I made the huge mistake of following a link to the always insightful Michelle Malkin. I followed because she has recently posted an entry on her website "making the case" that whatever bad behavior has occurred at McCain rallies is no match for the insanity fomenting in the bowels of the foaming at the mouth left who have long called for the head of George Bush, etc.
Her first leading examples are of Madonna and Sandra Bernhardt.
Um...ok.
First of all, let's be clear. There are crazypants people on all sides of the political spectrum. Some are dangerous. And god knows, the racism and misogyny that has poured from the left (including on this site) are not excusable or cute or funny.
But to say that we are really side by side with the scary coming from the right? uh, nuh-uh.
First: McCain/Palin Actively Stoke the Hate.
I am at a loss to discover anywhere where Barack Obama or Joe Biden have, at a speech, attempted to portray McCain or Palin as "other" or "Unamerican" or a traitor or a terrorist-by-association. I have yet to see someone use McCain's name to tie him with McVeigh, or, as was recently shown by the Huffington Post, state that McCain is not trustworthy and unqualified to be our president because he associates with people who lobbied for Saddam Hussein. Heck, have either Obama or Biden even tried to bring up the AIP situation?
(I do acknowledge McCain's attempts to scale that back. sorta. i mean, he got BOOED for saying that!)
Second: The Right Wing Fringe Believes Their Mythmakers
Right-wing lunatics have a nasty habit of actually killing people when encouraged to do so.
These "calls to action" are simply not neutral. I mean, are we going to ignore the years and years of domestic terrorisms employed by the right wing of this country? To take this situation so dramatically out of its context is an egregious lapse.
(if someone can point out a liberal individual who has purposefully set out to kill a right wing person, please correct me)
Third: Sanctions of Violence, Historical and Present Day, Are Present Here
The comparison between Madonna and Sandra Bernhardt saying and doing stupid things is not really not the same as the candidates for president and vice-president of the United States. Not even close.
Personal expression (even the Obama waffles which I, personally, found totally offensive) is every American's right. But the law curbs some speech precisely because of the real-world repercussions it has. Imprimateurs of sanction from the top deeply "othering" Obama is what is dangerous in this context. Its kinda like the difference between the bully in your class saying "you're ugly and your mama dresses you funny" and your teacher saying, in front of the class, "you're ugly and your mama dresses you funny."
Enough with the false equivalencies. They aren't the same, Michelle. Salad dressing and ice cream pies being thrown at legislators just isn't the same as yelling "Kill Him!" at a political rally.