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Call it what it is: Political Assassination
Author: Raine
Date: 01/10/2011 13:32:43
I don't know what to add that hasn't already been said here and elsewhere. This is what I have been so concerned about -- a political assassination. Make no mistake about it, that is just what this is. The murderer said so himself: We can talk about the atmosphere of hatred that has been building Since the 2008 election campaign. At this point, it would be redundant. What bothers me most is the cover the media has given this atmosphere. There is no doubt in my mind that the vile rhetoric was indeed enabled by a media that refused to report on it honestly. It was fanned by pundits who in turn painted it with a special touch of fear infused hate. Hate was enabled because it was a better and more salacious story for viewers. News became twisted and distorted, and people just got angrier and more upset.
BobR wrote about this Saturday evening, Yesterday our own Velveeta Jones was still too stunned to write about this. I wrote of it a number of times in 2009, including here about the murder of a holocaust Museum security guard. . Here, it was regarding regarding the Tennessee Church murderer, Here it was about the rising hatred of the Tea Party. I wrote on the 10th anniversary of the Columbine Massacre that we are numb to violence.
We've had police officers murdered because of the violent rhetoric that people have been spreading, We've had doctors murdered for providing women lifesaving services. At a tea party rally for Rand Paul, a woman had her head stomped on. Tea Partiers were carrying signs saying that the 'Tree of Liberty should be watered with Blood' with guns strapped to their legs. We've seen people fly planes in to a federal building -- that person left behind an anti-government screed as well. We have "Death Panels" that don't exist. Census workers were threatened. Have we forgotten that people were yelling that Obama was a terrorist and that he should be killed at Sarah Palin rallies (while she was John McCain's VP candidate)? We have Tenther's and Birthers -- and what was formerly known as the lunatic fringe seems to have taken a foothold in the Media as well as in elected offices on local and national levels. If people want to believe that this is not part in parcel with the way media -- both opinion and so called reporting -- has been punching this up, then they are deluding themselves. The media LOVED this garbage and people watched like it was some sick and twisted reality show. Instead what we were watching was the rising tide of political extremism that was bound to get more violent.
BobR wrote of violent extremism in our country as well. I think it is worth returning to this entry: Bold-face mine...
There is a pattern here, and I can honestly tell you that this is coming from conservative messaging, from the likes of the usual suspects. The important thing to remember here, is that instability and fear are easy ways to motivate those that are susceptible to falling for what fits the best narrative for them -- much like the conspiracy theorists that BobR wrote of the other day. In this case those that are already mentally unstable may very well be much more easily entranced by listening the the words and hearing the dogwhistle calls to violence that is spewed from conservative pundits and radio hosts.
If you think this weekend was bad, I am telling you this week will be far worse. The usual suspects will be back on the air on all the conservative talk radio shows trying to re-spin this horrible tragedy -- one that they are partially responsible for. One doesn't actually have to pull the trigger to be responsible for creating the atmosphere to make it happen.
This was a political assassination. Just another one in a long list that is a result from violent conservative rhetoric. It's been like watching a slow and steady snuff film. Until people get real media and real news, more people will die.
and 
Raine
Evidence seized from Mr. Loughner’s home, about five miles from the shooting, indicated that he had planned to kill Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, according to documents filed in Federal District Court in Phoenix.
Special Agent Tony M. Taylor Jr. of the F.B.I. said in an affidavit that an envelope found in a safe in the home bore these handwritten words: “I planned ahead,” “My assassination” and “Giffords.”
BobR wrote about this Saturday evening, Yesterday our own Velveeta Jones was still too stunned to write about this. I wrote of it a number of times in 2009, including here about the murder of a holocaust Museum security guard. . Here, it was regarding regarding the Tennessee Church murderer, Here it was about the rising hatred of the Tea Party. I wrote on the 10th anniversary of the Columbine Massacre that we are numb to violence.
Sadly, as our nation is in a very bad state economically, we are seeing more and more desperate people. The hopelessness of the situations they find themselves in coupled with extremist talk from wherever they hear or read it may be driving them to more acts of violence. Instability and fear are easy to manipulate. We are seeing that everyday.
We've had police officers murdered because of the violent rhetoric that people have been spreading, We've had doctors murdered for providing women lifesaving services. At a tea party rally for Rand Paul, a woman had her head stomped on. Tea Partiers were carrying signs saying that the 'Tree of Liberty should be watered with Blood' with guns strapped to their legs. We've seen people fly planes in to a federal building -- that person left behind an anti-government screed as well. We have "Death Panels" that don't exist. Census workers were threatened. Have we forgotten that people were yelling that Obama was a terrorist and that he should be killed at Sarah Palin rallies (while she was John McCain's VP candidate)? We have Tenther's and Birthers -- and what was formerly known as the lunatic fringe seems to have taken a foothold in the Media as well as in elected offices on local and national levels. If people want to believe that this is not part in parcel with the way media -- both opinion and so called reporting -- has been punching this up, then they are deluding themselves. The media LOVED this garbage and people watched like it was some sick and twisted reality show. Instead what we were watching was the rising tide of political extremism that was bound to get more violent.
BobR wrote of violent extremism in our country as well. I think it is worth returning to this entry:
During the interview he described "dualism" as an "us -vs- them" positioning and - when combined with scapegoating and demonizing the "them" - leads to viewing the "them" as less than human and doing the devil's work, appeasing the terrorists, or any other sort of threatening activity. Add to that the immediacy of impending doom and you have added a match to gasoline. This pattern can be easily recognized as the sort of daily fodder trotted out by political pundits, as well as by some religious and political leaders.
He also describes how groups and individuals take those "signals", process them, and then act on them. He breaks them down into 3 groups: Cell, Lone Wolf, and Leaderless Cell.
An example of the Lone Wolf would be the man who walked into the Holocaust Museum and opened fire. They are alone and generally paranoid. The main difference between a Cell and a Leaderless Cell is that a cell is attached to a larger group and gets its "orders" and identifies itself with that larger group. The Leaderless Cell may have once belonged to a larger group, but has split from that group and has no real leadership. It gets it's directives from the propaganda it hears, and feeds on its own internal mob mentality.
So what can be done? The first thing would be stop feeding the beast. How can that be done without suppressing 1st amendment rights? Counter-propaganda would be one way. Cells can be infiltrated, although Lone Wolves cannot. While it may be impossible to prosecute pundits for fanning the flames, they can still be blamed and shamed, and outed when they are passing false information to their listeners.
There is a pattern here, and I can honestly tell you that this is coming from conservative messaging, from the likes of the usual suspects. The important thing to remember here, is that instability and fear are easy ways to motivate those that are susceptible to falling for what fits the best narrative for them -- much like the conspiracy theorists that BobR wrote of the other day. In this case those that are already mentally unstable may very well be much more easily entranced by listening the the words and hearing the dogwhistle calls to violence that is spewed from conservative pundits and radio hosts.
If you think this weekend was bad, I am telling you this week will be far worse. The usual suspects will be back on the air on all the conservative talk radio shows trying to re-spin this horrible tragedy -- one that they are partially responsible for. One doesn't actually have to pull the trigger to be responsible for creating the atmosphere to make it happen.
This was a political assassination. Just another one in a long list that is a result from violent conservative rhetoric. It's been like watching a slow and steady snuff film. Until people get real media and real news, more people will die.
and Raine
