Paul Krugman And The Cut And Paste Climate Of Hate

"In order to avoid further bloodshed on the part of right wing Republican extremists, the Federal Government needs to confiscate all privately owned firearms and restrict all speech which is deemed by the Democratic Party to be inflammatory."

I agree completely, RC.

"thirty-aught-six" (not verified): You may be on to something there. I guess one of the differences between the Dems and the Repubs is that the Dems sugar coat it and do it with vaseline and the Repubs just come right out and do it. Both MOs amount to the same thing: namely the American people get it in the end. LOL! I never cease to be amazed at what lock-step, dogma-filled ideologues will do and say in support of their ideology and how self-righteous and delusional those ideologues can be. Most of them are mental cases engaged in some sort of psychological transference issues vis-a-vis political figures. I'd suggest that they get professional help were it not for the fact that many mental health "professionals"  are ideologues and nuts themselves.

When reports come on about this incident, I turn to a different station. Inner-city children get killed every day in drive by shootings and apparently no one gives a crap because it's been going on for decades. If some drug dealer killed a bunch of people on a street corner, we wouldn't hear anything about it. But because it's a white guy that did the killing in Arizona and a politician and a judge were among the victims, we're going to hear about it for the next month along with hue and cries about gun control and right wing incendiary speech and how we all need to shut up and not criticize liberal and "progressive" politicians because liberal and progressive politicians are pure as the driven snow. It's all BS and the American people need to wake up and realize that both political parties in America will use any kind of tragedy in order to score political points. Politicians on both sides of the political isle are elitists and dirt balls for the most part. And those that aren't don't have a rat's ass chance in hell of getting their message across to the American people. 

Both sides have an ideological agenda and they'll say any damn thing that they feel will benefit their cause and marginalize their opposition. But I don't want to see "free speech" restricted on account of it. We've already got enough defacto free speech restrictions as it is due to PC. It's up to the individual American to filter out the BS and come to their own conclusion. If Americans are going to simply rely on some news organization for their news then they have only themselves to blame when things go wrong. Say that some of you got your wish and Republicans shut up and all privately owned firearms were confiscated and the country was ruled by Democrats. What historical evidence can you provide which will serve to demonstrate that the American people will benefit? You can't. provide any evidence because none exists. You blind ideologues out there would have us believe that either the Democrat Party or the Republican Party or the Nazi Party or the Socialist party or any old party has most, if not all, the answers. Not only are you delusional, but you're more dangerous than a crazy man with a loaded gun.

I can't blame the Tucson Sheriff for his frustrations. Being a cop  in this society of victims and innocents who are never responsible for their deeds is not a job I could personally handle. I'm too afraid I might be the one in the paper next for a shooting spree. Not that that would be my fault. :-) What I do blame him for is his willingness to interject his personal politics into the crime and send the most inappropriate message to be picked up and transmitted with out question by the left wing media who more than gladly jumped on the 'blame Sarah Palin/Tea Party band wagon'. As usual it takes a day or two for the more moderate liberal media to begin relaying facts rather than kneejerk emotionalism. Todays message from the liberal media; "Low and behold Sarah Palin and the Tea Party had nothing to do with this poor fellows struggle. We admit that now, BUT, Sarah Palin should still take responsibility." LOL. Damage done. The idiots ten years from now will be blaming Sarah Palin for the shooting. "Jared Loughner! Who was that?" " That's the guy Sarah Palin shot. Jeez! Don't ya know anything?" Of course the liberal media is a paragon of truth and justice while those damn Republicans are trying to blame the shootings on the victim. Then we wonder why Americans are dumber than sandwich wrapper and every third world country is beating us hands down in education test scores.

While I may not be a Glenn Beck, or Sarah Palin fan, I find it hard to believe that people could be so brainwashed by what they say that they can blame their actions on anyone but themselves. Or their family for not noticing that the person had a few screws loose. Violent crimes are committed by the criminal themselves. If that criminal is a few crayons short of a box, they should not have access to firearms or pointy objects or anything they can use as a weapon.

It is a cop-out to blame it on the rhetoric of politicians, or listening to rap or heavy metal. A poster with "bull’s-eyes" on it? Politicians crying out against each other? How many of us have been exposed to these things all our lives, and never gone on a shooting spree? I may not like political back-biting, or fear mongering in the media, but lets face it, it happens on every side, left and right. Sensationalism boosts ratings and wins votes. The only way to get rid of it would be a totalitarian dictatorship, and a controlled, censored media. And even then, human nature being what it is, the hate and fear would continue, they would just be very one sided arguments.

At this moment, the time to point fingers and lay blame has passed. Reconciliation within the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />US government would be great, because there are bigger issues that need to be focused on, like helping the US economy get back on track, dealing with the ever present threat of terrorism, dealing with violent crimes, the war on drugs. The blame game does not solve the underlying issues, nor does it take back the atrocity. The best thing to do now is put partisan politics aside, and focus on what needs to be done for the benefit of everyone. US coffers are empty, the military is over-exhausted, and the world is not as safe a place as it once was. There are bigger fish to fry than who is a socialist or a fascist, who is an ideologue and who a hypocrite. Hate speeches and seeming calls to arms may not be appropriate, or in good taste, but neither is finger-pointing or name calling. These people are politicians, or (somewhat) respected members of the media, not children. Both sides need to grow up, face the consequences of their immature little tiff, and realise that their job is to run one of the most powerful nations in the world. Hurry up and start doing it.

Piobar: Yes! Have you heard the idiot Sheriff what's his name out there in Tuscon? Talk about the blame game! JEEZ! The guy is a real piece of work! Most Americans with their brain cells still intact are getting sick and tired of hearing public officials and certain Democrats blame "right wingers"  any time  some mentally deranged individual with a gun acts out. What's next? If you pay close attention to what many on the left are saying about this incident, you can't help but come to the conclusion that they're not attaching any blame to the shooter. Moreover, there appears to be a collective psychosis on their part. I hope that it's not contagious!

Yeah! The Sheriff's name is Dupnick. To me he sounds a bit on the Nazi/Fascist anti free speech spectrum. He says he was in law enforcement for many years. Wonder how many political tushes he kissed and how many lies he told in order to become sheriff? I hear that's all it takes to be a good lawman nowadays.

The USA  has family councilors, marriage councilors, grief councilors, juvenile delinquent councilors, social councilors of every type except the only one you really need, nation councilors. Perhaps it is time for the USA to develop diplomats to visit upon themselves?

Letemhang: Thanks for the suggestion. In my opinion, we don't need anymore "diplomats". There's enough  in the State Department as it is that F things up more than they already are.

I'm still amazed that kids get shot every day here in America via drive-bys and drug-related activity and people care more about what occurred in Arizona. I guess because some politician and a judge got shot along with others in what appears to be a middle class or perhaps upper middle class area takes precedence. Such is the American mindset

Letemhang: For clarification purposes, the later means that you prefer the Arizona incident to the gang banger incidents. Is that right?