Hate Speech the Rights Magic Bullet (Guest Voice)

ENOUGH OF THE APPALLING JACKASSERY Sheriff Dupnik Must Resign
Since he first opened his mouth on Saturday night to address the nation about the terrible shootings at a Tucson Safeway, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has been inaccurate, wrong, or completely biased in his handling of the case. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik must resign. Never have we witnessed a prominent public figure inaccurately and viciously politicize a national tragedy like Sheriff Dupnik. And in all of his statements he has either been wrong or misdirected. This bitter partisan must go. It’s ...

Democrats denounced the rhetoric, Republicans denounced the violence
My weekly column in the Charleston Daily Mail: Saturday’s snow in Poca was a reminder of why I like December snow but hate snow in January and February. The novelty has worn off. That afternoon, I drove into the cold to fill the tank of my wife’s car. Coming back, I could not make it up the hill, so I parked the car and walked home. “You know all those dumb things I have done over the years?” I asked my wife when I made it home. “Well, you can add this to the list...

Likely Jared Lee Loughner Internet Postings Discuss NASA Conspiracies, Existence Of God
Jared Lee Loughner appears to have been a user of a web forum where Conspiracy theorists discussed UFO sightings, the existence of God and Racism in Video Games. But even there, he didn't fit in. Other website users appeared to grow frustrated with Loughner and one even plead for him to seek professional help. A Reddit user found what is believed to be a username used by Loughner on the website AboveTopSecret.com. The website acknowledged that Loughner was likely a user on their website, and t...

Politically charged fundraising e-mail on Arizona shootings draws scrutiny
Washington (CNN) - Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told political supporters Tuesday that there needs to be a concerted effort by Arizona Republicans to help create a safe environment for people with opposing political ideologies, following the attempted Assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona. Sanders, an independent who aligns himself with the Democratic Party, went as far as to specifically call on his colleague, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, to lead the effort. “First, this horr...

Jared Loughner's hate came before the Tea Party
[T]wo Law Enforcement sources said that FBI agents had found a 2007 letter from Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) to the shooting suspect, with the words "Die, bitch" and "Die, cops" scrawled on it. The letter, which thanked [Jared] Loughner for attending an event of hers, was found in a safe in his Tuscon home, the sources said. In 2007, there was no Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin was the obscure, recently elected Governor of Alaska. If anything, the overhead heated political Rhetoric at t...

Angle beats back criticism in Arizona shooting aftermath
Washington (CNN) - In the aftermath of the Arizona shootings, some critics have accused Republican Sharron Angle of spewing potentially dangerous political Rhetoric in her recent bid for Nevada's Senate seat. Now, Angle is responding: releasing a statement on Wednesday that denounces any form of violence - and calls the criticism of her dangerous. "I condemn all acts of violence. The despicable act in Tucson is a horrifying and senseless tragedy, and should be condemned as a single act of ...

The Note: Obama, Palin And Arizona: A Tale Of Two Speeches
By MICHAEL FALCONE and AMY WALTER Just hours before President Obama is scheduled to speak at a memorial service honoring the Victims of last weekend’s shooting in Arizona, Sarah Palin stepped in with her own message addressing the criticism that has been leveled at her in the wake of the tragedy. In a video message posted on her Facebook page, Palin lashes out at “Journalists and pundits,” who she says “should not manufacture a blood Libel that serves only to incite the very hatr

Anti-Douchebag Hate Speech Mars Community Board Meeting
In this file photo, two downtrodden douchebags demand acceptance from society. Don't think for a second that just because disadvantaged douchebags have won the right to ride at the front of the stretch Hummer limo and drink bottle service at the same banquette as everybody else that they no longer face hateful Discrimination each and every day. Even in 2011—when the D-word itself is widely considered Taboo—D-bags everywhere must still overcome the soft Bigotry of low (like, really ...

Beck Stokes Fears Of "A Ban On Guns" Following AZ Shooting
Beck Claims Politicians Are "Pushing" To Ban Guns Following AZ Shooting Beck: Lawmakers Are Pushing "A Ban On Guns." On his Fox News show, Beck claimed that lawmakers are pushing "a ban on guns" in response to the Arizona shooting. Beck stated: BECK: It didn't take long for Washington to come out with their solution to the problem of the alleged violent Rhetoric. The solution, however, comes despite not having a shred of evidence that this crazed gunman was motivated by anything other than his...

The Lone Gunman Theory of Legislation
Jared Lee Loughner, the man accused of shooting 20 people outside a Tucson grocery store on Saturday, probably will never get a chance to create the "new money system" he discusses in one of his rambling YouTube videos. But he can still have an important effect on Public Policy—if we let him. After the shocking attack—which killed six people, including U.S. District Judge John Roll and 9-year-old Christina Green, and wounded 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)—there was no shor

Right Wing Hopping Mad Over Culture of Violence They Have Wrought
Right now, the public isn’t ready to believe an argument that Jared Loughner was motivated by right-wing Rhetoric. Fortunately, nobody has said that, because it’s the wrong claim to make. Nobody has claimed that crosshairs on a map or talk of “Second Amendment remedies” is specifically to blame (some on the right have blamed heavy metal music and a skull in his backyard, and that’s just as silly). The main claim is that the toxic stew of noxious rhetoric, particul...

No More Mister Nice Blog
WILL PARTISAN BICKERING SEND A CRAZY MAN TO THE CHAIR? Lefties have been looking for ties between Jared Loughner's state of mind and recent expressions of right-wing rage; the right, in response to this, has lashed out, aggressively attacking commentators and others -- including Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik -- who've criticized the right. And now along comes Limbaugh. The soundbite from Rush Limbaugh's Tuesday Radio Show that's Rasmussen Poll: 45% Concerned Obama's Opponents Would Resort To Violence
The Shooting Spree in Tucson, Arizona that killed six people and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in critical condition has heightened public awareness of how vulnerable elected officials are, and spurred a discussion of what further measures should be taken to protect them. Yet compared to one year ago, fewer Americans now believe it is at least somewhat likely that people opposed to President Obama could resort to violence against him, according to a Rasmussen Poll taken in the days followin...

Palin: Journalists incite hatred after AZ shooting
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Sarah Palin has posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page condemning those who blame political Rhetoric for the Arizona shooting that gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Last spring, Palin targeted Giffords’ district as one of 20 that should be taken back. Palin has been criticized for marking each district with the cross hairs of a gun sight. In the video posted Wednesday, the 2008 GOP vice Presidential Candidate said vigorous debates...

Morning Quick Hits
It’s been one year since the Earthquake in Haiti. Maggie has more on that as well as more morning news. China tested a new stealth fighter jet, causing tension ahead of a visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. One has to wonder what they’re up to. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords continues her slow recovery. Her future is uncertain but things are looking positive. It’s now been confirmed that Jared Loughner was well known to police in Tucson prior to his Murder spree. It’s dou...

Palin slams 'blood libel,' takes no blame for violence (AFP)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Sarah Palin on Wednesday slammed as "blood Libel" charges that overheated political Rhetoric contributed to a weekend shooting rampage in Arizona that left a US lawmaker fighting for her life. "Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn," she said in an online video message. The conservative former Re...

Palin slams 'blood libel,' takes no blame for violence
Sarah Palin on Wednesday slammed as "blood Libel" charges that overheated political Rhetoric contributed to a weekend shooting rampage in Arizona that left a US lawmaker fighting for her life. "Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn," she said in an online video message. The conservative former Republican vice-presidential Candidate made her...

Palin Accuses Media of "Blood Libel" After Tucson
Sarah Palin giving a statement Jan. 12, 2011 about the shooting in Tucson. Saturday's shooting in Arizona had nothing to do with political Rhetoric, and media figures who invoked a map featuring gun sights on Congressional Districts are guilty of "blood Libel," Sarah Palin said in a video statement Wednesday. The former vice Presidential Candidate has remained mostly silent since the attack that killed six people and critically wounded Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at a meet-and-greet event...

Palin: Media Manufacturing 'Blood Libel' After Arizona Shootings
Speaking for the first time about the weekend shootings in Tucson, Ariz., former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said she’s been saddened by “irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event,” complained about the media and suggested a new legislative proposal would limit free Speech. “Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood Libel that serves only to incite the very hatred...

First Comes Fear
By ROBERT WRIGHT NYT People on the left and right have been wrestling over the legacy of Jared Loughner, arguing about whether his Shooting Spree proves that the Sarah Palins and Glenn Becks of the world are fomenting violence. But it’s not as if this is the only data point we have. Here’s another one: Six months ago, police in California pulled over a truck that turned out to contain a rifle, a Handgun, a shotgun and Body Armor. Police learned from the driver — sometime after he opened

What is behind the blood libel accusations of the Democrats?
Charles Krauthammer puts his training as a Psychiatrist to work on the Tuscon massacre to address the accusations that somehow Jard Loughner was motivated by the clichéd "climate of hate" that liberals have decided to pin on Conservatives.The charge: The Tucson massacre is a consequence of the "climate of hate" created by Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, Obamacare opponents and sundry other liberal betes noires. The verdict: Rarely in American political discourse has there been a cha...

Eaters of the dead
I think it says something about our current political environment that the universal assumption in wake of the Tucson shooting was that someone would try to take political advantage of it. While many Bloggers have focused on liberal/leftist hypocrisy, what I find more disturbing is the  nature of the reaction from a human perspective .  That is to say the various attempts to pin this atrocity on Sarah Palin or the Tea Party reflect not just a limited worldview, but a profound sicknes...

Amazing Fantasy
If you haven't been paying attention to the narrative the professional Left is pushing on the Tucson shooting, let me recap it for you: Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Movement's use of inflammatory Rhetoric and violent imagery has claimed its first Victim. It directly inspired a potheaded, unemployed, occult-dabbling, 9/11 Truther, quasi-anarchist, anti-war, parents'-basement-dwelling, likely schizophrenic to shoot a Blue Dog Democrat who recently deserted Nancy Pelosi to vote for someone else f...

Sarah Palin responds: 'Pundits should not manufacture a blood libel'
Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) released a statement Wednesday morning denouncing efforts to blame her for Saturday's Tucson shooting rampage. "Like many, I've spent the past few days reflecting on what happened and praying for guidance," Palin said in a lengthy statement posted on her Facebook page. "After this shocking tragedy, I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and now with sadness, to the irresponsible ...

Science Reason in action
Telic Thoughts presents an amusing chronicle of PZ Myers and his response to the Arizona shooting: Upon hearing that a democratic congresswoman had been shot, the scientist PZ Myers immediately discards science to make this rather unscientific hypothesis about a man who's name he didn't even know yet. "I'll take a wild guess here. The scumbag who committed this crime has been caught; I'll bet he'll turn out to be a Teabagger who listens to a lot of AM Talk Radio." PZ's only evidence comes in t...