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Free Speech in the Crosshairs
The American Thinker ^ | January 11, 2011 | Joe Herring

Posted on 01/11/2011 3:24:08 AM PST by Scanian

This can't be happening again. A terrible tragedy, followed by vile recrimination and politically motivated accusations. Were no lessons learned after the slander of conservatives following the Oklahoma City bombing? Aside from the terrible specter of psychotic gunmen legislating with bullets, we now have to deal with the inanities of shameless members of the nattering class in a redux of the Clinton blame-game.

In a "Special Comment" segment aired the day of the Giffords shooting, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann began his segment by laying the blame for this shooting at the feet of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and others. Olbermann apologized for using harsh rhetoric himself in the past, and then he proceeded to posit that the shooter fell "victim to a thousand little temptations to violence" proffered by "only slightly less crazy" right-wingers on talk radio and television.

Democrat Senator Dick Durbin spouted on CNN that it is the language of the right and the imagery used by Sarah Palin and Tea Partiers that are catalysts for this sort of incident. Steny Hoyer, appearing on "Face the Nation," had apparently read the same talking points, as his remarks were uncannily similar to Senator Durbin's. Pennsylvania Representative Robert Brady (D) has already proposed legislation that would make it a "crime for anyone to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or violent against a federal official."

Sarah Palin used a very effective image during the last election targeting members of Congress who she felt needed to be defeated for election or reelection. The image placed a "crosshairs," such as would be seen through a gun-scope, on the map locations of their congressional districts. This is the "dangerous right-wing imagery" the left is claiming as incitement to assassination.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: clinton; durbin; giffords; intimidation; krugman; natteringclass; oklahomacity; olbermann; sarahpalin; talkingpoints
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1 posted on 01/11/2011 3:24:11 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian
Olbermann apologized for using harsh rhetoric himself in the past, and then he proceeded to posit that the shooter fell "victim to a thousand little temptations to violence" proffered by violent video games, violent rap music and violent movies.

If political opinion can can cause a nut to go off then the research finding that video games, rap music and movies don't influence MUST be wrong.

Congress should pass a law forbidding any such "entertainment" to ever be produced/sold in this country again and then do whatever is necessary to take out the trash that already exists.

2 posted on 01/11/2011 3:37:11 AM PST by abigailsmybaby ("If they bring a knife to the fight, we'll bring a gun". BHO)
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To: Scanian

Discounting Hate Speech since 2000

3 posted on 01/11/2011 3:39:13 AM PST by Vaquero (BHO....'The Pretenda from Kenya')
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To: Scanian

“The image placed a “crosshairs,” such as would be seen through a gun-scope”
____________________________________________

No, they are surveyor’s symbols, used to mark a special location.
I guess we have to put all surveyors on the terrorist watch list :P
Today’s idiocy in America is overwhelming.
The USSA is becoming a cesspool of absolute stupidity.


4 posted on 01/11/2011 3:39:13 AM PST by AlexW
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To: AlexW

It’s the inherent stupidity relevent to the preoccupation of the masses the Left manipulates with their psycho-warfare since the mid 19th Century. Hopefully one day the masses will wise up to the openly juvenile manipulations, and put a fist in their self annointed “intellectual” faces.


5 posted on 01/11/2011 3:52:23 AM PST by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists, call 'em what you will, they ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: Scanian

Keith Olbermann finds it a bit too easy to place himself in the shoes of Jared Loughner...You oughtta know, Keith!


6 posted on 01/11/2011 3:52:59 AM PST by equaviator ("There's a (datum) plane on the horizon coming in...see it?")
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To: rockinqsranch

They need to suppress dissent; truth is their enemy and must be “contained”. The masses are waking up, but slowly. At this point many people don’t believe anything from the Dem media, hence its decline accompanied by the rise of net news.


7 posted on 01/11/2011 3:56:59 AM PST by kearnyirish2
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To: rockinqsranch

“Hopefully one day the masses will wise up”
__________________________________

Sorry, but they will not.
They will just keep digging their way to Hell.

It is a catch 22.
You first have to change the media and education, but to do that, you have to have new media and education.
Understand? hahaha


8 posted on 01/11/2011 4:05:21 AM PST by AlexW
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To: Vaquero

Aren’t they known as a fairly PC place? “Happy holidays,” etc?

Let’s see if they make any changes.


9 posted on 01/11/2011 4:12:39 AM PST by Scanian
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To: abigailsmybaby

“Congress should pass a law forbidding any such “entertainment” to ever be produced/sold in this country again and then do whatever is necessary to take out the trash that already exists.”

You’re kidding me, right? If you value YOUR freedom of speech, then you have to put up with this sort of garbage.


10 posted on 01/11/2011 4:24:52 AM PST by CalvaryJohn (What is keeping that damned asteroid?)
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To: Scanian

“Were no lessons learned after the slander of conservatives following the Oklahoma City bombing?”

yes...lessons were learned...the left and MSM learned that they can get away with saying anything they want, truth be damned.


11 posted on 01/11/2011 4:48:18 AM PST by mreerm
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To: CalvaryJohn

Yes it’s sarcasm. I honestly didn’t think I’d need a sarcasm tag but nobody is getting my point in posting this article. So I’ll try again.

If violent videos, violent rap music and violent movies don’t have the power to influence people adversely then neither does political opinion and a campaign map.

The liberals always go apoplectic at the mention of the possibility of such a thing. Yet now, lefty congresscritters are rushing to try to ban anything they deem to be inflammatory...symbols, words, photos, speech. Hence my sarcastic suggestion to ban all violent entertainment.


12 posted on 01/11/2011 4:49:00 AM PST by abigailsmybaby ("If they bring a knife to the fight, we'll bring a gun". BHO)
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To: Scanian

Why doesn’t anyone go after the koran for what it incites?


13 posted on 01/11/2011 4:49:08 AM PST by mikey_hates_everything
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To: Scanian
The image placed a "crosshairs," such as would be seen through a gun-scope, on the map locations of their congressional districts.

Palin used surveyor symbols not crosshairs

Note the Date of the linked thread.

14 posted on 01/11/2011 4:59:25 AM PST by ASA Vet (Natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. De Vattel)
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To: mikey_hates_everything

I don’t know who you mean by “anyone” but we rip into it here on FR on almost a daily basis.

As for public officials-—that’s another matter.


15 posted on 01/11/2011 5:21:33 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian

I meant outside of FR. Was there this much coverage over the Ft. Hood massacre and Maj. Nidal Hasan/Hassan? And who or what may have influenced him?


16 posted on 01/11/2011 5:30:59 AM PST by mikey_hates_everything
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To: mikey_hates_everything

That’s why I admire Geert Wilders of Holland so much.

He tells it like it is about Islam and immigration and lets the chips fall where they may.

I think it is very curious that the UK bans him as a “hater” but Westboro “Baptist”’s lunatics have received visas and have demonstrations planned in England.


17 posted on 01/11/2011 5:35:37 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian
Free Speech in the Crosshairs

Crosshairs??!!!! You can't say things like that! Hatemonger!!!

/s

18 posted on 01/11/2011 6:28:39 AM PST by al_c (http://www.blowoutcongress.com)
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To: abigailsmybaby; Scanian

***... that the shooter fell “victim to a thousand little temptations to violence” proffered by violent video games, violent rap music and violent movies.***

WOW! Talk about 1968 all over again! When Bobby Kennedy was killed the MSM went into a tirade against TV shows, comic books, violent movies, “evil” 5 shot army surplus rifles and handguns, the Vietnam War.

Tv dumbd down.
Comic books cleaned up for a few years,
Army surplus firearms were banned,

(”Today we make America safe by taking guns out of the hands of criminals”.-Lyndon Johnson when he signed the 1968 Gun Control Act into law.)

Movies “self censored” and made more violent movies with rating system.
And the war went on.

Today, TV, comics, movies are all way worse than anything in 1968! Guns are still controled.


19 posted on 01/11/2011 7:49:36 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (I visited GEN TOMMY FRANKS Military Museum in HOBART, OKLAHOMA! Well worth it!)
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To: Scanian

With the D.C. hacks and media in full fear mode now sheet sale increase to insue.


20 posted on 01/11/2011 10:16:43 AM PST by Vaduz
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