A Kinder Gentler Tone

The irony is just too much.

It seems not so long ago that a mad-man did the unspeakable.  He took a gun and fired it.  Lots of times.  People died and a nation changed, and a dialogue on dialogue began.

And it got kinda personal.

Rightfully so people were shocked out of their senses.  The images on the screen, the TV or, God forbid, right in front of them, were too much.  This was the stuff of “other”.  Other countries, other people or other times.  But not now, not here and not to us.

For a second people, perhaps only naturally, lost their senses and became what we all really are, just human.  And we lashed out in our need to blame.  And we found it, we found it in that which is most feared.  That which we do not understand.

And for the Left, that was conservatives.  Especially far-right conservatives.  And they named them the Tea Party.

Soon it was all the talk of the town that the violent rhetoric had gone too far, was too much.  The crazies were crazy and “How gawd-damned dare they?  How DARE they!?!”.

It was too bad then.  And just because it was they then doesn’t mean I’m gonna bash on they now.  But I WILL laugh at them:

Yesterday, I was advocating for a new Lincoln for the United States to tell the Tea Party like Lincoln told Confederates exactly 1851 years ago to… f*** off.

Today, The New York Times agrees:

You know what they say: Never negotiate with terrorists. It only encourages them.  These last few months, much of the country has watched in horror as the Tea Party Republicans have waged jihad on the American people. Their intransigent demands for deep spending cuts, coupled with their almost gleeful willingness to destroy one of America’s most invaluable assets, its full faith and credit, were incredibly irresponsible. But they didn’t care. Their goal, they believed, was worth blowing up the country for, if that’s what it took.

In that short little excerpt, the Liberal Elite* invoked inflammatory speech no less than 3 times.  And the he is praised. Right now the Left is apoplectic that the term Tar Baby was used in referring to Obama and his policies.  “Words matter!!” they scream from the rooftops.  “You ugly ugly people!”

It turns out they are only shouting to themselves.  And they aren’t listening.

* I do reserve the right to take writer’s liberty with the word elite.

8 responses to “A Kinder Gentler Tone

  1. It is indeed inflammatory to ask for compassion. Washington and the founding father when they told the Empire they didn’t want to be second class citizens oppressed by a king accross the ocean it was inflammatory. Lincoln when he declared slavery was no longer tolerated it was inflammatory. When LB Johnson signed the Civil Rights bill it was inflammatory. When Obama talked about universal healthcare it was… hold on… I think I have it…

    • It is indeed inflammatory to ask for compassion.

      I don’t doubt you are acting out of compassion. Though, to be honest, I think that some on the far Left are acting out of what they think is proper class destruction. That is, they honestly think that there are some people in this world that should labor for the rest.

      No, it’s not that. I honestly think that you are acting out of good faith to care for the less fortunate. I share that compassion with you. However, we each have our “faith” we want to use as the vehicle for that compassion. I choose my community, my churches and my lodges. You choose your government. Again, I think you and I want the same thing, I just disagree with your method.

      However, the point here is that when it suits the Left to be outraged over improper and inflammatory speech, then it’s okay to condemn those that participate in such rhetoric. But when it’s the Left itself that is engaging in such language, terrorists, Jihad etc etc, then it’s not something to protest but rather something to celebrate. As if the metaphor is clever and worthy because it’s being uttered by Vice Presidents and news reporters.

      To be sure, I do not think that you, the author or the VP Biden really think that those on the Right that opposed the Left in the negotiations are terrorists. I think you are, in fact, using the language to make a point, not a point of fact. However, it would be refreshing if you would extend the courtesy.

  2. This is a complete false equivalence and hopefully you see that. What the right did was use violent aggressive rhetoric to incite their followers. The bulls-eyes were a message that those were targets, that they would take those targets, etc. On the other hand, the left used violent aggressive imagery to describe what the right was doing. And quite frankly, when one side is willing to let the country default if they don’t get everything they want, the metaphor of negotiating with terrorists is apt.

    Also, notice that even Mitch McTurtle uses criminal tones to describe the GOP behavior:
    “I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,” he said. “Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this — it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming. And it focuses the Congress on something that must be done.”

    Both of the forms of rhetoric that you’re pointing out may be wrong or right or whatever, but the two are very different.

    • This is a complete false equivalence and hopefully you see that.

      I don’t see that.

      What the right did was use violent aggressive rhetoric to incite their followers. The bulls-eyes were a message that those were targets, that they would take those targets, etc.

      The map above….it’s a Democrat map targeting Republican’s districts. It’s not the Palin map targeting Democrat’s districts. What the Right did last election is nothing more than the Left did earlier. And, to be fair, what is a very common theme in politics.

      On the other hand, the left used violent aggressive imagery to describe what the right was doing.

      It it reasonable to say that what America does to terrorists is hunt them down? That we “target” terrorists?

      And quite frankly, when one side is willing to let the country default if they don’t get everything they want, the metaphor of negotiating with terrorists is apt.

      Even had the deal fell through, the United States would not have defaulted. Surely you understand that the cost of our debt is easily paid out of our receipts. If you consider the fact that we didn’t cut spending at all, AND we are allowing revenues to rise, it’s better to describe the deal as getting very little of what we wanted much less everything.

      However, that aside, is it the place we’ve come to that those who disagree with you are terrorists? Guys that walk into churches and shoot doctors…yes. But an earnest argument that spending money like we are is a bad thing?

      No. I don’t see it.

  3. I do think way to much is made of using targets, as implying take arms agains a person or persons. Using a metaphore is not the equivalent of being literal.

    • I do think way to much is made of using targets, as implying take arms agains a person or persons. Using a metaphore is not the equivalent of being literal.

      I agree. I no more think Democrats wanted sick and demented leftists to shoot Republicans than Republicans wanted sick and demented rightists to shoot Democrats. Each uses the map and almost every single person who breathes air understands what they mean.

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