Huh?
Follow me over the fold to learn why these six words are directly relevant to yesterday's assassination in AZ.
In a world where the entire professional right, from E. Erickson to J. Boehner to R. Limbaugh to G. Beck to N. Gingrich to S. Palin and back again has been mouthing variations of the same deeply dishonest catechism ...
I didn't shoot Gabrielle Giffords
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
It's 1985 and I'm seated at the dinner table enjoying a weekend meal at my parent's house on beautiful Long Island, NY.
Mom, dad, sister, wife, child.
A rather wordy and contentious lot, we're most likely talking about how f**ked up Ronald Regan's policies are, and how the nation was going to ruin, and how America had lost its way, how the ideals my dad had fought for in WWII were being undermined and how the middle class was being hollowed out by rampant greed and widespread injustice.
As the dinner conversation dragged on my 3 year old son Aron climbed out of his booster seat and rambled off to explore grandma and grandpa's old house. The discussion rose and fell like the familiar tides on my lovely Long Island Sound.
Then, at a moment of repose in our conversation, the kitchen door creaked slowly open. There, standing all of 3 feet tall was my adorable son.
The room fell completely silent. We swiveled our heads and looked upon the sweetness of this little boy in his Oshkosh B'gosh overalls. All eyes on Aron. Silence in the world. He paused for three more beats. Then, without a bit of prompting from me or his mom, he uttered those six deeply meaningful and completely unforgettable words ...
I DIDN'T EAT ANY DOG FOOD
More revealing words have never been spoken, until now.
From Miss Sarah's apparachik ...
Palin spokeperson Mansour said "We never ever, ever intended it to be gun sights," she said in an interview with talk radio host Tammy Bruce Saturday. "It was simply crosshairs like you'd see on maps." Bruce suggested that they could, in fact, be seen as "surveyor's symbols." Mansour added that "it never occurred to us that anybody would consider it violent" and called any attempts to politicize the Arizona tragedy "repulsive."
... and John McCain is shocked, shocked that gambling is happening in this establishment ...
John McCain "I'm deeply saddened and shocked at the tragedy that has taken place in my home state of Arizona. The shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and the deaths of other individuals is a terrible tragedy and one that has shocked me and our nation.
The Republican says that his "prayers are with congresswoman's husband Mark and her entire family and the families of the other victims of this terrible, terrible tragedy."
... and what about that funny guy El Rushbo ...
"Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, ruled by dictate."
... and perhaps just a verbal boner from Boehner ...
Indeed, even Boehner himself engaged in some of unfortunate commentary — last year, he was heavily criticized for saying then-Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) "may be a dead man" if he went to certain areas of Cincinnati because of his support for Democratic health-care legislation. Boehner’s office later said he "does not condone violence."
We know you know.
SOMETIMES THE TRUTH JUST SLIPS OUT.
Update: A reminder from daulton that Glenn B. has been know to say some pretty nasty shit ...
Glenn Beck frequently spews violent rhetoric on Fox News
A review of Glenn Beck's Fox News program from its start to Williams' arrest on July 18, 2010, shows that Beck frequently used violent rhetoric.
Beck pours gasoline on "average American," asks, "President Obama, why don't you just set us on fire?" On his television show, Beck claimed to be imitating Obama while pouring liquid from a gasoline can -- which he later stated was water -- on an actor portraying the "average American." Beck said during his demonstration: "President Obama, why don't you just set us on fire? ... We didn't vote to lose the republic." [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 4/9/09]
Quoting Jefferson, Beck warns about "rivers of blood." On his Fox News show, Beck quoted a letter by Thomas Jefferson warning that " 'if they lose freedom' -- he's speaking of us, future generations -- 'if they lose freedom, there will be rivers of blood.' " Beck continued in his own words, "Boy, I hope that's not true, but I can tell you there will be rivers of blood if we don't have values and principles." [Glenn Beck, 5/14/10]
Ranting that gov't under Nixon "wasn't as corrupt as it is now," Beck suggests Obama admin might kill "10 percent" of population. On his June 10 show, Beck warned that "anarchists, Marxists, communists, revolutionaries, Maoists" have to "eliminate 10 percent of the U.S. population" in order to "gain control." They couldn't achieve such a goal when Richard Nixon was president, Beck stated, because "the family was together" and the government under Nixon "wasn't as corrupt as it is now." Beck added: "Now they can. Now they can."
Beck later played a clip of an FBI agent who infiltrated the Weather Underground and warned about extremists who want to kill people. Beck responded to the clip by stating: "These are the same people that are everywhere in our government and our education system. Please, please. Learn from history. Please."
Beck portrays Obama, Democrats as vampires, suggests "driv[ing] a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers." On his March 30, 2009, Fox News show, Beck aired a graphic portraying Obama and Democrats as vampires and said: "The government is full of vampires, and they are trying to suck the lifeblood out of the economy." Beck then suggested "driv[ing] a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers." Beck returned to that imagery on his January 19 radio show, warning listeners that progressives are "vampires" who now have a "taste of blood" and are "gonna start getting more and more violent."
Beck talks about "put[ting] poison" in Pelosi's wine. In 2009, Beck's Fox News show featured a segment in which Beck said the following to a woman wearing a mask of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
BECK: So, Speaker Pelosi, I just wanted to -- you gonna drink your wine? Are you blind? Do those eyes not work? There you -- I want you to drink it now. Drink it. Drink it. Drink it.
I really just wanted to thank you for having me over here to wine country. You know, to be invited, I thought I had to be a major Democratic donor or a longtime friend of yours, which I'm not.
By the way, I put poison in your -- no, I -- I look forward to all the policy discussions that we're supposed to have -- you know, on health care, energy reform, and the economy. [Glenn Beck, 8/6/09]
Beck: "Grab a torch." Asserting that politicians are addicted to spending, Beck stated: "When do we ever run those who are bankrupting our country and literally stealing our children's future out of town? Grab a torch." [Glenn Beck, 1/6/10]
Beck suggests that progressives support "armed insurrection." After President Obama signed health care reform legislation into law, Beck suggested that progressives support "armed insurrection" and asked, "Why would the president take up immigration right away, after he's just punched you in the face with health care?" [Glenn Beck, 3/23/10]
Beck suggests Pelosi and Obama support "pick[ing] up a gun" to advance "revolution." During the same edition of his Fox News show, Beck said that "violence is the wrong way to go," but asked his viewers: "You'd pick up a gun? Have you ever thought of that?" He then pointed to several pictures, including images of Obama and Pelosi, and stated: "These people have. Because possibly, maybe the question should be asked, maybe they're tired of evolution, and maybe they are waiting for revolution." Beck also said: "Haven't we just been spanked? Hasn't most of the country -- doesn't most of the country feel like they've been spanked over health care? You bet. I do, you do. A lot of people do." [Glenn Beck, 3/23/10]
Beck suggests Obama administration may kill him. Also on that same edition of his Fox News program, Beck said: "For those of you in the administration, who are coming after me ... remember, you've broken three [of the 10 Commandments], let's not make it four; thou shalt not kill." [Glenn Beck, 3/23/10]
Beck: "The revolution of 1776 was a picnic compared to what the revolutionaries of today would like to do. ... Usually, millions of people die." On June 9, while discussing "radicals" in the country, Beck told his audience: "Here's what you'll learn. The revolution of 1776 was a picnic compared to what the revolutionaries of today would like to do. It's not a lot of fun. Usually, millions of people die."