Edit: thanks to all who pointed out that the mental illness opinions by the girlfriend were the wrong thing to focus on in this interview. I have changed the title accordingly.
Jared Loughner's ex-girlfriend is talking to the press, and what she has to say about her former boyfriend is not good for the anti-government crowd.
Ashley told us Jared became scary sometimes, "What was Jared like as a boyfriend when you did start dating?" KGUN9 asked. "He was overall, he was good. But, he had a temper problem. He used to scare me sometimes and that's why I left him. He kind of made me feel uncomfortable at times. He'd get really mad, clench his fist and then throw a kind of little tantrum; he'd flail his arms and walk off," added Figueroa.
"What sort of things would set him off that way? KGUN9 asked. "Things about the government, things about politics...anything that pretty much had to do with the government." she said.
Figueroa added, that Loughner basically kind of thought that the government was crap and that it was just this big, bad thing that was trying to just take over everybody and that we had no say in anything; that we were controlled by them 100%, and he strongly disagreed and felt people should be able to make own choices," she noted.
Who are the primary vectors for these kinds of views? Right-wing talk radio, of course.
"Now if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests."
--G. Gordon Liddy, radio show, 8/26/94
There is, of course an endless supply of examples of the results of Glenn Beck's incitements - this is one of many:
League of Women Voters officials link death threats they received to attacks by Beck. The moderator and the organizer of an Illinois congressional debate reported receiving aggressive calls and emails, including death threats, for refusing a request to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the debate. Both told Media Matters that there was an uptick in hateful calls and emails after Beck attacked them by name on the October 25 edition his Fox News show. Jan Czarnik, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Illinois, which sponsored the October 20 debate, told Media Matters, "I am getting death threats and I am taking it to our local FBI. There are postings on Fox News' Facebook page that include threats on my life." Event moderator Kathy Tate-Bradish also confirmed receiving threats by phone. Czarnick sent the following emails she had received to Media Matters:
Please tell Executive Director Jan Czarnik and Kathy Tate-Bradish that if they prefer (and probably would), people in the crowd of any future debates can sing the Soviet hymn ... If they do not wish to do that, please tell those c*nty douche bags to go f*** themselves :)
You had better put a leash on your liberal lunatic Tate-Bradish. She will take you down. Her Pledge of Allegiance video is going viral, now that Beck outed her fanaticism. You will follow NPR down the rathole, thanks to her.
A major question that must be asked by the media is - did Loughner listen to any of these hate merchants? Did he listen to or watch Glenn Beck? Did he listen to Limbaugh? G. Gordon Liddy?