The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[scaeagles]

How about politicians, then? Reid has referred to health care protesters as evil. Pelosi said they were carrying nazi symbolism (as far as I know one guy was with a red line crossing out the swastika). Should they then be blamed for the union people who beat up Kenneth Gladney at a town hall meeting in St. Louis?

Edited to add - the above link clearly has a political spin. However, the man Kenneth Gladney and what happened to him and who beat him up is very, very real.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

How about politicians, then? Reid has referred to health care protesters as evil. Pelosi said they were carrying nazi symbolism (as far as I know one guy was with a red line crossing out the swastika). Should they then be blamed for the union people who beat up Kenneth Gladney at a town hall meeting in St. Louis?

Did they tell/suggest to the union people (or anyone) that they should beat up people who disagree with them?

The difference between that and the murder of Dr. Tiller is this:

Originally Posted by JW

Bill O'Reilly went on the air nearly every single day and suggested that it would be a nifty thing if someone killed Dr Tiller.

Pelosi and the politicians didn't say or suggest people should harm those who disagree with them.

How do you not see the difference between a direct suggestion to cause harm and someone calling protesters evil.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

How do you not see the difference between a direct suggestion to cause harm and someone calling protesters evil.

I was quoting GD in his suggestion that using such words incites violence. Of course there is a difference and I do not condone O'Reilly, just like I wrote earlier that I think the Baptist pastor in Phoenix is an idiot.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I was quoting GD in his suggestion that using such words incites violence.

Pelosi didn't call them Nazis, she said they carried Nazi symbols to a meeting, which they did, and I believe her point was that it is ludicrous for these people to be leveling charges of naziism during a discussion of national health care. Do you seriously think she didn't understand that the people with Nazi symbols were not themselves Nazis? She's not dumb, she didn't say "they're nazis".

So no, I do not consider what she said even in the same ballpark as O'Reilly calling a man "Dr. Death" and advocating vigilantism against him.