Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in Arizona

[MTK]

ugh, F Palin, seriously

And it's about time hacks like her realize that yes, the craziness they spew to their followers can have an impact like this. I'm not blaming her, just saying it's not out of the question for some wack job like this kid to latch on to something she says and run wild with it.

This comment sums it up for me:

Sarah Palin is the type of person to yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater and then offer her condolences to the people that got trampled.

Palin: Critics create 'blood libel' after Tucson shooting - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

ugh, F Palin, seriously

And it's about time hacks like her realize that yes, the craziness they spew to their followers can have an impact like this. I'm not blaming her, just saying it's not out of the question for some wack job like this kid to latch on to something she says and run wild with it.

This comment sums it up for me:



Palin: Critics create 'blood libel' after Tucson shooting - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com

So by her logic we should release Charles Manson from prison because he just told his followers to go out and kill people. Sure, it may have been his idea but a sane person wouldn't have followed it. Hell, I guess you could use the same logic for Bin Laden.

Seriously though, yes, it is up to the individual to act and its almost impossible to say how a mentally unstable person is going to interpret any given thought but at least SOME blame has to fall on those sending out the message. I'm not saying Palin is directly or even partially responsible for this tragedy in Arizona, but what does she expect to eventually happen when she uses her type of rhetoric?

[FRPLG]

It's plain irresponsible to use this tragedy as a launching point to discuss the nature of rhetoric in our country as it applies to politics. It had nothing to do with politics...at all. It's pathetic that this is what the situation has become.

[firstdown]

Its the left again that keeps saying how dumb she is but they are so scared of her they have to run her into the dirt every chance they get. See if she was really some hack no one would pay any attention to her. Its also funny that its the left that keeps SP name in the news. If they would just shut up about her you might see her in the news once a month instead of all day everyday at MSNBC.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

It's plain irresponsible to use this tragedy as a launching point to discuss the nature of rhetoric in our country as it applies to politics. It had nothing to do with politics...at all. It's pathetic that this is what the situation has become.

Look around she has said nothing until today because of the 24 hour news about her and this on MSNBC and CNN. Hell even Matty listed links to the shit MSNBC is saying.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Its the left again that keeps saying how dumb she is but they are so scared of her they have to run her into the dirt every chance they get. See if she was really some hack no one would pay any attention to her. Its also funny that its the left that keeps SP name in the news. If they would just shut up about her you might see her in the news once a month instead of all day everyday at MSNBC.

You're right. By the way did you catch "The Left's Alaska" on TLC the other day? It was great, the left killed this big moose. Man it was awesome.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

So by her logic we should release Charles Manson from prison because he just told his followers to go out and kill people. Sure, it may have been his idea but a sane person wouldn't have followed it. Hell, I guess you could use the same logic for Bin Laden.

Seriously though, yes, it is up to the individual to act and its almost impossible to say how a mentally unstable person is going to interpret any given thought but at least SOME blame has to fall on those sending out the message. I'm not saying Palin is directly or even partially responsible for this tragedy in Arizona, but what does she expect to eventually happen when she uses her type of rhetoric?

Please post the rhetoric that she uses that could have caused this.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

You're right. By the way did you catch "The Left's Alaska" on TLC the other day? It was great, the left killed this big moose. Man it was awesome.

So you watch her show? LOL I tried and lasted about 10 min. her voice gets on my nerves.

[SmootSmack]

In my opinion, too often the responsible party is absolved of blame. And in this case by responsible party I mean the guy who pulled the trigger. People always want to find reasons and place blame on politics, the media, the parents, etc. Yeah sure those influences play a role. But at the end of the day, everyone is surrounded by that everyday and it's not going to go away...but most of us aren't crazy enough to go shooting people.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Look around she has said nothing until today because of the 24 hour news about her and this on MSNBC and CNN. Hell even Matty listed links to the shit MSNBC is saying.

I wasn't necessarily talking about her...or just about her.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I wasn't necessarily talking about her...or just about her.

Sounded like you were talking about her. I agree its a shame that people try to make this political.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Look around she has said nothing until today because of the 24 hour news about her and this on MSNBC and CNN. Hell even Matty listed links to the shit MSNBC is saying.

I was just linking to the comment I liked

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

So by her logic we should release Charles Manson from prison because he just told his followers to go out and kill people. Sure, it may have been his idea but a sane person wouldn't have followed it. Hell, I guess you could use the same logic for Bin Laden.

Seriously though, yes, it is up to the individual to act and its almost impossible to say how a mentally unstable person is going to interpret any given thought but at least SOME blame has to fall on those sending out the message. I'm not saying Palin is directly or even partially responsible for this tragedy in Arizona, but what does she expect to eventually happen when she uses her type of rhetoric?

You mean like Marx, who called for violent revolution? Shall we ban the Communist Manifesto? Regardless of the speech, it is the individual who must be held accountable. Manson and Bin Laden did more than simply 'call for violent action' or 'exhort their followers'. At a minimum, they planned and facilitated murder. The mob boss who plans the hit is just as guilty of murder as the hitman himself.

It's one thing to call for civility, it's another to start saying certain types of speech shouldn't be allowed in public discourse. Calls for violence and etc. have always existed. As Smootsmack said, people calling for violent actions have always been a part of political discourse and are all around us. Quite frankly, in the 1800's the individuals (left and right) would have already fought a duel which was an accepted manner of resolving political disputes through the middle of the 19th century.

As I have always said, the way to respond to "bad" speech is with "good" speech not to attempt to ban the "bad" speech.

Jonah Goldberg: Liberals' rhetoric exploits Tucson tragedy - baltimoresun.com

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

It's plain irresponsible to use this tragedy as a launching point to discuss the nature of rhetoric in our country as it applies to politics. It had nothing to do with politics...at all. It's pathetic that this is what the situation has become.

Yup. This tragedy was not caused by political discourse but by one individual's warped perception of reality.

[MTK]

When a political figure gets shot in the head, it's going to be political. We shouldn't be too surprised about that. Unfortunately this is the left/right game these days, do anything you can to pin things on the other side.