Some of my astute readers (you're all astute!) may have wondered why I haven't posted incessantly about the Family Research Council shooting a week ago in Washington. The shooter expressed clear political motives for the attack. He supports the gay rights agenda, and he had a bag full of Chick-Fil-A sandwiches when he walked into the building.
Many commentators have questioned whether the Southern Poverty Law Center's bizarre designation of the FRC as a "hate group" may have inspired the shooter. In addition, many commentators have noted the mainstream media's kid-gloves handling of the shooting and reticence to report the motives of the gunman.
All of which are fair points, but it's a circus in which I prefer not to participate.
Crazy people hurt other people for all sorts of reasons. But it is execrable to try to silence debate because of what crazy people do. The SPLC's designation of the FRC as a "hate group" is obnoxious, but to link it to attempted murder is a bit much. Attempts to use government pressure to silence the owner of Chick-Fil-A are execrable and illegal, but the attempt to link criticism of Chick-Fil-A to attempted murder is too much as well.
Classifying the FRC as a hate group and despising the opinions of the owner of Chick-Fil-A are legitimate opinions, however much I may disagree. They are not incitements to violence. The goal of allegations that they are incitements to violence is to silence debate.
While criticism of the media for their egregious double standard in assigning political motives to violence acts is certainly justified, we conservatives should have no part in attempts to link the expression of legitimate political opinions of our opponents to violence by lone nuts.
The attempt to link the acts of crazy people (on the left or right) to legitimate expressions of opinion is a smarmy form of censorship.
Many commentators have questioned whether the Southern Poverty Law Center's bizarre designation of the FRC as a "hate group" may have inspired the shooter. In addition, many commentators have noted the mainstream media's kid-gloves handling of the shooting and reticence to report the motives of the gunman.
All of which are fair points, but it's a circus in which I prefer not to participate.
Crazy people hurt other people for all sorts of reasons. But it is execrable to try to silence debate because of what crazy people do. The SPLC's designation of the FRC as a "hate group" is obnoxious, but to link it to attempted murder is a bit much. Attempts to use government pressure to silence the owner of Chick-Fil-A are execrable and illegal, but the attempt to link criticism of Chick-Fil-A to attempted murder is too much as well.
Classifying the FRC as a hate group and despising the opinions of the owner of Chick-Fil-A are legitimate opinions, however much I may disagree. They are not incitements to violence. The goal of allegations that they are incitements to violence is to silence debate.
While criticism of the media for their egregious double standard in assigning political motives to violence acts is certainly justified, we conservatives should have no part in attempts to link the expression of legitimate political opinions of our opponents to violence by lone nuts.
The attempt to link the acts of crazy people (on the left or right) to legitimate expressions of opinion is a smarmy form of censorship.
So far this August, besides the Sikh temple massacre, there have been at least 8 attacks or acts of vandalism against Muslims, numerous instances of right-wing militia violence, and the conviction of a man who planted a bomb at an MLK parade. Right-wing violence has become so common it doesn’t make the national news unless there are significant casualties. Egnor is avoiding throwing stones because he lives in a glass house.
ReplyDelete-KW
Attacks or acts of vandalism? How many were attacks and how many were attacks of vandalism? Why are you grouping the two together?
DeleteYou know there were acts of vandalism against Chick-Fil-A, right?
I was in my car this morning, KW, and I heard something on the radio that made me think of you. I know you are in deep denial that anyone is trying to game the system through voter fraud.
Read this: http://articles.boston.com/2012-08-14/metro/33182270_1_absentee-ballots-voter-fraud-general-election
Yes, the cheating took place within a Republican primary. So what? Cheating is wrong. It's wrong when Republicans do it, it's wrong when Democrats do it. So let's put a stop to it.
You won't do anything about it because you're convinced that this has something to do with depriving people of their suffrage. It's only a safety precaution to ensure that each person who votes is voting only one time and only if he or she is legally allowed to vote. The way the system is now, anyone can claim to be anyone.
TRISH
I love it. Egnor is NOT blaming the Left for this incident, the way the Left opportunistically tries to pin the blame on the Right whenever it can. And KW is still unhappy. Do you see how we can't win with this people? Liberals are the most miserable people on the planet.
DeleteBen
The Republican Voter fraud in Ma is not of the type that voter ID laws would address in any way. The Republican in Ma changed the voter registration of Democrats to Republicans then forged absentee ballots with votes for this guy’s favored candidate.
DeleteIN PERSON VOTER FRAUD OF THE KIND VOTER ID LAWS ADRESS ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS.
-KW
If you had to present a photocopied ID with your absentee ballot, that would address the problem.
DeleteThat's not even the point. You said it doesn't happen. It does. When are you going to admit that people will cheat to win an election?
TRISH
So if Egnor is responsible for the examples you cited, are you responsible for the FRC shooting? How about the Unabomber? The Discovery Channel shooter? All of Occupy's violence?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you live in a glass house too. Or maybe we should quit shifting the blame away from the perpetrators.
-Francisca S.