“See mom? She’s as dumb as me!”

America has a well-earned reputation for getting its panties into a knot over trivial matters while the world as a whole struggles to keep itself together with twine and old coat hangers. Recognised names like Jack Thompson and Joe Lieberman have worked long and hard to lie about video game violence so that Arizona grandmothers never have to stop shuffling and cussing about “today’s youth.”

But it’s about time for America’s best to stop hogging the Stupid Politician trophy. British MP Keith Vaz tries to bring home the title for the UK with the ridiculous claim that video games let you rape women.

Kotaku has the back-and-forth between Vaz and other members of the House of Commons, and it’s a fun read. Especially since the rest of the House refused to panic alongside Vaz. It probably didn’t help Vaz’s case that he was fumbling to name a game station, alternating between “Playstation” and “PSP.”

Funny how when a news station reports something that’s actually worth panicking about, the anchor can at least name the threat without fumbling over and over. “An escaped tiger is wreaking havoc…or is it a rhino? Maybe it’s a rabid dog.”