IT’S curious that Joe Lieberman blames Hollywood for the violence in this country, because he represents Connecticut, a state that is headquarters to a vast right-wing conspiracy of gun manufacturers including Colt, Sturm, Ruger & Co. and O.F. Mossberg & Sons.
Yes, between 60 and 90 percent of the 3.6 million guns manufactured every year in this country are produced along the Connecticut River Valley (extending from New Hampshire to Long Island Sound), which is known simply as “Gun Valley.”
The Mossberg gun company of North Haven even had to be stopped in 1997 – by executive order, yet – from importing Uzi-modified assault rifles. You know, the guns favored by sportsmen who need to pop off 900 rounds per minute at stampeding herds of violent deer.
But it’s not just Democrats who are blaming Hollywood for violence instead of blaming the owners of the nearly 200 million guns in this country.
Take Lynne Cheney, wife of Republican veep wannabe Dick Cheney. She was right in saying that rappers like Eminen are misogynistic and pro-violence.
But her husband is running on a ticket with Gov. Dubya, who signed concealed-weapons laws in Texas making it legal to carry hidden handguns in places like hospitals, nursing homes, amusement parks and churches.
Hey, you never know when a sermon, a surgeon or a senior is going to need putting down – right?
With all those people walking around with concealed weapons, no wonder Texas’ death chamber has been busier than Dr. Kevorkian’s office.
Meanwhile, Japan, which has produced some incredibly violent epics, had only 15 murders by handgun in 1996, while there were 9,390 in the United States.
Honey, is that a concealed weapon in your pocket, or are you just unhappy to see me?
Last word
TREVOR Nunn, joking at the closing night of Cats: “As T.S. Eliot [and Susan Hayward] once said, ‘Every ending is a new beginning.’ In other words, Another Opening, Another Show!”
You’ve got e-mail
FROM Chess Life Magazine:
Drug czar Barry McCaffrey writes that tournament chess players should be tested for drugs the same way they test shot-putters and weight-lifters. Who knew chess pieces weighed that much?
From GeP: To Hillary who tosses “chutzpah” around like yesterday’s bagels: CHUTZPAPA: n. A father who wakes his wife at 4 a.m. so she can change the baby’s diaper.
E-mail: linda@nypost.com
Back off, fella!
RICK Lazio probably didn’t do himself any favors last week when he “debated” Hillary Clinton in the country’s first WWF political smackdown.
Hint: Women don’t need to put up with men behaving like this any more.
Because of his behavior, the question hangs in the air – whether fair or not – of whether Lazio would have charged into a man’s space the same way.
But forget the gender issue for a minute. If a colleague of either sex charged at you, stood in your personal space, waved a paper in your face and demanded you sign it, you’d probably report that person to human resources – or a lawyer.
I hear there’s one from Little Rock looking for work in New York.
Rotten on 48th St.
THE Veterinary Medical Association announced Friday that Rottweilers have replaced pit bulls as the dogs most responsible for fatalities among humans.
Rottweilers have been involved in 33 fatalities from 1991 to 1998, while pit bulls have been involved in 21 deaths.
Having myself been menaced while attempting to walk a dog past the scary Rottweilers patrolling buildings on East 48th Street, I called Melvyn Kaufman, of Sage Realty, the management company for some of the buildings.
He said the dogs are there to keep the “ladies” from being disturbed.
Since I am a lady, I pointed out that I have only been disturbed (scared out of my wits, actually) by the dogs, who menaced me when I walked past with a dog.
He snapped, “You’re vicious, aggressive and antagonistic, and belong under a chain yourself.”
Not true. They unchain me when (if!) I get to work – on 48th Street.
MADONNA’S CROSS TO BARE
MADONNA last week complained about all the naked women in British papers.
“My God, you see nothing but naked women in the newspapers here,” said the popster who starred in her own book “Sex,” which featured her naked self in public places with all manner of humans.
It’s not clear whether or not the singer made the complaint in her newly acquired British accent or not.
Meantime, the small sainted one is also in a battle with Madonna Rehabilitation Catholic Hospital over who should win the name “madonna.com.”
Sources claim that the original Madonna filed the name some 2,000 years ago.