I avoid these men like a rash, but now their hate is spilling into my world! I see daily how their rantings are ratcheting up the aggression of the right-wing crazies. And believe me, even the not so crazy right-wingers are listening and believing all they say (I'm seeing it in my own family)! So I wrote a letter to get it off my chest. Yes I know, it's like putting my finger in a New Orleans levy during Katrina, but it made me feel better to do something. Intelligence and reason just doesn't work with these people.
My letter:
Mr. Beck,
I felt I would never write an email such as this, since I considered you uneducated and below my level of discourse (and mostly dangerously clownish)! But when you continue to impact my world with your vitriolic hate speeches, well I can not be silent anymore.
How dare you, your insane rants have now directly led to the deaths of two men, can you not see the response to your words? I stay away from hate filled shows such as yours, but now you are spilling into my everyday life, like refuse from an overflowing toilet. I am not sure, since you seem unbalanced yourself, if you even realize the effect of your words on people who are already right-wing crazy.
Your rants would have been considered treason by Thomas Jefferson! Have you read Jefferson? I doubt it, otherwise you would never mix religion with politics. Jefferson and our founding fathers had a very low opinion of religion in any form. We were meant to be a free country, tolerant of all beliefs, and that includes atheists, gays, and Muslims! Maybe it's time for you to read our constitution, instead of pushing your warped beliefs. You sir have pushed the very worst of us into action with your everyday craziness.
The following is from the excellent diary by ukit here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
"James von Brunn wasn't just someone who hated Jews and black people; he was also one of a growing number of people with a misguided, conspiratorial view of the world."
And you are the pipeline for these conspiracies!
You could have redeemed yourself after the violence of the past weeks, but instead you immediately ratcheted up your spin machine. you sir, are not an entertainer nor a journalist, you are a propagandist of the worst kind!
THEIR INNOCENT BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS, you have murdered Stephen Tyrone Johns and Dr. Tiller, with your rhetoric. It is as if you held the gun.
I also find it disgusting when you do the "fake crying bullshit", really? No one is falling for it! You sir are a danger to my country. And in this same vein, I cannot purchase anything from your sponsors, as I would be considered a supporter of your show, and indirectly, HATE!
In conclusion, are the deaths you are responsible for really worth the ratings? If you were truly a Christian, you would see, YOU ARE NOT FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS! I could even go so far as to say, if Jesus were alive today, you would make him the center of a show on crazy "latte sippin' lefties", and probably call for his assassination.
Disrespectfully yours,
........
So I feel better after ranting, even though I also feel I have accomplished nothing. This diary is in direct response to the beautiful diaries for the family of the young man murdered as a result of the hate being spewed by the right. Thank you for those diaries and for reading my rant.
In my comments, one of our own wrote a fabulous letter, which I feel necessary to add to my diary (with permission)....
The bloviators can't read but the station manager
can, which is why I wrote this letter this morning to our local affiliate that carries limbaugh:
Greetings,
This request is going to you since there are no contact e-mail addresses listed for either ZZZZ's (not actual call letters) general manager xxxx xxxxx or executive producer yyyy yyyyy.
limbaugh is among the several "pundits" who have been loudly proclaiming racist and violent rhetoric. This week has demonstrated all too well that words, indeed, can hurt.
I fully support the 1st Amendment and people's right to their own opinions. However, when a prominent spokesperson loudly proclaims the desire for a president to fail (highly unpatriotic, I might add), sprinkles racial epitaphs about presidents and supreme court nominees, foments hatred against anyone with whom he disagrees, and, if you would check your facts as a news station, blatantly lies about easily verifiable facts, two political assassinations in a week is sufficient proof to me that it's time to end the incitement to riot and commit mayhem including the enactment of violence.
There's nothing wrong with conservative values. However, limbaugh is making "conservative values" appear to be the same as "violence and murder are ok. They get what they deserve if they don't agree with me" values. That is not a conservative value. limbaugh is one of the reasons that good conservatives are leaving the republican party.
Until limbaugh is cancelled, I will know that your station, ZZZZ, supports and promotes the use of lies and violence as valid tools to use when limbaugh is offended. I will let your advertisers know my stance and that I will not frequent advertisers on your site.
The same is the case for your other commentators. Again, people are entitled to their opinions and it's important to air a diversity of viewpoints. We all get enriched by understanding the perspectives of others. It is also the case that I don't always agree with people I normally agree with on most other issues; the converse is also true. Promoting violence is another thing and is unacceptable. I will no longer be party to any entity that allows hatred to dominate.
The tragedies, shameful tragedies, this country has endured recently have made me reach my tolerance limit. I will contact advertisers. I will contact station managers. I will boycott stations. I will not listen to hatred spewed on the airwaves. No longer will I silently stand by, wishing that the dialogue could indeed be a dialogue and wait. I will speak up, loudly and clearly.
Over the years, our family has enjoyed the sports games broadcast by your station. We will stop listening until limbaugh is no longer ZZZZ's mouthpiece.
Sincerely,
bh
You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else. -- Sir Winston Churchill
by bleeding heart on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 01:06:51 PM EDT