Ted Nugent writes letter on Sandy Hook killings
Right-wing rocker Ted Nugent is drumming up conotroversy today for a letter he wrote about the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. The avid gun owner took to the Washington Times to pen a scribe titled ‘Connecticut killings a result of moral decay’ with a subtext that reads: “Government can’t fix culture of contempt.” In it, he slams society for the immorality that led Adam Lanza to take lives inside Connecticut elementary school classrooms.
“The heart of the matter is that our Humpty Dumpty culture has taken a great fall,” writers Nugent. […] “The ugly and dangerous truth is that we live in an embarrassing, politically correct culture that exalts and rejoices in the bizarre; aggressively promotes an “anything goes” value system; and vilifies, condemns and mocks traditional societal values and customs at every opportunity.”
“We’ve embraced a culture of contempt that attacks the very institutions that make for a healthy and strong society, and then we’re shocked when it spirals out of control. The only thing I’m shocked about is that anybody is shocked,” he adds. “More laws and more restrictions won’t fix our culture. The problem we face is much deeper and more insidious. What ails us is a spiritual bankruptcy of cultural values that actually matter. More laws and restrictions can’t cure that.”
Hinting at the legalization of gay marriage, Nugent brings up the topic of the “traditional family” and how the lack of it is destroying society, a notion that surely explains why a disturbed 20-year-old massacred 26 people.
“As with most things, the cure to this mess begins and ends with the family. Traditional family values have been under siege for decades by our culture of contempt. In the absence of a solid family, the whole thing slowly unravels and rots.”
Since Nugent’s comments went viral he’s seen backlash from people angered by the gun enthusiasts’ words. Reuters columnist Anthony De Rosa summed up a number of people’s feelings in a single tweet saying:
Why anyone cares what Ted Nugent has to say is beyond me.
— Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa) December 20, 2012
Since Friday’s shooting the Discovery Channel has decided to pull the plug on the proud National Rifle Association member’s ‘American Guns’ reality show.
Nugent’s letter in full is available here.
