Does More Civility Mean We Stop Telling the Truth?

Why Republicans Won't Really Change Their Tone

I have been annoyed by the commentary over the last few weeks regarding the tone of the political discourse in America. The mass shooting in Arizona set off a huge debate in this Country, much of it dishonest, about what was/is to blame in general when these events occur. It is true that we don't know what exactly set off Tucson shooter Jared Loughner. However, it is dishonest to say that it was just an isolated incident and the ugly political debate, especially on the right, plays no part in contributing to an atmosphere that makes it more conducive for these sorts of events to happen. This is just intellectually and morally dishonest on a grand scale.

Something else that gave me a headache was this effort by those on the right to make the false equivalence claim - that "both sides are doing this equally".... "both sides are guilty".... yada yada yada. They are attempting to whitewash the last two years, and rewrite history to fit their own narrative post-Tucson. Almost as annoying... the media is playing right along with Republicans/Conservatives who make this argument. Of course both sides say things that are inappropriate... that cross the line, etc. But this idea that all sides are somehow equal in doing so is just laughable. There is no equivalence whatsoever in terms of the number of occurrences, the level of ugliness or seriousness of threats, or the outcomes. Clearly right wing pundits and politicians are at the top in all three of those categories...by far. I have been watching in awe as the media has pretended otherwise....playing right along, as if they are being told what to say. Time and time again I have seen/heard hosts....whether on CNN, NPR, or my local AM news station KMOX - St. Louis (the defacto voice of the Right in the midwest) play along with Conservative guests when the equivalence argument is made...failing to challenge the right in any way.... no follow-up questions...nothing. Beyond ridiculous.

Let's review shall we...

This is not simply about the comments that are being made over the national airwaves, it is also about the context...or the backdrop in which the comments are made. It is the context that matters more here.

And what has been the context over the last two years? Well, this most recent political context took shape in 2008 (and you could probably go as far back as 2007) during the Presidential campaign. Over that period (2007-2009) we know of two major reports that news organizations put out regarding the changing attitudes & changing tone in the Country. One was about the Homeland Security assessment regarding the rise of Right Wing extremism in America, due to the recession and the introduction of a Black President...or Candidate who actually had a real shot. The other report came from the Secret Service, describing the fact that threats against Obama were at unprecedented levels, with 2-fold & 3-fold more threats than his white predecessors. So knowing this.... you would think that the responsible thing for politicians (regardless of Party affiliation) would be extra careful about language and tone, right? But we know that is not what happened. Politicians on the right lost their minds...and the tone got out of control. Open racism was allowed to take root at Republican rallies in Pennsylvania, Ohio & throughout the Country. Despite these reports of increased threats, Palin continued to be irresponsible throughout the campaign. Instead of challenging followers behaving inappropriately...by telling them to stop racist comments.... Palin seemed to ignore them. Instead... she whipped up Republican followers and seemed to focus on a certain part of her base by using certain buzz words that challenged not only Obama's right to run for President...but questioned his citizenship and loyalty to the Country during a time of conflict and deep social/political division. By demonizing Obama & stripping him of his right to be a "real American", taking away his Americanness, suggesting he was a traitor & a terrorist, suggesting he was a socialist, and by dehumanizing him...in a way gives the green light to any number of lone nuts. Remember the context we were (and still are) in.

Everyone is suggesting that after Tucson.... pundits and politicians (especially those on the right) are suddenly going to play nice and behave in a much more civil and respectful manner. But if history is our guide... that is probably not going to be the case. This goes back to this attempt by right wing pundits and the media to frame Tucson as an isolated incident. People are acting as if Tucson was the first incident where a nut engaged in some sort of political violence or targeted a political figure. How media pundits do this with a straight face is a mystery to me. How they get away with it is even more perplexing. Just in the last two years, the number of high profile incidents of a political/ideological/religious nature...or influenced by the national debate at some level, has been unprecedented.

Just in the last 2 years or so... we have had the following (and keep in mind...we have already established the context.... and we STILL had folks taking guns to political events, and politicians suggesting 2nd Amendment remedies... the context...the reality of how volatile the Country was didn't stop those on the right from continuing their madness.)


♦ Jim Adkisson - shot up a Unitarian church in Tennessee. Fueled by Right wing talk show pundits. The rhetoric didn't stop.

♦ Raymond Hunter Geisel - threatening Obama. Republicans didn't stop. Just an isolated incident?

♦ Richard Andrew Poplawski - killed Police officers in Pittsburgh because he internalized rhetoric on the right that told Americans that Obama was coming for their guns. Just an isolated incident? Oh yeah... Republicans didn't stop their rhetoric after this either.

♦ Scott Roeder - Killed Dr. George Tiller (nicknamed "The Baby Killer" by the right). Isolated incident? Republicans didn't stop their rhetoric after this incident either.

♦ James Von Brunn - launched terrorist attack at the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. Isolated incident? The violent rhetoric didn't stop.

♦ Joseph Stack - out of work, anti-government activist flew plane into IRS building in Texas. Isolated incident? The rhetoric didn't stop. In fact, one GOP politician seemed to sympathize with the terrorist, who killed at least one IRS worker in the incident.

♦ Byron Williams - Was stopped by police in Northern California while enroute to attack Liberals. Fueled by Glenn Beck and others in the Right wing media. Isolated incident? Republicans refused to change their tone.

♦ Danny Ray Tollett - Brutally attacked Muslim convenience store workers in Louisiana. Shot 2 Muslims at close range...in cold blooded attacks. Fueled by anti-Muslim theme carried by Right wing media. Isolated incident? Republicans failed to change their tone.

♦ The Denver Plot - see specifically counts 9, 11 and 12 - White supremacists planned to harm candidate Obama. Attack foiled in planning stage. Isolated incident? Republicans continued with their rhetoric.

♦ Daniel Cowart and Paul Schlesselman - Allegedly planned to harm President. Isolated incident? Republicans failed to stop their rhetoric.

♦ Michael Enright - Stabbed NYC Cabbie in the neck because he was Muslim. Ahh what the Hell... just another isolated incident. Republicans continued on with their madness (particularly about the "Mosque at Ground Zero" which really didn't exist...but they knew that framing it that way would scare the Hell out of a lot of people...so they went with it...almost costing a father...a family man...his life).

♦ Charles Habermann - Charged just recently with threatening Rep. Jim McDermott. Just an isolated incident? Republicans carried on.

♦ Gas line intentionally cut at Congressman's home, after wrong address is posted online...with blogger encouraging followers to 'pay a visit to the victim'. Just an isolated incident? Republicans refused to stop their rhetoric that whipped followers into a frenzy over Health Care Reform.

♦ Travis Corcoran - Another right wing radical... praised the shooting of Giffords. Just an isolated event?

♦ Just in the past week, we have the backpack bomb found along the MLK commemorative parade route in Spokane Washington. Luckily...the device failed to detonate. An isolated incident?

♦ Now Conservative pundit/blogger Erick Erickson JUST THIS WEEK suggested that he may use a shotgun to threaten U.S. Census workers...gloating about it on the airwaves. An isolated incident? No condemnation by other Conservative media figures. So this is the change in tone that the goofballs on the news programs have been talking about over the past two weeks? Give me a break!

With the exception of the last three...these are incidents that took place before Tucson. So Tucson didn't happen in some vacuum... There is an abundance of context. This is what makes the behavior of those on the right so vile. And this is not even a full list.... there were threats against Pelosi....and arrests in several other cases. The list is long. Again...as I mentioned...the last two years have been unprecedented in terms of threats of political violence or actual incidents, which matches up with what the U.S. Secret Service has stated regarding their data on the increase in threats.

At what point can we stop using false equivalencies and stop suggesting these events are somehow "isolated incidents" separate from the volatile atmosphere created primarily by those in the world of right wing Conservative media?

I see nothing that would lead me to believe that some magical shift towards civility is going to take place after the tragedy in Tucson Arizona. Republican/right wing pundits are not going to stop what they have been doing for the past few years. This is their bread and butter (getting their followers riled up.... feeding them misinformation, and manipulating people). This is a key part of Republican strategy. Giffords & all the others are considered collateral damage to those on the right. Republicans can't afford to be civil because they have grown so dependent on a certain kind of volatile, ugly rhetoric to maintain media success & energize their political base. It has worked for them (unfortunately). And I see them continuing with that approach. Just this week... Rush Limbaugh... the Supreme Leader of the Republican Party & Conservative movement in America, engaged in more ugly behavior... joking about the way that the Chinese President Hu Jintao spoke during his official State visit to the U.S. Of course the media ignored this...just like it practically ignored the MLK bomb case in Spokane.

By allowing the pundits, bloggers and talk show hosts (the unofficial but true leadership of the Conservative movement) to spew the ugliest rhetoric and lies, the official political leadership and the so-called "stars" within the Republican party can get away with using the plausible deniability argument...and that's exactly what they have done here. predictably, they have used the Hell out of this argument since the Tucson attack. I have mentioned several times, including on my right wing media information page, that this is how the right operates. Of course, no one is actually suggesting that anyone on the right has given direct orders to any extremists or extremist groups.... but they have created an atmosphere conducive to violence...and in some cases, they have indirectly given a wink & nod approval for such actions (in some cases, simply by their silence when violence or threats of violence occur. Silence in this context...after they have worked so hard to rile the crazies up... equals tacit approval).

A few people on Social media (twitter to be exact) suggested that the Right has somehow been let off the hook by Obama after his call for civility. I initially wanted to agree with that. I think that the media at large may let Republicans off the hook, and networks may continue to play the false equivalence game. But I don't think Obama's speech in Tucson means that we shouldn't tell the truth. I plan to continue stating what needs to be said.

Glenn Beck - The Biggest Con Artist in America

Hear an NPR discussion about the Glenn Beck phenomenon & what it says about the Country. For me, Beck is just a huge con artist who happens to be good at what he does. His popularity is a reflection of our increasingly partisan politics, the intellectual deterioration taking root in the U.S. and "the facts be damned" attitude of the public, an extremely uninformed/misinformed populace, and a deteriorating media that lacks balance and takes part in the misinformation. Beck is also benefiting from anxiety stirred up by the economy... (but that is not the main issue in my opinion). The main reasons for Beck's success are public misinformation from right wing media...and the fact that there is a President in the White House who isn't white.

The rise of Beck isn't surprising in a Country where the citizens don't know basic civics, don't know much about the world, and don't know much about religion. Easy prey for con artists and manipulators.

St. Louis Area Tea Partier Under Investigation for Threatening Obama Takes Hostage

When Federal Agents went to question him, he took a hostage and held police and agents at bay for 8 hours. He wanted to start a religious war and apparently hated Muslims and the President.

TPM has an excellent breakdown of events.

This doesn't surprise me. I am only surprised that it doesn't happen more often, especially here in St. Louis. As if Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh aren't enough to inspire these nuts, there is the St. Louis Tea Party. The St. Louis Tea Party chapter is one of the most virulent out of all of the Tea Party groups around the Country.

Video from Glenn Beck's 'I Have a Scheme' Rally

Oh my.... America is in trouble.

This ignorance is the force behind the GOP's Mid-term election strategy? Worse yet, they are actually getting away with it. Take a look at a recent video from New Left Media, filmed during the Glenn Beck rally.(Scary)

If you have seen my other postings from New Left Media... then you know their videos are entertaining.

For Republicans, Lying is Part of the Routine

More examples of how the Right makes things up. I have been trying to tell you all... they're crazy. But they are crazy and organized...which is what bugs the hell out of me.

Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance

A new book by Alexander Zaitchik -Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance -reveals untold truths about con artist Glenn Beck. Finally we have a book that peels back the layers of fraud on Beck and challenges some of the lies. Finally people will have a chance to see that Glenn Beck himself...is a lie. It's a false persona. It's the same kind of phony act that Beck used when he was a cheap shock jock on a radio morning show. The only difference now is that his audience is much bigger...and the American people, like boneheads, have fallen for the act.

To me, Glenn Beck's popularity says a lot about the American public. In fact, it says more about the people of this Country and their gullibility for con artist entertainers like Limbaugh, Hannity & Beck, than it says about the man himself.

The book is due to hit the bookstores in June, but I am sure it can be pre-ordered.

See a review.

The Field Negro also posted on this gem.

Information from the publisher

See My Previous Commentary on Glenn Beck

Chomsky: I Have Never Seen Anything Like This

Interesting commentary about Noam Chomsky by Truthdig's Chris Hedges.

Right Wing Threats of Violence Grow As Republicans Embrace Fringe

Those on the radical extremist fringe are no longer stuck on the margins, as Republican politicians break their necks to embrace them as part of the mainstream. There are only a small handful of progressive commentators pointing this out.

Discussion Regarding Recent Threats to Members of Congress

NPR discussion delves into what motivates this kind of activity.

I love how James Clyburn speaks plainly...

I was more than irked by the way the Republican hack tried to create some sort of phony equivalence between the Republican Party, which has embraced fringe groups, and those on the other side. Yes, the left has always had fringe groups.... but they aren't usually brought into the mainstream. And there is no huge Progressive media machine using outright fear and misinformation to get the crazies all riled up.... riled up enough (in their deranged minds) to take action. The equivalence argument is bull----.

Listen here.

Periello Blasts Republicans in Washington for Refusing to Unequivocally Denounce Threats Against Democrats

Hmmm. Well Mr. McCain, it looks like this isn't really a joke to those who are on the receiving end of the threats.

From Think Progress:

Democratic lawmakers are increasingly coming out and reporting incidents of harassment in response to their vote for health care reform. In addition to previously reported vandalism in Kansas, New York, Ohio, and Arizona — as well as disturbing threats surrounding Reps. Tom Periello (D-VA) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) — lawmakers have received images of nooses sent to their offices and had their personal information publicly distributed. At least 10 lawmakers have requested extra security after receiving death threats, and Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) said that “he knows several Democrats who have told their spouses to move out of the home districts while the lawmakers are in Washington.”

See full story with video interview here.

John McCain Laughs Off Wave of Threats Towards Members of Congress

McCain completely laughs off the threats made against members of Congress and their children. He says Palin's actions are no big deal. According to him, the incidents that we have seen over the past week represent normal politics in America. He defends Sarah Palin's behavior (and by extension...he is defending similar behavior by others that is clearly aimed at ginning up followers to take action on their own....while the politicians use plausible deniability).

The coded language of Sarah Palin is really of no concern. It's all a part of our imaginations. Stop worrying. Go back to sleep.

(Of course he desperately needs Sarah Palin because she is the only hope for him if he's going to win re-election).

This guy is COMPLETELY senile and creepy to me. Maybe it's just me.

You have to see it to believe it.



Yeah... tell that to Congressman Periello and all the other members of Congress and their families, "targeted" by these fanatics. Laugh in their faces and tell them that it's no big deal. Of course Periello is a part of the real world and disagrees with the giggling idiot from Arizona.

Maddow on Threats to Members of Congress

Republican Terrorists Target Wrong House

I told you that the crazies would be ratcheting things up over the next few days and weeks.

Republican Party terrorists targeted Congressman Tom Perriello by posting what they believed to be the lawmakers home address....encouraging fanatics to pay Perriello a visit. But the information turned out to be the address to Perriello's brothers house. Bo Perriello, brother of Congressman Tom Perriello, apparently returned home on Tuesday evening and smelled gas. Someone had cut a gas line at the home, where the wife of Bo Perriello and their 4 small children live.

From Politico:

Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of a cut propane gas line at the Virginia home of Rep. Thomas Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, whose address was targeted by tea party activists angry at the congressman’s vote for the health care bill.

An aide to the congressman confirmed to POLITICO that a line to a propane tank behind his brother's home near Charlottesville had been sliced.

The FBI would not disclose the details of the incident but said that they have been to the home.

“This is very preliminary at this point, so we’re not making any comment at this time,” local FBI spokesman M.A. Myers told POLITICO.

Lee Catlin, community relations director for the Albemarle County Fire Marshal, said in a statement to POLITICO that the office is “investigating a suspicious incident” at the home of the congressman’s brother. “The Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the investigation in cooperation with the FBI,” Catlin said. “While officials are not willing to characterize the exact nature of the incident because of the ongoing investigation, it did not involve an immediate threat to occupants of the residence. However officials are taking the incident very seriously and conducting a vigorous investigation,” the statement said.

POLITICO reported on Monday that Mike Troxel, an organizer for the Lynchburg Tea Party, posted on his blog what he thought was the congressman’s address, encouraging tea party activists to “drop by.”

One of the Tea Partiers posting the address thought it was no big deal:

Danville Virginia Tea Party leader Nigel Coleman and others posted the address information on their websites. When Coleman learned that the address was actually for the home of Perriello’s brother — and after Politico reported he and his wife have four young children — Coleman commented on another blog that the mistake was "collateral damage."

"Do you mean I posted his brother’s address on my Facebook?" Coleman wrote. "Oh well, collateral damage."

Read more from MSNBC's "First Read".

An official statement from Congressman Perriello was as follows:

"While it is too early to say anything definitive regarding political motivations behind this act, it's never too early for political leaders to condemn threats of violence, particularly as threats to other members of Congress and their children escalate,'' Perriello (D-Va.) said in a statement. "And so I ask every member of House and Senate leadership to state unequivocally tonight that it is never OK to harm or threaten elected officials and their families with anything more than political retribution. Here in America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box."

Perriello's district is largely Conservative. His seat was previously held by bigoted Republican (basically openly racist) Virgil Goode.... remember him? We've blogged about his antics before. So the activity of fanatics who live in the area should not be all that surprising.

More from the following blogs

Think Progress

Crooks and Liars

Huffpost

Politico

Please take a look at the "Republican Media Page" in sidebar...where all of this was discussed by me over a year ago. I started blogging seriously about this issue back in 2008. Unfortunately, some of my worst fears and nightmares surrounding this issue are being realized. But once again... No one is taking responsibility. The Republican Party, & their mouthpieces and foot soldiers in the Right wing Republican media are using plausable deniability.... they aren't responsible... the Democrats who voted for Healthcare Reform are responsible. They want citizens to believe that they had no part in encouraging these incidents by spewing fear and misinformation...that they are just as shocked as everyone else.

It's so incredibly f------- unbelievable that the only thing that you can do is shake your head and wonder if you are awake or dreaming. It's especially annoying when they say this stuff with a straight face.

Coffin Left on Russ Carnahan's Front Lawn

The St. Louis Chapter of the Republican Tea Party Terrorist organization has targeted Congressman Russ Carnahan for his support of Healthcare Reform. Terrorists left a coffin on his front lawn in St. Louis sometime on Wednesday. Additional link from NBC St. Louis affiliate KSDK (Channel 5). Unclear on what kind of beefed up security he may be needing tonight.

These incidents are now sprouting up all over the Country. Some of the events have not yet made national news.

Republican Terrorists Threaten Congressman Clyburn

Republican Tea Party Terrorists send noose to Congressman James Clyburn. Incident appears to be part of a wave of terrorism and intimidation aimed at members of Congress who supported Healthcare reform.

Rescission - Why We Need a Public Option

NPR covers the real death panels that we already have... those that are run by private insurance companies. How do they do it? Through rescission....a process that allows insurance companies to abandon patients when they need coverage the most. Perhaps someone should inform Sarah Palin that we already have death panels...because she's obviously clueless.

Why isn't Obama telling these stories more often? Why won't he hold a national Town Hall on Healthcare Reform where he can highlight the real death panels, and dispel the Republican propaganda? The major networks have barely mentioned this issue. The fake death panel story put out by Right wing groups gets covered...but the fact that we have actual death panels right now hardly gets any attention from the major news networks. Unreal!

Also hear a story about what Canadians are saying about U.S. Healthcare Reform. Apparently, Canadians are bewildered about the way their Healthcare system has been characterized by Republicans. Again...the major U.S. news outlets aren't telling this story. Instead of sending investigative reporters into Canada to find out what is really going on.... to find out what the people really think about their Healthcare system, the lazy U.S. media chooses, time and time again, to use Right wing talking points as the baseline for any Healthcare debate. It has basically been accepted as fact in this Country (according to U.S. mainstream media) that the Canadian Healthcare system is far worse than the Healthcare system in the U.S.

Separate Fact from Fiction:

Dispel the Right Wing/Corporate propaganda about Healthcare by keeping track with fact checking websites such as Politifact and Factcheck.org.

Both sides get their information mixed up or bend the truth.... but the Republican spin machine simply has no shame.... they have been lying their asses off, especially on Healthcare...and their lies are so outlandish that it scares me that there are American citizens who have fallen for this stuff. A large portion of the American populace is incredibly uninformed.

Republican Right Wing Nuttery Encouraging More Extremism

Another potential right wing terrorist has been arrested. This time it was a Woman, Nancy Genovese, from New York. Genovese apparently had an arsenal and was preparing to use it. Her target was an Air National Guard Base in the Hamptons. Luckily, she was apprehended before she could do any harm.

What drove her to this? What inspired her? Do I really have to ask?

Read more here.

What I want to know is when will the FCC and the Justice Department intervene to stop some of this madness? When will the government act to stem the propaganda that is feeding this kind of domestic terrorism? Because if it is ignored...it is only going to get worse. These right wing extremists, and those who are inspiring them (Glenn Beck et al) aren't going to stop spreading lies and propaganda that whips up hatred and paves the way for violence, with their coded language that they know their followers will act on. They simply aren't going to stop voluntarily. How long is the government going to wait?

The GOP is Milking Kenneth Gladney For All He's Worth

Most have heard about Kenneth Gladney by now. The so-called Black Conservative from St. Louis who got into a little scuffle with idiots from the SEIU at a recent Town Hall event on Healthcare, hosted by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO).

Keeping up with the protests over the past few weeks, and seeing the way things were escalating, it came as no surprise that scuffles were beginning to break out. I lay a lot of the blame on Obama for his lack of leadership, because he failed to calm the fears of those who have been brainwashed over the past few weeks.... and for his Administrations lack of action to change the strategy once it became clear that their Healthcare initiative was a train wreck. Obama lost the propaganda war long before any real debate had a chance to begin....which means the Town Hall meetings are a bit of a joke. Yet, even today, these idiot Democrats continue to hold these meetings...despite the fact that these events are useless at this point and are in fact only making matters worse.

What Obama should do is instruct Democrats in the House and Senate to cancel any future Town Halls. Instead, there should be a series of nationally televised Town Halls (just like the Presidential Debates) where the shouters are not allowed in to disrupt the event....and where a real debate and discussion could take place. There could also be a panel of experts at these events, and debunkers (like Fact Check and Politifact). This would be a chance for Obama to clear up much of the propaganda that has been allowed to go unchallenged by his Administration over the past few months.

But the Dems continue to have these meetings as if they are making a difference in the PR battle. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri held one just today and she was lucky to have gotten out alive. The Town Halls are nothing more than platforms for Right Wing Protests and video snippets; there is no vigorous debate or discussion taking place. It's a farce. Right wingers, who have no real information and therefore can't debate...and have no interest in debating the issues are doing the only thing they can do - shouting at the other side...and creating chaos. Nothing meaningful is going to come out of continuing what have become Right wing propaganda events.

And the SEIU should stay home if their people are not smart enough not to be suckered by the Right. By getting involved in a scuffle (and I don't know who started what.... the video does not show the beginning of the incident) they are giving the Republican media machine exactly what it wants. That's what the Right Wing was hoping for by attending these events hosted mostly by Democrats. Thus the Republicans now have their newest Joe the Plumber... and he's just as phony as can be IMO. He's playing up his "brutal beating" as much as possible, and he's allowing himself to be used by the Republican spin machine.

The biggest irony is that he's reportedly asking for help with medical bills. Why? Because he's unemployed and whatever Health coverage he has apparently isn't enough (the whole purpose of the Healthcare Reform that he was protesting against). Or could it be that someone is just looking for a payday? Read on and see...

There are also some things fishy about this entire incident. I don't doubt it happened...but the more I look into the situation....the more fishy it smells. I won't go as far as some bloggers who suggest that the entire incident was staged.... I believe it happened.... I just believe that the SEIU idiots fell for something that the Right Wing groups wanted to happen in the first place. Apparently Gladney, who was selling Right Wing shirts, flags and buttons for someone, became the bait that the Right Wing needed. And the dummies from the SEIU fell right into the trap.

The SEIU shouldn't have been there if they don't know how to stay out of trouble. And they certainly should not have been at the event to antagonize the Teabaggers, knowing tensions were exceptionally high. Just stupidity all around. And yes... I know wearing Union T-shirts has been the norm for decades, but common sense has to come into play at some point. If you are wearing clothes identifying your Union affiliation....be on your best behavior. They really shouldn't have their T-shirts on at all in my opinion.... it's unnecessary at an event that is supposed to be a discussion about Healthcare.

But regarding Gladney in particular, it gets worse... I found an even more interesting tidbit about Mr. Gladney... and when I read it I was reminded of one of the TV commercials where you are told about criminals who engage in insurance fraud by staging phony car accidents and by having their own eye witnesses conveniently placed to tell Police exactly what happened so that everyone can get paid. Again, I don't think the incident at the St. Louis Town Hall was staged...but the circumstances are a little fishy. So much surrounding this seems to have been placed in a way that conveniently benefits the Republican Party. Why else would part of Gladney's legal representation just happen to be at the Town Hall incident as a witness? Convenient. Yep, his attorney just happened to have been at the Town Hall. And seeing the video of his attorney at a protest a few days later, he seemed more like an activist than a personal injury lawyer. Those who are pushing this story don't seem to be making any bones about the fact that Gladney and Republican interests want to milk this incident to get all they can out of it.

It just seems to me that Republicans are taking advantage of this unemployed guy (remember how phony "Joe The Plumber" had odd jobs...and now he's making big money for the Republican propaganda machine?). It annoys me that they (the Republican Right) are probably partly responsible for this man being without a job, thanks to Bush's recession.... but then they turn around and recruit him to protest against his own best interests on Health care. Amazing! But there's a sucker born every minute.

Stop Calling It a Fringe Movement - Most Republicans Don't Even Accept Obama as a Citizen

For months the major news media has been characterizing the "Birther Movement" as a harmless fringe element of the Republican Party. But a poll from last week indicated that the majority of Republicans (58%) either don't believe that Barack Obama is a citizen or aren't sure.

And even after a vote in the House of Representatives last month recognizing Hawaii as a State and acknowledging that it was in fact the birthplace of the 44th President, the wacky Birthers still aren't convinced. Thanks to Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), the ceremonial resolution (which was written long before the Birther Controversy really heated up) was brought to the floor for a vote. House Resolution 593 passed with a vote of 378-0. 220 Democrats and 158 Republicans voted in favor.

See the Roll Call Results

Read the Resolution

The U.S. Senate followed a few days later with a similar ceremonial vote, with Senate Resolution 225.

Yet the "Birthers" continue to press on. Why? Because as I mentioned before, it's really not about Birth Certificates or citizenship for those who are making these wacky claims. It's about prejudice and xenophobia....especially this sort of White rural xenophobia. This is all about race, and this non-issue provides these people with an excuse to spew their racism. That is why all the proof in the World wouldn't matter to these people because Citizenship and Birth Certificates really aren't the issue for them.

I wish the media would stop calling them "Birthers" and start calling them the racists and xenophobes that they really are.

I have never seen so much willful ignorance in my life.

________________

Related Post on Birthers

More on Stephen Johns and Why Republican Media Should Be Held Accountable

Great remembrance from The Washington Post

Commentary from a Daily Kos Contributor

Report from Democracy Now

I say bring back some sort of Fairness Doctrine....not just for election campaigns, but for political speech in general (which often ends up turning into hate speech). It would require broadcasters to present an alternative viewpoint to the Right Wing Talk Show nuts who dominate the airwaves.

And I couldn't help but be annoyed by the Security Chief at the Museum...who wanted to remind us not to take security people for granted. But that's exactly what he has been doing...and it is what most employers do. Security personnel are viewed as disposable garbage by the vast majority of employers....let alone the public. It is one of the worst industries in the Country. An industry where the company with the lowest bid wins...which translates into officers with low pay, poor working conditions, poor equipment, most vulnerable, and a public ultimately left less secure.

I would like to ask the security Chief in person why he didn't provide the officers with bullet-resistant vests when the Union asked that they be provided. These same folks who are providing the sweet talk now aren't showing the Country their true colors. That's one of the things that pisses me off about the aftermath of this killing.