Fighting Words

I'll try not to repeat anything others have already said regarding the recent tragedy in Tucson.

We all agree, 'murder' is wrong, always. Always. Except well, maybe...

... as a punishment for those unrepentant of heinous crimes.

.... in self-defense.

..... in times of war.

....... if it will save a child.

Murder *IS* okay when enough people come together in agreement. We, as a society, glorify the shaping of boyish minds into brave soldiers, who go to other countries ready to kill. We, as a society, knowingly send many of them to their deaths, hoping they will beat the odds and return alive.

The point is this: We humans allow the unallowable, forgive the unforgivable when it comes to murder when we decide it is in our best interests. We make it 'okay' by vilifying and objectifying a 'common foe', who will stop at nothing to destroy us.

We make it clear that it is kill or be killed. If we do not act, they will vanquish us, they will harm our children, they will dance on our graves, etc, etc.

The violent rhetoric is merely the tip of the iceberg. The hate-talk industry has long been vilifying, objectifying, marginalizing "the liberals" for years. The same way they do Arabs, Gays... not because of what we do, but because of who we are.

We verbally attack the right because we see them abdicating power to big money interests. They favor big corporations who are sending our jobs over seas... and companies who are replacing full time jobs with benefits with part time jobs without, because it's cheaper. Companies that are taking out life insurance policies on their employees for their own benefit. Companies expertly wringing every cent we've made or ever will make out of us through predatory lending tactics. And all the while they're cutting funding for education, and programs that would help us be a smarter more capable country.

And... what evils are the Left guilty of? A little too much compassion? A few too many social help programs? Unions? Being educated? Being pro-choice, anti-gun, anti-war? Being for affordable healthcare that's NOT run by former pirates and mobsters?

The rhetoric they use is that the Left is attacking them, that we are threatening the safety of their children, that we are unrepentantly guilty of heinous crimes [like not showing unconditional love for our country always, or because we overspend due to bleeding-heartedness, communism/socialism, etc, etc].

Right-wing hate-talk is *daily* laying accusations against the Left that is synonymous with the justifications used to allow state-sanctioned murder.

It's not just the 'violent' rhetoric that needs to stop... what needs to stop is the right-wing propaganda machine that is successfully peddling a compelling justification for civil war.