A: Palin puts out a chart with gunsights
B: At that time, Giffords had expressed "[media=youtube]R7046bo92a4[/media]."
C: Giffords, whose office had been the victim of repeated violence, gets shot.
Palin didn’t pull the trigger, but I think a video that fades between “there are consequences” to this tragedy points out how brutish and distasteful the paramilitary rhetoric might be, regardless of source.
Don’t forget the whole “c’est ci n’est pas une gunsight” disclaimer now… ten months later.
The Young Turks seems to cover this fairly well.
Counterpoint:
If anyone else had created this same type of very public targeting and someone got shot regardless of reason, I think we’d be right to criticize them as well, regardless of party affiliation.
Perhaps I expect more of my leaders. Feel free to dredge up all sorts of stuff, and I’ll totally agree with you that the irrationality of modern debate drives good people away from being involved in the political arena. I’ve been involved with both politics and business on a national level and there are certainly assholes and we need better media and better leaders. No problems there.
The point is “calm down the rhetoric” not that “Palin destroying her career through this kind of stupidity is solving anything at all”.
Also the Malkin halftruths are a great example of shitty political discourse. Glossing over and twisting events to make them fit your agenda: disgusting.
As regards the Discovery channel thing: monkey-wrenching / Sea Shepherd etc… this is kind of a much older trend. Environmental negligence is getting a little more publicity, so you’re more likely to let the nutcases have something to fixate upon. Maybe when Leadership communicates plans better, works more on Kyoto and other attempts at rational non-advoidance response, we maybe give the citizenry less reason to go Jim Jones irrational.
But the political discourse in this country sucks. You’re pointing that out too: awesome, we’re on the same page. Let’s start “rational politics” by hiking taxes +20% or so. Perhaps that falling upon deaf ears is more a sign of a generation of bogus political rhetoric as opposed to it being a bad plan.
If the net net that comes out of this is better mental healthcare, I’ll be pleased. My dad’s a psychologist, and the Reagan-era NIMH reforms (link totally at random: it’s a very interesting subject) are certainly an interesting aspect of the past long while.
I mean, we instituted the social safety nets for a reason. We’ve been tearing them apart, but maybe just maybe there’s some reason, like not having 2nd Amendment enabled crazies roaming the streets, that we put them those safety nets there in the first place.
Blame the shooter, look at how we are as a society.
