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[Cat--Smasher]

SD rep calls MMA child porn of sports, plans ban, hearing Monday - Mixed Martial Arts News

A proposal to regulate fighting sports in South Dakota has a key hearing Monday as opponents prepare to try to derail the most controversial part of the plan.

Sen. Mark Johnston, R-Sioux Falls, and others support creating a South Dakota Athletic Commission that would regulate sports such as boxing, kick-boxing and mixed martial arts. South Dakota has no such commission, meaning those events either avoid the state or happen without oversight.

The result, Johnston argues, is people getting hurt or even killed fighting in unsanctioned bouts. The athletic commission created in Senate Bill 84 would be able to create rules.

But Gov. Dennis Daugaard and others say the athletic commission would legitimize these violent sports and lead to more, not fewer, people getting hurt.

“I’m offended that the state would legitimize cage-fighting and the bloody violence that those kinds of spectacles create,” Daugaard said in January. “I think it’s interesting that we declare that it is a crime for one human being to strike another, and yet the state now proceeds to legitimize, and label a sport, cage-fighting.”

Rep. Steve Hickey, R-Sioux Falls, feels the same way. When SB84 comes up for a hearing at 10 a.m. Monday, he plans to offer an amendment he sees as a compromise — creating the athletic commission, but limiting it to sports such as boxing and traditional martial arts such as karate and judo. Mixed martial arts would be banned.

“The conversation on violence in society needs to start somewhere — why not with our most violent entertainment, and that’s mixed martial arts,” Hickey said. “There’s a reason two governors have been reticent to appoint a commission: It’s because they agree with me that elbowing a guy in the head, kneeing him in the face, is beyond where we need to go.”

In his personal blog, Hickey explicitly describes MMA as the child porn of sports, and links it to meth, sexual slavery, and a host of other evils.

I decided to pick a fight. Please read on because I need your help immediately.

The conversation on violence in society has to start somewhere so why not with our most violent sport or form of entertainment? Decent and civil societies have to draw the line somewhere; with smoking we draw the line after tobacco and before pot; with “adult entertainment” we draw the line at child porn. With violent combative “sports” I suggest we draw the line at cage fighting. The line should be drawn after boxing, wresting and legitimate martial arts. They are violent too but the line needs to be drawn somewhere. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) or “cage fighting” is over that line – in fact, even the martial arts people I talk to tell me they hate cage fighting because it is a smear on legitimate martial arts.

MMA Cage Fighting is the child porn of sports. The psychological community will tell you that desensitization to violence works exactly like desensitization to porn. You know how porn progresses… a peek at topless isn’t enough, it all has to come off, then a pic is not enough… it goes to video then to virtual and then to the devaluation and mistreatment of women, human trafficking and sex crimes against women. Violence works the same way. Boxing wasn’t enough so they took the gloves off, then they allowed kicking, kneeing people in the head, then elbows to the face, then they put a cage around it. The point is to knock the other guy unconscious while pay per view crowds cheer it on. Why not nunchucks? In Rome they’d gather in colosseums and bring out prisoners and entertain themselves by making them fight to the death. That wasn’t enough so they brought out the helpless and the hated and brought in the hungry lions. Crowds cheered.

In South Dakota this week there is a bill, Senate Bill 84, which is an attempt to legitimize cage fighting in South Dakota. It’s billed as “economic development.” If that’s all we can come up with for economic development we are in trouble. And our decisions on our tolerance for things violent shouldn’t be about money. If we want to attract dirty and bloody money why not legalize prostitution or bring back the gladiators? We need to stop and think about why two governors in our state have been reticent to appoint people to a boxing/MMA commission.

Proponents say it’s going on here already so we need to regulate it to make it safe. Meth use is going on here too, should we regulate Meth labs? South Dakota has no business spending any time or money legitimizing cage fighting. I don’t care that “other states are doing it.” I’d like to think we are better. Other states run billion dollar deficits and we balance our budget. Maybe with our fiscal sense, we could also be known for our common sense and decency.

You’ll hear fans of cage fighting say that more have died in cheerleading accidents. The point of cheerleading isn’t to knock unconscious the other cheerleaders. And there are growing numbers of MMA deaths in sanctioned and unsanctioned fights. Furthermore, the sport is too new to tell us the long term effects of this “sport” on the fighters. The NFL is paying dearly now for their concussion issues. MMA is far worse. We had an MMA fighter in Rapid City die recently and that is in part what is driving the move now to regulate it so it’s “safe.” Proponents say these blood-soaked slugfests only look dangerous. I’m not stupid and neither are you and this isn’t a show like professional wrestling. It is violent and it isn’t a sign of a healthy society that crowds gather to watch it. This is more than consensual assault and battery as the effects of violence desensitization impact the rest of society.

Here’s how you can help. The bill is scheduled for a hearing on Monday at 10AM in our Commerce and Energy Committee (it may get moved to Wednesday at 10am – stay tuned). I plan to introduce a hoghouse amendment (84rc MMA ban amendment) that will establish the South Dakota Athletic Commission to regulate boxing, wresting and martial arts but I’ve written the amendment to expressly exclude mixed martial arts. It’s basically a ban on cage fighting in South Dakota. Expect hysterics from the sport enthusiasts – one local sportscaster already has dubbed me an ignorant idiot.

The committee members need to hear from people like you. Please email them asap and ask them to have the courage and common sense to draw the line a cage fighting and to support Rep. Steve Hickey’s hoghouse amendment on SB84 to ban it in South Dakota. Here is the quickest way to email them all – House Commerce and Energy Committee.

When people get hurt and die in extreme sports I’ll confess I sometimes have trouble mustering up sympathy and compassion (even as we should comfort their families and guys like me officiate these funerals). At some point we can’t call these things “accidents” as they are more the product of our carefully thought out decisions. I have to bite my tongue because instead of the passages that comfort the grieving I feel like quoting the great philosopher Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.

South Dakota is smarter than this – and so, let’s ban MMA.

[Qball1974]

If you don't like it don't watch it. Football's way worse for injuries go after that you tool!

[IceCold48]

Child porn? what the fuck? absolutely moronic and disgraceful analogy.

How is two men(and now women) combining organized forms of combat in order to try and defeat an opponent comparable to manipulating little children into posing naked for sick fucks to jack off to? give me one reason how.

[Bearded Big Country]

This guy is a stupid son of a bitch

[mmawolverine]

Im of the opinion that we shouldn't even dignify a response to people like that, the UFC is on the verge of legalizing mixed martial Arts in the Mecca of Sports, SD can fall in line later i wouldn't care much either way

[_DCdoctr_]

Yeah, because all these athletes are being forced to compete. Legalize it. Regulate it. Hopefully the Culinary Union isn't in this guy's ear or connected in any way.





BP

[dbader08]

This guy probably knows a thing or two about child porn...

[rspier]

He's just being sensational to rile people up. It's not hard to manipulate ignorant people, and politicians are great at it. He's not so much an idiot as a close minded conservative with an agenda. He's entitled to his opinion as much as anyone. It's a shame his opinion is close minded and he happens to be in a position of power... But that's why the people need to stay informed and inform their officials what it is they want...

[Sniggles]

Silly antiquated fucks. There are no true morals within the Republican party. It is only fakery to push an agenda.

[joeodd2]

Look I know I'm gonna get some heat for saying this, but when you have guys like this making stupid, exaggerated, and ignorant statementss that do resonate with a lot of non MMA fans who happen to be politicians. Our biggest voice to respond to these comments is Dana White......just think about that for a moment. Dana White. You might as well send a drunk college kid to debate with a senator on the floor of the house. MMA needs an articulate, intelligent, self composed Martial Artist who can do battle in the Arena of Public Opinion. The Only thing Dana is good at is promoting fights, but as far as promoting MMA, I think he's gonna constantly be outclassed by critics like this guy.....