Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Bloom View Post
This just in, he:
  • Is a registered independent
  • Didn't vote in '10
  • Was obsessed with Mayan 2012 prophesy
  • Had a satanic style alter in his backyard
  • Has a mug shot that looks as looney as he was
  • likely developed a profound hatred for the victim when she didn't answer his arcane question at a town hall meeting...so thinks the FBI


So much for the Palin/Limbaugh hate speech theory...
A much stronger argument against the Palin/Limbaugh hate speech theory is the fact that assassinations (or attempts) are, unfortunately, hardly new in US history.

There's a rather good article in Salon which says, in part:

"In reckoning with the extremity of the political rhetoric of our own time, a longer view of American political hyperbole and violence suggests that as bad as the dialogue between Democrats and Republicans is right now, it pretty much pales in comparison with the virulence that has characterized American political language since the nation’s founding."

None of this makes the tragedy in Arizona any less tragic (and I agree, the bike photo put a lump in my throat). But it is something we should keep in mind in discussing causes.