MMA, and something REALLY stupid

Here's a little background, just in case you're not familiar with MMA.

It's a combat sport that allows for a wide range of techniques. Competitors can punch, kick, and submit opponents by means of grappling moves such as joint locks or chokes. All of the techniques are already included in other forms of martial arts competition, such as kick boxing or jiu jitsu. But MMA incorporates them all.

Is it violent? Absolutely. Pound for pound, however, I'd argue it's no more violent than boxing or football.

Some have denounced it as nothing more than "human cockfighting," akin to the disturbing streetfight videos you sometimes find online. That really isn't a valid criticism.

Much of the shady reputation the sport has suffered comes from the 1990s, when early promoters of pay-per-view MMA events made them sound like brutal freakshows in order to gain publicity. In actuality, MMA has advanced to a point where careless street brawlers wouldn't stand a chance against the athletes and martial artists who now dominate it, and bring a sense of professionalism to the sport.

The State Athletic Commission apparently agreed. They reviewed it, codified some basic safety requirements, then submitted it to Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro Cortes for final approval.

If you're of a more Libertarian bent, you might criticize the proceedings from another angle. Why should the state government have the right to approve MMA in the first place?

Nobody's forcing the fighters to participate, so why is it anyone else's business? It's not government's place to treat adult citizens like idiots.

Unfortunately, however, some people actually are idiots.

Another e-mail I received recently reminded me of that fact once again. It's from state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, announcng his plan to introduce legislation that would ban -- get this -- texting while driving.

This is not, it seems, some paranoid fantasy on DePasquale's part. Last year, he had a driver safety survey on his Website, asking about his constituents' road safety concerns. Cell phone usage by drivers, particularly texting while driving, was one of the big ones.

And let's be frank. Can anyone who's spent any time driving in Pennsylvania doubt that there are morons out there capable of actually doing that?

In such cases, we as a society might be tempted to sit back and let natural selection thin the herd a little bit. But no, we can't do that. We're civilized people.

Which doesn't mean we can't enjoy a good fight on pay-per-view every now and then.