Tucson

[Sportsdude]

Sad day for politics and society in this country.

 

[TehBorken]

 Sportsdude wrote:
Sad day for politics and society in this country.

Yep. And as much as I detest Sarah Palin, I can't agree with all the people that are trying to lay this at her feet or somehow make her responsible for it.

 
 

[Gopher]

However, if it does make her pause for a little reflection............

[TehBorken]

 As much as I detest Sarah Palin (and everything she says and stands for) I don't think Jared Loughner's actions can be laid at her feet or blamed on her. An *awful* lot of people are trying to do that right now, and I just can't buy into it.

I think Palin's rhetoric is vile and despicable, but blaming her political ads and speech for Loughner's actions is like blaming rock and roll for "promiscuity" or pointing the finger at rap music as violence among black youth. It's just not that simple to connect the dots.

As someone said (George Carlin, maybe?) commenting on "violent TV shows" being responsible for real-world violence, "There's a lot of sitcoms on TV but you don't see people doing stand-up comedy in the streets."

I hope Jared Loughner rots in prison for the rest of his natural life, but try as I might I can't point the finger at Sarah Palin or Glen Beck or any the right-wingnuts for what he did. He did what he did because he's a nutcase, not because he was encouraged by some political ad...unless you want to credit political ads with a lot more power than any of us believe they have.

 

[Sportsdude]

This morning Beck went on and on about how the republic was in peril and that things are coming.  
In the past 3yrs it has become impossible to talk to the majority of my extended family, my neighbours and former friends. The violence attested to the Tea Party with broken windows at Democratic members of Congress offices, guns at campaign rallies, the death threats, the threats of violence/bully tactics on the radio etc is insane. We have two political parties in this country, and one of them has been taken over by George Noory radio show callers. I think this is what the Sheriff and the media is talking about. While it probably has nothing to do with what happened Saturday, we can't say that there wasn't a connection with George Tiller's murder etc.

One of the great joys about Canada is that you become removed for all of this. Less stressful place.