The watering the Tree of Liberty talk you keep hearing from the Glenn Beck, Michele Bachmann fanboys is getting out of hand. Way, way out of hand. These people are not simply simple minded crazy members of the lunatic fringe — their delusions about Obama’s Marxist-Socialist takeover of America are setting the stage for more killings and even political assassinations, mark my words:
“We’ve got someone who is an out-and-out Marxist, a total socialist, who is trying to put everything under government control,” Mr Parshall told me.
“There’s a lot of people that are rising up,” he says.
He and other self-described “free-thinkers” make much of Thomas Jefferson’s statement: “The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
I asked him whether, given the taking over of America by a socialist, violence against Mr Obama would be legitimate.
“If they don’t start conforming to our constitution, we may have to rise up in arms and take our country back,” Mr Parshall replied, though he says that would be a last resort if elections did not do the job first.
Mr. Parshall is a pawnbroker who deals in guns. Loves guns in fact. And we know he is not alone. The same quote from Jefferson of which he is so fond has been on the lips of hundreds of right wing protesters at Town Hall meetings this last month, and no doubt will be prominently on display today at Glenn Beck’s much hyped 912 project events. But one thing we should remember. The worst domestic terrorist act on American soil was committed by Timothy McVeigh. Guess what slogan he had on his T-shirt that day?
I’m just guessing. Was it this one?
who were in the lower 30% of Americans who still approved of George W. at the end of his term. They loved George without regard to what he did. They hate Obama without regard to what he does. If the President proposed an EXPANSION of the second amendment right to bear arms they would see socialist motivation and thus oppose it.
It is a sobering thought that almost one in three Americans could easily be incited to violence against the rest of us.
Also dead from the neck up if this NYT pic is to be believed. Creative cropping strikes again, creating “thousands” from what appears to be less than a few hundred. But I suppose that’s to be expected from “Beckerheads”. (Hmm . . . believe that’s a keeper).
Yep. Couple hundred-thousand people marching against the war in Iraq — just a minority of lefty lunatics hardly worth noting. Couple hundred people ranting over losing the last election — OMG! It’s the beginning of a friggin’ revolution! Put them on the front page! Spend hours of cable news giving them a platform and discussing the growing importance of their “movement”…
Why not “Beckerwoods”?
apparently they are “protesting” today in DC.
awesome.
Ya’know, Steven, McVeigh thought he was “setting the stage” and… the skinheads just headed deeper into the woods. I realize he didn’t have Beck, Hannity, et al, cheer-leading for him but even so… When it comes right down to it, foaming at the mouth and waving silly signs doesn’t involve much risk. Plotting to blow up buildings, assassinations and other criminal acts involve the willingness to give up your life. So. I’m not going to get upset by your repeated drumbeats of “be afraid, be very afraid,” until some actual massive shit hits the fan.
Talk is cheap, it helps people vent their frustrations and it’s a guaranteed freedom. Anything that could be done to keep talk from “getting out of hand” will just come back around and bite US in the butt.
Terrorism works when you are afraid.
You are afraid when the threat is credible.
The credible threats don’t advertise themselves so hamhandedly. Timothy McVeigh didn’t hold a tea party. But there are credible threats out there, and it is the law enforcement system’s duty to deter them and when majority opinion has moved to the center, as it has, they will.
Let’s not succumb to this minority’s latter-day Bushit.
Nonetheless eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. But fear is the mind-killer. Nice little tightrope that.
they should be shown no mercy. if they twitch wrong, drop ‘ em like a bad habit.
These Teabaggers-9/12 types that harp on the Constitution apparently haven’t read, or don’t care about, the provisions about elections and who gets into office.