Is Glenn Beck Calling for Death of the President?

Too bad you're crazy, too bad you're loony as hell...
Image from NewsCorpse.

Ooh, that sounds dire, doesn't it? And you're all like, "Glenn Beck? Sure he's crazy, but didn't he retire?" Sort of, he kinda went underground. And he's an interesting kind of nut, really. He sees conspiracies and coded messages everywhere. But usually, Beck doesn't code his messages. His bowl of nuts is right out in the open. Still, he can sometimes work in some subtlety.  I'm just not sure if he's doing it on purpose, or if his id is seeping out.

This is from a fantastic site called NewsCorpse. It's mostly focused on FOX "News," and its spinoffs and offshoots, and the site owner's observations are needle sharp. Not to mention the fact that his graphics make mine look like your five-year-old nephew's doodles. Anyway, read on. . .

[Excerpt]

Glenn Beck Celebrates The Death Of A President


. . .So let me get this straight. Beck thinks that Woodrow Wilson is an evil S.O.B. whose death is cause for celebration. And Barack Obama is doing the same things for which Beck hates Wilson. The clear message that Beck is sending to his rabid disciples is that Obama’s death would also be a cause for celebration. That’s the level of hostility that Beck projects almost every day. Let’s just hope that none of his followers are motivated by this disgusting rhetoric to attempt to impress Beck by carrying out his fantasy. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

So, Is it Still the "Blame Game" When Nobody is Blaming?

Much of this blog over the last week has been focused on the Arizona assassination attempt of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and the offshoot discussions it generated. While there of course has been discussion about gun control (a topic which oddly is widely believed to be futile), the bulk of the chatter has been about political rhetoric, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Sharron Angle, and other tangents. The right wing in particular has been in hyper-defensive mode, vociferously denying that their rhetoric could incite violence, while simultaneously advocating their right to use violent rhetoric (and don't forget, the left does it too! and just as much!).

But more than that, they've also nattered on about how the left "blamed" Sarah Palin for the shootings. And blamed the right and everything about it, and that's just wrong, it was too soon, and it isn't true! Well, it isn't true. I've been saying this for a while now. Pointing out that Palin said and did incendiary stuff, or that the political air is toxic isn't the same as "blaming." I'd say the furthest most mainstream pundits or politicians went was to say it could have contributed to a climate that could lead to such actions. And it could.

[Excerpt]

NYT: No widespread blame of the right for Arizona shooting

Conservatives are outraged -- outraged! -- that the traditional media has spent the last week blaming them and their violent rhetoric for the shooting in Arizona.

Just one problem: it's not true. . .

Read more at: DailyKos

President Obama's Speech at Arizona Memorial

I watched it. I think the President did an admirable job. But I'm a little more pessimistic than he wants me to be. For now, just watch.

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So, Which Side of the Aisle is More Vitriolic?

I'll try to come up with some more varied topics to post about shortly. But for now, one more post about the Arizona shootings. When Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik spoke out at a news conference about the violent rhetoric being spewed by talk radio and cable news, some of the political punditry and blogosphere went ballistic (so to speak) about it. And got very defensive. Tellingly--as Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo said on Monday's Countdown with Keith Olbermann--it was the right wing, not the left, that got very indignant. And Dupnik never pointed to either side of the aisle.

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One More Rachel Maddow Clip: Facts Matter

Whenever there is a big story, especially a developing story, extraneous--sometimes false or misleading--"facts" get tossed into the mix. It is important that we recognize the flotsam and jetsam for what it is: junk.

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Rachel Maddow Covers Arizona Shootings

I'm not anti-gun, particularly. I grew up around them, I learned how to shoot them and handle them properly. But I'm also aware that the world is not an action movie, and most of us are not Dirty Harry. A heavily armed populace scares the crap out of me if I think about it too hard. I personally think that about 80% of drivers ought to have their licenses taken away, so how strenuously can I advocate that everybody have a gun? Particularly the semi- or fully-automatic kind that have one purpose: killing lots of people. The gun and magazine used by that Jared Loughner guy are not used in hunting, and are not needed for personal protection (unless you're defending yourself against the similarly armed). A look at the clip below is sobering evidence that the way we treat the whole issue of handguns in this country isn't working very well. Solutions? I honestly have no idea.

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Unimaginable Tragedy?

Rachel Maddow did a segment of her show on Monday night about some of the troublesome things cropping up in the coverage of the mass shooting and assassination attempt in Arizona this weekend. When the clip is up, I may post it--frankly, I'd like to post the whole show--but for now, I'd just like to agree with one of her points. No matter how you see the tragedy, it was not unimaginable or inconceivable. In fact, it is sadly too common for these kinds of shooting sprees to happen in America. We rarely seem to have a year without one. What is different about this one, is that a Congresswoman was at the center of it, rather than the victims being essentially random targets. But that too was conceivable and imaginable.

We still do not know the motivation--other than probable mental illness--of the shooter. But I can't be the only one who thought something like this might happen, particularly late into the 2008 presidential election, and then on into the town hall shout-fests. There was a rising climate of not just anger, but unfocused, frothing, boiling over rage. In my opinion, given the vagueness of much of the rhetoric, it was ginned up rage, but it was rage just the same. I worried about the President's safety, and also for some of the more prominently--excuse the term--targeted members of the House and Senate. So yes, I've been expecting (and dreading) that something like this could happen.

It could turn out that this Jarod Loughner guy is just bonkers, and that his brain is a stew of outrageous political ideas, real and imagined. He could have been more influenced by extreme right-wingers or extreme left-wingers (though they are much harder to find).  But there can be no denying that the flames have been vigorously fanned in the last couple of years by prominent politicians and pundits. And the next crazy shooter might be listening.

[Excerpt]

Climate of Hate

When you heard the terrible news from Arizona, were you completely surprised? Or were you, at some level, expecting something like this atrocity to happen? . . .

Read more at: New York Times

Sarah Palin's Facebook Page: Now With Scrubbing Bubbles!

After abandoning her Governorship, Sarah Palin hasn't really been a politician, she's been a political celebrity. Which is funny, when you remember the "Paris Hilton" ads the McCain/Palin campaign ran during the 2008 election. I guess being a political celebrity was only bad when it was Barack Obama. But back to the point, the only domain that Sarah Palin can claim as her Queendom is Twitter or Facebook (certainly not Barnes & Noble). So it stands to reason that when Queen Sarah starts getting a little negative public attention, and that people start saying so on her Facebook page. . .that those people would be. . .dealt with.

No, she hasn't shot them from a helicopter. But she's got somebody madly hitting "refresh" on their computer, frantically deleting posts that are critical of Herself. Immediately after I realized that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had been one of the "targets" on Palin's "hit list," I put up my own post on this blog, saying that Palin ought to be ashamed of herself, and should publicly say so. By and large, media reports of the connection have been perfunctory and matter-of-fact. It is a salient, newsworthy point to be made, and I've seen very little editorializing about it from the mainstream news. Keith Olbermann--a news commentator--did a "special comment" on the topic (in which he did not exclude himself), and never once did he blame Palin for what happened. Yet read any right-wing report on it, and they will outright state that the left is blaming Palin. 

And besides, the shooter was a lefty (it was on Twitter, it must be true). And some little known diarist on DailyKos said that Giffords "was dead to him." And Markos himself used the words "target" and "bull's eye" in a list similar to Palin's. So both sides do it! So there! Or something.  Except, Markos isn't known for his "don't retreat, reload" gun brandishing (and fetishizing) rhetoric. Palin is. I know that whoever helps her out with her Facebook page makes her appear far more clever than she actually is. But I don't for a second believe that Palin didn't actually mean to use the words and the graphics she did. The same can't be said for Markos. I'm sure he regrets having used those exact words, but I'm equally sure he wasn't trying to stir up a macho "guns baby, yeah!" image to his readers. In addition, "bull's eyes" on a map of the United States--with no names--is distinctly different from a map with cross-hairs* on individual districts, alongside the names of the people representing those districts.

* And the excuse that those are cartography marks rather than cross-hairs is laughable.

[Excerpt]

Inexplicable Edits on Sarah Palin's Facebook Page



Sarah Palin has a reputation for being an agressive editor of comments on her Facebook page - a reputation that has always seemed likely accurate to me, given the tedious consistency with which all comments on the page are along the lines of "I love you SARAH!". . .
 
Read more at: Obama London

Keith Olberman's Special Comment on Gabrielle Giffords Shooting

Well done, Keith.

Breaking News: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) Shot

Image found at Democratic Underground

I'm not linking to any stories, because at this point--for some reason--the news agencies can't get their story straight. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot, along with a dozen or so other people today at a Safeway grocery store appearance. Some sources say she's dead, some say she's alive and in surgery, and some have reported both. It's bad no matter how you look at it, and the shooter could be of any political stripe, given Giffords position as a blue dog Democrat. No political position is deserving of an assassination attempt.  One more thing. Even if it has nothing to do with what happened today, Sarah Palin should be ashamed of her "SarahPAC" graphic with a bullseye on Giffords' location in Arizona. She should make a public statement to that effect, and without her standard defensive, snarky gotchas.

Kennedys, King and Watergate, Oh My!

Image from FreeWebs.com

There have been countless theories, crazy and somewhat plausible, about exactly what was up in the sixties, with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bobby Kennedy. Was there some kind of connection? And much of the aftermath, the suspects, the politics of the day. . .it just seems so odd to a person too young to remember it. All of it was history by the time I was old enough to think about it. But even I wondered if Marilyn Monroe figured into it somewhere.

Anyway, the following excerpted material comes from one of my favorite authors (also a radio host), Thom Hartmann. He's not a wacky conspiracy nut guy, he's a level headed intellectual. And so, I figure if he's involved, there must be something to this. I haven't had time to read it all yet, so maybe I'll read along with you.

[Excerpt]

Robert Kennedy, National Security, the Mafia, and the Assassination of Martin Luther King

The rifle fire in Dallas that killed John F. Kennedy didn’t just start a frantic effort to find his assassins. JFK’s murder also launched a flurry of covert actions by officials like Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Helms to hide the fact that the United States was on the brink of invading Cuba as part of a JFK-authorized coup only ten days away. The plan’s exposure could have cost the life of JFK’s coup leader, Cuban Army Commander Juan Almeida, and led to a nuclear confrontation with the Soviets, just a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis. But the cover-ups by these top officials also had the tragic effect of preventing a full investigation of JFK’s assassination, spawning a legacy of secrecy that would impact Presidents, Congress, and U.S. foreign policy for the next forty-five years. . .

Read more at: Legacy of Secrecy

Wing Nut Posts Assassination Poll on FaceBook

Image from source, ABC News

I hope the FBI, CIA, Secret Service, or whomever is responsible for this sort of thing, lands on the jerk who made this thing up with both feet. Likely it was--to the creator of the poll--a "harmless prank." But I'm betting people who voted "yes" didn't see it that way, and I'm hoping the authorities don't either.

[Excerpt]

Secret Service Probing Facebook Poll That Asked Whether Obama Should Be Killed

The Secret Service is investigating the origins of a poll that appeared on Facebook that asked whether President Obama should be killed.

Posted over the weekend, the poll was removed by Facebook after the Secret Service received a tip and contacted the company, which was not aware of the survey, sources tell ABC News. . .

Read more at: ABC News

Is FOX "News" Partially Responsible for Tiller's Death?

As I've said a few times on the blog, you don't see much here reported on the subject of abortion, because it isn't one of my personal issues. I know no one--to my knowledge--and will never likely be in a situation where the issue will effect my life. Surely, I'll never be in the position where the decision is ever any of my business.

But when (flashback to the 90s) an abortion doctor gets assassinated, and makes big news, it is difficult to let the whole story go unremarked upon. And when it is clear that an issue I am interested in--namely, the illegitimacy of FOX "News" as a news outlet--the story comes closer to my wheelhouse.

Apparently, the FOX "News" Channel made quite a go at demonizing Dr. George Tiller, calling him "Tiller the Baby Killer" repeatedly, for years. Nice. Fair and balanced much?

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Update on the "Cheney Assassination Ring Wing"

You know, when a respected investigative reporter writes that the former Vice President of the United States was running an "assassination ring," unaccountable to anyone but himself, you'd think there'd be a bigger fuss made. So far, outside of Countdown with Keith Olbermann and the blogs, I'm unaware of much time being focused on it.

But there's finally a little more to the story, with writer Seymour Hersch amending his phrase to "assassination wing," and with former National Security Advisor John Hannah denying it. Sort of. At one point he uses the phrase "certainly true" and it sounds like he's affirming Hersch, albeit with some provisos that I didn't quite follow. See what you make of it.

Olbermann Reports on Dick Cheney's "Assassination Ring"

There is probably no one who would have trouble believing that Dick Cheney had an "executive assassination ring." The real question is, if Seymour Hersch's story checks out, will we do anything about it? And if we don't, where does that leave America, and its reputation?

Barack Obama Assassination Plot Foiled

Photo from source, MSNBC

Yikes. Glad it was foiled. I can't imagine what stirred those folks up. . .

[Excerpt]

ATF: Plot by skinheads to kill Obama is foiled

Law enforcement agents have broken up a plot by two neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 88 black people, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Monday. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

Denver Cops Foil Obama Assassination Plot?

Image from source, CBS4Denver

Holy moley. This is one thing that many, many Barack Obama supporters have feared. Hopefully, this was the only plot. And how wild is it that they only got this guy because of a traffic stop? It reminds me of the ricin case here in Las Vegas, which was only foiled because the guy dosed himself.

With all of the warrantless wiretapping, data mining, and over-reaching government "security" measures and organizations, it's strange that these near misses are getting caught by chance.

[Excerpt]

Police Investigate Possible Plot To Kill Obama

Law enforcement authorities have arrested two men and several law enforcement sources say the investigation is looking into whether the men intended to harm presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. . .

Read more at: CBS4Denver

Liz Trotta Apologizes for Assassination Joke

Yeah, yeah. Do you buy the apology? She couldn't buy this kind of attention. Who knew who Liz Trotta was three days ago? And the FOX "News" audience was hardly offended by her comment. Works out for her pretty well.

FOX "News" Reporter Jokes About Obama Assassination

Yep, she sure did. I'm not sure more should be made of this than your typical FOX "News" dumb comment, but there are some folks out there wanting to alert the authorities. It might be fun to make her sweat, I suppose. . .

[Excerpt]



Fox News contributor jokes about assassinating Obama.

Today on Fox News, the former New York bureau chief of the Washington Times, Liz Trotta, discussed Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) recent remarks about Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination. After mistakenly calling Obama “Osama,” Trotta joked that it would be nice to see them both killed.

Source: Think Progress

Terry McAuliffe on FOX "News" Sunday

I've written a lot lately about my disdain for politics as usual, particularly the "creating our own reality" type practiced by Karl Rove and his successors in the Republican party. The relentless ability to stay on message under any circumstance, no matter what questions an interviewer might throw at you. The twisting of facts to fit around your manufactured scenario, so that it feels like it could be true.

Stephen Colbert created a word for this very thing, called truthiness. People practicing truthiness are deliberately out to deceive you in some way. They're trying to sound just credible enough to get you on board, while knowing full well that they're being manipulative. People like that have no respect for the people they're herding. Rush Limbaugh does this to his listeners, and they lap it up. When someone attempts to do it to me, it pisses me off.

Today, Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton's campaign adviser, was on the barely watchable FOX "News" Sunday. Interviewer Chris Wallace was tenacious, and aggressive (a tactic he reserves for Democrats), hitting McAuliffe over and over again with questions about Clinton's "assassination" comments. McAuliffe repeatedly dodged and spun, smiling all the way, staying on point, and spewing buckets of truthiness.

I'd forgotten what this guy is like. He's a Democratic Karl Rove. And whether she's doing it on her own, or at McAuliffe's direction, Hillary Clinton is behaving exactly the same way. Enough. This kind of politics--win at all costs, even at the expense of misleading your constituents--makes me want to vomit. We need something different. Maybe a change?

Click the link after CONTINUED to see the video (FOX's video link was wiping out my page formatting. . .stupid FOX!).

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