns. If he had beaten her to death, it would likely take a number of blows and taken time. Even with a knife, he would have to be skilled or "lucky" to kill with 1 strike. Guns allow you to screw up fast. Again, I am not calling for gun control, just an acknowledgement of the danger.

Windy Wilson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Windy Wilson said...

Woodman -- "I don't think you read articles about smacking your ho up in Guns 'n Ammo."

Not from Sheriff Jim Wilson, nor the late, great, sorely missed Colonel Jeff Cooper!
In fact, they were among the first to point out that had Nicole Brown Simpson been armed the story would have been much different.

LabRat said...

This dude killed her in front of his own mother and his infant son. Whether the story there was a history of domestic violence or chronic brain trauma, I don't think this was an impulse that just slipped on by.

AuricTech said...

I rather liked Prof Reynold's take on Costas' comment.

Steve C said...

Labrat
Actually, it sounds exactly like an impulse. A flash of anger, the monster in the back of the mind (see Lawdog) gets loose and before he can get back in control, the deed is done. There would be planing if it were not an impulse.

LabRat said...

Thing is, examples of people committing murder on a true impulse are very very rare. The inhibition against killing is very strong for normal humans, and the inhibition against doing Bad Shit in front of people who matter to you (or have power over you, which is why violent felons in prison manage somehow not to frequently violently attack everyone who "disses" them) is even stronger.

Normally in domestic violence cases the violence escalates slowly over time. The murderer has to work themselves up, slowly, to eroding the inhibition not to do violence to that person. Starts with verbal abuse, escalates to slapping, then beating, murder (and other weapons) come in at the end game.

The fact that apparently this didn't go that way is in itself interesting, not evidence that guns enable normal impulses to murder loved ones in front of your mother and your child.

LabRat said...

As a footnote, yes I read Lawdog's post and I happen to agree with him. I also posit that being upset with someone over coming home too late does not equate to being upset with someone because they may have just given you any number of fatal diseases. Not for a normal human.

The Freeholder said...

Given the prevalence of concussions in football players and the possible effects of repeated (and often undiagnosed) head injuries, I'm surprised that no one has considered this as an explanation of Belcher's actions.

On concussions: http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/pdf/Football_Fact_Sheet_Coaches-a.pdf

On the effects of repeated consussions: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/92189-overview

I know when I played basketball, I probably had several of them--banging your head off the court can do that. We never suspected how serious it was--"How many fingers am I holding up? What's your name? Get back in there!" was the order of the day.

My son got a minor one this fall on a fair ride. His butt was in the ER and sat out school for a day. He was profiled from vigorous activity for a week, and we probably should have done some extra.

I'm beginning to think that football needs some serious reform.

RandyGC said...

The thing that pisses me off as much as anything about this is the clear attitude that now that someone important (and they ain't talking about the actual victim here, the wife) has died of a gunshot wound, it's time to "get serious" about gun control.

Same kind of crap I had to put up with when that has-been washed up hippy Lennon was shot.

thesouthtexaspistolero said...

What is it with East Coast sports media idiots? I remember New York Daily News writer Mike Lupica blaming Steve McNair's death on the American gun culture, as if it was American gun owners' fault that McNair (who, if you'll recall, was killed by his mistress) was screwing around on his wife.

shovelDriver said...

Thanks, IdahoHunter. Sounds like a new meme to me, one we should be applying "liberally" to lots of news-types. To wit: "diahrrea of the mouth and constipation of the mind."

Steve C said...

"Same kind of crap I had to put up with when that has-been washed up hippy Lennon was shot." Ya wonder if instead of Lennon, he had shot Yoko, the hippies view of gun control would be different?

Anonymous said...

I am boycotting the NFL until Bob Costas is fired. I don't particularly care for his politics.

No football. No promotional products. No discussions of football. The NFL is dead to me until Costas is tossed out into the street, hopefully to be tarred and feathered.

Tam said...

"Ya wonder if instead of Lennon, he had shot Yoko, the hippies view of gun control would be different? "

Poor Mark David Chapman... Three feet to the right and he could have been a hero.

Steve C said...

Ya know, Anonymous, if we do a boycott on a show or product every time a lefty says something stupid, we might as well grow beards and become Amish.

Anonymous said...

Bob Costas has proven once again how little he knows about so much.

Grayson said...

Methinks something quite miraculous has taken place:
Bob Costas succeeded in shooting himself in the foot. Without even using a firearm.
Ain't THAT something? :)

the pawnbroker said...

While everything said here is true it is all irrelevant, excepting perhaps the reference by Mr. James to the Romans and their Coliseum. For Mr. Costas' actual point and his fear is this, as expounded here by his muse:

Jason Whitlock: "I believe the NRA is the new KKK," Whitlock said. "And that the arming of so many black youths, and loading up our community with drugs, and then just having an open shooting gallery, is the work of people that obviously don’t have our best interests.”

"...*our* best interests." So, we must groom and feed our combatants well, so as to encourage and enhance our entertainment -and employment- experience...but *we* can't have those uppity savages accessing the tools of the elite, getting off the leash and wreaking havoc outside the arena walls, now can we?

So, tell me again, you ignorant, racist twits...is the new KKK the NRA? Or is it the FOX and the NBC? Your bosses should throw you to the captive lions and warriors you fear so much...but they won't, because they agree with your every word.

PB

JohninMd.(help!) said...

Considering the business he was in, he shoulda had a tight leash on his monster. (I read and agreed w/Lawdog, also.)