How about the inflammatory speech on talk radio? And highly visible “leaders” – who are actually supposed to have some sense of integrity – saying inflammatory things. Like Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck on Fox News. And Rush Limbaugh. And and and …
I despised the Bush Administration. Bush and Cheney and their cohorts violate every value and every belief I hold most dear. I ranted and raved about them, and still do. I encouraged people to speak out and send money and vote against them.
I call myself an agitator and provocateur. Nonetheless, I have boundaries. Boundaries… There’s a line – and I suspect most of us know it – that actually promotes vicious behavior, rabble rouses to such a degree that terrorists act.
How can we complain about Hitler and his inflammatory discourse – and Osama Ben Laden and his inflammatory discourse…. And not complain about the inflammatory discourse of some of our talk show personalities, so-called news people, some of our print publications, and even some of our own elected officials?
We have homegrown terrorists right here in the United States. How about the Oklahoma City bombing? And bombing Planned Parenthood clinics and murdering doctors like Dr. Tiller? We have intentionally inflammatory speech that promotes lone wolf and group terrorism.
I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed of the inflammatory speech people – and the people who don’t speak out against them. I’m ashamed.
P.S. Paul Krugman says all this better than me. Read his 06-12-09 New York Times op-ed column “The Big Hate.”
