Before I started this blog, I shared my thoughts in facebook notes. Here is one from a year ago almost to the day. It is with a heavy heart that I feel it become relevant as the media swirls around the tragic events in Tucson. I do not know anything about what influenced this shooter, but I do know you can only shout at the masses to "take action" or "reload" so many times before someone does.
January 12, 2009
But I need to vent. Not for the first time, I have seen clips in which reporters and commentators on American news say what this country needs is for a big, high casualty terrorist attack to show the nation how dangerous, incompetent (etc.) President Obama is.
Yes we have free speech. You CAN say such things without being drawn and quartered. But what I want to know is, how will these people feel if someone mentally unstable tunes in, hears these comments, and decides it is up to them to carry out such a plan? Is another Oklahoma City really worth discrediting Obama?
I don't care what your political views of elected officials are, but NONE of them are worth wishing death upon hundreds or thousands of innocent Americans. How dare you. Wishing death on innocent people to prove your agenda is barely different to me than the people overseas who order their followers to come over and harm people. Goodness knows, George W. Bush was not my favorite President, but NEVER would I wish for this country to go through such a thing as 9/11 again to "prove" my points.
You get paid a lot of money to speak on television. Next time think first. You have to have some social responsibility. Unfortunately there are people who listen to these statements. Let's hope that if they are so unstable they take it seriously, then they are too unstable to plan any action.
