The sheriff can be excused in part, because of his emotional state. He knew some of the gunshot victims personally. Unfortunately, he went beyond the bounds of reason and common sense to take some oblique political potshots at his press conference. If there was any doubt as to who these "vitriolic radio and TV" personalities were that he cited, the left wing crazies didn't. They are coming out of the woodwork to excoriate "right wing" radio and TV personalities for their "hatred". And because liberals are irony impaired, what will this guy say if his own vitriolic accusations foment violence against anyone on the right?
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government," he said. "The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on this country is getting to be outrageous and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Does this guy pretend to have a degree in abnormal psychology? This is how "Unbalanced people" react to "vitriol"? Maybe he could cite some studies? Which radio and TV personalities were Major Nidal Hasan listening to before he started shooting at Fort Hood? Which on air personalities was Faisal Shahzad listening to when he made his Times Square car bomb?
The vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business .
People like Keith D'Ohlberman who call his political opponents the "Worst people in the world"? What about the insensitive individual who says that Arizona is the "Mecca for prejudice and bigotry". "Mecca"?? He takes a locale he says is rife with "prejudice and bigotry" and compares it to the Muslims' holiest city?
Sounds like "hate speech" to me!
H/T Memeorandum
Cross posted at Say Anything
Posts
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteYou make some fantastic points! Don't forget Ed Shultz, considering his level of vitriol, hundreds of liberals should have gone all psycho nut job by now.
I am uniquely blessed in only being subjected to Fast Eddie Schultz, and then only briefly, when someone else posts his foibles and fantasies.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think he gets heard more on blogs than he does by an actual audience.
I think Olberman is very guilty of saying some crazy things.
ReplyDeleteTrue. But you don't see conservatives trying to pin any acts of violence to anything that Nimrod has said. (Plus, with his ratings, you could argue that no one hears anything he has to say anyway!)
ReplyDeleteDoesn't media have a responsiblity? Is what the Sheriff said so crazy? I'm not point at one side or the other - I don't vote by party rather by who I believe will do the best job and represent my beliefs and ideas best. Comments such as "cross hairs" and "held hostage" are from both sides of the fence.
ReplyDeleteObama is the President of the United States. If you're a United States citizen then he's your President. Senators and Congressmen are elected in the same manner and serve each of us and this country. Democrats will vote for things Republicans don't agree with and vies-versa.
When I was a kid we got a trophy in sports when we finished first or second. If you didn't finish first or second you were told to work harder, do better... strive for excellence. Today every kid gets a trophy... just for trying or even if they don't try. Now I look at people my age - late 40's - and look at how they whine about politics, religion, race... I wonder if our kids are rubbing off on us. Are we really just a bunch of whiny little brats that lash out at others because things didn't go our way; because the person we voted for lost or because we don't like how things are being done. What happened to integrity, desire, honesty, ethics, motivation, drive... All those emails I used to read about "remember what it was like when you were young" and now we're just as whiny as the kids we wrote about.
It's time for our leaders to become leaders. It's time for our leaders to work for the good of America; not for party lines. It's time for selfless in lieu of selfish. In times of adversity this country has always come together. Strong men and women who were willing to do whatever it took to overcome anything. Our leaders were elected by us - Americans. It's time they serve us. Which ones will lead with integrity, honesty, determination, desire, and passion? Which ones will realize that we may be Democrats or we may be Republicans but we are ALL AMERICANS?
"Is what the Sheriff said so crazy?" Yes. At this point in time, there was absolutely no evidence for the motivation behind the shooting. For the Sheriff to give political commentary or some pop psychology double speak about how "unbalanced people" respond to "vitriol", and then go on to chastise anyone in the media was at best premature and at worst, totally inappropriate baloney. (The latter seems to be the case.)
ReplyDelete"Comments such as "cross hairs" and "held hostage" are from both sides of the fence." True. The Daily KOS put a "bullseye" on Rep. Giffords. President Obama famously said, If they bring a knife, we bring a gun."
Gabrielle Giffords is a Democrat, who is a former Republican who supported Obama on health care and opposed him on immigration. She apparently angered people on both sides of the aisle. None of which discounts the possibility of a lone nut job, listening to the little voices inside his head.
The sheriff should have confined his remarks to things he actually knew to be true and pertinent to the shooting. A tragedy like this is no place to be seeking your fifteen minutes of fame.
I cannot believe that they are blaming this on the Tea Party. Just because we hate the government right now doesn't mean we're telling some queer kid in Arizona to shoot up a crowd of people. And if we had less restrictions on our gun rights someone might have been able to take this guy out before he rampaged.
ReplyDeleteThey are blaming this on the Tea Party because it is easy to smear them than debate them.
ReplyDeleteAZ is an open carry state. Theoretically, anyone in the crowd could have been packing. I think that's why he left those "Last words" videos. He probably expected to die in a shootout.