10.15.2008

Paintballing = Terrorism ?!?!?!?

My entire life I have been told that physical activity is vital to development in young people and to overall health of everyone regardless of age.

Government websites state that physical activity helps maintain a healthy body weight, and is associated with positive self-esteem, greater self-efficacy, improved academic and cognitive performance, and greater perceived well-being. Physical activity helps reduce a number of risk factors for diseases such as coronary heart disease by setting positive habits early on in childhood and adolescence.

The last time I checked paintball is a great physical activity that is enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life. So according to the government paintball is good, right?

No necessarily. I recently came across this article from the Globe and Mail here in Canada...


Globe and Mail - 28/09/2008
JAMES CLARK

Toronto -- When I was a teenager, I sometimes "cut doughnuts" in icy parking lots with my parents' car. Paintball was before my time, but I sometimes went camping in the winter and spent much of the time horsing around with my friends in the snow.....

Does this make me a terrorist? According to Canada's anti-terrorism laws, it seems the answer could be yes. In his ruling, Mr. Justice John Sprout argued that "engaging in activities such as paint-balling, physical exercise and rafting is by no means inconsistent with the existence of a terrorist group." If casting a wide net is our government's strategy to fight terrorism, then expect more guilty verdicts. But don't think it makes Canada a safer place.

You have to be kidding me. John Sprout is a judge, which means he is an educated man. I guess education and common sense are mutually exclusive.

To say "paint-balling is by no means inconsistent with the existence of a terrorist group" is akin to saying "consuming solid sustenance, defecating and breathing oxygen are not inconsistent with being a serial killer."

There are 11 million paintballers out there right now. There are more paintballers than some country's have people. According to Justice Sprout that would mean there are 11 million potential terrorists running around. Psssst... Hey Homeland Security.... If this is true your job just got a little harder.

Asinine statements like the one made by Justice Sprout go to show how little, he, and the general public really know about our sport. I am willing to bet if he put on the goggles and came out for a day he would change his, misinformed opinion.

It is up to you, and everyone out there who loves paintball, to educate people about our great sport. To let people know that paintballers aren't warmongering, ultra violent, terrorists, despite what Justice Sprout thinks. Paintballers are international brotherhood of people who have, positive self-esteem, greater self-efficacy, improved academic and cognitive performance, and greater perceived well-being because of outdoor physical activity.