Don’t Hold Your Breath
Over at H&R Matt Welch talks about that Census worker’s “murder” that Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, and all the other “haters” from the Tea Party movement caused. He’s waiting for mea culpas:
According to local authorities as quoted by The Associated Press, it was a suicide. I eagerly await mea culpas from those who jumped to conclusions.
And Michael Moynihan reminds us of what the left-wing hand-wringers had to say about it:
If conservative politicians and opinion leaders keep stoking fears about the government using census data to steal from or perhaps even round up law-abiding citizens, I am concerned that mentally unstable individuals will commit further acts of violence against census-takers next year. Republicans should condemn the hatemongers and make clear that the census is not only permitted, but required under the Constitution.
“No Suicide: That’s the one thing we know for certain now in the case of the Kentucky lynching….But the most worrying possibility – that this is Southern populist terrorism, whipped up by the GOP and its Fox and talk radio cohorts – remains real. We’ll see.”
The gruesome lynching of this Census worker seems to bear a disturbing similarity to some of the worst hate crimes committed across this country. Regardless of what the motive for the killing may have been, why would a murderer(s) take such pains to so blatantly convey anger, fear, and vitriol towards a Census employee? Perhaps because some on the right have created an impression that Census employees are terrifying.
Earlier this summer, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) waged a high-profile, wildly-dishonest campaign against the Census.
Others, namely the type to kill a Census worker and string up his body as message to the government, may call it a retraining camp run by the “Feds.”
This is the kind of violent event that emerges from a culture of paranoia and unsubstantiated attacks.
From this profile of the cancer survivor and volunteer, it appears suicide is unlikely. We’ll find out. But at some point, unhinged hostility to the federal government, whipped up by the Becks, can become violence. That’s what Pelosi was worried about.
Send the body to Glenn Beck…Is it possible that the time has come for the FCC to consider exactly what constitutes screaming fire over the publicly owned airwaves? And what if Mr. Sparkman’s murderer(s) is never found? How many other lunatics will be emboldened to make their own anti-government statement as the voices of Beck, Limbaugh and Dobbs echo in their ears?
Nobody ever intended our public airwaves to be turned over to irresponsible voices. Maybe the time has come for the FCC to worry a bit less about wardrobe malfunctions and a whole lot more about those who would use our airwaves to make a name for themselves at the expense of the public they are suppose to serve–particularly when the expense comes in the form of blood.
4and 20 Blackbirds post.
“What is on the minds of many is whether this murder is the materialization of rising anti-government sentiment, championed by the likes of Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin and Bill O’Reilly. Tea-baggers.”
Left in the West post.
Give me a break (0.00 / 0)
>>The FBI hasn’t even ruled out suicide in this case.<>If you want to go down that road I could easily provide you about a dozen examples where “political violence” and “hate crimes” turned out to be elaborate setups by the victims themselves.<<
Yeah, that could certainly be the case here. He duct taped himself up and hung til dead just to give a blackeye to teabagger Kentuckians. That’s certainly possible.
Dude, you are a total dumbass.
by: Wulfgar @ Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 20:05:12 PM CDT
Swede, you rock
by goof houlihan Wed, Nov 25th 7:14am
This shows just how fast the left gets to the keyboard to blog the party line, comrade. Read it one place, read it everywhere.
I suspect the only one you’ll see a mea culpa from will be wulfgar.
Because it wasn’t just “not Glen Beck” it was, in fact, a guy who “duct taped himself up and hung til dead”.
Lots of shots at Kentuckians too.
I have to say, I figured he stumbled into a meth lab on Copperhead road, but the “cheat the insurance company” angle hadn’t occurred to me.
I guess we won’t hear mea culpa but instead some tie to the health care debate and that republicans and tea baggers who are opposed to “free” health care and evil insurance companies and their supporters made him do it.
Full disclosure, comment from jhwygirl toward the end of the post.
“I won’t remove the post (what to do, I don’t know), and I should have stayed away from the keyboard for this one.
This comment is my mea culpa.”
Waiting on Wolf.
Went over there and saw that. pogo possum had found the post and commented. The episode is a good example of two things, one, don’t just read the websites we agree with and parrot them, and two, politicizing tragedy is an easy road to “wrong!”.
jh with the first mea culpa, good, I can breathe now.
Goof, is this the jh mea culpa you saw at B-birds:
>>jhwygirl
November 24, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Issue an apology for what? It was on the minds of many.
And Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck are still championing anti-government sentiment.<<
One advantage may be that they will be as afraid of the Right Wing as they are of Islamic terrorists. I can see it now, soon there will be immediate calls not to have this escalate into a backlash against those who fear the government.
Yeah, right.
Steve Steve Steve .. .fear is part of the makeup of the right wing authoritarian, and not the left wing pussy – for some reason, we’re not afraid of stuff the way you are, like ”’Islamic terrorists”
… booogalooooo! Now, go check your shorts.
Mark, BS. You’re just afraid of different ghosts.
Goof & Big Swede: Don’t hold your breath waiting for Wulfgar to answer. He probably is having a difficult time reading your comments. I know this as he had the same problem last week reading the results of the Gallup Poll. He couldn’t answer then and it appears he can’t answer now.
anonymous, we have had a discussion over at LiTW on this. Wulfgar is there. Why not come on over and make your point to him directly. Here’s the link: http://leftinthewest.com/diary/3643/#17730