I don't usually blog on weekends, but after today's brutal murder of 3 policemen in Pittsburgh, I couldn't hold my silence until Monday.
The past two weeks alone have been full of bloodshed.
A black guy kills 4 cops in Oakland.Interestingly, there's a common thread amongst all 4 killers: each had recently lost a job. Anyone who thinks we can just "cut taxes and let the recession work itself out" is an idiot.
A white guy kills 8 in a North Carolina rest home.
An Asian guy kills 13 people at an upstate New York day labor center.
Today, some idiot murders 3 cops in cold blood.
But perhaps even more interesting is the subtext of the last two murders: both men (especially today's Steel City killer) expressed animus towards President Obama, and the growing tin-foil hat sentiment that he is going to "take away their guns".
Yeah, Eric Holder mentioned perhaps a need to restrict sales of assault weapons, mainly in relation to the illegal guns that are fueling the drug-related violence along the Mexico border. How this somehow indicates that Obama wants to "take away our guns" is beyond me. Again, why the hell does anyone have a "right" to own an AK-47? Why is such a gun needed for hunting deer?
This of course doesn't matter to the dozens of talk radio show hosts who rile folks up everyday with terms like "take away your guns", "European style Socialism", "tax tea party" and "spread the wealth". I admittedly listen to this stuff myself, largely for the entertainment value since it can't possibly be taken seriously. The problem is, if some people hear something enough, they begin to believe it anyway.
Witness Hannity.
And Beck.
I am going to go right ahead and say it: the blood for this Pittsburgh murder is on the hands of such irresponsible "journalists" as Hannity. I willingly admit that I watch these guys, and listen to their radio co-horts like Michael Savage and Mark Levin. I don't think I can stomach doing so anymore. Just after today's shooting, the AP alluded to the fact that the shooter, Richard Poplawski, "feared the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon."
Seriously, where else would people get such misinformation drilled into their heads? If it's not considered batsh*t crazy when talking heads blame urban societal ills on rap music, then it shouldn't be much of a stretch to consider the effect that hate-radio could have on psychopaths like Mr. Poplawski. I'm certainly not suggesting that a talk show host has the sole ability to influence a murder. But if a person is already grappling with serious demons, hearing this "take our guns" message on radio and TV 16 hours a day could certainly be the push that sends an irrational person over the edge. Am I right, or am I right?
There is a quiet war brewing in America right now. Folks who dislike the current President continually distort and fabricate outright lies about him and his plans for the country. These people do it for purely selfish reasons (ratings, book sales, and money), not because they care so much about America. We'll see a widespread outpouring of such sentiment on April 15th when these "Tea Parties" are staged throughout the country. The organizers say this is a bipartisan effort to express displeasure with the current administrations tax increases (what f*ckin' tax increases?) and spending. Anyone with a 3rd eye knows better.
I'm sure the media's dissection of these recent events will focus on gun control. It shouldn't. It should focus on how some in the media itself willingly rile people up to the point of violence with the narrowminded assertion that "their country is being taken from them". This is my country too, you assholes. Give the President a chance instead of writing him off after 2 months on the job. I didn't like the way Bush came into office, but I knew that I had no choice but to hope for the best over the next 4 years. It's quite interesting that President Obama is getting no such benefit of the doubt.
Pray for the families of the deceased. Heck, pray for our country while you're at it.
Question: Do you feel that some members of the media are acting irresponsibly and perhaps stoking the fires of discontent? Do you feel the recent shootings can somehow be related to this discontent?
Shooter Wearing Bulletproof Vest Guns Down 3 Pittsburgh Officers, Upset Over Losing Job [FoxNews]
