{"id":29861,"date":"2012-08-16T16:58:36","date_gmt":"2012-08-16T22:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/16\/unhinged-lunatics-for-me-but-not-for-thee.html"},"modified":"2012-08-16T16:58:36","modified_gmt":"2012-08-16T22:58:36","slug":"unhinged-lunatics-for-me-but-not-for-thee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/16\/unhinged-lunatics-for-me-but-not-for-thee.html","title":{"rendered":"Unhinged lunatics\u00a0for me, but not for thee"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever someone commits violence for what appear to be Right Wing ideological causes (shooting abortion doctors, flying a plane into an IRS office, going on a shooting rampage at a Democratic representative's appearance, etc.), even in cases where the target has been vilified and demonized in the Right Wing media as a traitor, a killer, a heretic, a vile and disgusting and devil-possessed pervert, a purveyor of evil and\u00a0corrupter\u00a0of all that is good, someone out to steal our guns or\u00a0our children or our sovereignty or our precious bodily fluids …<\/p>\n

… then there's an immediate push back from the Right that such\u00a0vilification\u00a0had nothing to do with it,<\/i> and this was an isolated case of a crazy person doing a crazy thing which was just awful (but, y'know, you could almost understand why the victim drove them to it).<\/p>\n

In an isolated case where it looks like someone committed violence for what appears to be a Left Wing ideological cause, then those same folks from the Right are quick out of the gate to blame the folks they claim are vilifying them.<\/p>\n

In this case we have Tony Perkins accusing the SPLC of some level of culpability in the shooting at the FRC yesterday.<\/p>\n

"Corkins was responsible for the wounding of one our colleagues and one of my friends yesterday here at the Family Research Council, but I believe he was given a license by a group such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, who, as you pointed out earlier, labeled us a hate group because we defend the family and we stand for traditional, orthodox Christianity."<\/i><\/p>\n

And<\/p>\n

"Floyd Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy. I believe the Southern Poverty Law Center should be held responsible that is leading to intimidation of what the FBI has characterized as domestic terrorism."<\/i><\/p>\n

And.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying that the Southern Poverty Law Center is responsible for the shooting.\u00a0Mr. Corkins is responsible for the shooting. They are responsible for creating an environment that led to yesterday\u2019s shooting.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Now, for Tony Perkins to be calling a group "reckless" in what "labels" it gives organizations is, in and of itself, a morbid hoot. This is a man who asked about folks calling for a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, "How many brave men and women are liberals willing to sacrifice so that homosexuals can flaunt<\/i> their lifestyle?" He called gay rights "destructive to society" and an agenda of "intolerant, hateful, vile, spiteful" activists — "pawns of the Enemy" out to "undermine the future of our country", doing things that will "destroy them and our nation." \u00a0Gay rights activists, he's said, aren't after equality, but seek to "destroy innocence, religious freedom, and ultimately, the family".<\/p>\n

The Southern Poverty Law Center's rationale for labeling the FRC a "hate group" seems positively staid by contrast (http:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/get-informed\/intelligence-files\/groups\/family-research-council<\/a>). \u00a0And while "hate group" is, in fact, not a nice thing to be called, the SPLC has presented a cogent case for the label.<\/p>\n

The question becomes, how does one communicate such a fact-based critique without providing the opportunity — the "environment" — for some "unhinged lunatic" to turn to violence?<\/p>\n

In the SPLC's response, they say, "The SPLC has listed the FRC as a hate group since 2010 because it has knowingly spread false and denigrating propaganda about LGBT people \u2014 not, as some claim, because it opposes same-sex marriage. The FRC and its allies on the religious right are saying, in effect, that offering legitimate and fact-based criticism in a democratic society is tantamount to suggesting that the objects of criticism should be the targets of criminal violence."<\/i><\/p>\n

We do need to be careful of our words, of turning those we oppose or even dislike into demons and enemies and inhuman monsters who threaten all that we love. \u00a0That sort of rhetoric doesn't justify violence, but Perkins is right \u00a0 that it can in fact lead to an environment where people strike out in a violent fashion.<\/p>\n

But what is the threshold of that rhetorical excess? \u00a0It's not clear to me that calling someone a "hate group" qualifies (the KKK has been on that list for a while, and I don't read about lots of violent attacks against them). \u00a0But if it does, then Tony needs to pay a bit more attention to the beam in his own eye before complaining about the splinter in someone else's.<\/p>\n

\n

Embedded Link<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFamily Research Council Blames Shooting On Prominent Civil Rights Group<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Family Research Council\u2019s Tony Perkins accused the Southern Poverty Law Center \u2014 a civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry \u2014 of providing \u201clicense\u201d for a man to shoot a se…\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Google+:<\/strong> View post on Google+<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whenever someone commits violence for what appear to be Right Wing ideological causes (shooting abortion doctors, flying a plane into an IRS office, going on a shooting rampage at a Democratic representative's appearance, etc.), even in cases where the target has been vilified and demonized in the Right Wing media as a traitor, a killer, … Continue reading “Unhinged lunatics\u00a0for me, but not for thee”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2369,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2002\/07\/05\/and_sometimes_a.html","url_meta":{"origin":29861,"position":0},"title":"And sometimes a cigar is just an exploding cigar","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 5-Jul-02 8:39am","format":false,"excerpt":"An Egyptian man pulls out a pistol and begins shooting at the El Al ticket counter at LAX, killing three before he, himself is gunned down, and what's the focus...","rel":"","context":"In "Geopolitical Brouhaha"","block_context":{"text":"Geopolitical Brouhaha","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/geopolitical-brouhaha"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29891,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/17\/tony-perkins-now-blames-obama-for-the-frc-shooting-too.html","url_meta":{"origin":29861,"position":1},"title":"Tony Perkins now blames Obama for the FRC shooting, too","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 17-Aug-12 5:14pm","format":false,"excerpt":"\"What I would call an attack on religious freedom is trickling down in our country. It\u2019s not just isolated to the administration but it\u2019s as if the President and his administration\u2019s indifference towards religious freedom has really created an open season all across this country. In fact next week down\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39072,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/10\/06\/just-another-crazy-shooting-police-action-move-along.html","url_meta":{"origin":29861,"position":2},"title":"Just another crazy shooting \/ police action. Move along","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 6-Oct-13 10:23pm","format":false,"excerpt":"'Police do heroic things to keep us safe, often. They deserve to be paid, and paid well. But it\u2019s one of the costs of living in a country bedeviled by both mass shootings and terrorism anxiety that we\u2019ve become so unquestioning and obeisant in these moments when their overwhelming force\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42567,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/13\/because-not-all-shooting-at-a-school-is-a-school-shooting-i-guess.html","url_meta":{"origin":29861,"position":3},"title":"Because not all shooting at a school is a school shooting, I guess","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 13-Jun-14 1:35pm","format":false,"excerpt":"CNN had decided only to count people who bring firearms onto campus intending to shoot a bunch of people as \"school shootings,\" not cases of accidental shootings, gun suicides, arguments that escalate into someone drawing a gun and shooting, gang activity, or other firearms-related incidents at schools.That should make the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51947,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/07\/25\/whenever-there-is-a-shooting.html","url_meta":{"origin":29861,"position":4},"title":"Whenever there is a shooting","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 25-Jul-15 4:29pm","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Can we finally talk about guns?\"\"No, it's not about guns, it's about mental health! These are just crazy people!\"\"Okay, let's talk about mental health spending then.\"\"The only way to protect against crazy people is more guns!\"To be fair, this is not just a Bobby Jindal thing. It's probably not just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/jindal%2Bmental%2Bhealth.pngimgmax%3D660.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/jindal%2Bmental%2Bhealth.pngimgmax%3D660.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/jindal%2Bmental%2Bhealth.pngimgmax%3D660.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":134896,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/10\/03\/needs-gun-control-just-need-show-respect-donald-trump.html","url_meta":{"origin":29861,"position":5},"title":"Who needs gun control? We just need to show respect for Donald Trump!","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 3-Oct-17 7:28am","format":false,"excerpt":"At least that's evangelical leader, former GOP Presidential Candidate, and 700 Club host Pat Robertson's explanation for the Las Vegas shooting Violence in the streets, ladies and gentlemen. Why is it happening? The fact that we have disrespect for authority; there is profound disrespect for our president, all across this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Pat-Robertson-2017.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29861\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}