You know Chipsticks. I dislike Sarah Palin like many of us here. And I’ve been listening to both the left and right battle it out about who’s to blame. And I think when the two start demonising each other they are no better than the other.
And this takes me back to that speech President Obama had at Notre Dame a year ago when he spoke about abortion. I remember him saying that there will always be people on opposite sides and that demonising each other was not the answer but instead learning to disagree without being disagreeable. Finding common ground. I know that this is difficult but I think one can at least strive for it.
I hope you guys aren’t upset with me for saying this but that’s how I see it.
I honestly thought twice about posting that cartoon because it is just so hard-hitting and provocative – and, I think, full of incandescent rage towards Palin and the Tea Party. In the end I just decided to let you all see it because it is a taste of the reaction to all of this from outside America. That Palin map was shown just about everywhere, and while the view in America is divided over how much responsibility she and her supporters bear, it seems so much of the rest of the world, rightly or wrongly, sees her as at least helping create the climate of hate that drove this guy over the edge.
It’s interesting that you should mention the President’s Notre Dame speech, I was thinking about it today when I was reading articles speculating on the tone of his speech in Arizona tomorrow – I think it will be almost identical to Notre Dame. Like you said, I’m guessing his central message will be that we should all stop demonizing each other, left and right, and try a whole lot harder to disagree without being disagreeable, as he said before.
And that’s one of the reasons why I admire him so much – he’s 100% more forgiving, rational, level-headed and serene than me!
While in my heart of hearts I agree with every word you say, that we shouldn’t demonize anyone, including Palin, and admire you so much for your decency on this, I just can’t help having an ‘enough is enough’ attitude to the extreme right and their hate speech, and feel like they deserve to be demonized after the Arizona shootings, rather than appeased.
Jacob Weisberg’s Slate article (see above) sums up how I feel about it all, Palin and Co’s language and symbolism are beyond dangerous and they need to be called out on that. So long as they keep preaching that the democratically elected President and Government are enemies of the people out to destroy America, and insinuating that the President isn’t even an American, they, at the very least, risk inciting unstable gun owners like Loughner – who also saw Government as the enemy – from doing what he did in Tucson.
I hope so much that decent, moderate Republicans will have the guts now to take their party back from the Tea Party extremists so that some degree of ‘civility’ can be restored. We’ll see.
Sorry for going on Donna, I respect your views SO much, don’t ever be reluctant to express them here.
I hope you don’t mind if I add my two cents here. I think the antagonism you’re seeing towards Palin is the pent up anger people have been keeping in check over the rise of Palin and her “real Americans” who have sought to divide this country. It’s only natural to rail against people who claim to speak for the entire country, but the way they speak and the words they use are the lowest forms of communication that represent the country and its people as a classless, debased, violent country. People want to distance themselves from her now – especially since a nine year old has finally paid the price for the irresponsibility of the adults who are setting an example for millions of children and their parents.
The President has called for civility over and over, and it has been portrayed as weakness, with no-one (those with and without microphones) stepping forward to state that his brand of leadership represents the true nature of this country and the example that should be set for our children. He made a speech at one of these prayer breakfasts and implored people to disagree with his policies if they wish, but that they didn’t need to cast doubt on his citizenship. He made a speech about patriotism – which is worth watching, and told people that it is practically criminal to questions someone’s patriotism. He has repeatedly told people that he is a Christian. And yet, there is a large number of people who believe he’s not a citizen, he’s hates this country, and many have insulted the Muslim community in America by implying that they believe being Muslim is somehow criminal – and then ascribing that to the President.
There are people in this country who have made it their mission to misinform. Their arguments are so weak that they cannot stand on their own, so they reinforce them with lies and manipulations – especially of the weak and weak-minded. I welcome the outpouring of disgust against these people and their methods. I hope that it means that these miscreants will finally realize that they are NOT the majority, they do NOT speak for the people, and they are destroying this country and the very fabric of America. They are not being demonized – they have behaved like demons, and are being cast out.
I can totally understand how you feel Donna, but we are here today because people did not speak up or push back against this whole dangerous rhetoric when it first started~
The purveyors of hate and manipulation tested waters and when there was no uproar or villification but instead validation and elevation with the preposterous defense of their “justified anger”, they went totally bonkers!
A lot of damage has been done and they have in such a short time succeeded in reversing decades of progress made in our civility, race relations and once again moved boundaries of what was once not too long ago considered offensive and unacceptable in our national discourse;
Palin must be held to account because she stirred this hornets nest and very deliberately too and if we once again ignore it and her, only God knows what they’ll try next – she is pure, unadulterated evil!
I have nothing good to say about Sarah Palin, but I could be civil and respectful if I found myself with her in shared space. If and when she is no longer a public figure, is when I will quit expressing my reasons for finding her inappropriate and undeserving of media preoccupation, or legitimacy as a political leader. I would never wish her harm, but like a Britney Spears or Paris Hilton I will be relieved when she is no longer considered the celebrity du jour.
Its crazy how the rest of the world can see truth staring them in the eye while our MSM is making every excuse in the book.
btw..I still can’t understand why our media used that picture of the killer for a full 24hrs knowing it was not his mug shot. Its like they are giving him an out, meanwhile protecting their own buttocks cause they know they failed. And the false equivalence meme MSM is pushing btwn dem rhetoric and teapublican hate rhetoric, is another thing I can’t understand. *sigh*
As usual the US MSM is a joke. Been talking to relatives and friends in Europe, Africa, Mideast and Canada, and all of them said they were not surprised and infact they are more surprised that it hadnt happened sooner, not with all the hatred rhetoric from the right and the downright demonising of the Prez.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Sarah Palin….go away.
Perfect representation of that…witch.
In 100% agreement with you Hachiko.
You know Chipsticks. I dislike Sarah Palin like many of us here. And I’ve been listening to both the left and right battle it out about who’s to blame. And I think when the two start demonising each other they are no better than the other.
And this takes me back to that speech President Obama had at Notre Dame a year ago when he spoke about abortion. I remember him saying that there will always be people on opposite sides and that demonising each other was not the answer but instead learning to disagree without being disagreeable. Finding common ground. I know that this is difficult but I think one can at least strive for it.
I hope you guys aren’t upset with me for saying this but that’s how I see it.
Hiya Donna,
I could NEVER EVER be upset with you!
I honestly thought twice about posting that cartoon because it is just so hard-hitting and provocative – and, I think, full of incandescent rage towards Palin and the Tea Party. In the end I just decided to let you all see it because it is a taste of the reaction to all of this from outside America. That Palin map was shown just about everywhere, and while the view in America is divided over how much responsibility she and her supporters bear, it seems so much of the rest of the world, rightly or wrongly, sees her as at least helping create the climate of hate that drove this guy over the edge.
It’s interesting that you should mention the President’s Notre Dame speech, I was thinking about it today when I was reading articles speculating on the tone of his speech in Arizona tomorrow – I think it will be almost identical to Notre Dame. Like you said, I’m guessing his central message will be that we should all stop demonizing each other, left and right, and try a whole lot harder to disagree without being disagreeable, as he said before.
And that’s one of the reasons why I admire him so much – he’s 100% more forgiving, rational, level-headed and serene than me!
While in my heart of hearts I agree with every word you say, that we shouldn’t demonize anyone, including Palin, and admire you so much for your decency on this, I just can’t help having an ‘enough is enough’ attitude to the extreme right and their hate speech, and feel like they deserve to be demonized after the Arizona shootings, rather than appeased.
Jacob Weisberg’s Slate article (see above) sums up how I feel about it all, Palin and Co’s language and symbolism are beyond dangerous and they need to be called out on that. So long as they keep preaching that the democratically elected President and Government are enemies of the people out to destroy America, and insinuating that the President isn’t even an American, they, at the very least, risk inciting unstable gun owners like Loughner – who also saw Government as the enemy – from doing what he did in Tucson.
I hope so much that decent, moderate Republicans will have the guts now to take their party back from the Tea Party extremists so that some degree of ‘civility’ can be restored. We’ll see.
Sorry for going on Donna, I respect your views SO much, don’t ever be reluctant to express them here.
I hope you don’t mind if I add my two cents here. I think the antagonism you’re seeing towards Palin is the pent up anger people have been keeping in check over the rise of Palin and her “real Americans” who have sought to divide this country. It’s only natural to rail against people who claim to speak for the entire country, but the way they speak and the words they use are the lowest forms of communication that represent the country and its people as a classless, debased, violent country. People want to distance themselves from her now – especially since a nine year old has finally paid the price for the irresponsibility of the adults who are setting an example for millions of children and their parents.
The President has called for civility over and over, and it has been portrayed as weakness, with no-one (those with and without microphones) stepping forward to state that his brand of leadership represents the true nature of this country and the example that should be set for our children. He made a speech at one of these prayer breakfasts and implored people to disagree with his policies if they wish, but that they didn’t need to cast doubt on his citizenship. He made a speech about patriotism – which is worth watching, and told people that it is practically criminal to questions someone’s patriotism. He has repeatedly told people that he is a Christian. And yet, there is a large number of people who believe he’s not a citizen, he’s hates this country, and many have insulted the Muslim community in America by implying that they believe being Muslim is somehow criminal – and then ascribing that to the President.
There are people in this country who have made it their mission to misinform. Their arguments are so weak that they cannot stand on their own, so they reinforce them with lies and manipulations – especially of the weak and weak-minded. I welcome the outpouring of disgust against these people and their methods. I hope that it means that these miscreants will finally realize that they are NOT the majority, they do NOT speak for the people, and they are destroying this country and the very fabric of America. They are not being demonized – they have behaved like demons, and are being cast out.
((((((<3 this comment so much)))))) nothing left to say.
opps wrong symbol {{{{{<3 this comment so much }}}}}}
Amen Theo, amen~
Amem Theo67 and CS.
I can totally understand how you feel Donna, but we are here today because people did not speak up or push back against this whole dangerous rhetoric when it first started~
The purveyors of hate and manipulation tested waters and when there was no uproar or villification but instead validation and elevation with the preposterous defense of their “justified anger”, they went totally bonkers!
A lot of damage has been done and they have in such a short time succeeded in reversing decades of progress made in our civility, race relations and once again moved boundaries of what was once not too long ago considered offensive and unacceptable in our national discourse;
Palin must be held to account because she stirred this hornets nest and very deliberately too and if we once again ignore it and her, only God knows what they’ll try next – she is pure, unadulterated evil!
I am not upset with you expressing your opinion.
I have nothing good to say about Sarah Palin, but I could be civil and respectful if I found myself with her in shared space. If and when she is no longer a public figure, is when I will quit expressing my reasons for finding her inappropriate and undeserving of media preoccupation, or legitimacy as a political leader. I would never wish her harm, but like a Britney Spears or Paris Hilton I will be relieved when she is no longer considered the celebrity du jour.
Its crazy how the rest of the world can see truth staring them in the eye while our MSM is making every excuse in the book.
btw..I still can’t understand why our media used that picture of the killer for a full 24hrs knowing it was not his mug shot. Its like they are giving him an out, meanwhile protecting their own buttocks cause they know they failed. And the false equivalence meme MSM is pushing btwn dem rhetoric and teapublican hate rhetoric, is another thing I can’t understand. *sigh*
As usual the US MSM is a joke. Been talking to relatives and friends in Europe, Africa, Mideast and Canada, and all of them said they were not surprised and infact they are more surprised that it hadnt happened sooner, not with all the hatred rhetoric from the right and the downright demonising of the Prez.