Arizona was the site of a tragic shooting that killed 6 people and wounded another 14 including a member of Congress. Since the moment it was reported that police had a suspect in custody and his identity was divulged the media frenzy to paint him started. I have been involved in several threads on Facebook attempting to get people to give pause as the Left is trying to blame the assassination attempt on the heated rhetoric from the Right and Tea Party members. A common theme has been the Sarah Palin target map of 20 Congress races. Here is the poster in question:
The Left is bashing Palin and other members of the Right as being the catalyst for the attack. Now back in 2004 the Democrats put out this poster in their attempt to take back Congress:
How are these two maps different? It is not uncommon for politicians to "target" certain campaigns by either party. Why is it okay for Democrats to have such a poster but not for Republicans? We need to take pause and a deep breath before we pass any further judgment. Without doing so we will only continue the heated rhetoric and further inject emotion into a rational discussion of why this event took place. By taking pause does not translate into one condoning the attack or lack the empathy for the families of those affected. While we give pause let's include these families into our prayers and allow the investigation to run its course before accessing blame.
Who cares? Both sides do it. Both sides are guilty of heated partisan rhetoric that incites the worst behavior in people.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, this mans political leanings aren't even known yet so why are you jumping on the bandwagon of trying to assess them? Those media outlets that have done so are playing with fire.
My experience has shown that people obsessed with looking to lay blame for an event typically have some guilty feelings regarding it and are looking to deflect their responsibility. If that's true, both sides appear equally guilty in our news media today.
Me personally? I hope the families find peace and the culprit finds justice. And to me, justice will come at the end of a needle as the slow burning sensation of chemicals entering his bloodstream informs him that his life is over.
Truman
ReplyDeleteTrouble is that the Left is banging away on the Right and laying this shooter at their feet when all the facts are not present. I grow tired of the heated rhetoric but that is all it is. It is a distraction from what is really going on in Washington.
The media buzz and the conversations being played out on talk radio, facebook, twitter, etc...all need to hit the pause button because we do not know why the shooting took place. All this speculation does is muddy the water and both sides are guilty of it. Stop the insanity!
"Trouble is that the Left is banging away on the Right and laying this shooter at their feet when all the facts are not present."
ReplyDeleteHow is this "trouble" for anyone other than those expressing this opinion? Most american's dont assign the blame for this event to the politicians and even if they did, it's only trouble if what the left is saying is actually proven true. Its more likely it will be proven false given the ecclectic "interests" this disturbed young man had.
Again, anyone laying blame is playing with fire that may end up burning them. The only reason it should concern you is if you feel some level of culpability for this mans actions.
So that begs the question? Do you? Do you or those on the far right feel some level of guilt for the tone and tenor that you helped to fomment in this country (with the help of the far left obviously)?
If so, maybe you need to do some soulsearching. If not, then let it go. No one else cares.
Truman, you make very good points. One other reason I can think of, we like to argue. So someone making a comment we disagree with, I get fired up that I have the opportunity to debate them on it. And something like this topic, for example, is really not worth the time and energy, and distracts from the real issue here - the sad fact that lives were lost tragically and unnecessarily.
ReplyDeleteI confess I can get caught up in that from time to time. Which is why Chris' plea to just pause is a great one. Thanks both of you for your comments here - very well received. :)
Ted
Truman/Ted
ReplyDeleteIt is craziness. I can't wait to see the fallout or interpretation of the latest Sarah Palin video. Personally, I have to laugh at the hypocrisy of this on going blame game at how metaphorical speech is being taken literally.
It madness. You have the pundits on both sides dividing the country. Soon we will get that racial tension as well since the majority of minorities are considered liberal.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing...
ReplyDeleteThere was a terrible tragedy in Tucson, and you are worried about who's getting blame? Really? Are not the jobs of these talking heads on both the left and the right to divide us? Don't they do this on a daily basis anyway?
Viper, why is it so important to you that we be completely fair about our media and the slimy ability they have to de-humanize, misinform, and paint their opponents as horrible people. Why do you care?
"The Left is trying to blame the assassination attempt on the heated rhetoric from the Right and Tea Party members."
Some may be...but not all of us do. Right now most of us don't care about any of that. Right now we are concerned for the families of the victims and for the citizens of Tucson. I have lived in Tucson and you couldn't ask for a more vibrant, relaxed community of people.
You and the rest of the right wing bloggers are angry at the left for some reason or another, while I currently read that the nine year old girl who was killed was born on Sept, 11 2001 and was picked to inspire society to come together from terrible tragedy.
Rise above this, Viper. The realization is that there is no blame to be laid besides the guy that pulled the trigger. We all know this. It is not a mystery.
Thank you
Anonymous - We do need to pause and reflect on the events in Tucson. That is exactly what I have asked for people to do here and on Facebook. Where am I expressing anger against the Left?
ReplyDeleteWas I not clear when I closed my entry with: We need to take pause and a deep breath before we pass any further judgment. Without doing so we will only continue the heated rhetoric and further inject emotion into a rational discussion of why this event took place. By taking pause does not translate into one condoning the attack or lack the empathy for the families of those affected. While we give pause let's include these families into our prayers and allow the investigation to run its course before accessing blame.
I agree with you that neither the Left nor the Right is to blame for the senseless killing and wounding of the people that gathered at the Congress womans rally.
What I wanted to point out was that both sides use this type of rhetoric and that the rush by the media to paint the actions of this guy as the result of right wing Tea Party rhetoric is premature. Did I not rise above the fray by requesting that people take pause and a deep breath? Or is that lost because of the messenger and not the message?
The Liberal Media is making political hay over a tragic event in order to score points with the Democratic base. Journalism dug the hole deeper after the shooting in Tucson and the trouble is the masses are swayed by the misinformation and rhetoric passed along as "News".
ReplyDeleteLook...here's the deal. I appreciate the recognition you gave the victims. But in glaring fashion, the whining and complaining comes out on how the liberal media is just SO unfair on how they blame Sarah Palin and Rush and Beck for using such violent rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous #1? What gives? I think that the Conservative Media (no real need for capitalizaion) is making political hay over the few who are blaming right-wing talking heads in order to score points with the Republican base. I just love how the trifecta of misinformation and divisiveness (Palin, Rush, and Beck) are now playing the poor victims in all of this.
My heart aches for them. Because of course, as they say-Civility is the new censorship!
Time to change the subject to something more of more substance.
Here is the deal. The maps are to display that both sides use the same rhetoric when out of power. The pundits do the same thing. What is negligent is the manner in which the media is spinning this obviously deranged lunatic into the poster child of civil discourse run amuk.
ReplyDeleteGo back and read some of the heated rhetoric during Lincoln's campaign or during the campaign following George Washington's reign. You will find the same vile attacks, put in context of the time of course, that exist now. Right or wrong the rhetoric is no more heated now then it was then. The difference is how the media uses tragic events like Tucson to become ambulance chasers.