Monday, January 24, 2011

The Vitriol from the Right

Rush Limbaugh said the following on the air:
“Liberals should have their speech controlled and not be allowed to buy guns. I mean if we want to get serious about this, if we want to face this head on, we're gonna have to openly admit, liberals should not be allowed to buy guns, nor should they be allowed to use computer keyboards or typewriters, word processors or e-mails, and they should have their speech controlled. If we did those three or four things, I can't tell you what a sane, calm, civil, fun-loving society we would have. Take guns out of the possession, out of the hands of liberals, take their typewriters and their keyboards away from 'em, don't let 'em anywhere near a gun, and control their speech.”

And Glenn Beck has said things that are even more demented. For example, a video clip was put up recently by Beck supporters to supposedly refute the claims that Glenn Beck told his audience to shoot people in the head. This video clip starts with typed introductory commentary from the Beckheads that says:
“There is a video going around called “Glenn Beck Shoot Them in the Head Video Clip Found” in which someone is trying to convince people that Glenn Beck is encouraging his audience to take up arms against the government.

“The clip was taken out of context, perhaps in an attempt to convince others that Glenn Beck or other conservative hosts might have played a role in motivating Jared Loughner to shoot the congresswoman in Arizona.

Well, here is what Glenn really said..

As you watch, note that “you” refers to the leftist politicians in Washington and their pals in the media, and “they” refers to their radical leftist friends – who, Beck warns, actually believe there must be violent revolution…

…and if they don’t get what they want, they may start one. “
The actual video clip from the show itself doesn’t start until 0:32 (in case you don’t want to sit through the typed introduction)



TRANSCRIPT:

Just because you in Washington and you who are so out of touch with life in the media, just because you don't believe in anything doesn't mean nobody else does. We do. You know why you're confused by this show? It's because I believe in something. You don't.

Tea parties believe in small government. We believe in returning to the principles of our Founding Fathers. We respect them. We revere them. Shoot me in the head before I stop talking about the Founders. Shoot me in the head if you try to change our government, I will stand against you and so will millions of others. We believe in something. You in the media and most in Washington don't. The radicals that you and Washington have co-opted and brought in wearing sheep's clothing — change the pose. You will get the ends.”

“You've been using them? They believe in communism. They believe and have called for a revolution. You're going to have to shoot them in the head. But warning, they may shoot you.

“They are dangerous because they believe. Karl Marx is their George Washington. You will never change their mind. And if they feel you have lied to them — they're revolutionaries. Nancy Pelosi, those are the people you should be worried about.”


I don’t see how anyone on the Right thinks that this video somehow “refutes” (or should I use Sarah Palin’s made up word “refudiates”?) the claim that Glenn Beck advocated for people to be “shot in the head”. I guess their claim is that the people whom Beck is advocating should get shot in the head “deserve it” because they’re “revolutionaries” (while he idolizes the Founding Fathers of this country, who were…by definition, Revolutionaries). I guess Beck would have wanted Jefferson “shot in the head”, or maybe Paine? Madison? Exactly which “revolutionaries” does Beck want to “shoot in the head”, and using what standards?

In the same transcript of the same show, Beck also said the following, which I feel compelled to directly answer… (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,594343,00.html)
"I want to warn you now, Democrats, your party is over. And I don't mean — all tea parties and Republicans are going to beat you in November. I mean the Democrats, as we used to know them, the Democrats that were in my family growing up, are over.”
Well, you know what Glenn…since I was raised as a very dedicated Republican and worked quite avidly for the party for a LOT of years (before I felt compelled to leave it when the religious right and lunatics like YOU took over and turned it into something I didn’t recognize anymore) I would respond by saying that the Republicans that were in my family growing up, are over. My 76 year old mother, a Goldwater Republican, has come to the point where she is ashamed to call herself a Republican anymore.  Even David Stockman, a former Republican Congressman who served as Director of the OMB under Reagan, called himself a “lapsed republican” during an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday, January 21st. So it seems that your party isn’t really in grand shape either, and personally, I blame you and your ilk for that.

Beck also said, “The radicals have infected the party. They have been brought in by politicians who don't really care about anything. They just want to win. They've been tolerating the revolutionaries — the Democrats have.”

Again, that is my take on what happened to the Republican Party. Radical Right-wingers have infected the party. They were brought in by politicians (and churches) who don’t really care about anything other than pushing their right-wing agenda and doing whatever it takes to win. The Republicans have been tolerating the religious lunatics who murder doctors and advocate violence for FAR too long.

Beck also really needs to make up his mind, because he even contradicts himself.  FIRST he says that “nobody in the press and nobody in Washington actually believes a damn thing, except their own image.” and says, “Just because you in Washington and you who are so out of touch with life in the media, just because you don't believe in anything doesn't mean nobody else does. We do. You know why you're confused by this show? It's because I believe in something. You don't.” But then in the same rant he babbles about how strongly committed the “progressives” are to this “revolution” he imagines we are planning (and apparently deserve to be “shot in the head” for).

Beck says: “As you will learn on "Founding Fridays(sic)," this Friday, we're talking about James Madison. Here is what you will learn. The revolution of 1776 was a picnic compared to what the revolutionaries of today would like to do. It's not a lot of fun. Usually, millions of people die.”

The apparent schizophrenia in his hatred of modern “revolutionaries” but hero worship for the “revolutionaries” that were the “Founding Fathers” is absolutely staggering. Every day this madman seems more and more like “Howard Beale” from “Network”…I’m just waiting for the day he goes completely over the edge (more than he already has of course) and really goes on a shooting spree or has some other total breakdown. It seems to me it’s really just a matter of time.

Beck says, “Here is my advice when you're dealing with people who believe in something that strongly — you take them seriously. You listen to their words and you believe that they will follow up with what they say.”

You know what, Mr. Beck, I do believe you. I believe you, and I believed Sharron Angle when she recommended her “second amendment remedies”, and I believed Michelle Bachman when she told her people that she wanted them “armed and dangerous”, and I believed Sarah Palin when she told her people to “lock and load” and “don’t retreat, reload”.  I believe you all…that’s what scares the hell out of me, and makes me afraid for my country.

Beck says, “Tea parties believe in small government. We believe in returning to the principles of our Founding Fathers. We respect them. We revere them. Shoot me in the head before I stop talking about the Founders. Shoot me in the head if you try to change our government.”

You know what Mr. Beck…I respect and "revere" the founding principles of this country too!  I consider the Constitution of the United States to be practically sacred (unlike my opinion of your bible).  I am an extremely patriotic person and have a deeper love of this country than I believe someone like yourself is even capable of understanding, let alone feeling.  But I don’t WANT to shoot you in the head. I don’t want to shoot ANYONE in the head. And I wish that you and the folks like you didn’t want to shoot others, but you are the one who advocates “shooting” so-called “revolutionaries” (which seems to be anyone that disagrees with your warped viewpoints). Nor would I even go as far as your pal Limbaugh who wants to strip those that disagree with him ideologically of their first and second amendment rights.

But I will say that if being against the two of YOU and the horrible, demented things that you (and your respective followers) say makes me a “revolutionary”? Well…then I guess...
...“Viva la Revolution”.

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