There. I said it.
I have no doubt that many good people see themselves as Republicans. I have no doubt many good people watch Glenn Beck on Fox News and listen to his radio show. Even more good people visit Michelle Malkin's site. I'm no better than any of these people, even if I think I'm right and they're wrong on most--well, all issues.
And when Michelle Malkin now demands an apology from those who had accused her and other Conservatives of inciting murder, she's right. Even those of us who were cautious and waited for the final proof that this was indeed a politically motivated murder, thought this image below had a lot of truth to it.
But where do we go from here? Before we leave the middle ground, can't we use this as--to borrow a phrase--a learning experience?
While Beck, Limbaugh, and Malkin didn't cause the death of Bill Sparkman, we should all move back a bit. Will the news that this was a suicide make these people use even more extreme rhetoric? How many times will we hear Hitler's name now that we know Sparkman killed himself? Now that we know the truth, is it time to revive the theory that the upcoming census will lead to concentration camps?
I do hope the people who cynically abuse the memory of the Holocaust and the fears caused by the Recession move back a little. It wasn't their fault this time, but the divisions they create can still potentially do much worse. None of these people can deny that the hateful violence we thought had brought about the hanging of Bill Sparkman is there, waiting for a trigger.
5 comments:
Just seems kinda odd that all the violence we see on TV is coming from the far left. Whenever conservatives protest - the union thugs are sent out to incite violence. Whenever the left are out protesting - they incite their own violence and break things and tip cars over. Hmmm...who needs to step back a little? You guys need to look in the mirror every once in a while.
When conservatives march on Washington - we leave the place as clean and pristine as when we got there. When liberals do it - they provide jobs for hundreds of street cleaners.
Sure - you started this post off the right way - but - you ended it in the usual way we have come to expect from liberals - still blaming your problems on conservatives.
There has been enough hate-mongering and venom-spewing from the Right before, during and after last year's presidential election to warp many minds. Think about the racial cartoons, Joe-the-used-to-be-plumber, Palin's lies, Limbaugh calling Obama a racist and wanting him to "fail." The list goes on and on. The fear-mongering did what it was intended to do: cause fear. Success for the Right.
Bobo, in my quest I find a lot of the things you write repeated in many blogs. The Tea Party left the park clean! I don't know what that's supposed to mean. What does it prove? And the violence coming from the Left and not the Right... And the union goons... Listen, I don't think you're dishonest. I just think bloggers on the Left and the Right feed each other. At least you read blogs of people you disagree with, so you're a better person than me.
And Bobo and Cherlock, I might be off here, but I don't group these people together (even if they have something in common: I disagree with all of them). I do believe Malkin is honest, and if I think she's wrong, it's because I think Conservatism is wrong (because I have a soul, you know?). So she deserves the apology she demands.
On the other hand, I don't think Glenn Beck or Palin believe a word they say. For them it's all about money and power. And then you have Limbaugh who, I believe, is a genuine racist who hides his views by pretending he's really just about Conservatism and anti-PC rhetoric.
OM - I may not always agree with lefty bloggers - but - If I don't read them, I won't know the full story. You may also have noticed that sometimes I actually agree with bloggers on the left. I'm a right wing whacko nutjob conservative - but I'm open-minded - well - some of the time. :)
And..yes..I admit that I do repeat myself on the blogs - especially when the posts are similar.
The BoBo, I didn't say you repeated yourself. I meant that political bloggers and readers feed each other in a way that creates group thinking. It's always easier to read (and agree with) someone we trust than to use critical thinking. And it exists on both sides, although I do think people on the Right find it a little too easy to follow the Birther extremism.
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