By David Paul Brown
Posted: 01/27/2011 01:00:00 AM PST
Concerning the Tucson shooting, the bomb found in Spokane, Wash., at
the Martin Luther King parade, and the many incidents of, or threats
of, violence since President Obama has been in office, Anne Landman of
Center for Media and Democracy writes the following: "By all accounts,
the U.S. is a pretty violent society. At 14.24 deaths per every
100,000 people, the rate of firearm deaths in the U.S. far outstrips
that of our economic counterparts. By comparison, the rate of firearm
deaths in Europe is just 2.17 per 100,000 people. Video games, rap
music, sports, religious tales, movies and TV shows offer a steady
stream of messages that violence is a legitimate response to a
problem.
"Add to this mix political candidates, legislators and
"celebriticians" like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin using
violent rhetoric and gun metaphors, throw in conservatives' constant
portrayal of government as a threat, the difficulties Americans have
accessing mental health services and free and wide access to guns, and
it's not a big leap to conclude we have a social tinderbox on our
hands."
As I said two columns ago, some on the left "jumped on the bandwagon"
too soon, saying certain people were directly responsible for the
tragedy in Tucson.
I doubt you can ever prove anyone, who is clearly insane, was prompted
by anyone or anything to do violence. However, to deny there's an
atmosphere, a daily drumbeat of hate for liberals, President Obama and
the government generally,
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is either very naive or disingenuous.
***
David Brock, an ex-neoconservative who years ago was hired as a
"hatchet man" for the right, had a "Road to Damascus" event several
years ago that resulted in his seeing the error of his ways. He's now
the CEO of "Media Matters," an organization that daily fact-checks the
lies coming from the right wing.
On TV's "Hardball" Brock told host Chris Matthews, "Beck burned Nancy
Pelosi in effigy on his set. He tried to poison her with a chalice.
Weeks later, somebody tried to firebomb Nancy Pelosi's house. That
guy's mother went on television and said he gets his ideas from Fox
News."
It's recorded - Gregory Giusti says to Pelosi after the health care vote:
"You have a target on your back and I can accomplish what I want with
one bullet. Now he's tried, convicted, and in the sentencing phase his
cousin writes in for leniency, it's on our website - that he was
slowly drawn into Glenn Beck's world."
For the second Beck connection Brock explains:
"A liberal foundation in San Francisco was targeted by a gunman, Byron
Williams, in June. The shooter gave jailhouse interviews, and we
published them, and he says Glenn Beck is this schoolteacher on
television and points to specific episodes of the Glenn Beck show that
inspired him to do it.
On July 18, 2010, Byron Williams was stopped by the California Highway
Patrol and engaged in a shootout with law enforcement. He later said
he was on his way to murder individuals at the Tides Foundation and
ACLU. Williams' mother, Janice, explained her son 'Was upset with the
way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda
items.'"
The third Beck connection is Charles Wilson, who was sentenced to a
year and a day in prison for threatening Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) with
violence in phone calls to her office after she voted for Obama's
health care bill. Politico reported Wilson called Murray's office
several times saying that she "had a target on her back," and "I want
to [expletive] kill you," according to court documents.
The day President Obama signed the health care bill the caller told
Murray, "I hope somebody kills you, and I hope somebody kills the
president. Not only do I say, 'Kill the bill but kill the [expletive]
senator.'"
Wilson admitted to the FBI that he regularly called Murray and fellow
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell. He also stated he was registered to
carry a concealed weapon.
"I do pack and I will not blink ... when I'm confronted. It's not a
threat, it's a guarantee. Now that you've passed your health care
bill, let the violence begin."
A relative of Wilson's said in publicly available documents filed in
federal court that Wilson's "fears were grown and fostered by Mr.
Beck's persuasive personality" and that Wilson's actions occurred
because he "was under the spell that Glenn Beck cast."
It is clarion clear that the right isn't just saying that government
is overly bureaucratic and needs to be truncated, or that perhaps a
department needs to be eliminated where there's a redundancy.
I would bet conservatives and progressives can agree on that.
But the radical right is preaching that the government is the enemy.
Hate groups are on the rise and pushing agendas like killing ATF
agents. Remember Ruby Ridge? Hence, we witness incidents like a plane
crashing into the IRS building in Texas.
More:
http://www.paradisepost.com/opinion/ci_17208341
On 1/30/11, dick thompson <rhomp2002@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Good example is that you keep referring to the Oklahome bombing as
> caused by the right wing arguments when the man who did the bombing has
> stated over and over that he did it because of the attack in Waco,
> something that was done by Janet Reno and her buds.
>
> On 01/30/2011 03:41 PM, Tommy News wrote:
>> Highly Offensive, Again, and not even deserving of a response.
>>
>> Get lost.
>>
>> On 1/30/11, frankg<frankg2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Tommy,
>>>
>>> My response was hardly snark filled, it wasn't a diatribe, and it
>>> certainly wasn't offensive. You really do have an incredibly thin
>>> skin.
>>>
>>> I've never called you anything other than Tommy, the name you wish to
>>> go by on this board. I did assert I've never seen an original thought
>>> from you, and I stand by that. It's an opinion.. prove me wrong. You
>>> DID respond to the opening post by saying FNC lies yet you never
>>> explained how you interpret an interview by Greta as a lie? Dick
>>> called Pelosi a liar. That was the point of the thread yet you've
>>> never tried to argue against that. Why?
>>>
>>> Stop your damn whining and make a point for a change.
>>>
>>> On Jan 30, 12:56 pm, Tommy News<tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Frank-
>>>>
>>>> This snark filled diatrabe of yours is not only offensive, it is one
>>>> of the worst pieces of vile crap that has ever spewed out of your
>>>> potty mouth.
>>>> You really are a little jerk, arem't you?
>>>>
>>>> Go take a hike, and get lost you prissy self absorbed wing nut.
>>>>
>>>> On 1/29/11, frankg<fran...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Keith,
>>>>> You don't seriously expect an answer, do you? I can't remember the
>>>>> last time, if ever, that I saw Tommy post a complete, original
>>>>> thought. His response to the opening post is typical -- calling FNC
>>>>> liars. Well, it was a flippin interview, by Greta no less. She didn't
>>>>> accuse or try to catch Pelosi in any kind of lie or contradiction. It
>>>>> was a straight up, albeit soft interview. Tommy could have challenged
>>>>> Dick on what points Pelosi was lying on, but he didn't. That would
>>>>> have required watching the interview, applying thought and crafting a
>>>>> response. Instead he used one of his eight or so canned 'you lie, you
>>>>> suck' type responses.
>>>>> On Jan 29, 11:35 am, Keith In Köln<keithinta...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Lil' Tommie,
>>>>>> How can you deny that Nanc did in fact ram down the Americans
>>>>>> proverbial
>>>>>> throats, the ObamaCare socialized medicine legislation, when
>>>>>> obviously,
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> majority of Americans were opposed to the legislation. That is fact,
>>>>>> not
>>>>>> fiction. It was one of the primary reasons that there was such a
>>>>>> massive
>>>>>> exodus in the House of Representatives, and a significant gain by
>>>>>> Republicans in the Senate.
>>>>>> Your denial of the facts, is nothing less than Moonbattery!!
>>>>>> KeithInKöln
>>>>>> On Sat, Jan 29, 2011 at 3:36 PM, Tommy News<tommysn...@gmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> Quite false Sagey.
>>>>>>> Wrong again.
>>>>>>> On 1/28/11, Sage2<wisdom...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> On Jan 28, 8:58 pm, Tommy News<tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Put the bottle down, Keithie Keith.
>>>>>>>>> FYI: Nancy Pelosi was THE most effective speaker of the house in
>>>>>>>>> history,
>>>>>>>> I guess Tommy never heard of John McCormick. Nancy was
>>>>>>>> effective at one thing and one thing only, just like the rest of
>>>>>>>> her
>>>>>>>> demagogue ilk. she went against the majority of Americans and
>>>>>>>> rammed
>>>>>>>> laws down their throats.
>>>>>>>> That is why the demagogues lost the house, Nancy Pelosi's
>>>>>>>> effectiveness. Tommy!?
>>>>>>>>>> I lost "Nanc", when she said that President Obama had surpassed
>>>>>>>>>> President
>>>>>>>>>> Bush's, "Job Creation" record, in nine months, as compared to
>>>>>>>>>> Bush's
>>>>>>>>>> eight
>>>>>>>>>> years in office......Put the crack rock pipe down Nanc, (and
>>>>>>>>>> yes
>>>>>>>>>> CW,
>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>>> realize that this is a harsh critical metaphor, but come on!!!)
>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 8:01 PM, dick thompson
>>>>>>>>>> <rhomp2...@earthlink.net>wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Then you deny that Pelosi was on Greta's show? You can't even
>>>>>>> support
>>>>>>>>>>> your
>>>>>>>>>>> own lying eyes. FAIL!!! Big Time. The funny part is that
>>>>>>>>>>> when
>>>>>>>>>>> you
>>>>>>>>>>> look
>>>>>>>>>>> at the viewers watching the speeches Zero got the lowest
>>>>>>>>>>> ratings
>>>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>>> 3
>>>>>>>>>>> (Bambi, Ryan, Bachman). Ryan and Bachman both had more viewers
>>>>>>>>>>> than
>>>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>>> president did even on CNN!!
>>>>>>>>>>> On 01/28/2011 10:52 AM, Tommy News wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> This is from Faux Noise For The Birds and Sheeple!
>>>>>>>>>>>> What liars they are, and what a liar Dickie Dick is!
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 1/27/11, dick thompson<rhomp2...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> e
>>>>>>> http://video.foxnews.com/v/4510871/minority-leader-pelosi-responds/
>>>>>>>>>>>>> --
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>>>>>>>>> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
>>>>>>>>> Have a great day,
>>>>>>>>> Tommy- Hide quoted text -
>>>>>>>>> - Show quoted text -
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
>>>>>>>> For options& help seehttp://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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>>>>>>> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
>>>>>>> Have a great day,
>>>>>>> Tommy
>>>>>>> --
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>>>>>>> For options& help seehttp://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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>>>> --
>>>> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
>>>> Have a great day,
>>>> Tommy
>>> --
>>> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
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>>>
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>>
>
> --
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>
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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