Award-winning film maker Michael Moore appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show on Thursday where he alleged that Fox News pundits Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly had called for violence against him in the past.
Discussing the recent Lauren Valle incident (the Ron Paul protestor who had her head stomped on by a Tea Party supporter) Moore was reflecting on how political violence can be nurtured by careless talk.
In May of 2005, Moore told Maddow, Beck said: "Let me just tell you what I’m thinking. I’m thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I’m wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it."
Moore added that O’Reilly’s comments were slightly less incendiary when he told a guest that he "was against the death penalty, but not for Michael Moore."
Moore admitted that both comments were made over five years ago, though understandably, they left an enduring mark.
Moore added that in todays massively partisan political atmosphere, pundits in the public eye have a special responsibility not to incite violence against their political opponents.
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