From the beginning I was unsure of whether the shooting in Tucson was politically motivated or not. But right away, I thought, does it matter whether Jared L. Loughner was Left or Right, Conservative or Liberal, a Nazi or a Communist? Not to me. Did it matter that his primary target was a politician? Yeah, I think so. But did it matter that the politician was a democrat, or a conservative democrat, or a blue dog democrat? Or someone who was formerly a republican? I don't think so. Loughner read the Communist Manifesto, Wizard of Oz and "We The Living," a book written by the anti-progressive Ayn Rand. What does that mean? Not much. He also enjoyed reading Mein Kampf. Giffords is Jewish. Does that matter? Nah. He probably didn't know she was Jewish.
From the early reports on the shooter's personal life, Loughner could have possibly been leaning left up until a few years ago, when it appears that something, very possibly the anti-social justice right-wing media, sent him off the rails and he veered far-right. From the little information I gathered about him, I'd say he was an off the grid anarcho-libertarian at the time of the shooting. Who knows what he is today - or tomorrow. So, without getting much in the way of facts, right away I thought this guy's political wing was as unstable as his mentality.
But he shot 19 people killing six. That's what matters. That's what makes him crazy.
As more facts begin to trickle in it's beginning to look like politics had less to do with it. That can change too, but that is precisely why I blame right-wing radio, Beck, Palin, Bachmann, Limbaugh and the Tea Party for what happened on Saturday in Tucson.
Here's why:
It was only the Republicans who recently openly advocated the use of "Second Amendment Remedies" in their campaigns and referred to opposing members of Congress as "domestic enemies." What were they thinking? They were thinking "crazy." It was the tea partiers alone who flaunted their guns - and it was only their leaders who drew gun sights on their opponents. What were they thinking? They were thinking "crazy." It shouldn't be too hard to figure out that when it came to Palin and Beck using their ultimate psychological weapon, politics was no longer part of the picture. Crazy was. I'm talking about their use of intimidation, veiled threats of violence and raw hate for political advantage. Their shared political goal was merely the innocent passenger. Their high charged rhetoric was the vehicle and it was exactly that kind of rhetoric that just begs for retaliation from the other side.
On many of his programs, Glenn Beck has said he expects retaliation. He expects a bloody revolution and he expects the left-wing to start it. At the fraudulently named "Restore Honor" event he hosted last year, I fully believed the self-hating rodeo clown expected to be shot on the stage. He expected armed violent outrage against his rhetoric. He knew he was pushing all the right buttons to set off even good thinking and politically stable Americans into a rage. He also knows that there are many Jared L. Loughners out there. Same with Palin. Same with Bachmann. Same with Limbaugh. They are all members of the wing of crazy - the nutwing party. They know that the more people outraged by their crazy talk - the better. Sooner or later, the bluster and boldness of making right with might was going to sink in among a few. What happened on Saturday was coming home to roost at the door of lunatic radio talkers Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and the likes of Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and others of their ilk - no matter what. It shouldn't have surprised anyone. It was only a matter of time. Crazy is as crazy does.
Gasbag Rush: Left is accusing “majority” of being “accomplices to murder”... which is a Limbaugh abstract for saying he believes that the majority of Americans are just like Jared Loughner.
"What a baby this Rush is. A 9 year old among others dies, and all he can do is think of himself as a victim." -- blog commenter
"
Mission accomplished, Sarah Palin" Markos, Dailykos
The sheriff got it right.
