The young man, Chris Reichert, who harassed an elderly man who suffers from Parkinson's says he is sorry for what he did. I am so glad that this fellow's actions were filmed and then spread far and wide through the Internet and the news networks. It showed these imbecilic teabaggers for what they really are. It also showed what mob actions do to people who are easily swayed by misinformation.
Mr. Reichert says that he snapped and that what he did was shameful. He says he has not slept since. This is good. I hope there are others out there who are having restless nights as well. They have been whipped into a frenzy by the propaganda of the likes of FOX Noise, Limbaugh, and the rest of the extremist rabble rousers. In Reichert's case he says he had never been to such a "political rally." He also says he will never go to another.
The organizers of the mob condemned the actions of Reichert and the others who harrassed the man. One has to wonder if the organizers are really sorry. They got the publicity that they sought. Nothing is better than seeing counter protesters being put in their place by the mob. I would guess that there were many who saw Reichert's actions as justified.
History shows that most revolutionary activities are carried out by mobs created by the fomenters of the revolts. It is pretty easy to set mobs in motion. Usually the are made up of the ignorant and the violent elements of society which are easily manipulated. We are seeing this sort of activity among the teabaggers. They are being set in motion by the extremist elements of the Republican Party and their media hacks. The white supremacists and other racist elements, the extremist anti-tax/anti-government groups have moved to the teabagger groups to garner acceptance by more of the masses. I fear that we are very close to assassinations of government officials from politicians to bureaucrats.
Now is the time for saner heads to prevail. Unfortunately there are no statesmen among the Republicans today who might take a stand and bring sanity back to their party. There have been some half heated attempts at condemning the violence, but most of the Republicans fear for their seats. They are too spineless to take a stand. Instead they simply fall further victim to the extremist rhetoric and move themselves further to the right in an attempt to maintain their power and status. They are certainly not "patriots." It is a sad time in which we live.
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3 comments:
GMM:
Click over to my blog, and your audience as well.
Got a tinyurl 50 minute conversation linked there for you to listen to.
STay with it, kicks in about the the tenth minute.
Saw your response this morning on tony cartledge blog.
Here is what Robert Parham is saying in his effort on Nixon Southern Strategist Harry Dent's great friend Ed Young; and his influence in Houston.
OT's King Rehoboam and the Tea Party:
What is the purpose of the "not listening" claim so often repeated across America?
One purpose of the "not listening" mantra is intended to delegitimize the president with the accusation that he is not following the will of the American people. That, in turn, feeds the narrative that Obama is anti-America.
Another purpose is to validate the public displays of anger and to justify the anti-government protests – shouting down speakers in forums, cursing congressmen, spitting at opponents, uttering the n-word, spewing "baby killer" on the House floor, leaving death threats on answering machines. For some people, loudness, crudeness and bullying are justified to get another person's attention.
For other people, the "not listening" charge legitimizes violence and vandalism. These folk may believe that belligerent behavior is righteous against something seen as immoral or unpatriotic.
A third reason is that the right certainly knows that a statement repeated often enough becomes truth for its followers, especially when it goes unexamined. If enough right-wingers say that Obama is not listening, then he must not be listening. When preachers pontificate the same phrase that pundits prattle, the undiscerning fail to hear the duplicity of redundancy.
What the "not listening" accusation represents is the high fever of those who aren't getting their way and who lack the ability to present a compelling argument for why their way is a better way. They are out of political power. Their ideology is buckling. Their perceived racial and class entitlement to power is slipping away. The world is changing.
We need to recognize what that phrase means, why it is being used and where it can lead. Untruth anywhere is a threat to truth everywhere. Hate talk is a short step away from actions of hate.
Passivity and silence are unacceptable positions for people of good will. Proactive engagement and rebuttal are required.
Robert Parham is executive editor of EthicsDaily.com and executive director of its parent organization, the Baptist Center for Ethics.
"What the 'not listening' accusation represents is the high fever of those who aren't getting their way and who lack the ability to present a compelling argument for why their way is a better way."
That could not be said any better than that.
Wow! Are you three here thumping your chests as you say "Im not like them" as you defend your tunnel vision and hypocritical leftist side.
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