Teabagger Brewed Violence

"Our democracy is a light -- a beacon, really -- around the world because we effect change at the ballot box and not because of these outbursts of violence." --Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, March 2010

Sadly, I’m highly skeptical. 

Just what is happening in this country?  Sarah Palin’s PAC can publish a map of the US with gun sites targeting Congressional seats, she can Tweet, "Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: 'Don't retreat - instead RELOAD!' Pls see my Facebook page.", Mike Huckabee can call for the execution of Julian Assange, Glenn Beck states that he’s, "thinking about killing [filmmaker] Michael Moore" and pondered whether "I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it," before concluding: "No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out -- is this wrong?"

YES!  This is ALL wrong.  But more than just wrong, it is ILLEGAL.  For all those Tea Party and Republican politicians, in particular, who were so proud to be reading the Constitution recently (albeit with errors), I must ask, are you actually understanding the document or are you simply reciting words on a page?!?  The First Amendment allows for freedom of speech, but it does NOT allow for the incitement of violence.  Schenck v. United States (249 U.S. 47, 1919) clearly states that one shall be held responsible if their words incite violence.  There are always delusional people out there that lead the weak to violence or other illegal (or immoral) acts, but when public persona's with mass followings wield that power to incite violence, why are they not being held accountable?  More than mere vitriol is occurring here and more people are picking up the sword, taking those words literally and putting them to action.  

Congresswoman Giffords was shot in the head on Saturday at a rally at a grocery store in her Arizona district.  She was one of those targeted on Palin’s map.  Of course there is an outcry of horror and sadness at the loss of life and her tragic injury, and there are many questions of the young man who did the shooting, but what of those that planted the idea?  Where is the outcry for punishment of those that incite the violence? It’s about time ALL involved were held accountable for their actions and we stopped pretending to care only AFTER the violence.