Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) has, it would seem, something of an up-and-down relationship with digital technology.
GameCulture reports that Hoekstra visited a second-grade class in Holland, Michigan yesterday. While there, Hoekstra revealed that he owns a Wii:
After lofting Hoekstra a string of softballs, such as "Do you like your job?" "Have you, um, ever, like, gone to Hong Kong?" and "How old are you?" the shorties laid in with the bomb — "Do you own a Wii?"
After confessing that he was 55, "really old," Hoekstra broke down and conceded that, yes, he owns a Wii. He also let slip that he has a dog and a cat and that the two are friends.
Nice.
Also to his credit, Hoekstra is heavy Twitter user, although GamePolitics readers may recall that in February, Hoeksta spilled the beans about a top-secret congressional trip to Iraq by tweeting about it.
During the Bush years, Hoekstra presided over a 2006 congressional hearing during which House Intelligence Committee members were told that a YouTube video featuring stock Battlefield 2 gameplay footage and a voice-over from Team America: World Police were products of an Al Qaeda propaganda campaign.
Comments
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
Regardless of one's opinion on the Wii, it really is impressive how Nintendo has made gaming more mainstream to casual crowds, even politicians.
M. Carusi
Capitol Gaming
http://capitolgaming.blogspot.com
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
Putting an end to the 'videogames made me do it!' defense, one step at a time!
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Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
I also don't understand why he would think it was a bad thing. Is he like against all video games, or is he afraid they'll impeach him for it?
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"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
What in the world are you talking about? Where does it say in the article that Hoekstra thinks video games are bad?
"De minimus non curat lex"
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
"AE: I've snipped the rest of your post and the replies as they devolve into pointless and insult-laden bickering."
Thanks, Andrew. I snipped the rest, as I didn't want it kept.
Anyway, I meant that I failed to understand why he thought keeping a Wii was a bad thing. I was simply asking for clarification on the matter.
Also, hayabusa, in future, if you have a problem with how I post, bring it to Dennis and the mods and let them decide. It's not your place to say if someone's post is pointless, no more than it is mine, which is why I reserve PMing them for when I report Trolls, like Amen4u and Derovirus.
The same goes for you, Keddren, if you ever read this.
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"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
Sorry, but I'm not bothering the mods or Dennis about this. I would never dream of asking for you to be banned, which is the only reason I would go to the higher-ups about anything. But you're mistaken if you think it's not my place to criticize you. I can say what I want and so can you, it's called Freedom of Speech. We may get our posts deleted, but I'm not going to let the possibility of that prevent me from saying what I want to say.
"De minimus non curat lex"
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
If you actually think you're supposed to reply to people and tell them off for making posts that either truly are pointless or whose point has flown clear over your head, then why don't you push for mod status? That would give you all the authority you need to criticize people's posting habits with the added bonus of having no one in a position to question you, save for Dennis.
Plus, if you're unwilling to get Dennis or the mods involved, then you either (A) are afraid they won't see it your way, and might give you the BanHammer, to which I recommend you grow a pair, or (B) should learn to keep your shit to yourself, since one day you might pull that and someone might see it and think you're Trolling, and then you have a better chance of getting the BanHammer than you do in Scenario A.
Either way, people more respectable than you (Mike Chandra, to name one) have seen this stream, even before Andrew snipped it at my request, and are disgusted that you hide behind the First Amendment as a source of immunity from Dennis and the mods. Speaking of Dennis and the mods, people don't have to deserve the BanHammer to need to be reported to them.
On a final note, Freedom Of Speech does not give you the right to act the way you do. It's why we have admins and mods. They have the authority to tell people off for how they post. You do not. If you want that authority, give Dennis a perfectly good reason to make you a mod.
The difference between people like you and admins/mods in this case is that if they tell me my post is pointless, I might consider editing to make my meaning clearer, whereas I don't have to if they say nothing while you call my posts vacuous, since you're not in a position to say "your post is pointless" while they are.
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"The sun ever rises on the morrow. There's little we can do but live for today, and trust that other days will follow." -Anonymous
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
AE: This is getting tiresome. Everyone is allowed to post here and say what they want as long as it's kept civil and remains relatively on topic. End of story.
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii
It's called humor. You should try it sometime.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Re: Twittering Michigan Congressman Cops to Owning a Wii