Posted on 01/13/2011 8:27:34 AM PST by IMissPresidentReagan
Sounds just like an Eric Cartman scheme from "South Park."
Falsely accusing the Tea Party of murder The front page of today’s Times (London) has a photo of a peace activist in Tucson with a placard saying ‘Hate Speech = Murder’. Gary Younge in the UK Guardian articulated an argument that was rapidly spreading in liberal circles: ‘True, the rampage apparently emerged from his confused, unstable and troubled mind. But it was also the byproduct of a polarised political culture underpinned by increasingly vitriolic, violent and vituperative rhetoric and symbolism…. The connection between this rhetoric and Saturday’s events are not causal but contextual. The shooter was not likely to be acting under direct instructions but in an atmosphere that made such an attack more likely rather than less.’
We see this same formulation repeated over and over: ‘Yes, Loughner may be a deranged individual, but the Tea Party’s violent rhetoric is still to blame.’ Rather than prove causality or influence, this liberal argument posits that such evidence is not necessary, because the danger is inherent in the ‘context’ or the ‘atmosphere’ itself. This approach is even worse than traditional effects theory, which at least has attempted to demonstrate a connection, however dubious, between media and actions. Now, the liberal argument presents a nebulous concept of ‘atmosphere’ with no links between groups or individuals and the sentiments that are assumed to prevail in politics. From this perspective, words somehow create a febrile, unpredictable ambience out of which strange events might mysteriously emerge.
Before Saturday’s assassination attempt on Giffords, the predominant liberal view tagged Tea Party members as gun-toting racists or lunatics. Media reports of Tea Partiers carrying guns or a sole person shouting a racial epithet were claimed to represent the entire movement. In April, former president Bill Clinton indicated that he thought anti-government protesters like the Tea Party were potentially violent. He used the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing to warn that Tea Party-style rhetoric could encourage a repeat.
Essentially, the liberal response to Loughner’s shooting spree was to force-fit it into this pre-existing narrative – even if the facts did not support it. That’s why Moulitsas could, without any evidence, quickly conclude ‘Mission Accomplished, Sarah Palin’.
Their calls to silence the Tea Party are anti-democratic. The use of inflammatory language – including military imagery - is not only a long-standing practice used by all parties, but a right that should be defended. The current discussion of the Tea Party erroneously conflates ‘extremism’, ‘anti-government sentiment’ and ‘political passion’ with mindless acts of violence.
Unconfident of winning political debate and fearful of the distant masses, liberal elites are trying to use the Tucson shooting to defeat their opponents with smears rather than intellectual arguments. You don’t have to agree with the Tea Party (and I don’t) to see that it is important to oppose these false accusations of murder. http://americansituation.com/2011/01/10/falsely-accusing-tea-party-murder/
War Eagle!
Oh good grief.
Separated at birth.
Did you really call Chris Plante with the “Shameless” story? I missed it! Just Damm! What did Chris say?
He fed the crowd with loaves and fishes too!
Of course Gifford’s doctor would add ‘voluntarily’ to the eye openning story. He still wants to be a MediCare provider.
The four female Congress peeps? Almost biblical. Did barky roll back a stone when he arrived?
Yeah, Bush’s fault!
Heal this MOFO. Where the heck were you during 2001-2009 jerk?
He said something like he’d have to check that out.
I sent them the links.
That’s what I want to know — who paid for the t-shirts
Bravo, HC, bravo!
And I've got another question: Thousands of Americans are murdered every year. Why don't the families and friends of those folks rate a national memorial service?
Hi.
Just called Mrs S, she heard you! She was laughing because you wouldn’t give in when Chris said it was his best speech AND you made the same point Rush did that 0bamadinejad didn’t name names who wasn’t responsible. LOL!
Hi! FWIW, I found last night’s occasion, I won’t call it a service, really skeevy.
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