When Wingnut BS Goes Bad

[babylonsister]

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2009/4/4/19227/19363

When Wingnut BS Goes Bad

by Steven D
Sat Apr 4th, 2009 at 07:02:27 PM EST

snip//

Yep. That's right. Three police officers were ambushed by some idiot who believed this insane confabulated fever dream of a rumor that Obama was going to come in the night and take away all his bang-bang toys. It's sickening. It's disturbing. And, for the families and friends of the three dead officers it must seem like some bizarre, surreal, absurdist farce. Except, of course, that it actually happened, and they will have to bury and mourn their loved ones because a band of ignorant jackasses (and more than a few right wing opportunists) invented a story that had no basis in reality, a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, but in this case tragically signifying the needless death of three public servants paid to protect their fellow citizens.

Just like the poor innocent congregants of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church who witnessed the murders of two of their community because a deranged individual by the name of Jim D. Adkisson, a connoisseur of right wing hatemongers like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, decided to commit a hate crime as revenge against liberals, once more we see how the inane lies and fantasies spread by of a minority of spiteful, fearful, ignorant, bigoted and small minded people have resulted in the deaths of innocents. We keep saying it can't happen here, that we will never see a movement among certain members of our society to kill fellow Americans simply because of their political beliefs or status "government employees" or immigrants, or gays, or blacks, etc. We keep saying this country is not like Cambodia, or Rwanda, or other places where mass violence has erupted because of the hateful propaganda preached by a few power mad demagogues. And yet . . .

And yet these deadly incidents keep happening. And evil media clowns like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and even politicians like Michelle Bachmann keep screaming their twisted diatribes of hate over the airwaves, ratcheting up their deceitful, mendacious and dangerous rhetoric to levels we haven't seen since the days when the Klu Klux Klan dominated vast regions of this country in the twenties and thirties. Days when lynchings were common. Nor do we need to look that far back. It was only 14 years ago, during the administration of another centrist Democratic President that we suffered the worst act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by another crazy bastard who swallowed the far right lies hook line and sinker: a bastard named Timothy McVeigh.

McVeigh's tragic attack on the Federal Building in Oklahoma City came at a time when right wing hate radio talk shows and the National Republicans were in full on attack mode against President Bill Clinton and the evils of "Big Guvmint." The rise of right wing militias were in full flower. A time when a white supremacist made a Jewish community center in Los Angeles a free fire zone. And this all occurred during a time of economic prosperity and relative stability. Before Fox News had fully mutated into the master manipulator and fear monger it has become today. A time before Hannity and O'Reilly were household words, and Glenn Beck was just a small time radio personality and recovering ex-alcoholic, not the self described leader of the 9/12 Project whose motto is "We Surround Them," the "them" in this case being anyone who voted for Obama, or who isn't a white, gun loving, tax hating conservative Christian.

The longer the Becks and the O'Reillys and the Hannitys and the Limbaughs and the Savages and all their little wannabe imitators continue this campaign of fear and distortion, spreading hate and lies to their audiences and anyone those gullible enough to believe every misleading canard that they screech from their media pulpits, the more incidents like the murder of these three Pittsburgh police officers by deluded and unstable individuals will continue to occur.

Their eliminationist jokes regarding the deaths of liberals and other "Un-American traitors" were never funny, but they are quickly becoming downright dangerous to our public safety. To Your safety. My safety. Our children's safety. As more and more people lose their jobs the audience for this kind of deluded, scapegoating rhetoric grows larger every day. As does the chance that the violent language of these radical right wing agitators will erupt into more and more instances of actual violence. We already know that President Obama received an unprecedented number of death threats (and several actual foiled conspiracies) before he won election. How long will it be before one of these fruitcake dittohead followers of Beck and Limbaugh and Hannity and Savage make an attempt on his life, or the lives of other prominent liberal spokespeople and/or Democratic politicians?

Downplay the danger all you want, but remember, an animal is at its most dangerous when it is wounded and cornered. We are watching the devolution of the Mighty Right Wing Wurlitzer into an engine of mass insanity, one that could lead us all down a very dark and destructive path if we are not careful and cognizant of the very real danger it represents to our democracy and to our security.

[Old School Liberal]

1. They're a sordid lot, and all...

But what is to be done besides throwing the occasional maniac in jail? Silencing the Hannitys of the country is a far more dangerous prospect than letting them make known their opinions. Rational, bipartisan debate should foster enough of an understanding that these people certainly have nothing to fear in regards to the 2nd Amendment. Concentrating more power in the government to deal with this threat would validate every one of their fears, which would likely escalate the situation--not to mention the old adage 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

[gratuitous]

2. There is no First Amendment right to the airwaves

Whether it's the publicly owned radio broadcast bands, the over-the-air television signals, or the cable channels, the First Amendment only guarantees free speech, not a platform to speak from. When will the corporate custodians of the public airwaves act responsibly and quit providing an outlet for such odious, despicable propaganda? Let Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck and the rest of them yammer on with their ant-American and traitorous poison; just without a nationally broadcast platform and the enormous salary our system has granted to them.

[Old School Liberal]

6. It's an attractive proposition, but ultimately not practical

I believe our 10th Amendment specifically states that powers not specifically given to the federal government fall under the jurisdiction of the states or the people.
If memory serves, radio broadcast bands are not included, and thus, a national ban would be unconstitutional.

However, I do believe it was rather effectively applied in Germany, sometime in the 30s, if a hypothetical model were to be required.

I suppose if the loose constructionists have their way it can be applied, and if that is the case, I propose that these dangerous men (i.e. whomever you label) be banned from public streets and roads, as well--we may be guaranteed the right to move about, but certainly not a platform upon which to walk.

[creeksneakers2]

9. The power is there under the Commerce Clause

The question is, is it pre-empted by the first Amendment? The public has a right to control the airwaves but I can't believe the courts would extend that to allow banning broadcasts of certain opinions.

The courts haven't agreed with your view of the 10th Amendment. "Loose constructionists" are in the eye of the beholder.

[Old School Liberal]

16. Good point

I suppose the Commerce Clause could apply in the case of limited airwave frequencies. But certainly not on theoretically limitless cable channels.

[rvablue]

14. You're having a grand time spewing your thinly veiled Cry Baby Beck talking points

on here today.

Enjoy while you can. I can't see how you'll last here long.

[kentuck]

3. It is disturbing, isn't it?

Many of these propagandists are now calling for revolution. Where have they been for the last eight years? Many folks, including most here at DU, have been calling for that for quite some time.

[Mira]

4. These were the thoughts going through my mind as well. It was an unbelievable

tour de force to explain to my Bush voting dentist's assistant that her vote for
Bush, in order to keep her gun because Gore would take it away, has been a vote to bring about destruction, and her gun was not in danger of being separated from her.
Geez.
What angers me the most is the fact that the comedians, the entertainers, the Glen Beck and Limbaugh a$$holes tell lies in such a convincing fashion they distort the perception of those who only listen to them, and allow Limbaugh "to read the newspaper for them".

I think they need to go off the air until we have public education that will allow our kids to come out of school able to Read/Write/do Math and think.
After that they will be laughed into the sewer.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

5. The denials will begin come monday.

That this was never what they meant, they are only blah blah blah. This person took it all wrong way and it isn't their fault, as it never seems to be. Then go back to spewing the very same bilge that this sap took to heart, then to nightmarish action.

Sadly, this might be wishful thinking on my part, for the Coulters and Savages that get ink and air for going further than the Becks and Limbaughs will at first have a history of saying the foulest things possible to get noticed. I can't rule out the possibility of cheers from them, even in the wake of this horrible tragedy, and that the echo chamber on Fox and AM hate radio will follow suit. It's been the formula for 20 years.

Thank you for the thread sis.

:hug:

[RamboLiberal]

7. Since I'm from Pittsburgh and familiar with the local RW crap

may I add to those with blood on their hands KDKA radio and their local wingnuts Mike Pintek who on inauguration eve had birther Berg on his show, and repeated the birther crap a couple of weeks later. He's also had shows on how Obama is going to grab your guns and highlighted "gun-grabbing" bills that probably won't make it out of committee(course he won't tell you that). Also Fred Honzberger. And the weekend idiot Dmitri who works for Dicky Mellon Scaife's rag which featured an Obama's going to grab your guns story 3 days ago. Tonight Dmitri was blaming the Brady Campaign for making idiots like the shooter fear for their guns.

Oh and lets not forget Jim Quinn, Rose and his warroom.

Hear, hear, for your post. I've been fearing these wingnuts on the radio are being allowed to get away with propaganda bordering on treason. Move-on got pilloried for comparing Bush to Nazis in an ad they didn't even create. Beck gets away with putting Obama on the cover in a Nazi uniform he is editor of. Everyday they get away with calling Obama vile names and accusing him of being a facist.

[LuckyLib]

13. It sounds as if Pittsburgh had its own chorus of wingnuts to supplement the national idiots.

A steady diet of that propaganda to folks with a screw loose would be enough to send em in search of their bullet-proof vests and their AK 47s.

They are complicit!

[formercia]

8. If they can't own it, they will destroy it.

Right-wing reactionary scorched-earth politics.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. K&R

This article kicks ass.

[creeksneakers2]

11. While its true that Limbaugh and Savage and Hannity and Beck

spread lies and hatred that could incite violence, I don't think they are to blame in this case. None of those people preaches that Jews will take over America and destroy it. They blame Liberals and Marxists for that, but not Jews. So, I don't think this latest mass murderer got his inspiration from any of the better known right wing propagandists. Poplawski was farther out on the fringes of wingnutry. He was a Nazi whose beliefs came from the Oort Cloud of the political continuum.

Limbaugh and the rest are definitely going to push nuts over the edge with their hate filled lies. They just haven't in this case, and its counterproductive to blame them without a stronger link.

Poplawski spent plenty of time on the web. I'm still waiting for somebody to find a Poplawski reference to one of the individuals blamed in this OP. Perhaps this will come.

[madeline_con]

12. What to do besides wring our hands...

Jam the RWers phone line when they're on the air. Prevent their supporters from getting through.

Edited to add: Email the creeps early and often. Tell them they're despicable liars, causing untold harm.

Boycott their advertisers, even if they also advertise on liberal radio. Tell them you're boycotting and why.

Write against the freaks at every opportunity and in every blog available. Make some noise!

Go forth and fuck 'em up!

[Danascot]

15. It should be against the law ... Oh, it is

I have qualms about this because of 1st amendment problems but there it is:

Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 2385

Sec. 2385. Advocating Overthrow of Government


Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or
teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of
overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or
the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession
thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by
force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any
such government; or

Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any
such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates,
sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed
matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity,
desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any
government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts
to do so; or

Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society,
group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the
overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or
violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any
such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes
thereof -

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than
twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by
the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five
years next following his conviction.

If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in
this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned
not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for
employment by the United States or any department or agency
thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.

As used in this section, the terms "organizes" and "organize",
with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include
the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the
regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units
of such society, group, or assembly of persons.


http://law.onecle.com/uscode/18/2385.html

[Bluebear]

17. Are we allowed to talk about this in GD again?

in re:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5392804&mesg_id=5392804