After the tragic events in Tucson, everybody from elected officials to leftist talking heads have been pointing fingers at anyone who doesn’t walk lockstep with their politics.
David Rieff of The New Republic put it this way:
“There is really no doubt that the apocalyptic rhetoric that is the common currency of the Becks, Palins, Limbaughs and worse has the potential to make unstable people murderous”
The key there being “unstable people”. Hello! They are unstable people! Based on Mr. Rieff’s logic, Jodie Foster is responsible for Reagan being shot. BTW, the shooter was an atheist too! Is anyone blaming John Lennon, Madalyn Murray O’Hair or Frank Zappa?
Do I think that the Becks, Limbaughs, Hannitys and the like feed our fears or anger? Yes, I will admit that. But then so do insurance companies. Ignoring the dangers to us, our families and our country is foolish.
The leftists don’t use this approach as much. The leftist approach is more often than not superior distain. This is self-massaging in that it offers a sense of intellectual dominance or Holier than thou. The violent garbage being spewed at Palin and other conservatives reflects the frustration with being resisted. Their living with no self-decipline is exposed unless everybody does it.
If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one. If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns banned. If a conservative doesn’t want to pray, they don’t pray. If a liberal doesn’t want to pray, he fights to have prayer removed from any facet of our lives. If a conservative wants to be healthier, he eats healthier. If a liberal wants to be healthier, he wants to sue McDonalds into doing away with Kid Meals. You get the idea.
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