Truth 2 Power Project

Sunday, January 23

Fox's Operation Save Saint Sarah: Phase 2

So Sarah Palin decided after her brilliant performance trying to upstage the memorial service for those injured in the Loughner attack to double down and upstage Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day by making a whirl wind tour of Sean Hannity's Satellite feed. You see six people were killed last week and 14 wounded in an attempted political assassination, but enough of those whiners and losers - let's get to Sweet Saint Sarah.

Hannity sets it up well...

She's here to respond to the political finger-pointing...

Oh is she? Well, I've got ten fingers and plenty of time - so this should go well.

His first question is just priceless.

Hannity: Where were you and what were you thinking at the time (of the Shooting?)

Yes, because the most important thing about this shooting was what Saint Sarah thought!

Palin: I was thinking how atrocious it was and evil it was to kill innocent..

And some people think it's pretty evil to kill Bambi's innocent mother for meat you don't even need just to boost the ratings on your phony/adventure vacation slob hunter show - but I digress.

Hannity: I googled your name and "Tucson shooting" and got over 10,000 responses connecting you to this shooting

As I wrote yesterday almost no one of any prominence directly connected this attack solely to Sarah Palin or blamed her for it personally - they mostly connected Palin to the fact that Gabrielle Gifford's Office had previously been attacked (doing so by quoting Giffords MSNBC interview from 10 months ago) and they talked about our toxic political climate - which included extreme statements mostly from Sharon Angle ("Second Amendment Remedies"), Glenn Beck ("I'd like to Kill Michael Moore with my bare hands"), Bill O'Reilly ("Could I behead Dana Milbank"), Bernard Golberg ("If it was me, I'd go to the New York Times with a Baseball bat"), Michele Bachmann (We have to be "Armed and Dangerous") with occasional Carl Paladino ("I'm gong to take you out") & Alan West ("Obama should put his life on the line") - all with the possibility that this shooting was connected to that climate.

Sherrif Dupnik didn't blame Palin personally.

Paul Krugman didn't even mention Palin, although he did talk about Beck and O'reilly.

Keith Olbermann mentioned seven people, including himself, for making statements that could have been construed as threats.

Keith Addressed this in his Special Comment Last Night.

Although I've always agreed it was wrong to blame Palin for this particular incident without conclusive proof, it's also premature to claim that a psychotic person couldn't have been triggered to violence by just about anything whether it makes sense or not. Mark David Chapman was triggered by the Catcher in the Rye, and John Hinkley by Taxi Driver. It's still too soon and unclear to rule anything completely out.

Particularly when his ex-girlfriend says he's very political and into the government - and that he's faking being insane to avoid prison.

On the issue of the Gun Sight Map Palin argues (just as everyone else on Fox News already has) that Palin can't be blamed for that because - once upon a time, long ago under a blue moon, in a galaxy far far away - Democrats Did it too.

Oh well, gee, I guess that makes it just fine and dandy then.

(Just for the record, the DLC map they use targets several states as being vulnerable for the 2004 Presidential Election, not people or even specific Congressional offices)

At no time does she or Hannity even mention what happened to 11 out of 20 of the Representatives on her target sights. For those who still don't know - here's a hint:

Vic Snyder (retired, Arkansas-2) received a death threat in the mail in March 2010.

Ann Kirkpatrick (Arizona-1) - her office was attacked in March 2010.

Harry Mitchell (Arizona-5) received several death threats in March 2010.

Betsy Markey (Colorado-4) received several death threats in March 2010.

Suzanne Kosmas (Florida-24) was threatened in March 2010.

Baron Hill (Indiana-9) received several telephone threats in March 2010.

Earl Pomeroy (North Dakota-AL) was threatened in March 2010.

John Boccieri (Ohio-16) received numerous telephone death threats in March 2010.

Kathy Dahlkemper (Pennsylvania-3) was threatened by mail in March 2010.

Tom Perriello (Virginia-5) was threatened in March 2010, including the infamous incident when the gas line was cut at his brother's house; the attacker erroneously thought it was Rep Perriello's house.

Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) had the front window of her office shot out in March.

Tell me, when the Democratic Leadership Council made it's maps - how many of those Representatives received death threats and had their windows shot out or their gas lies sabotaged!?

Just curious.

Palin claims that her initial video response 4 days after the shootings wasn't "self-defense" - it was a defense of those falsely accused! Ok, since this isn't really about you Sarah, Sharon Angle didn't just call for the murder of government officials when she repeated warned/threatened that they might have to resort to "Second Amendment Remedies"? What exactly the the hell was she talking about then? If She's going defend the entire Right-Wing she has a tall order in front of her.

The Republican Party is Ann Coulter's party. It's the party of O'Reilly calling the victims of Hurricane Katrina "drug-addicted" and "thugs". It's the party of Glenn Beck calling them "scumbags" and talking about "choking the life out" of Michael Moore. It's the party of Bill Bennett talking about "you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down". It's the party of Pat Robertson calling for Hugo Chavez's assassination. Want some more? Fine.

It's the party of Michael Reagan saying Howard Dean should be "hung for treason". It's the party of Brit Hume saying his first thought upon learning about the London terror attacks was, "Hmmm, time to buy". It's the party of John Gibson wishing those attacks on France. It's the party of Neal Boortz calling Rep. Cynthia McKinney a "ghetto slut". Get the picture?

Or some of these gems ...

Let's do a quick review (thanks to Media Matters) of some of the things that Republicans, including Hannity, regularly say about Democrats and Liberals.

Sean Hannity suggested that the DNC may have been behind the Abu Ghraib prison abuse photos, asking: "Was that a DNC plot too?" (The Sean Hannity Show, 9/10/04)
Laura Ingraham stated that Democratic Sens. John Kerry (MA), Joseph R. Biden Jr. (DE), and Barbara Boxer (CA) are "on the side of" North Korea leader Kim Jong Il because they were opposed to John R. Bolton's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. (Hannity & Colmes, 4/11/05).
Ann Coulter on Bill Clinton, "he was a very good rapist" and "molested the help" and on Al Gore, "Before we knew he was clinically insane" - "He seemed kinda gay"
Bill O'Reilly says he doesn't do "personal attacks", except of course for when he does.

On The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly has referred to media writer and Fox News Watch panelist Neal Gabler as a "rabid dog" and said of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, "How nuts is this guy?" O'Reilly also said guest Christopher Murray "sounds like a fascist" for saying that that public institutions should not display religious symbols and called former Public Broadcasting System host Bill Moyers a "totalitarian." Students at the University of Connecticut who heckled right-wing pundit Ann Coulter during her campus appearance there earned the title of "far-left Nazis" from O'Reilly. He's also called John Kerry a "sissy", and claimed that Bill Clinton would be welcomed as president by Osama bin Laden.

Jonah Goldberg has distorted comments by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), called syndicated columnist Helen Thomas a "thespian carbuncle of bile," and accused former President Jimmy Carter of engaging in a "mildly ghoulish exploitation of Coretta Scott King's funeral."
Then of course there's Michelle Malkin whose has claimed that "the vast majority of Hispanic politicians" believe that "the American Southwest belongs to Mexico;" has referred to certain Californian politicians as "Latino supremacists;" and characterized recent immigration protests as "militant racism" marked by "virulent anti-American hatred."

Despite all this Palin completely blew off the criticism of her using the term "Blood Libel" saying that it describes a false accusation of having blood on your hands. Except there is blood on the hands of the Right-Wing....

Where an Acolyte of Glenn Beck launched an attack on the ACLU & Tides which wounded 2 CHP officers, where a fan of Bernie Goldberg killed 2 people. wounding 5 at a Unitarian Church in Knoxville Tennessee and where Bill O'Reilly unending attacks on George Tiller ended when he was Murdered by Right-Wing Fundamentlaist/Soverentist Scott Reoder, where James Von Brunn killed a guard at the Holocause Museum as part of an intended spree that included murdering Obama advisor David Axelrod, and where Richard Poplowski who bought into right-wing rhetoric that "Obama is going to take all our guns" and killed 3 Pittsburgh Police Officers before being taken down.

That's a total of 7 Dead, 7 Wounded by right Wing Violence in the last 2 years, while not counting the attack on Giffords.

It almost gets kinda sad/funny when Palin starts to complain, after some hefty Hannity prompting, that she and her family have received lots of death threats.

Yeah, well so has Nancy Pelosi from this guy, Gregory Guisti after Glenn Beck did a mock murder scene of her.

ELEANOR GIUSTI: Greg has -- frequently gets in with a group of people that have really radical ideas and that are not consistent with myself or the rest of the family and -- which gets him into problems. And apparently I would say this must be another one that somehow he's gotten onto either by -- I'd say Fox News or all of those that are really radical, and he -- that's where he comes from

Or this guy Charlie Wilson who threatened Senator Patty Murray's Life.

While his actions were undeniably wrong and his choices were terrible, in part they were the actions of others played out by a very gullible Charlie. He was under the spell that Glenn Beck cast, aided by the turbulent times in our economy. I don't believe that Charlie even had the ability to actually carry out his threats.

Or this guy Byron Williams, whom i previously mentioned, who tried to Murder employees of the ACLU and Tides Foundation.

Byron writes, "You want to know about Soros and Tides, yes, Glenn Beck is doing very well uncovering his wickedness, check his 'June' programs for 'Petrobraz', also look into 'DiscoverTheNetworks.com.' "

Byron also writes that "very good information regarding 'Petrobraz' can be found in Glenn Beck's 'June' shows, where he accurately covered the Obama-Soros-Petrobraz-Chicago (Crime Inc.) connections for several days. It's all true."

Byron adds that he "found allusions to the Horizon disaster as a 'false-flag' operation in Alex Jones 'Info.Wars.com' and 'PrisonPlanet.com.' "

"Think like a conspiracy theorist," Byron tells me during the interview. "Except don't use the word 'theory.' Because the conspiracies are not theories. The official report is the lie; the conspiracy is the truth.?"

Other than the fact Byron Williams was fortunately pulled over in a traffic stop and got into a shoot out with Police instead of the ACLU - exactly how is he all that different from Loughner who happens to believe Conspiracy theories about the Constitution that are just as nutty?

But let's not cloud up Palin's persecution fantasies with pesky facts that there is already an epidemic of violence inspired by right-wing rhetoric.

Instead lets listen to her whine that she was falsely accused of a "Blood Libel" while immediately turning around and saying that Loughner was "Leftie".

Palin: (The Map) had nothing to do with an apolitical and even left leaning criminal.

Call me silly but one of these things is not like other. If you are "Apolitical" then you can't be "Left-Leaning" and vice versa. This guy posted political rants on his youtube and his home movies - and just as many have pointed out he didn't espouse any Tea Party ideology in those videos - but he didn't expose any LEFTIST ideas either.

"

If you gonna to go on and on about how it's unfair to make something political out of this - what's exactly with the "Left Leaning" jab? Was it because he read Marx? Is "Left=Communist" how your mind works? What about Mein Kampf, does "Left=Nazi" to you?

Pardon me but most of us consider being cold "Communist" and "Nazi", not to mention "Socialist" as much a slur as "Tea-Bagger", "Hate-Monger" or "Fascist Scumbag".

What about the fact he read Ayn Rand and if anything, his rants sounded mostly Libertarian which happens to be FAR FAR Right in most people's estimation?

Loughner was operating under a ton of wild Constitutional Conspiracy theories concerning the States authority to coin Gold & Silver, but then doesn't Christina O'Donnell operate under the twisted anti-constitutional theory that their "is no separation of Church and State"? Some of us would call that pretty much "Crazy" too, and she nearly became a U.S. Senator. Rand Paul thinks that when someone walks into a private establishment you - the customer - pretty much become their property to abuse as they see fit. I myself have had an extensive s with Tea Partiers on Twitter who claim the 16th Amendment doesn't authorize the Federal Government to collect Income Tax.

Frankly, as far as I'm concerned there's a whole lot of crazy going on, it doesn't just start and stop with people like Loughner.

People like this guy at the Heritage Foundation who claimed "Obama is a Domestic Enemy" - and got laughs and applause from the crowd.

Or Arizona Republican Trent Franks who said "Obama is an Enemy of Humanity - who has no place in government" :

Is this what you call "Civil Discourse"? You know what you do with "Enemies of Humanity" - you kill them!

But, here's the part that gets under my skin

Hannity: Why do you think the Left Singled you out Governor?
Palin: It's not about me, it's about the message. Those on the Left Hate my message and they'll do all that they can to stop me, because they don't like the message. They do not like to hear that message, and as many of them have promised to do- they'll destroy that message and the messenger.

Oh, so the killer was "Left Leaning" and basically the "Left" will stop at nothing because of their Hate?

Sounds to me like you're connecting this killer to the Left that has criticized your repeated, unneccesary Gun references, in the wake of a political gun crime.

That's just despicable.

Sarah "Death-Panel-Princess/He-Pals-Around-With-Domestic-Terrorists" Palin seriously thinks it's "the Left" that has engaged in a deliberate campaign of fear-mongering, politics of personal destruction and guilt by association?

What Sarah doesn't get, or maybe she gets it but doesn't want it pointed out - is that She's the Hater. She always has been.

When she goes around talking about "Real America" what she really doing is insulting and attacking "Unreal" America - which is the rest of us. She's used double-talk to make it clear that we don't count in her America, and frankly what happens to us doesn't matter.

Just like when she says "When we take up our arms, we're taking up our VOTE!" - is a load of crap. If you're talking about taking up your vote, then you say TAKING UP YOUR VOTE, if you talking about using weapons against your opponents then you say the other thing. If your habit is to say one thing and mean another, why should anyone believe that you say?

Palin: I've repeated over and over my condemnation of violence, and that "when we take up our arms", we're taking up our vote.

People do use combat metaphors in politics, but when she was saying this - it was March of 2010 - while simultaneous all the above threats and attacks were taking place.

Just as I mentioned last week, Hannity then went into a Litany of Left Wing Hate

Hannity: I don't think those on the Left have been very civil to you.

Palin: It reminds me that those on the Left, if it weren't for their double-standards - they'd have NO STANDARDS.

Yeah, that's real civil like isn't it?

In the end Palin takes absolutely no responsibility for her own words, not for "Don't Retreat, Reload", not for targeting Democrats who in the end are threatened and attacked, and further she seems as though she's Defending Beck, and Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin and Michael Savage and Ann Coulter every extreme Right-wing fire-breather for anything they've ever said - yet attacking and blaming the Left for any problematic comments.

A picture perfect performance of total hypocrisy.

Let me leave you with David Corn just to sum it all up as he points out why whenever political violence occurs, everyones prime suspect - Is the Tea Party.

Only 5% of the general public find violence against the government justified, but 13% of the Tea Party.

Corn: Republicans talk about "Death Panels", they talk abut things that are not true. We have to be sure that things like that do not take root in the political discourse.
...

There should be schism between some Republican leaders who want a respectful and responsible debate - when you start calling people "Nazy" and "Terrorist". Whether or not you tell people there are second amendment remedies, it sets the tone that these people don't deserve to live

Although Palin pretends to want to "play nice" and to oppose "the blame game" - what she clearly shows that she really wants is to be able to play it without anyone else complaining.

She wants to accuse Democrats of being hypocrites and Nazis, but don't anyone dare suggest her words might have any real impact or affect on anyone.

Sorry Sarah, no Sale. You talk smack, you're going to get some criticizing smack right back.

Vyan

Did anyone (in Media) actually Say Palin Inspired Loughner?

In the last week the Right-Wing hss been incensed - incensed - that poor sweet Saint Sarah was so unfairly and rudely accused of pretty much shooting Gabrielle Giffords in the head, or at the very least, inspiring the Jared Lee Loughner to launch his killing spree.

One wonders if Sarah Palin's name hadn't even come up after the Giffords shooting, would she have even bothered to make this video? But who was it that brought her name up?

Wow, since a crime starts and ends with the criminal who committed it - why are we still chasing Bin Laden exactly?

If you listened to Fox New Sunday, it seems that poor Saint Sarah just can't get a break.

Even before Palin’s interview with Sean Hannity tomorrow night, Fox News Sunday got a head start on Operation Save Sarah’s 2012, with a panel discussion on Fox News Sunday that was the height of pro-Palin propaganda. After the members of the panel concluded with amazement that the only reason Palin would release the video is that she has 2012 political ambitions, Britt Hume suggest that Palin has been unfairly attacked by the media.

Hume went as far as to suggest that the “attacks” on Palin were the most vicious that he has ever seen and he invoked Palin Derangement Syndrome, “What I would say about this, Chris, is that this is the dilemma with Sarah Palin. She has been subject to some of the most vicious and venomous media coverage, adverse media coverage of any public figure I have ever seen. And it amounts almost to what some would describe as a kind of derangement syndrome about her, this level of character assassination.”

Hume claimed that Palin was not to blame for the criticism, “However, to say all that, and to condemn it, even, does not mean that it hasn’t been effective, and does not mean that Sarah Palin has not been seriously damaged by it in the eyes of a broad cross-section of the public. And the Sarah Palin problem really is a problem that she has, largely, I think, through no fault of her own, become kind of radioactive. And it does mean that when she is in a situation like this, where she is the focus of national attention, she must be extremely careful about how she reacts to it.”

Poor Saint Sarah, it's not her fault that people shouted "TERRORIST" and "KILL HIM" after she carefully explained who Barack Obama "pals around with...". (Speaking of "Guilt by Association"...)

But I wonder, did Sherrif Dupnik actually blame Sarah Palin?

Dupnik: I think it's time as a country, we need to do a little soul searching. I think that the vitriolic rhetoric we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business, and some people in the tv business. And what we see on tv and how our children are being raised. It may be free speech, but it does not come without consequences. Arizona has become the Mecca of prejudice and bigotry.

Seems to me that Dupnik was talking more about local politics in Arizona, and their recent disagreements of things such as SB1070, not the Health Care Bill, Sarah Palin - who we mostly see on Facebook, not the TV - or Health Care.

Strange, it seems that he didn't even say Sarah's name. Not only that he didn't mention anyone's name, in fact he didn't say whether the vitriol was coming from the Right or the Left. He just said his opinion was it "Was Bad" - and exactly who disagrees with that?

Did Paul Krugman blame Sarah for this? No, just like Dupnik he didn't even mention her name.

When you heard the terrible news from Arizona, were you completely surprised? Or were you, at some level, expecting something like this atrocity to happen?

It’s true that the shooter in Arizona appears to have been mentally troubled. But that doesn’t mean that his act can or should be treated as an isolated event, having nothing to do with the national climate.

Where’s that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let’s not make a false pretense of balance: it’s coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It’s hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be “armed and dangerous” without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P.

And there’s a huge contrast in the media. Listen to Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann, and you’ll hear a lot of caustic remarks and mockery aimed at Republicans. But you won’t hear jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly, and you will.

So if Dupnik didn't blame Sarah (or the Right) and Krugman didn't blame Sarah - how did she get brought into this? Fox News brought her into it, by trying to defend and excuse her cross hairs map.

Charlie Rangle: All of us are familiar with Palin targeting people with cross hairs, none of us can say that that had anything to do with this attempted asssasination, but it's clear things like that doesn't help.

It's not Saint Sarah's fault Dr Laura thinks saying "Nigger" 15 times to a Black woman is ok - she just said "Reload" (more "Niggers"?)

So did NBC News blame Palin? Not anymore than they blamed Glenn Beck for fantasizing about Killing Michael Moore and Nancy Pelosi.

NBC mentioned the map, but did they single Saint Sarah out? Hardly.

Not, just bringing the map up didn't get under Beck's collar.

Beck: The Problem is that everybody is playing politics with a national tragedy. Paul Krugman says it's long past time took a stand against Hate Mongers. I don't need to tell you MSNBC said. Hink: They think Fox pulled the trigger. Media Matters wants us to be told what to say on or off the air. I don't use it, on or off the air so I guess I'm in compliance.

I would stand with Barack Obama and even Van Jones if they would stand against Politicing Violence?

Yeah, but would you stand with them if they stand against violence itself?

Did Keith Blame Sarah Palin? Not directly.

Olbermann: If Sarah Palin - whose website put and today scrubbed bulls eye targets on 20 representatives including Gabby Giffords - does not repudiate her own part, however tangential, in amplifying violence and violent imagery in American politics, she must be dismissed from politics. She must be repudiated by the members of her own party, and they refuse to do so then each of them be judged to have silently supported this tactic that today proved so awfully for telling.

Keith went on to talk about an event with Jesse Kelly, who campaigned against Gabrielle Giffords, where he offered supporters to "Fire a Gun with Kelly". He talked about Sharon Angle and her "Second Amendment Remedies", and Congressman Alan West who said they should make his opponent "Afraid to come out his own home", and Tea Party Leaders who advance the idea of "Watering the Trea of Liberty with Blood", and Glenn Beck ("I could kill Michael Moore") and Bill O'Reilly ("Tiller the Killer").

If all of these are not responsible for Tucson, they are now be responsible for doing every thing they can to to make sure Tucson does not happen again. And if those of considered on the Left, do not do all we can to eliminate all our own suggestions of violence, now matter how mild they might have been, now matter how inadvertent, we deserve repudiation...

Even if Jared Lee Loughner was shooting into a political crowd simply to shoot into a political crowd, we haved for years been building up to a moment Just like This

Keith mention Sarah, but he certainly didn't singled her out at all - far from it - he include himself in the Repudiation List for an inadvertent comment that might have sounded like a threat against Hillary Clinton.

The argument made by all these people, from Dupnik to Krugman to Olbermann, none of them said "Sarah did this" but they did say the "climate" might have been a factor. And that's something that clinical psychologist happen to agree with.

Dr. Swartz cautioned that there's still much we don't know about Loughner or more generally about the impact of the political climate on the mentally ill. But he asserted that asking how our politics might have impacted Loughner's behavior was an entirely natural line of questioning.

"We know the manifestation of mental illness is affected by cultural factors," Dr. Swartz said. "One's cultural context does effect people's thinking and particularly their delusions. It gives some content and shape to their delusions. While we don't know whether there was a specific relationship between the political climate that he was exposed to and his thinking, it's a reasonable line of inquiry to explore."

Even if Dr. Swartz is correct - the argument isn't that Sarah Palin Alone - may have acted a some kind of "trigger" for Loughner, rather that the numerous incidents of violence and threats that were already in progress might have helped push an already unstable person even further over the edge. Even if Loughner is crazy as a Green Jaybird, this is still something work considering and investigating.

So why's Sarah feeling so butt hurt? Maybe it simply goes back to what Gabrielle Gifford's herself first said about the Cross Hairs Map ten months ago.

Giffords: The rhetoric is incredibly heated, the calls, the emails, the slurs.

People need to realize that the rhetoric and firing people up, even things for example we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list the way she has it depicted has the cross hairs of a gun over our district. when people do that, they've got to realize there's consequences to that action.

It's not Saint Sarah's fault that silly Giffords got her Surveyor, Bulls Eye, Reload Sights mixed up with Sniper Sights. Common mistake.

The consequences Giffords was talking about was the shooting out of her office windows back in March, not the shooting at the Safeway because she hasn't been able to speak since that shooting.

Even if this disgusting Youtube video of death threats against Palin - which has inflamed the right - No One Suggests that she SENT Loughner to shoot Giffords.

So Sarah Palin is going to go on Sean Hannity tonight to complain about the Left attacking her and blaming her - but the fact is that actually didn't happen. It was Fox News who distorted everyones comments, shifting what Sherrif Dupnik said about "people on TV" to "people on the Right" when he didn't say that - shifting what Keith said about people taking responsibility - including himself - to "Fox pulled the Trigger" and shifting criticism of Glenn Beck himself to "Sarah Made Loughner do it" - even when Sarah wasn't even mentioned by people on the Left or if they did they all said "none of us can say" that Sarah's target map had anything to do with it. They only said that it was a bad idea - a bad idea that DID lead to violence.

Poor Saint Sarah, it's not her fault that 11 out of 20 of the Representatives Targeted either received Death Threats or had their offices and homes attacked.

Vic Snyder (retired, Arkansas-2) received a death threat in the mail in March 2010.

Ann Kirkpatrick (Arizona-1) - her office was attacked in March 2010.

Harry Mitchell (Arizona-5) received several death threats in March 2010.

Betsy Markey (Colorado-4) received several death threats in March 2010.

Suzanne Kosmas (Florida-24) was threatened in March 2010.

Baron Hill (Indiana-9) received several telephone threats in March 2010.

Earl Pomeroy (North Dakota-AL) was threatened in March 2010.

John Boccieri (Ohio-16) received numerous telephone death threats in March 2010.

Kathy Dahlkemper (Pennsylvania-3) was threatened by mail in March 2010.

Tom Perriello (Virginia-5) was threatened in March 2010, including the infamous incident when the gas line was cut at his brother's house; the attacker erroneously thought it was Rep Perriello's house.

Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) had the front window of her office shot out in March.

Yeah, but don't blame Saint Sarah - she had nothing to do with it.

Vyan

Saturday, January 15

Glenn Beck Inspired 3 Death Threats/Assassination Attempts

Feeling wounded and attacked Sarah Palin and the Right Wing have whined that media has committed a Blood Libel and a Pogrom against Conservatives - which if you ignore the fact that these were terms meant to describe the persecution of Jews like Gabrielle Giffords - means that they feel they are being unfairly victimized and attacked for things they had nothing to do with.

Well there's a reason why Palin and her bestest buddy Glenn Beck have been criticized for putting cross hairs, and "Reloading" against Democrats.

It's because people lives have already been put at risk - 3 Times - and it leads righr back to Glenn Beck.

Once is dumb luck. Twice is a coincidence, but three times is a clear and recognizable pattern.

First there was Byron Williams who wanted to "Start a Revolution" by killing people at the Tides Foundation and ACLU.

From the Jailhouse William's explain the motivation for his action were based on "Crime Inc" conspiracy theories he heard from Glenn Beck about George Soros, the Center for American Progress, the ACLU and Tides.

Byron writes, "You want to know about Soros and Tides, yes, Glenn Beck is doing very well uncovering his wickedness, check his 'June' programs for 'Petrobraz', also look into 'DiscoverTheNetworks.com.' "

Byron also writes that "very good information regarding 'Petrobraz' can be found in Glenn Beck's 'June' shows, where he accurately covered the Obama-Soros-Petrobraz-Chicago (Crime Inc.) connections for several days. It's all true."

Byron adds that he "found allusions to the Horizon disaster as a 'false-flag' operation in Alex Jones 'Info.Wars.com' and 'PrisonPlanet.com.' "

"Think like a conspiracy theorist," Byron tells me during the interview. "Except don't use the word 'theory.' Because the conspiracies are not theories. The official report is the lie; the conspiracy is the truth.?"

Byron says he thinks Beck has improved in recent months. "I don't think he's a natural newscaster, you know what I mean?" he says. "I look at it more like a schoolteacher on TV, you know? He's got that big chalkboard and those little stickers, the decals. I like the way he does it." [Media Matters, 10/11/10]

The Second Beck Inspired Death Threat was by Charles Alan Wilson against Washington Senator Patty Murray when he left messages like this.

"Just remember that as you are politicing for your reelection. It only takes one piece of lead. ... Kill the fucking Senator! Kill the fucking Senator! I'll donate the lead. ... Now that you've passed your health-care bill, let the violence begin. Let the violence begin.""

His Cousin stated that Charlie had fallen under the Spell of Beck.

While his actions were undeniably wrong and his choices were terrible, in part they were the actions of others played out by a very gullible Charlie. He was under the spell that Glenn Beck cast, aided by the turbulent times in our economy. I don't believe that Charlie even had the ability to actually carry out his threats.

Third there was Gregory Guisti who not long after Glenn Beck stated a mock murder of Nancy Pelosi repeatedly threated to Fire-Bomb her home. Her mother stated he was influenced to hate and threaten Pelosi because of Fox News.

Giusti Admitted To Making "More Than 30 Phone Calls" Threatening Pelosi Not To Support Health Care Reform. The Associated Press reported in April 2010 that in one recorded call, "Giusti said, 'if you pass this freaking health care plan don't bother coming back to California cause you ain't gonna have a place to live,' according to a transcript of the message included in an amended complaint." The AP added: "Officials said the caller often recited Pelosi's home address and said if she wanted to see it again, she should not support the health care overhaul bill that since has been enacted. Giusti left at least two recorded messages containing threats involving one of Pelosi's residences in Northern California, according to the complaint." [The Associated Press, 4/8/10]

Giusti Called Pelosi "A Witch" And Said He Didn't Like Her Pushing Health Care Bill "Down The People's Throats." The AP further reported that Giusti "told investigators he had phoned Pelosi about a half-dozen times, called her a witch and said he did not like her 'pushing the health care bill down the people's throats,' the complaint stated." [The Associated Press, 4/8/10]

ELEANOR GIUSTI: Greg has -- frequently gets in with a group of people that have really radical ideas and that are not consistent with myself or the rest of the family and -- which gets him into problems. And apparently I would say this must be another one that somehow he's gotten onto either by -- I'd say Fox News or all of those that are really radical, and he -- that's where he comes from

Just like what is suspected of Jared Loughner, Guisti has reported mental health issues.

With this recent history of near violence, is it any wonder that people questioned the connection between Palin's Gun sites and the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords? Frankly, it's more surprising that their isn't any connection - so far - however it should be noted that Loughner ex-girlfriend says that he's faking his insanity to avoid prison and that in fact - he's VERY POLITICAL and would constantly rant about the Government.

We honesty don't fully know why Jared Loughner did what he did, whether he's been faking or not, and exactly what is the nature and source of his anti-government paranoia. We don't know if there was a trigger event in his life, or if like Mark David Chapman and Catcher in the Rye something in the public sphere set him off.

We don't really know - but let's also not forget that 11 out of 20 of the Sarah Palin Hit List were attacked and/or threatened. He may not been taking marching orders from Beck like Williams or Guisti, but that doesn't mean the general atmosphere of "blood in the water" - including the successful assault on Gifford's offices (which remain unsolved, and we don't know that Loughner wasn't involved) - didn't have an impact.

Still, it's ridiculous for the right-wing to complain that they're being persecuted by the presumption that their Incessant Hate Speech and Murder Metaphors had anything to do with it, but at the same time they are regularly arguing that he was really a "Lefty" because he read The Communist Manifesto (which is about Communism, not Liberalism), that he targeted Gabby Giffords because she was a "pro-gun Blue Dog" (Who voted for the Health care bill?) and he shot a Federal Judge who was a Republican (Like, that was tattooed on his forehead?), or their latest hair-brained theory - Pot Made Him Do It.

Yeah, sure, it could be all that - but it couldn't possibly be the kind of radical anti-Government ("They're out to Control Everything") theories that motivated Williams or Guisti or Wilson?

Vyan

Impact of Tucson Speech felt around the Worl

Although the international response to the actual shooting has been somewhat muted, the response to Obama's stunning speech not only silenced the Right-Wing Critics (for about 3 minutes) it's also had a massive response from around the world.

Details (compiled by my wife Robin) over the flip.

Arizona shootings fallout and Obama's Tucson speech - as it happened

Barack Obama calls for an end to 'sharply polarised' US

Obama tröstet, warnt und fordert Respekt

Obama veut apaiser le débat politique après la tuerie de Tucson

Tucson, l'appello di Obama

Giffords opens eyes for the first time since shooting

Obama ruft Nation in Trauerrede zur Einheit auf

Obama urges unity in face of shootings

Deputada baleada no Arizona abriu os olhos, diz Obama em homenagem

Obama pede união em resposta à tragédia no Arizona

Through prayer and praise, Obama calls for unity, civility

Good to see our President is appreciated all over the World, even if far too many here still don't realize how great he is when the chips are down.

Vyan

Friday, January 14

This is why Obama is President

It seems to me that we'd forgotten who Obama truly was. we'd forgotten the depth of empathy, compassion and stirring Hope that he could bring to the table. if anyone was born to fulfill a task, to help heal a grieving and frustrated, Nation - bitterly back-bating against itself - pick it up, dust it off and send it back in the right direction - Barack Hussein Obama was that man.

How could we doubt it? Why did we forget?

You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations –- to try and pose some order on the chaos and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health system. And much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized -– at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do -– it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.

...

As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.

...

We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we're doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order.

We recognize our own mortality, and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved -- (applause)-- and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. (Applause.)

For those who were harmed, those who were killed –- they are part of our family, an American family 300 million strong. (Applause.) We may not have known them personally, but surely we see ourselves in them. In George and Dot, in Dorwan and Mavy, we sense the abiding love we have for our own husbands, our own wives, our own life partners. Phyllis –- she’s our mom or our grandma; Gabe our brother or son. (Applause.) In Judge Roll, we recognize not only a man who prized his family and doing his job well, but also a man who embodied America’s fidelity to the law. (Applause.)

And in Gabby -- in Gabby, we see a reflection of our public-spiritedness; that desire to participate in that sometimes frustrating, sometimes contentious, but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union.

In this section Obama did something remarkable. He managed to pull up the dreaded spirit of "collectivism" and make it personal and individual. He made it clear that what made all the persons involved in this tragedy wasn't their fame, their riches, their power or their status - but their essential humanity, charity, grace and willingness to give of themselves - up to and including their life essence, without hesitation - to each other.

A group of various back grounds, various religions, various ages, various political parties and various wealth all shared in this tragedy - and now share in the triumph of heroism and survival.

These are Christian ideals, Jewish ideals, Muslim Ideals, Buddist ideals, Progressive Ideals - American Ideals.

Obama has called to us, as individuals, to dig deep within ourselves to become better Americans, because that is precisely what is required to accomplish that often used, but rarely understood goal - "To form a more perfect Union".

It's not all about what laws we pass, or which pet provisions were or weren't included. It's not about what government does - it's about what we do. how we turn away from spending our energy damaging each other, but instead lifting each other up - rather than moving in a circle - we move forward.

Like the closing scene from "Saving Private Ryan" - we must ask ourselves, have we lived up to the sacrifices of those who come before us, and the hopes of those who follow us?

Can we strive not to be petty? Not to be selfish?

Not to be like Palin.

The first 90 seconds of this statement is actually pretty good and uplifting, but after that it starts to fall off the rails.

Palin: After the shocking tragedy I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and now with sadness to the irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event.

Here's the thing. Sherrif Dupnik is absolutely entitled to his opinion - but he didn't say definitively that the "toxic atmosphere" was to blame for the actions of Jared Loughner. Neither did Paul Krugman. In fact, the only person who actually brought Sarah Palin's name into this thing - was Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Giffords: The rhetoric is incredibly heated, the calls, the emails, the slurs.

People need to realize that the rhetoric and firing people up, even things for example we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list the way she has it depicted has the cross hairs of a gun over our district. when people do that, they've got to realize there's consequences to that action.

So really, the person the Palin is calling "irresponsible" - the person who she says has perpetrated a "Blood Libel" = is Jewish representative Giffords.

The other problem with Palin says is her attempt to make individualism an all of nothing option.

Palin: President Reagan said we must reject the idea that every time a law is broken society is guilty rather than the law breaker. it is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions, acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own, they begin and end with the criminals who commit them. Not collectively with all the citizens of a state. Not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their first amendment rights at campaign rallies. Not with those who voted in the last election.

No one is saying that "society is guilty", and the perpetrators are "innocent".

Here Palin lays out a very different vision of American than Obama's vision. An America where each man and woman is an island, with no connection or responsibility to their fellow man. Yes, it is true that the primary person responsible for someones actions - is themselves. But people don't live in a hermetically sealed vacuum. The actions of one are not completely divorced from the actions of others. This is often how Conservatives would like to view the world. They see the success or failure of any particular individual as being an act of singular will, or singular failure. In the nature vs nurture debate, they repeated place all emphasis on nature. Everything is choice, nothing is environment, but the truth is that is simply not the case.

Individuals can choose to overcome tragic circumstances, as well as fail when given every possible advantage. But we do, as all part of a community - as part of an American family - have connections to one another, and do have the ability either to increase each others chances for success or diminish them.

Not every madman acts entirely without outside influence. Timothy McVeigh did not act completely randomly. He was directly inspired by the Racist, Anti-government writings of William Pearce in The Turner Diaries - so much so that his attack on the Murrah Federal Building
in Oklahoma City was planned and lifted Directly From the Books depiction of the Truck Bombing of FBI Headquarters. Byron William's did not act randomly when he attempted to attack the ACLU and Tides Foundation in San Francisco. James Adkisson did not randomly when he killed two people and wounded five in Knoxville, inspired by the writings of Bernard Goldberg to "Kill every Liberal".

When it comes to madman, there can sometimes be no telling exactly what set the off and no explaining it. Mark David Chapman's inspiration was Catcher in the Rye for his Assassination of John Lennon, while John Hinkley wanted to emulated Taxi Driver when he fired on Ronald Reagan, and Charles Manson's insane plot was apparently hatches between the grooves of Beatles Records and a twisted interpretation of the Bible.

Additionally clinical psychologist, who make it their business to study what influences the mad, disagree with Palin

Dr. Swartz cautioned that there's still much we don't know about Loughner or more generally about the impact of the political climate on the mentally ill. But he asserted that asking how our politics might have impacted Loughner's behavior was an entirely natural line of questioning.

"We know the manifestation of mental illness is affected by cultural factors," Dr. Swartz said. "One's cultural context does effect people's thinking and particularly their delusions. It gives some content and shape to their delusions. While we don't know whether there was a specific relationship between the political climate that he was exposed to and his thinking, it's a reasonable line of inquiry to explore."

There may have been any number of things that finally pushed Jared Loughner to snap. I may have been entirely personal, related more to his own loss of employment and being kicked out of school - or it may not. We don't yet know truly.

What doesn't make sense though, is Palin simultaneous argument that anything she's done or said couldn't possibly have had an impact but somehow every one whose merely talked about what she's said - have been "irresponsible".

That's selfish, narcissistic hogwash.

Rush Limbuagh: I tell people don't kill all the Liberals leave enough so we can have two on every campus so we never forget what those people stood for

Conservatives can't simultaneous claim with any credibility that's it's unfair to apportion blame over what Jared Loughner did - and then blame Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto. You can't seriously expect to have your cake and eat it too. You can't whine that's it unfair to blame Conservative Hate Speech, while proudly saying - "He was the Liberal of Liberals".

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) says political rhetoric doesn't really incite violent behavior at all -- but not before describing Arizona shooting suspect Jared Loughner as a "communist" and "the liberal of liberals."

"This guy appears to be a communist," Foxx told the Winston-Salem Journal. "His beliefs are the liberal of the liberals [sic]. There is no evidence whatsoever that this man was influenced by Sarah Palin or anybody in the Republican Party. This man is not a conservative; he's a fan of communism - that's the opposite of conservatism."

There's frankly no evidence that his being a fan of the Communist Manifest, had any more to do with his actions than his being a fan of Ayn Rand or The Wizard of Oz.

These dueling visions of America - one the greatest that Americans can do is to help better the lives of their family, friends and fellows, and one where each America stands isolated and alone without connection or support from those around him, where all responsibilities are individual and none public - are exactly what America must choose from.

Does is matter what we say, and how we treat each other or doesn't it? Are we our brothers keeper, or are we all just islands alone in the stream?

I don't know about everyone else, but I find Obama's vision of America far more compelling, more welcoming, more quintessentially AMERICAN than that of those who primary instinct and primary goal is to Put themselves and their own petty partisan concerns first - and to hell with everyone else.

I rather live in the brighter hopeful world of Obama's America, than the dark, dismal, petty world of Palin.

Vyan

Tuesday, January 11

Wishing Death is Wrong on the Right, Wrong on the Left

If it was wrong for Bill O'Reilly to suggest Dana Milbank should be Beaten and Decapited, wrong for Bernard Goldberg to threaten the New York Times with a Baseball Bat, wrong for Beck to fantasize about strangling Michael Moore or poisoning Nancy Pelosi, wrong of Michele Bachmann to suggest Republicans should be "Armed and Dangerous", wrong of Sharon Angle to call for "Second Amendment Remedies" if Harry Reid won, wrong for Col Alan West to support "Bullets over Ballots"...

And Wrong for these Twitter user to suggest what they did about the Death of Sarah Palin.

And so far, No One has - thankfully - taken these angry twitter rambling seriously or acted out on them.

When I look at the list of Left Wing Hate from 2000-2010 provided by Michelle Malkin - I can see a ton of really violent and rude signs, certainly ones that silly - but also embarrassingly vicious against George W.Bush. John McCain and Sarah Palin.

I'm not liking to the page or the photos because I don't want to give them, any more hits than they deserve. But Malkin has more than pictures - she has vidoes - but when you start to look at these in detail, they begin to become just a petty litany of anyone whose ever said anything rude about a conservative.

People like Madonna. "Sarah Palin - I'll kick you're ass if you don't get off of my street".

Or Sandra Bernhardt.

Now. we're supposed to take what a professional comedian says seriously?

It's surprising to me she didn't include the Dixie Chicks.

If we're gonna go there - what about Ted Nugent threatened to Murder both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?

Nugent: I was in Chicago Last week, and I said "Hey Obama why don't you suck on these, YA PUNK!" (Holds up a Machine Gun) "Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the Sunset you worthless, Bitch!"

Charmer, ain't he? Yet again, Madonna and Sandra may have been rude - but they didn't wish anyone dead.

After this point it start to deteriorate, they use a serious protest videos to argue that "Liberal are Violent" when that isn't always clear.

Not here, during this video of a set of Prop 8 Supporters walking right through the heart of the San Francisco Castro District - these guys are getting the same reaction that a pack of neo-Nazi's would get in the middle of a Jewish neightborhood. And the "Liberals" are the Haters here?

On here during a non-violent protest of the Military in Oympia.

Or during some Civil Disobedience of Evictions by ACORN - also Non-Violent.

This Anti-SB1070 rally where protestors objected to being filmed and slap the camera - not a person, the camera - but eventually let the guy stay.

They have a set of mugshot of "Violent LIberals", but if you look closely they include...

A guy who attacked card board cut-out of George Bush.

A guy who cut down a Bush-Cheney Sign with a Power Tool, but Malkin fails to note that the full report also says that several Democratic Lawns signs were also vandalized at the same time. She includes mug shots for the anti-Republican vandals, but none of the anti-Democrats.

Wendy Fiedler, the county's Democratic chairwoman, said she now has decided to encourage local Democrats to file reports with police when their signs are vandalized. "This whole sign issue has really gone over the top this year," Fiedler said. "It's getting really ugly."

In one night last weekend, she said, several dozen Democratic signs along Centennial Lane, which borders Columbia and Ellicott City, were taken down by vandals.

Also, she said, one Democratic activist who lives in Ellicott City had reported a gunshot near his house and that a police report was made. Police were unable to confirm that late yesterday afternoon.

A guy who supposed tried to Run Down Katherine Harris - except that he didn't hit her, and she didn't more. So um, how'd he miss exactly?

A silver Cadillac "swerved off the road and drove up the sidewalk" heading "straight towards Ms. Harris," according to the police arrest report.
"Harris stated that she was afraid for her life," according to the police report, "and could not move as the vehicle approached her."

"I was exercising my political expression," Seltzer told police, according to the report.

He was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Then it starts to get silly.

There this guy who threw an ice cream pie at Bill Kristol. And another who threw a cup of salad dressing at Pat Buchannan. A kid who smashed the glass panels a Medal of Honor Monument and another who used vulgar hand gestures and asked a rude question of Ann Coulture (I'm think this kid's my Hero!)

And then really silly.

Here's a girl who filed a false claim that anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-woman graffiti spray-painted on her 1992 Honda Civic - what this has to do with "Liberals" I don't know but it does remind me of someone else.

And even through all of these claims of "Liberal Hate" - there may have been some property damaged and some feelings hurt - BUT NO ONE was injured in all of these incidents.

No one DIED.

None of these people is currently holding or running for elected office. None of these people has a daily or nightly platform on radio or TV that reaches tens of thousands and could seriously influence anyone else but their own twitter followers.

Contrast that with this...

Where an Acolyte of Glenn Beck launched an attack on the ACLU & Tides, where a fan of Bernie Goldberg killed 2 people at a Unitarian Church in Knoxville Tennessee and where Bill O'Reilly unending attacks on George Tiller ended when he was Murdered by Scott Reoderr) - that same can't be said about the first set of "Liberal Haters".

For a moment lets be honest.

The right-wing in this country is incensed at being connected with the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and if you walk around with all of Michalle Malkin handy pic, videos and misleading links in your brain while no one ways can prove that Laughner was "taking direction" from anyone on the right wing I can fairly understand being a bit peeved. Of course you have to ignore all the dead and wounded from Knoxville to Washington D.C., to Pittsburg, Kentucy and Oakland to get there, but if you fairly fact-blind you can get there. The problem is that hardly any actually made the claim that "Loughner was Puppet of the Right." Most people haven't even suggested it, only two people who really brought it up have been Sherrif Dupnik and Paul Krugman.

Neither of them said that there was a direct link between anything that anyone has said and this violence, but what they did say was that the general tone may have - MAY HAVE - had an effect on a making an already deranged individual, even worse.

The question of whether a general atmosphere of hate and strife can act as a catalyst for one long nut to go over the edge, isn't necessarily as simple as it may seem. Ronald Reagan was shot because of the influence of Jodie Foster and Taxi Driver on a deranged individual, and John Lennon was assassinated because of how the demented mind of Mark David Chapman was influenced by Catcher in the Rye?

Via Greg Sargeant at the Plum Line

While some on the left have wrongly blamed specific voices on the right for the shooting, many liberals have simply argued that even if the shooter is a madman, the tragedy is a good jumping off point for a discussion of whether our toxic climate risks playing a role in tipping the unhinged towards political violence.

Dr. Swartz is the co-author of a 2006 study, reported on yesterday by Time magazine, finding that environmental factors can play a role in increasing violence in schizophrenics. I thought it would be worth asking him for his thoughts on the current debate over the shooting.

Dr. Swartz cautioned that there's still much we don't know about Loughner or more generally about the impact of the political climate on the mentally ill. But he asserted that asking how our politics might have impacted Loughner's behavior was an entirely natural line of questioning.

"We know the manifestation of mental illness is affected by cultural factors," Dr. Swartz said. "One's cultural context does effect people's thinking and particularly their delusions. It gives some content and shape to their delusions. While we don't know whether there was a specific relationship between the political climate that he was exposed to and his thinking, it's a reasonable line of inquiry to explore."

It can't seriously be argued that the worst examples of actual violence and deadly rhetoric are common mostly from the right-wing, but the left itself can't claim to be absolutely innocent. No, it doesn't happen coming from any serious - and if you were to compare tit-for-tit just have to include the guys who curb stomped Lauren Valle...

And THIS GUY whose already pretty far gone.

A larger question though, particular in the increased level of vitriol than has started in the direct aftermath of the Garbrielle Giffords shooting when exactly with the next borderline person on the edge of a psychotic break finally snap and go over the edge - and how much more or less likely will our actions from this point forward make the next horrible, terrible tragedy?

Vyan

Fox Attacks - Sherrif Dupnik and those Against Violent Speech?

First we have Good 'Ole Glenn Beck show claims the Arizona Tragedy is being Politicized and it's a shame. Therefore we need to fight back against those who say - "Let's stop all the violent talk", because you see - Glenn Beck Doesn't USE Violent Rhetoric.

Beck: The Problem is that everybody is playing politics with a national tragedy. Paul Krugman says it's long past time took a stand against Hate Mongers. I don't need to tell you MSNBC said. Hink: They think Fox pulled the trigger. Media Matters wants us to be told what to say on or off the air. I don't use it, on or off the air so I guess I'm in compliance.

I would stand with Barack Obama and even Van Jones if they would stand against Politicing Violence?

Yes, Really. Amazing isn't it?

So I guess fantasizing about the murder of Michael Moore and Nancy Policy isn't "Violent Rhetoric". What is it then - High Comedy?

Palin on Bulls eyes: It was never meant to be Gun Sites, it was meant to be Cross hairs.

Gee, where would you find Cross hairs? On Gun Sites. Simply asking the question "Have some of the Death Threats that have been thrown at dozens of Democrats finally led to one being shot?" Just as people have looked at many situations going all the way back to the original Oklahoma City Bombing and stated that presumed based on the odds that it may have been "Muslim Terrorism" - people did indeed look at the most likely scenario in this case, and that was that Yet Another Right-Wing Wacko was probably at fault.

Just like James Adkisson who shot and killed 2 people, wounded 5 in Knoxville Tenneesee because they were LIBERALS, James Van Brunn who killed a guard at the Holocaust Musuem on the way to his next target - David Axelrod, Byron Williams who attempted to assassinate members of the ACLU and Tides Foundation because GLENN BECK SAID THEY WERE EVIL, Justin Moose who attempted to bomb women's clinics, Scott Reoder the Right-Wing Fanatic who Killed Dr. George Tiller after being influenced by the 700 Club and incessant anti-Tiller publicity from Bill O'Reilly, James Cumming's who tried to build a radiological dirty bomb because he hated Obama, Richard Poplowski who killed police in Pittsburgh because "Obama wants our Guns", or the Hutaree Militia who were going to firebomb the funerals of police officers to start a "Civil War" against the government.

Here's a quick refresher on recent anti-government political violence and terrorism from last April.

Why would anyone have any of that come to mind when they hear a Democratic Congressperson had been shot? In the last couple years the number of acts of vandalism and death threats against members of congress has gone up 300%. To argue that the current environment hasn't been violently toxic is ridiculous

And Glenn, as a point of fact this what they said on MSNBC, and it wasn't that "FOX PULLED THE TRIGGER" - Olbermann admitted that some of his own harsh rhetoric may have been to blame for creating the "climate" and he apologized for it. He took some responsibility, something that Beck and his ilk - would never do.

But it's not just Beck whose spouting this nonsense, it's already become the Fox Corporate Line that They are the True Victims of this tragedy.

Despite what Fox says about "no prominent Liberal" calling for people not to "Rush to judgment" the first person I saw tweet that jumping to conclusions was premature - at 1:29 pm Saturday within hours of the event - was Rachel Maddow.

@Maddow There is nothing to be gained from speculating on the motives and affiliations of AZ shooter w/o facts.

It's also interesting that Fox seems to be taking this criticism of "Right Wing Media" so personally - me think thou dost protest...

Getting into the facts, the argument that the DLC map looks like the Palin Target map is just nonsense, it has circles with dots inside - not Cross Hairs. There's no way you could even Imagine that it's indicating the use of weaponry. It looks more like ball bearings.

The argument that BoyBlue's post was some kind of Death Threat Against Rep. Giffords is a Lie, he was just saying he's done with supporting her after the Pelosi Leadership vote - not that she should DiE!

The argument that Markos used Crosshairs images to target Gifford's for a Primary is also a Lie. That "Bulls Eyes" graphic was added by the Daily Caller, then used by Tea Party Express to Fund Raise in the wake of the tragedy?

Politicizing it? These frackers are Making Money On it. (Arguably, so did Moveon.org)

But I mean seriously who are these people trying to kid? Yes, as I said, Krugman among others asked the obvious question "Did the Right Wing Do this?" But asking a question isn't coming to a conclusion.

When you heard the terrible news from Arizona, were you completely surprised? Or were you, at some level, expecting something like this atrocity to happen?

Put me in the latter category. I’ve had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since the final stages of the 2008 campaign. I remembered the upsurge in political hatred after Bill Clinton’s election in 1992 — an upsurge that culminated in the Oklahoma City bombing. And you could see, just by watching the crowds at McCain-Palin rallies, that it was ready to happen again. The Department of Homeland Security reached the same conclusion: in April 2009 an internal report warned that right-wing extremism was on the rise, with a growing potential for violence.

Conservatives denounced that report. But there has, in fact, been a rising tide of threats and vandalism aimed at elected officials, including both Judge John Roll, who was killed Saturday, and Representative Gabrielle Giffords. One of these days, someone was bound to take it to the next level. And now someone has.

It’s true that the shooter in Arizona appears to have been mentally troubled. But that doesn’t mean that his act can or should be treated as an isolated event, having nothing to do with the national climate.

Last spring Politico.com reported on a surge in threats against members of Congress, which were already up by 300 percent. A number of the people making those threats had a history of mental illness — but something about the current state of America has been causing far more disturbed people than before to act out their illness by threatening, or actually engaging in, political violence.

I don't know if I entirely agree with Krugman's premise here that the permisiveness of threats running back and forth in the media have made the idea of actually going through with some maniacal violent plot far more plausible to those who are already most likely to slip completely over the edge into violence and madness - not just in this specific case - but in general. It's not a bad point, and it potentially deserves some debate - but I wouldn't say that it's a "slam dunk".

However it's the next part that really put a burr under Fox's fur.

Where’s that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let’s not make a false pretense of balance: it’s coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It’s hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be “armed and dangerous” without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P.

And there’s a huge contrast in the media. Listen to Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann, and you’ll hear a lot of caustic remarks and mockery aimed at Republicans. But you won’t hear jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly, and you will.

And that's the difference. It's not just about saying something rude, or saying something mean - it's about threatening someones Life. O'Reilly did "Joke" about Beating up and Beheading Dana Milbank (ala the Taliban) because he didn't like something he wrote.

Was it ok because he thought it was funny?

Glenn Beck REALLY DID openly fantasize about Murdering Nancy Pelosi with Poison and choking Michael Moore to death (I keep posting these videos over and over, because in the "he said/he said" between Krugman and Fox - there really are Facts to grab onto - and they don't support Fox)

Fox is playing a game where talking about choking someone to death, or poisoning them, or bashing them with a baseball bat, or decapitating them is all just Fun and Games - but if you have a picture that doesn't have cross hairs, have a post that doesn't put a Bulls Eye on a Congressman, say someone is "Dead to You" by way of separating yourself from supporting them because, gee, That's Hateful Speech.

How in the world does it work that Palin didn't mean to suggest a threat with Cross hairs and "Reloads", and Sharon Angle wasn't issuing a threat with "Second Amendment Remedies" and Michele Bachmann didn't really mean "Armed and Dangerous" but somehow the DLC's innocuous little map, and Kos's 2008 reference to putting a "bulls eye on these districts" and BoyBlue's "she's dead to me" did?

I watched a bit of Hannity tonight and on it S.E. Cupp said.

Even if Jared Loughner did have allegiance to the Tea Party - that doesn't 'mean they had allegiance to him!

Ok, what kind of double talk is that?

Did anyone of Fox Seriously think just because the 9-11 Hijackers had allegiance to Islam, it doesn't mean that Islam (and Park51) had allegiance to THEM?

NO! What we heard was "Muslim's killed us on 9-11!!!
What we heard instead was "Not all Muslim's are Terrorist, but All Terrorists Are Muslims!"

I mean S.E.'s point is essential correct in theory, but it goes directly against the Repeated Right-Wing Meme that when it comes to dangerous people, it's better, safer and neccesary to PROFILE them by group rather than take the time to look at them as individuals.

But somehow now it's going Beyond the Freaking Pale to even consider that yet another Right-Wing Nut Bag might have gone off an killed (or tried to kill) a bunch of people? AGAIN?

No, no - you see this is really part of a Great Liberal PLOT to blame the Right for everything.

The Liberal Agenda is a Failure? Jobs are Coming Back and Health Care Reform is Starting to Work. You know how to not make an issue political- you Don't make It Political! Going on the air to complain how the left is exploiting a tragedy by blaming the right for it - which they really aren't, except in a very general way about "tone" - while your online minions are running around trying to proclaim that the shooter is really a "Liberal" because he read the "Communist Manifesto" is patently ridiculous.

Tea Party Nation Urged Members To Blame Liberals For Yesterday’s Tragedy. “The hard left is going to try and silence the Tea Party movement by blaming us for this,” he [Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips] wrote. Clinton used the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to “blame conservative talk radio, especially Rush Limbaugh” and “The tactic worked then, backing conservatives off and possibly helping to ensure a second Clinton term. The left is coming and will hit us hard on this. We need to push back harder with the simple truth. The shooter was a liberal lunatic.

This isn't about "Silencing the Tea Party" unless the only way they can get their points across is to Threaten Death On Democrats.

One of Loughner's other favorite books was "We The Living" Ayn Rands first Anti-Communist Novel, so does that make him a lunatic Ron Paul Liberterian? He liked the Wizard of Oz, so that means he was a Munchkin?

His Myspace Page had the Drowning Pool song "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" - is that a clue?

So I guess it only makes sense that Glenn Beck says we need to take a stand together - Against Sherrif Dupnik.

Yeah, let's not let Media Matters tell you what to say - let's tell Sherrif DUPNIK what to say. No First Amendment For YOU - Sherrif Dupnik, meanwhile Glen's got some more mock strangling to do...cuz that's just hilarous.

I just watched Beck on Fox and Friends this morning, still whining about Sherrif Dupnik and supposedly challenging Barack Obama and Sarah Palin to sign a pledge against violence (but not against violent rhetoric).

Exactly why anyone except people who already like Beck would want to legitimize him by signing that instead of responding the way he and Palin responded to David Brock with ridicule and laughter, especially after he and Fox just launched a campaign to smear their critics, is beyond me.

Look as far I'm concerned this is clearly a coordinated effort by Fox not just to duck responsibility, but shame the left into leaving them alone by whining. All anyone is really saying is that death threats aren't funny or acceptable metaphors and shouldn't be part of our discourse, but rather than admit that and agree with it Fox wants to pretend their being singled-out and victimized for political reasons. It's classic bully cries to the REFs strategy. I'd be happy not to have sit here for hours and debunk their bullcrap point by point and instead focus on something more positive and uplifting but that would be forfeiting the field of debate to them alone and I don't think any of us want to do that.

In all of this back and forth, the people who actually were the front-line first responders in this situation have been completely obliterated. The heroism they displayed, the courage and selflessness literally while under fire is being over-shadowed with finger-pointing, political posturing and back biting and it's a GOD DAMN SHAME.

There have quite a few stunning interviews of the principles, but I don't think it can be ignored that this country has changed and perhaps lost quite a bit of it's character and moral fiber since we last had a tragedy that affected us on nearly this level - and that would be September 11th, 2001. Even the Death of a Nine-Year-Old who was Born on 9-11 hasn't been sobering enough for us to focus on what really matters, supporting those who were wounded and those who left loved ones behind.

So far the only person I've seen that even attempted to capture these elements, was a comedian.

Stewart: Many are working feverishly to exonerate their side from blame. Did the toxic political environment cause this? I have no Fucking Idea. We live in a complex eco-system of influence and motivations and I wouldn't blame our political environment any more than I would blame heavy metal music for Columbine - and by the way - that's coming from someone who truly hates our political environment.

It is toxic, it is unproductive. Boy wouldn't that be nice, to be able to draw a straight line from this horror to something tangible because we could convince ourself that if we just stop "this" then the horrors can be stopped. You can't outsmart Crazy. You don't know what a troubled mind will get caught on. Crazy will find a way, it always has.

I do think it's important for us to watch our rhetoric. I do thin kit's a worthwhile goal not to conflate our political opponents with enemies, if for no other reason than to draw a better distinction between between the manifestos of paranoid madmen and what passes for acceptable political and pundit speak. It would be really nice if the ramblings of crazy people didn't in way resemble how we actually talk to each other on TV. Let's at least make troubled individuals easier to stop.

To see good people like this hurt. It is so grievous and it causes me such sadness, but again I refuse to give in to this feeling of despair. There is light in this situation. I urge everyone to read-up on these people. You will be comforted by how much anonymous goodness there is in the world. People that you don't even know, that you never even met are leading lives of real dignity. Add you hear about crazy but is rarer than you think.

If there is real solace in this, for all the hyperbole and the vitriol that's become a part of our political process, when the reality of that rhetoric - when actions match the disturbing nature of those words - we haven't lost our capacity to be horrified. And please, let us how we never do - let us hope we never become numb to what the real blood of patriots looks like when it's spilled. Maybe this helps us to match our rhetoric to reality more often.

Someone or something will shatter our world again. Wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't take this opportunity, to take the pain that we're going through now to make sure that the world we are creating now - that will ultimately be shattered by an act of lunacy - that that world isn't better than the one we already have.

I'm actually sorry I got to this video last, because it completely cleanses the palate for every thing that has come before.

Vyan