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Washing my feet; or, once again Delawaredem intentionally misses the point

In the wake of the slaying of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita KS, Delawaredem takes this opportunity to write:

I have just ordered a gallon of water for Steve Newton to use to wash down his foot. See, we were right. There are right wing extremists who are so pro-life that they will kill to make their point. They are terrorists and deserve to be treated as such.


I first have to admit that I didn't get to wash down his foot, unless DD is suggesting either (a) some bizarre Catholic rite of contrition I've never experienced; or that (b) he wants me to be more hygenic before I put it in my mouth.

Here's a simple response, that should not be difficult for him to comprehend: kiss my ass [and I'm not washing it first].

This is a wonderfully cynical example of Delawaredem's faux outrage, designed to score political debating points and (as always) to stifle political discourse that makes him uncomfortable.

The game that DD and company love to play is this: conflate all political rhetoric with which they disagree with that of truly dangerous, nutcase, violent extremist groups, and then take any--any--violence committed by someone with superficially similar views and use that to vindicate your own particular form of hate speech.

The latest Gallup Poll suggests that 23% of American voters would have abortion illegal in all circumstances; 53% would see it legal with restrictions; and 22% would see it legal under all circumstances. Let's just take the 23% and call it the Pro-life movement. Gee: that would be 65-70 million people.

Since 1993, there have been 17 attempted murders and 8 murders related to anti-abortion fanatics.

Even one death is too many, but this breaks down--assuming no overlap whatever in the perpetrators--to one murder/attempted murder per 2.8 million people who feel that abortion should be outlawed in all circumstances. Or .000000035% of people with superficially similar political views.

My problem with the Department of Homeland Security, many LEOs, and the ilk of Delawaredem is that they consider anti-abortion rhetoric (or any other kind of political rhetoric they disdain) as prima facie evidence of violent intent, even in the absence of other evidence.

This is about the same mentality that, during the early 20th Century, would have found one actually guilty African-American murderer or rapist, and used his guilt to justify the necessity of using lynching to keep the inherently dangerous negro population in line....

Real terrorist groups--or dangerous lone wolves--are the legitimate target of law enforcement, and I have never suggested otherwise.

But tarring everybody with the brush of violent extremism is a scuzzy political tactic that can only work via intimidation.

And it won't work here, DD.

Comments

Hube said…
Got that right, Steve.
Anonymous said…
Violence comes more often from the oppression of speech rather than the free exercise of it. The sad part is that the traditional media amplifies hate speech rather than ignoring it, and certain politicians and pundits make their living by espousing it.

anonone
A1
I would disagree with you only to the extent of suggesting that the "new media" is just as guilty if not more so of amplifying such speech as the traditional media.

My wife, as a school administrator, has long had a beef with newspaper coverage of the names and backstories of kids who phone in bomb threats or commit violent acts in school. Her theory (and I do not dispute it at all) is that knowing there is a lack of fame ahead will act as a deterrent.

Unfortunately, in the 24/7 news cycle this is about as likely to happen as the sun rising in the south.
Anonymous said…
Steve,

The huge difference is that the vast majority in the blogosphere are not paid thousands or millions of dollars nor have commercial sponsors, nor do they use the public airwaves.

And they usually are not elected officials, present or past.

anonone
Nancy Willing said…
So, which is it?DD? Cleaning Steve's foot for benefit of Steve's mouth or cleaning his foot for a good old ritualistic Catholic rinsing and purging?

I would love to know the percentage of DLers who are Catholic...not necessarily who is who or anything. [So many Delawareans are Catholic and I am fond of most of them --[seeing as how many were my steady companions through my 51 turns around the sun.] You can't live in Delaware without appreciating the Catholic Way.

I suspect DD is a Catholic. I know Pandora is because she says she goes to church with Chris Coons over in the old Irish section.

Sometimes these things inform us.

I myself vary from Episcopal roots to Quaker-hippie-folk aspirations.

Bottom line - WTF is behind the image of washing the foot, DD????
~~~~

By the way, there is no longer any mystery surrounding whether or not I am welcome to comment at DL. I am banned. They are too immoral to even declare it.

I am, rather, :moderated into a permenant pergatory limbo: to which none of them must attend.]

So, I have been communicating with DLers via email cc'd to Susan Regis Collins and DWA for effect. If anyone wants in, email me.
pandora said…
Honest to god, Nancy, where do you get this stuff? You must just make it up. I have never gone to church with Chris Coons - Never!

And while I was raised catholic, I haven't practiced since I was in middle school. I would, and have for the last 25 years, classified myself as an agnostic.

Could you please stop commenting on what you think you know about me, because you know nothing.
Nancy Willing said…
Well Panicakes, you did say that on one long-winded blogger-fight between myself and Cassandra. I had mixed her up with you when I thought that she was the DL blogger who lived near KWS.

You came a-storming into the thread on your high horse (to the effect of) "I was going to stay out of this but..." and went on to say that you were the one who is KWS neighbor. And in the subsequent convo I said that you must be Chris Coons friend seeing as how he also had lived in that neighborhood and I remember you saying that, yes, you knew him personally and I have a memory of your mentioning knowing him as a fellow congregate - this was the famous blow-up thread on a Friday afternoon which was sparkled up by half of the bloggysphere's popcorn-crunching fun - remember?

I can go and find the context and it will clarify what you said. Perhaps my mental imagery is off. It was quite a fight.

I have learned a lot about Cassandra since then. I was particularly interested when recently she tried to dis Alan Muller's professionalism insofar as polluters in Delaware....something no knowlegable person would understand. It turns out that someone sent me a link to her facebook pages and she is a project mananger for an environmental industry-related firm in Chadds Ford.

Go figure. A shill for environmental engineering going after Alan Muller's credibility. Just imagine. On a liberal web site, no less.

You DLers live to smear and discredit whomever disagrees with your less-than-noble selves.

I will look up the words you wrote last fall and will apologise if I misinterpreted them. Or enjoy watching you choke on 'em. :-)
pandora said…
I found the thread for you, Nancy. Here it is...

http://www.delawareliberal.net/2008/12/03/kwss-wdel-interview-raises-eyebrows-highway-death-toll/

My first comment is #83 - in response to your comment #81. My last comment (#181) is worth a read for those brave enough to wade through this nonsense.

Chris Coons lived up the street from me (which I said in that thread) but I never went to church with him. And it's stuff like this that drives me nuts.

Why are you even discussing my religion? I am asking you to please stop.
Nancy Willing said…
Thanks for finding that, Panicakes. Ok, humble apology for the memoryblank.

But here you have willingly supplied the fact that you were raised under the Catholic Way. Nuff Said. :-)

I would presume that a high majority of DLers are as well.

I have a psych background and have long theorized that growing up under the Catholic Way leaves one vulnerable to passing-the-buck of accountability and self-responsibility. It has a lot to do with the confessional and the mortal priest who assumes the role of god. Some screwed up shit.

I hear your sins, honey and if you just rub your beads 100 times, I am telling you that all will be forgiven. God told me so.

Go forth and sin and then come on in for a fresh pair of underwear. No worries.

One best friend of mine told me that she could freely fuck around on her then husband because she was paying pennance by volunteering to get her son into Holy Angels school....WTF!!!!!

This is not a dis on all Catholics, natch, just a real world observation on how corruption is encouraged by its lifting up humans to god status and allows them the ultimate word in a confessional box. ANONY yeah!!
pandora said…
Nancy, you have serious problems. Please refrain from commenting about me again. Thank you.
Nancy Willing said…
FU panicakes, its a free country...at least as long as the DLers don't get in the way. I will talk about your ass as much I feel is necessary.
God help us all against liberal snobs like your blogger 'family' that give the left a black eye.
Mike W. said…
They do it with gun owners everytime someone uses a gun to commit a crime.

It seems DD and his buddies have a penchant for doing this with any group they don't like and then claiming they have the moral high ground.

I don't agree with Nancy on much, but I can certainly agree with this. She is 100% spot-on.

You DLers live to smear and discredit whomever disagrees with your less-than-noble selves.

And that's not limited to DD, it applies to Pandora and Cassandra as well.

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