The Context

[ceebeegee]

I think it's really depressing when, in the first wave of reaction to this horrible event yesterday, there's more attention paid to the so-called "finger pointing" and "blame" than to, you know, six people who were murdered in cold blood and how a political system was hijacked yesterday. Because let's remember who the real victims are here--ranty demogogues who suddenly realize their words have an impact and are now scrambling to cover their asses by washing their hands of responsibility. There are several examples but this in particular struck me. Judson Phillips, the head of a Tea Party networking organization, issued this statement:

Arizona Congressman Gabrielle Giffords was shot and killed along with several others in Arizona. Giffords was conducting a "Congress on your corner" event when the shooting occurred. Six others were killed as well.

The shooter has been taken into custody and let's hope he gets the death penalty he richly deserves.

Congressman Giffords was a liberal, but that does not matter now. No one should be the victim of violence because of their political beliefs and certainly a member of Congress should not be shot and killed on a street corner.

Take a moment to say a prayer for her and her family, as well as the others who were so tragically murdered this afternoon.

At a time like this, it is terrible that we do have to think about politics, but no matter what the shooter's motivations where, the left is going to blame this on the Tea Party Movement. Already on liberal websites, the far left is trying to accuse the Tea Party of being involved.

While we need to take a moment to extend our sympathies to the families of those who died, we cannot allow the hard left to do what it tried to do in 1995 after the Oklahoma City bombing.

Within the entire political spectrum, there are extremists, both on the left and the right. Violence of this nature should be decried by everyone and not used for political gain.

This was his first statement--why is HALF of it whining about being blamed? The entirety of it should be about the victims. Period. And, creepily, Rep. Giffords is called a "liberal"? If she dies will she then turn into a human being, Phillips? Why does her political characterization matter?

And you know what? It IS appropriate to see if there is a connection to this psycho's actions and his political leanings/readings/etc. It is NOT blaming and finger-pointing--the company you keep can frequently predict your future actions.

This refusal to see a connection between the words you speak and what ensues actually reminds me of a remark on the message board where I post. One of the regulars is a black woman who was frustrated with constant denials by various white public figures that they're "racist" even though they passed on racist emails, or said racist jokes. She posted "yes, racism just happens. Nobody's actually racist, it just happens, in a vacuum." Sure--psychos just happen. There's never any context to them; no one ever encourages them or eggs them on or plants images in their head, or creates an atmosphere of personal hatred, otherization, and complete disrespect for the office ("You lie!"). The Nazis were just following orders; they didn't REALLY believe the Jews were bad, they didn't REALLY buy into all those propaganda posters. The Hutus just happened to be listening to the radio in the months leading up to the Rwanda genocide; they weren't affected at all by the RTLM or Radio Rwanda urging them to rape and murder Tutsis.

BULLSHIT. Words have impact. Otherwise, why would any of us speak? Why would any of us craft a statement, write a poem, put on a play, sing a song? Of course what we do and say affects the people around us. DUH. Yes, at the end of it this psycho is the one responsible, he went to the parking lot, he pulled the trigger. But can anyone say they didn't see something like this coming? I sure can't. You scream enough abuse, you tell enough lies and eventually you poison the air.

Sarah Palin can stick her fingers in her ears and denydenydeny all she likes, but in the middle of the night, when there's no one around to hear her mouthings, she knows deep down she helped create this poisonous environment. Words matter. She should study Lee Atwater's conversion--he repented for his scorched earth tactics when he was dying. It's not worth it, Palin. Not worth it, Coulter and Beck and Angle and Limbaugh. And Sharpton for that matter. We're all Americans, including the ones with whom we disagree.

The whole thing is just so goddamn sad. I've been wavering on the death penalty lately but this guy sure deserves it. A nine year old girl? Jesus.

Comments

[vfrride.livejournal.com]

Words do matter, and I would imagine that a major part of the purpose of his statement was to say "Liberals do it to!" which may have been true in the distant past but hasn't been true since the 70's that I can remember as far as violence goes.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

I remember after Sept. 11, there was a story in the Times about someone, maybe a professor or commentator--some kind of professional opinionist, who skewed VERY left, and who'd said something about how the American flag is seen as a terrorist flag around the world. Something pretty incendiary like that. She said this like a day or a week before Sept 11, and then afterward she confronted a flood of protest--received letters, etc. Well--yeah, that's a pretty inflammatory thing to say, isn't it? Of course she had no idea what was going to happen, but still, that's such pointlessly incendiary rhetoric. Ditto that asshole Columbia professor who wished "a million Mogadishus" on US forces--what a shitty, insensitive thing to say. Again, pointlessly inflammatory and just as irresponsible as anything Palin has said. Nicolas De Genova was speaking at a teach-in, and he was immediately condemned for his statement (and the many subsequent stupid statements he's made). He still didn't get it though--just like Phillips doesn't get it. They're the victims, amirite? Hey, free speech just means you get to say it--doesn't mean other people aren't going to react.

Professional opinionists are the worst--they have to keep coming up with outrageous things in order to keep people interested, they see no percentage in moderation and thoughtful discourse.

[nswakko15.livejournal.com]

I'm slightly disturbed that they wrote shot and killed for her and yet she's still alive right nd the doctors seem to be optimistic about her pulling through.
And the story on the 9 yr old girl was heartbreaking. Turns out she was also a 9/11 baby.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Yesterday was pretty touch and go--I believe several news media released "confirmed" reports that Giffords had died, including I think NPR. What skeeves me out more is the pallid tone of the statement--he frankly just doesn't sound that affected. It sounds very pro forma.

Oh God. That girl. Yeah, I read about her birthday. Jesus. I was sobbing on the phone yesterday, talking to my mother. What the hell is wrong with him? How could you possibly kill a CHILD?

[dje2004.livejournal.com]

I was checking out a discussion of this on another message board, and what's interesting is that someone else one that board mentioned the exact same thing you did: context. Those on the right want to pretend that there's no context for the actions of James Von Brunn or Byron Williams or Jim Adkisson, that the constant rhetoric of violence and paranoia and revolution from the right didn't influence them. And the thing is, I didn't even include Jared Loughner on that list because we don't even know yet what motivated him. From everything I've read, he comes across as a deranged kook with no easily identifiable political ideology. But it certainly isn't ridiculous to talk about whether or not he was influenced by the vitriol coming from the right. Had he attacked a Republican politician, I'd be just as concerned that he was influenced by the vitriol coming from the left (and I've seen things written by people on the left in the past that have left me disgusted).

Oh, and what exactly did the left try to do after the Oklahoma City bombing? Point out that it was a poltically-motivated act of violence that was influenced by an extreme right wing ideology? Or are we supposed to believe that there was no context to Timothy McVeigh's actions either?

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Even more so with him. The Tucson shooter sounds like a straight up loony, but McVeigh absolutely knew what he was doing. He was evil, not crazy.

Methinks invoking another horrible mass murder associated with right-wing extremist views might not be the best move tactically for Phillips. But then I think the entirety of his statement should be about the victims.

I read on the Post comments section, some guy was desperately trying to list a whole bunch of left-wing extremist statements (can't remember them all--I think one was from Bill Ayre)--well, sure, bring 'em on, I have no problem bringing them into the discussion. I am against violent rhetoric of ALL kinds. The guy posted it as though "that'll shut you up--see, YOU do it too." But it's not about "winning" because of some devastating riposte--it's not about "winning" at all. It's about trying to put this commercially motivated hate behind us, about trying to establish a mutually respectful discourse and political environment. I mean, a Congressman SCREAMED at the President during his speech--what the hell? That shows such contempt for the process.