Republican Extremists: Terrorists In Political Clothing
I was recently asked this question by a 19 year old: "Why is it that the Republicans are always on television and radio saying bad stuff about the President and other people but nobody comes on to say things about them?" Although the question seemed simple enough to answer, I actually had to pause and ponder.
"After a few moments of pausing and pondering, I concluded that although many others do in fact rebut and counter statements made by some Republicans, the Republicans make their points more forcefully, rudely, loudly, arrogantly, and ignorantly, thus appearing to hold the stronger, more effective position. It is indeed appearance only.
I'm not anti-Republican. Really I'm not. But something has run amok in America as it pertains to the GOP. Something has gone horribly wrong. Something has turned the party of Lincoln and Reagan into a club of mean-spirited, hateful, paranoid, vitriolic racists. These guys don't get it. They just don't get it. They feel that it is their "patriotic" duty to save the country from the big bad wolf called Barack Obama and his big bad compatriots known as Democrats and liberals. They intend to save it by ANY MEANS NECESSARY! Let me use some specific examples to bolster my thought.
Let's take the first look at Scott Roeder, the assassin who ended the life of Dr. George Tiller, owner of the Women's Health Care Clinic in Wichita, Kansas. Roeder killed Tiller at church because of his performing abortions. It has been stated by family members that Roeder suffers from mental illness. Couple that with extreme rhetoric from the likes of, let's say, ummmm, Bill O'Reilly, and you have danger on your hands. O'Reilly has referred to Tiller on more than one occasion as "an executioner" but states that he bears no responsibility for his death. Maybe not directly but probably very indirectly. A mentally ill individual with a deep desire to be known and revered, will do almost anything, including murder. What's this? TERRORISM!
Next up, Hal Turner, Talk Radio Host. This crazed individual is identified as a white supremacist and anti-semite. Turner threatened to release home addresses of several state officials in reaction to a controversial bill affecting the way that Roman Catholic churches are governed. These are his words as reported by the Huffington Post: The comments in question included, "It is our intent to foment direct action against these individuals personally. These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die," and "If any state attorney, police department or court thinks they're going to get uppity with us about this, I suspect we have enough bullets to put them down, too."
These sorts of threats of impending violence are nothing new to Turner.
In December of 2006, Turner called for political assassinations:
"We may have to ASSASSINATE some of the people you elect on Nov. 7! This could be your LAST ELECTION CHANCE, to save this Republic... Sorry to have to be so blunt, but the country is in mortal danger from our present government and our liberty is already near dead because of this government. If you are too stupid to turn things around with your vote, there are people out here like me who are willing to turn things around with guns, force and violence. We hope our method does not become necessary."
In March of 2008, when Sean Hannity was confronted with having been previously associated with Turner, Hannity's forceful denials seemed to anger a betrayed Turner:
I was quite disappointed when Sean Hannity at first tried to say he didn't know me and then went on to say that I ran some senate campaign in New Jersey. In fact, Sean Hannity does know me and we were quite friendly a number of years ago.
Turner went on to threaten: "Another big difference is that I am perfectly willing to use force and violence against my enemies while Sean Hannity and others are not. Those using me as a prop to attack Sean Hannity would do well to remember this fact."
A month later, Turner was inciting violence against Paul B. Ash, the Lexington, Massachusetts superintendent of schools:
"I advocate parents using FORCE AND VIOLENCE against Superintendent Paul B. Ash as a method of defending the health and safety of school children presently being endangered through his politically-correct indoctrination into deadly, disease-ridden sodomite lifestyles. The Huff Post article goes on to suggest that Turner's actions goes beyond the protection offered by the First Amendment's freedom of speech. It states:"Mr. Turner's comments are above and beyond the threshold of free speech," Capitol Police Chief Michael J. Fallon said in an e-mail announcing the warrant. "He is inciting others through his website to commit acts of violence and has created fear and alarm. He should be held accountable for his conduct." Okay, do you hear me now? Hey Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck, Bachmann, Palin, et. al. are you listening? The First Amendment does not and should not offer protection for criminal behaviors through speech. What's this? TERRORISM!
Turn the corner with me while I shake up Pat "the clueless" Buchanan. Normally, I'm reluctant to attack elderly persons. I love the elderly and children. But Pat Buchanan is tearing my nerves up! His presence as a talking head irritates me as much as nails on a blackboard, someone popping chewing gum, or a slow drip from a water faucet. First of all, he always look as though someone fed him lemons for dinner. His sour face alone is enough to make you remove all television sets from your home. If it wasn't so sad it would be amusing. However, this is no laughing matter. Buchanan and his far right thinking is a gift to the media in order to stir up controversy to boost ratings. This guy makes it known that he not only disapproves of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, but that he actually loathes her. Consider these statements by Buchanan: "Sotomayor's justice is raced-based. Her career has been advancing persons of color over whites, based on race and national origin. What's happening to white males now is what happened to blacks years ago." Will someone clue the clueless Buchanan in on the state of race in the United States? Tell him that White Males are still in the forefront of every aspect of American life. White men own most of the property, buildings, companies, corporations, high-paying jobs, and more. I guess Buchanan's comparisons to the treatment of blacks years ago was without whips, hangings, water hoses, dogs, arrests, and murders. He states on one television broadcast that white men are losing jobs, education, etc. to minorities. with all the crazies in the world today, statements like that could be the long-awaited opportunity for some mentally unstable person to commit despicable and heinous acts in the name of God and Christianity. What's this? TERRORISM!
Let's step on the curb and set our sights on Governor Sarah Palin. I still can't wrap my mind around the concept that Palin feels qualified and ready to become America's first female Commander-in-Chief. Governor Dum-Dum spoke at an event before introducing Michael Reagan (Ronnie's son) in which she verbally attacked President Obama on foreign policy. Huff Post blogger Shannyn Moore reports that Palin was in a short skirt and wearing red, platform sandals, an ideal outfit for citizens of skeezertown. Remember her campaign rhetoric regarding Obama palling around with terrorists? Those comments sparked an outcry from anti-Obama supporters of Palin that included "terrorist!, kill him!, and off with his head!" Now, she's out speaking again with her palinics, Sarah's native tongue. Her speech was a fifteen minute run-on sentence devoid of substance and full of confusion. What's this? TERRORISM!
And then there's the mentally-challenged congresswoman from Minnesota, Michelle Bachmann. (By the way Minnesota, you ain't looking to good in the eyes of the American public these days!) This nut case called for people to be armed and dangerous. Consider this statement recorded in the Huff Post: Controversial Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said this weekend that she wants residents of her state "armed and dangerous" over President Barack Obama's plan to reduce global warming "because we need to fight back."
Asked about the White House-backed cap-and-trade proposal to reduce carbon emissions, Bachmann told WWTC 1280 AM, "I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us 'having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,' and the people -- we the people -- are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States."
This type of rhetoric is sure to rally some cracked up (cocaine) heroin-addicted, demon-possessed individual with access to guns and ammunition to do whatever is necessary to take the country back. What's this? TERRORISM!
As we fix our focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, N. Korea, and other areas for signs of terroristic behaviors, The United States of America continually entertain terrorists on its own soil-- those with the potential and ability to cause pandemonium and mass destruction.
AfterThoughts Signing Off...