It's time to "retreat and re-think"
Posted on Sunday, January 09, 2011 at 08:48 AM
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There's no connection between a culture of 24/7 paranoiac anti-government rhetoric and the decision of deranged individuals to attack its figureheads.
There's no connection between putting crosshairs on Congressional leaders heads and the decision of deranged individuals to shoot them.
There's no connection between words and deeds.
But in Arizona itself, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik disagrees:
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," the sheriff told the press.
"And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Yesterday the sheriff lamented the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed America as he denounced the shooting that claimed several of his friends as victims, including U.S. District Judge John Roll.
It's probably worth remembering that Arizona governor Jan Brewer supported and signed legislation eliminating the legal need to have a permit for concealed weapons. Arizona is an "open carry" state, so it's becoming commonplace to see people at public gatherings with AR-15s or pistols strapped to them.
Jared Loughner, the deranged shooter could have easily walked right into this gathering with a weapon in plain sight and would have hardly been noticed.
But there's no connection between his ability to do so, or the overheated climate of anti-government intolerance, and his decision to act.
There’s no connection between tone and message received. There’s no connection between hate speech and the acts of violence that follow them. There's no connection between words and deeds.
64 Comments
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maloney | Jan 14, 2011, 07:06 PM EST
When the rest of the world, including countries that haven't been our best of friends are telling us to stop sinking the ship, somebody better start looking at the captain. World powers have been where we are headed & they have put it in reverse. Even China & Russia think we have went crazy.
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hancock | Jan 14, 2011, 02:55 PM EST
The rest of the world now has no respect for this empty suit.
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Searlit | Jan 14, 2011, 01:02 PM EST
Maloney, he's helping the people who are hurting the most, first. First aid, means stop the wound from bleeding in order to save the patient. I never said anyone was lily white, to begin with, just that the rest of the world has lost a lot of faith in us, over what the previous administration did.
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maloney | Jan 14, 2011, 09:52 AM EST
Searlit..believe it or not I agree with most of what you said. But I don't believe obama's spending was to help the economy or the people. I don't think we were so lilly white before Iraq or are hated much more than before since. The rest of it was ace's.
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Searlit | Jan 13, 2011, 06:59 PM EST
Maloney, The world went along with the US because previous to GW Bush, the US was seen as Big Daddy, by many of our allies. Our government was trusted to not be too extreme. That all ended after the reasons given for the Iraq War turned out to be false. Somebody lied somewhere. I guess we will never know. Spending doesn't make one a bad President, if the spending helps our own economy and US citizens. I do believe we need to take care of our own people first, so that we are strong enough to help other nations. As far as the Afgan war, it can't be ended soon enough, for me!
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maloney | Jan 13, 2011, 12:19 PM EST
Searlit,,you know the whole globe thought Iraq had WMD's including the Clintons & even France. If spending makes you a bad President then obama must be Satan. He has spent more money in 2 yrs. than Bush did in 8. It's also your boy Barry who has cranked up the Afgan war with no plan of victory.
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eiriamach | Jan 13, 2011, 10:56 AM EST
"Pushing" is right, Searlit. Only, when Bush told of the weapons of mass destruction, he didn't call them "theory"; he called them "fact." Unfortunately, the existence of WMDs is not the kind of "fact" that ordinary Americans outside of the CIA can possibly check on. Bush2 was a master at bamboozling the public.
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Searlit | Jan 13, 2011, 09:33 AM EST
Maloney, You don't count pushing two wars on our nation? Congress didn't believe we should go to war, so someone in the Bush Administration, came up with the theory of 'weapons of mass destruction'. All they did was try and control the whole country through fear tactics while they used executive powers to change Geneva Convention rules, and roll back our own countries civil rights. At the same time they spent a trillion dollars of "other people's money" (taxpayers) on it. I think war is H*ll!
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maloney | Jan 12, 2011, 11:11 PM EST
Searlit, Pres. Bush flailed merrily along for 8 yrs. not pushing much on the population. The Dems. w/ obama have passed many things the majority of America didn't want. obama bypassed congress & pushed many more issues into being. When you try to fundamentally change America (obama's words) tolerance is a thing of the past. If you agree with obama it's hard to see the intolerance. I prefer socially oppressive. That will not work in America.
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Searlit | Jan 12, 2011, 10:45 PM EST
Okay, maloney, I disagree with your first sentence. The rest of it I can't argue with, except for saying that the progressive 'socialists'(try socially conscious)tolerate nothing. That I don't understand.
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maloney | Jan 12, 2011, 09:29 PM EST
If the hate mongers are taken out of govt. there will be no dems. left. Searlit, just stating the facts. It's been this way in America for a long time. You just didn't know it. Conservatives have been in power for the majority of the last 30 years or longer & no Armageddon yet. If you libs ever figure out a way to disarm America, true Armageddon will begin. It's the progressive socialists who tolerate nothing. Not the conservatives. The Sheriff's dept. in my county have said if they are ordered to disarm Americans they will go against the govt. & Obama, as will every person I know in the military & I know a lot of em. The gun owners I know have fought for America in the past or currently are serving our country. These are not people you need fear. There are millions who run their mouths but less than 1% fight for their country.
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olovely | Jan 12, 2011, 04:47 PM EST
It's as good a time as any to admit that hateful speech can lead to hateful consequences. If good comes out of this awful weekend it will come in the form of weeding the hate-mongers out of American politics.
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Searlit | Jan 12, 2011, 02:48 PM EST
I suppose it's left up to people like you Maloney,it's sounds like a recipe for Armageddon, though. Many of us don't want to join a race toward extinction of the planet.
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maloney | Jan 12, 2011, 01:12 PM EST
Hollowbuttt..if no liberals own semi-auto firearms it sounds to me that your side has already lost & all you have left is to run your mouth & tell lies. We win, you lose. Gun sales in AZ. jumped by 60% after the shooting. Keep talking gun control. The more you try the more power you lose. 309,000,000 people. 270,000,000 guns.
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