alright. if you believed palin was no inciting violence and was not literally telling people to get their guns and go shoot someone, why did you harp on her comments all weekend and ask those on the right (whom you know would not think she meant guns) what she meant? and why did you harp on the consequences statement?
and lastly, why is it you haven't talked about the violent rhetoric on the left? i'm not asking for 50/50 (most of us are partisan, i lean right), but all weekend you were talking about how harmful the right is and continually bringing up palin, and never anything about the left. how does that help our political discourse? especially since you believe palin was not inciting violence.
I don't believe Palin was telling anyone to literally go shoot someone. But I do believe she was stoking an element of the right that revels in trying to project an image that is intimidating and hints at 2nd amendment solutions.
You keep accusing me of repeating 'violent rhetoric or imagery and repeatedly saying -
they have consequences'
THAT is what the victim said:
“Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there are consequences to that action.”
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
I put more stock in Giffords' words than Palin's. It was her district office that was vandalized during the health care debate, not Palin's.
There is a very unhealthy monologue by the right blaming government for all our problems. Our founding fathers created a government to address our problems. The real problem is government is being controlled more and more by monied interests that don't have the average citizen's interest at heart.
"The equal rights of man, and the happiness of every individual, are now acknowledged to be the only legitimate objects of government. Modern times have the signal advantage, too, of having discovered the only device by which these rights can be secured, to wit: government by the people, acting not in person, but by representatives chosen by themselves, that is to say, by every man of ripe years and sane mind, who contributes either by his purse or person to the support of his country." --Thomas Jefferson to A. Coray, 1823. ME 15:482