[Polybius]

They were surveyors marks.

That spin, put out by Palin's spokesman, is an insult to everybody's intelligence.

Sarah Palin's image is not about "surveying". It's about hunting. The marks were a politically dumb attempt to be cute by mixing up her hunting image with her political image.

Did Palin's map with a hunting scope reticle pattern cause a "Left-wing pothead" with an obvious mental illness who listed Karl Marx as a favorite author to shoot a Congresswoman who described herself as a "Bluedog Democrat"?

No. He probably never saw it. But Palin's map did give the Left a gift-wrapped issue to beat her over the head with.

I already had this discussion on another thread.

**************

Notice how Palin’s ‘sight’ has crosshairs that extend past the outer circle? That’s a map-coordinate marker, not a gun scope.

You imply that, since the image has "crosshairs that extend past the outer circle" therefore, it cannot be a rifle scope because the crosshairs cannot extend beyond the scope itself. Therefore, it must be a "map-coordinate marker" like those orange tear-drop things on Google map.

The "crosshairs that extend past the outer circle" are not the physical impossibility of crosshairs extending beyond the "outer circle" that represents the scope.

The image is a "Reticle Pattern".

A "reticle pattern" is the the pattern of lines, circles, squares, etc., that you see when you look through the sniper or hunting scope and the pattern is limited only by the imagination of the scope designer.

If you want a hunting scope with a reticle pattern where the crosshairs "extend past the outer circle", try this one: (Click the images to enlarge the images of the reticle pattern)

EOTech 557.G23FTS Holographic Weapon Sight ...... "The reticle provides 4 aiming dots for target distances of 0-300m, 400m, 500m, and 600m. When viewed without magnification, the 65 MOA circle and fine center 1 MOA aiming dot are used, ensuring precision accuracy."

But, we are really up to our eyeballs in technicalities right now, aren't we?

Do you think that the general public knows the difference between "rimfire" and "centerfire" or has the slightest clue what different reticle patterns are used in hunting scopes?

No, they do not.

All they know is that the particular reticle pattern used as an image in Sarah Palin's map represents a sniper or hunting scope.

This is where Sarah Palin utterly fails as an electable Presidential candidate:

Palin is fantastic at "preaching to the choir" and engaging in all the "inside jokes" that the choir loves.

However, Palin is totally tone deaf in regards to what plays outside of her choir.

We, who grew up learning to shoot, who engage in so-called "blood sports" and who have military service are pretty matter-of-fact about guns and gun analogies.

"Yeah, Sarah's targeting liberals as if they were caribou. Ha, ha!"

That mindset, however, does NOT hold true for the majority of the voters who will choose the next President of the United States.

Sarah Palin tried to be "cute" about mixing her hunting image with her political image and she has now given her political opponents a huge issue to beat her over the head with.

If Sarah Palin had wanted to use "map-coordinate markers", she should have had the common sense to use a symbol other than the gun scope reticle pattern that is most commonly associated with a rifle scope in the mind of the general public.

27 posted on Monday, January 10, 2011 10:58:53 AM by Polybius

[fluffdaddy]

“[S]he has now given her political opponents a huge issue to beat her over the head with.”

You're 180 degrees off. Her political opponents have just given her a huge issue to beat them over the head with. This is (or at any rate can be if Sarah plays her cards right) the moment when the deranged Palin haters break cover, come out in the open and utterly discredit themselves. The effort to tie her to the Arizona shootings is so crass, so nutty and so nasty that it will raise questions about the whole effort to portray Palin in a negative light. Andrew Sullivan may be crazy enough to obsess about some marks on a map, but nobody else is likely to care. Maybe you and Andy can get together and hang out. You might have some trouble finding any other congenial company.

[cynwoody]

That spin, put out by Palin's spokesman, is an insult to everybody's intelligence.

Yeah, she should drop the inflammatory graphics, hide the map, and just relabel her plan SIOP-12 or something (and just grin if anybody asks).

[onyx]

THE FACT REMIANS THAT SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CRIME AND HER SURVEYOR'S MAP MARKING DIDN'T EITHER. ONLY A LAMESTREAM FOLLOWER BOOB WOULD BELIEVE SUCH NONSENSE AND LOOK WHO'S POSTING SUCH CRAP....LOL.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

[r9etb]

You're trying to talk sense to the inmates of the asylum, Mr. P.

To have somebody "in the crosshairs" is an old expression; Democrats and Republicans alike have used it for years as a macho-sounding way to denote their political targets.

It's never been a big deal before, and really shouldn't be a big deal now.

Except that Palin's brainless spokesman tried to tell us they're "surveyor's marks" ... if it wasn't an issue before, this transparent and silly fib made sure that it would become one. Now it looks like Palin is running away.

I'm sure that if you ask pretty much anybody on the "Palin caused it" bandwagon, they'd admit that they don't actually believe Palin was calling for people to shoot the folks whose districts were in the crosshairs.

In reality, this "issue" is really just something they've latched onto, as a way to express a pre-existing unsease about Sarah Palin -- they simply don't trust her, and see her as a rabble-rousing loose cannon. Her tendency to use aggressive rhetoric has not helped her in this regard.

Whether or not it's fair -- and it's not remotely fair, IMO -- this is going to define Sarah Palin in the eyes of a lot of people.

What Sarah Palin needs to do, is convince people that she's a serious and sober person. But I see little indication that she's willing to give up her schtick.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

IBTZ....

Mods, get rid of this piece of garbage

Palin is being accused of murder and this piece of crap decides to make political points. please put a stop to this

[Chunga]

[RedMDer]

V.

[Purrcival]

This is a non-issue, trumped up for political gain by the Left. According to none other than Bob Beckel, BOTH political parties have been using targets on maps for YEARS. The target on the Palin map was over Giffords’ DISTRICT, not over HER. It should have been obvious that the DISTRICT was targeted for Republican takeover. Note that the only guns I have ever shot in my life have been cap guns and squirt guns, and I was able to get it. What’s the matter with these other people?

[SaxxonWoods]

I have limited experience with gun scopes, my weapons don’t have them. OK, I’ll give you your point on the symbol giving the impression to the public of a gun scope.

I don’t buy the rest of your logic regarding Palin, but that’s OK. I haven’t made up my mind on her yet myself, for different reasons than yours.