Tragic Hate

They really need to realize that the rhetoric and firing people up, and, you know, even things for example, we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gunsight over our district. When people do that, you gotta realize there's consequences to that action.

--Rep. Giffords 

The tragic shooting in Arizona today has horrified us all and brought messages of condemnation from politicians across the board, as one should only hope.

I am attempting to control my outrage, but it is difficult when one recalls that Sarah Palin targeted--no, actually targeted--this woman on her infamous crosshairs map only a short time ago. Even if this shooting had nothing to do with politics, even if this shooter is simply a raging psychopath, the fact remains that violent right-wing rhetoric has gone too far, has infiltrated our minds again and again, has played its part in fomenting rage and insanity towards public figures.

I cannot wait for the accusations to begin. I cannot wait for this to shed some more light on the heinous "lock and load!", war-cry propaganda of the psychotic right-wing. I am sure that we will soon see Fox News blustering about how this had nothing to do with politics, Sarah Palin screeching about how her message and conservatism has made her a target for media smears; I am attempting to control my outrage. But it's hard.

Rhetoric, hatred, promoting violent thinking and acting like rage is an appropriate reaction when one disagrees with a political position--all of these things have an effect on people. It is time that the radical right-wing took responsibility for their blind exacerbation of the moral and intellectual corruption of the American people.  They have the nerve to decry liberals for being "immoral," to whine endlessly about gays in the military, while they continue to send people the message that the only way to resolve dispute is to shout "liar!" and say "no!", to thunder about guns and war, and above all, to hate.

This is why I have such a huge problem with Republicans, with conservatives, with Tea Partiers, with right-wingers. Even the moderate ones. The movement has a dark core of hatred, and hatred breeds more hatred faster than rational discourse, tolerance, and compassion can combat it. Because rational discourse, tolerance, and compassion take work, and time and energy, and the courage and resolve to work together. Steadily, the Republicans and the right-wing in general have been claiming that "working together" is traitorous, disallowed, even threatening. And they have the nerve to act as if they don't know  where the messages of violence are coming from.