As we have a national debate on health care reform, the focus is not on the merits of the issue, it’s on fabricated distortions designed to terrify, to inflame and create an outrage. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) stood of the floor of Congress and said, “The Democratic plan will put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government.” Sarah Palin claimed the reform measure would create “Death Panels”. Only a few days later her claim was defended by Newt Gingrich.
Individuals are arriving at town hall meetings with instructions of how to disrupt the meeting by yelling and shouting. One of them actually yelled, “Keep your government hands off my Medicare.” That’s not about “free speech”; it’s about denying others the right of free speech.
Frequently I read a number of prominent political message board sites. Recently a post was made about the president under the title “Did Anyone Else Watch The Chimpanzee?” In addition to including a photo of Adolph Hitler, the poster also stated, “Why is it every time I watch him on a live feed, I just wish to God to watch a slug split his skull open. I mean I really want this to happen. I’m looking at him off and on while I type this imagining what it would look like. It would be a beautiful thing. I truly look forward to this moment. Any true patriot would.” The post drew a considerable volume of supporters and is not that unique. In this case I brought it to the attention of the Secret Service.
On August 13th, Associated Press published a story that reported that the Secret Service is investigating a man who authorities said held a sign readying “Death to Obama” outside a town hall meeting on health care reform in Maryland. The sign also read “Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids.”
What is missing is even one single leader of the Republican Party taking a stand that the debate should be on the issues, the real issues, not fabricated claims like “Death Panels” and the government killing senior citizens. Not one single leader has publicly made any attempt to calm the anger or encourage civility at these discussions. As the flames of hatred are fanned and hatred becomes the new acceptable norm, we’re going to eventually see the short step to an eruption of violence.
It only took one hate filled 88 year old man to travel to Washington to open fire at the U.S. Holocaust Museum where he killed a guard before being shot. It only took one mentally deranged individual with a hand gun to shoot Ronald Reagan. It only took two hate filled individuals to kill 168 people in Oklahoma City. Further encouragement, absent of any attempts to tone down the rhetoric keeps us on an inevitable path towards violence.
My question to you Senator, are you willing to become the voice of reason, making a public effort, speaking out, to return the national debate to a civil discourse on the real issues?
Individuals are arriving at town hall meetings with instructions of how to disrupt the meeting by yelling and shouting. One of them actually yelled, “Keep your government hands off my Medicare.” That’s not about “free speech”; it’s about denying others the right of free speech.
Frequently I read a number of prominent political message board sites. Recently a post was made about the president under the title “Did Anyone Else Watch The Chimpanzee?” In addition to including a photo of Adolph Hitler, the poster also stated, “Why is it every time I watch him on a live feed, I just wish to God to watch a slug split his skull open. I mean I really want this to happen. I’m looking at him off and on while I type this imagining what it would look like. It would be a beautiful thing. I truly look forward to this moment. Any true patriot would.” The post drew a considerable volume of supporters and is not that unique. In this case I brought it to the attention of the Secret Service.
On August 13th, Associated Press published a story that reported that the Secret Service is investigating a man who authorities said held a sign readying “Death to Obama” outside a town hall meeting on health care reform in Maryland. The sign also read “Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids.”
What is missing is even one single leader of the Republican Party taking a stand that the debate should be on the issues, the real issues, not fabricated claims like “Death Panels” and the government killing senior citizens. Not one single leader has publicly made any attempt to calm the anger or encourage civility at these discussions. As the flames of hatred are fanned and hatred becomes the new acceptable norm, we’re going to eventually see the short step to an eruption of violence.
It only took one hate filled 88 year old man to travel to Washington to open fire at the U.S. Holocaust Museum where he killed a guard before being shot. It only took one mentally deranged individual with a hand gun to shoot Ronald Reagan. It only took two hate filled individuals to kill 168 people in Oklahoma City. Further encouragement, absent of any attempts to tone down the rhetoric keeps us on an inevitable path towards violence.
My question to you Senator, are you willing to become the voice of reason, making a public effort, speaking out, to return the national debate to a civil discourse on the real issues?
