As much as someone may be annoyed by Maddow’s sarcasm, Olbermann’s bloviating or Gil Smart for not being a conservative in Lancaster County, rarely does their rhetoric even approach the ongoing vitriol, fear-mongering, and intentional distortions of Limbaugh, Beck, Savage and the rest.
Just because you have the right to say something doesn’t mean you should. Over the past few years, I have been shocked at how far some politicians and talk show hosts will now go.
At this point, there’s no proof that the Tuscon shooting can be directly linked to the coarsening political discourse in this country. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s not responsible for other violent acts and it certainly should not be excused on either side. And I’m not referring to the ramblings of white supremacists or leftist bloggers; I’m talking about comments by politicians and media talking heads such as…
“second amendment remedies”
“We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box”
“Don’t Retreat. Reload!”
“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun”
“If ballots don’t work, bullets will”
This type of rhetoric should be avoided by both sides of the aisle. The difference should also be noted between an occasional stupid remark and the constant drumbeat of hate-filled speech.
