The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[Betty]

Originally Posted by katiesue

I guess I was the only parent who got the email from the school about the Obama speech and thought - wow that's pretty cool. The President is going to address students about the importance of education. Pretty cool that with technology they can all view it at the same time.

I think it's pretty cool myself. I'm don't agree with the President about everything but I really don't see the harm in this.

As a side note, I hated Bush. I wouldn't have kept my kids out of class if he would have done the same thing. What would he have said about education? yay team! It's important. Be sure to pay attention. You'll go far with one. Be a Republican or you'll be a bad person and may die early?

Seriously, what is it that you think he might say that's so bad?

[SacTown Chronic]

I think this country needs its diaper changed.

Originally Posted by Betty

As a side note, I hated Bush. I wouldn't have kept my kids out of class if he would have done the same thing. What would he have said about education?

"Is you children learning?"

[JWBear]

Leo,

Obama never suggested that these radio towers should be destroyed.

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.

Your analogy makes no sense whatsoever.

[scaeagles]

But doesn't the urgency of his and others in their environmentalism inspire others into these violent actions? I've been doing a little reserach and there is a lot more ecoterrorism than I was aware of.

(please be aware this is completely rhetorical and I do not believe that anyone is responsible for ecoterrorism other than the perpetrators themselves, and perhaps anyone who might have facilitated and/or ordered it be done - put that in there because of GD's excellent point on Manson)

[Ghoulish Delight]

What JW said. I'm interested if you can cite mainstream liberal figures who have advocated violence and vilified people of the opposing viewpoint the way the right wing pundits have.

It's a HUGE difference between, "This is a very very important issue and it's frustrating that there are people preventing it from being solved" vs. "These people are doing evil things and I'm going to use words like 'Naziism' 'evil' and 'vigilante'."

ETA: Or Glen Becks favorite rhetorical game, "I'm not saying X, but I think X." Like, "I'm not saying Obama's health proposals are going to lead to Eugenics in America, but Obama's health proposals are Eugenics in America."

[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.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Talk to me when Pelosi starts joking about poisoning people she disagrees with.