The Gunman And The Politics Blame Game

Now, I don't make a habit of discussing politics on this blog. Not because I'm not interested in it. Far from it. I have my own political views, but I don't feel the need to allow it to bleed on a blog called "Opposing Bullshit", unless someone is blatantly spouting bullshit, or crap ideologies catch a story e.g. Communists and Fascists. Although, I have to discuss this topic because it's been burning. So here it goes:

Last week, on January 8, 2011, a shooting occurred in Tuscon, Arizona in the United States, leaving six people dead and 14 injured. The target was U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of the 8th Arizonian District, who received a bullet to the head.

Fortunately, she survived and as of this post, she is reported to be in stable condition. However, she is the closest member of Congress to die in office since Larry McDonald who was aboard the Korean Flight 007 when it was shot down by Soviet interceptor aircraft in 1983. the major suspect, Jared Lee Ettinger was almost immediately caught and brought into custody, charged with attempting to assassinate a member of Congress (which in his state, could result in the death penalty), killing of a government employee and attempting to kill a federal employee.

What followed next on the news was a furor of classic bullshit, and that's ignoring the report that Giffords had been killed, which is understandable. For instance, while there was call for the reduction of vitriol in the political debate from both sides, what occurred was speculation on whose side it was at fault for the shooting, and whether the left or the right was at blame. Right-wing mouthpiece Fox News suggested that the left was at fault for what occurred for being too aggressive, somehow. Which is ironic since Fox News has some of the most blatant fear-mongering I've seen in any Western media outlet that claims to present the news. You only need to take a look at Glenn Beck. But more on him later. On the other side of the spectrum, the Tea Party movement was received blame for the shooting because of the rhetoric and far-right beliefs they present. Some of the members even received hate mail telling them they can "burn in hell". While this does seems plausible, since its influential representatives have used rhetoric and imagery that is based on pure paranoia, and bordering violent: it's still based on very little. Sarah Palin's target poster notwithstanding (Oh, and before you tell me she took it down from her web page, it's still on her official Facebook page).

I mean, the Tea Party movement are filled with nothing but ignoramuses. But before we start blaming them, can you explain which Tea Party member would consider reading Mein Kampf or Das Kapital, when they hold posters like this?

Shoot, come of think of it, do you think you find much of the Tea Party who even like reading? (I mean there's a few, but):

And I know that the suspect's views seem to come from the Tea Party, but to be honest, with the selection of books he's been reading, it's hard to say exactly on which side's behalf he did this for. I mean, it's not just Mein Kampf and Das Kapital he read (the latter is a pretty serious book to read), he also read Plato's Republic (I have also, and I don't feel the need to bust a cap in Nick Clegg's ass) and Ayn Rand's We the Living. This doesn't imply Democrat or Republican at all. What it implies is his political views can be summed up as "fuck the government". Yes, he carried some extremist views, but they had nothing to do with left-wing or right-wing, but everything to do with, surprise, surprise...conspiracy theories. Loughner seemed to believe that the United States Government were responsible for 9/11, and that the formation of the New World Order was soon arriving, with a one-world currency, ; and finally that, the government was brainwashing people by controlling grammar. So he's not likely to vote for either Obama nor Palin for president. But Alex Jones.

Would you trust this man to run your country?

So it amazes me that even it has been largely agreed not to have such a heated political climate, the talking heads insist on assigning responsibility to partisan politics, instead of fringe politics. Loughner also had a history of psychological problems, known for saying utterly erratic statements, and as known by his friends to abuse alcohol and drugs. I mean really, this is a just like the 1995 Oklahoma bombing. Timothy McVeigh was also paranoid of the government, and the threat of his liberties been taken away by them, only Timothy McVeigh wasn't as mentally ill as this guy. Loughner also outweighs McVeigh in the creepy mugshot department:

If anything, this demonstrates rather visibly the dangers of paranoid beliefs that cannot be verified. Oh, and for those you who insist in calling him an atheist over been quoted as saying "He doesn't trust God", when if you look closely at the full quote, it is a criticism of the United States currency. Loughner was apparently a Patriot conspiracy theorist. He believes that money "not backed by gold or silver" is illegitimate, and had plenty of criticisms of the Federal Reserve as an organization held on by private owners. From what we know, Loughner way be indeed, critical of religion. But his criticism of religion seems to stem from the conspiracy theories he has come to accept, specifically Zeitgeist: The Movie, which alleged that Jesus is a mythical character stemming from the Horus myth...which is crap (and I'll address soon in my conspiracy theory series).

Also, even if he was , I'm more than happy to accept him along the fold. Just as I also accept Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, Pol Pot and Gene Ray. So long as you accept Oliver Cromwell, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler and Pope Palpatine Benedict XVI.

Unfortunately, while the blame isn't really Sarah Palin's in this instance, since there's plenty of evidence that Loughner was already obsessed with Giffords enough as it is, Palin did target her in the aforementioned poster, which Giffords commented on. Also, her attempt to hit back at critics suggesting that those who claim that she influenced the attacker in any way, have given her a "blood libel", which was...not the best choice of words you could use in this situation. For those who don' know, a blood libel is the false accusation that specific religious groups, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in rituals. Considering that Giffords is a Reform Jew, to say Palin's words were in bad taste would be an understatement.

To summarize, the biggest danger in the climate of politics is allowing stupid, paranoid beliefs and especially the personalities who beam them. These rambly nutjobs have a dangerous influence to the unstable, and should be challenged wherever they're found on every pile of bullshit they spout. Also, while this time, the fervently right-wing advocates seem like they are not to blame, they should try no to make it about them being assaulted or attacked by people. You're not the one who received a bullet to the head, so have some sensitivity please.