Washington Week (PBS) does it's usual best to provide cover for GOP & Tea-Party

[Bill USA]

On Gwen Awful's Washington Week - where they struggle mightily to present political developments as the Corporate contributors want them too (i.e. consistent with GOP talking points) they of course presented the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords as if it was silly to see any possible connection of this crime and Republican/ TEa-Party Hate-speech and threats.

They don't have the transcript on the web yet (they like to delay it as long as possible at WashWeek) so I can't give you an exact quote but Awful in trying to minimize the import of the incessant barrage of vituperative, threatening statements thrown at Democrats by various GOPers and Tea-Partiers said something like:

"Well, we all have said some things......(trailing off into unintelligible sounds)" which was immediateley met with agreeing sounds from the assembled sycophants: "m-m-m, m-m-hm-hm".

I am curious, I wonder if Awful, Dan Baltz, Janet Hook, Pete Williams and Charles Babington ever made public statements about competitors such as -

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/sharron_angle_floated_possibil.html">Sharron Angle said: "the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out." and "if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies." ?

... or John Boehner's gem about a Democratic Congressman who voted for the Health Care Reform bill: "http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011432285_healthreat25.html">He may be a dead man. He can’t go home to the west side of Cincinnati. The Catholics will run him out of town."

it's worth noting what the the Congressman in question, Steve Driehaus, said to Bohner when he confronted him about the death curse:

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/amid-death-threats-dem-rep-dreihaus-points-the-finger-at-gop-leadership.php?ref=fpb

"I told him it was inexcusable," Driehaus said. "It doesn't really matter the way you meant it, nor the way I accept it.
It's how the least sane person in my district accepts it."

"Protesters have been demonstrating at Driehaus' Ohio home, said Tim Mulvey, a spokesman for the anti-abortion Democrat who joined Stupak in voting for the health bill. A rock was thrown through the Hamilton County Democratic Party headquarters in Cincinnati, and a death threat was phoned in to his (Driehaus's) Washington office a day later, Mulvey said."http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011432285_healthreat25.html">Democrats targeted after Health Care Vote

Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, shouted "baby killer" as anti-abortion Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak explained why he decided to vote for the bill.
~~
~~
Stupak said he referred about 50 threats to the U.S. Capitol Police for an assessment. Typically in a year he receives one or two threats that rise to the level of a report to the police, he said.."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011432285_healthreat25.html">Democrats targeted after Health Care Vote

A man threatened to burn down Ohio (Dem) Representative John Boccieri's house, because he had stated he woould vote for the Health Care Bill. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/10/tennessee_man_charged_in_threa.html


Does Ms. Awful and her fellow phony journalists really think their rather pathetic efforts to cover for the GOP's love of hate-speech will fool anybody?

Awful said no evidence has been shown to connect inflammatory rhetoric (of the GOP) to the attempted assassination. I have a question for Ms. Awful then:

6.6 million people live in Arizona. How did Loughner narrow down the 6.6 million to Rep. Giffords? I guess it was just a case of bad luck for Ms. Giffords. I wonder why when Loughner was thrown out of the University he was attending, why he didn't direct some of his rage at officials/students of the university, instead of Giffords with whom he had had a total of ONE interaction? .... any suggestions Ms. Awful???

Actually, to the crew over as WashWeek I would suggest that you consider that unbalanced people are particularly susceptible to doomsday talk ("The Government's out to get you, to take away your freedoms!") than the more well balanced person. Why wouldn't Loughner be MORE inclined to be affected by inflammatory language.


Actually, it is not necessary for potential victims of hate speech to prove that there is a connection between violent behavior by some and inflammatory language used in political "debate". SINCE HUMAN LIVES WEIGH IN THE BALANCE - what IS necessary is for those who rely on hate speech and threats to prove - beyond any doubt - THAT THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THEIR INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC AND ACTS OF VIOLENCE BY SOME. IT IS THE ABSENCE OF ANY CONNECTION OF THE TWO THAT MUST BE PROVEN - BEFORE SUCH HATE SPEECH SHOULD BE TOLERATED.


http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/watch_the_show/13520

[JohnWxy]

1. Right. PBS NewsHour is performing tricks for the GOP more and more.

recommended!

[fatbuckel]

2. There's a line in the movie" Close Encounters of the Third Kind" where Richard Dreyfuss character

Is with the AirForce to find out what the story is on what they've been seeing and the one scruffy fellow chimes out "I once saw Bigfoot" and Mr. Dreyfuss' character rolls his eyes....

[JohnWxy]

3. ......... ...ohhhhhhhhhkayyyyyyyyy.

[fatbuckel]

4. Oh yea... I'm loony.