Scott McInnis: Keep Medal of Honor video game off the shelves
Scott McInnis may have lost his bid to be the next Governor of Colorado, but that won't stop him from leveraging his political weight. Today he sent a letter to the President of the Colorado Retailers Association, Christopher Howes, in an attempt to keep a new Medal of Honor video game off Colorado shelves.
Scott McInnis.
The Electronic Arts video game is set in Afghanistan and allows a player to act as a Taliban fighter, shooting and killing U.S. troops.
The letter reads in part:
This is a complete disgrace and out of respect to our troops no retailer in Colorado should sell it.The Medal of Honor is the highest honor that can be earned by our soldiers. Many times it is awarded after a soldier has given his or her life for our nation. For this game to come onto the market at this time with while American servicemen and women are paying for our freedom with their lives is particularly offensive.
Officials of Electronic Arts Corporation should also rethink selling this video game. In their quest for profit, can these officials look into the eyes of those who have lost loved ones serving our country in Afghanistan with a clear conscious? Where is the respect for our soldiers?
The Colorado Retailers Association should come out with a strong public statement denouncing this product and urging all member retail outlets to refuse to carry such an offensive and vulgar product.
Mike Hesse is acting spokesman for the push, and he's working with Medal of Honor recipient Drew Dix to get the Congressional Medal of Honor Society on board. Hesse says that they have not heard back about any potential action from the retail association.
"The war in Afghanistan is an ongoing conflict and that makes this game completely inappropriate," Hesse says. "Let's have some sensitivity for those troops in the middle of the conflict."
Hesse says that McInnis considered the possibility that increased attention about Medal of Honor could lead to a surge in popularity for the game, but that's a risk they're willing to take.
"If it makes more people want the game, so be it. We decided to stand up and say what's right," he says. "Ultimately the responsibility will fall on the retailers and consumers."
A phone call to Colorado Retailers Association President Christopher Howes had not been returned as of this writing.
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