Last month, in the wake of the Tucson shootings, I joined a chorus of bloggers commenting on what many saw as a connection … not necessarily causal but closely related … between calls to violence from the right and the spate of politically- and ideologically-motivated shootings we’ve seen in our country over the past two or three years. My conservative friends were quick to tell me I was imagining things.
So I guess I won’t worry about this:
On Saturday night, when Mother Jones staffers tweeted a report that riot police might soon sweep demonstrators out of the Wisconsin capitol building–something that didn’t end up happening–one Twitter user sent out a chilling public response: “Use live ammunition.”
From my own Twitter account, I confronted the user, JCCentCom. He tweeted back that the demonstrators were “political enemies” and “thugs” who were “physically threatening legally elected officials.” In response to such behavior, he said, “You’re damned right I advocate deadly force.” He later called me a “typical leftist,” adding, “liberals hate police.”
Only later did we realize that JCCentCom was a deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana.
Nor will I worry about this, a call for armed counter-protestors to show up at a Service Employees International Union rally scheduled today in Atlanta, Georgia.
Nothing to see here, folks. Just patriotic Americans exercising their Second Amendment remedies, and if one of them fires into a crowd of striking teachers trying to protect their union collective bargaining rights dirty hippies, whether in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, or Georgia, it’ll be the teachers‘ hippies’ fault for starting it in the first place.
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Mindful of Einstein’s calming advice to those living in troubled times, I’m going to spend the rest of the day with my critters. As Calvin said, “I wish people were more like animals. Animals don’t try to change you or make you fit in. They just enjoy the pleasure of your company. Animals aren’t conditional about friendships. Animals like you just the way you are. They listen to your problems, they comfort you when you’re sad, and all they ask in return is a little kindness.”
And maybe some fresh, clean clothes to cuddle up in. Our cat Chewie, who sheds hair by the bushel, invariably curls up on freshly folded laundry, preferably my favorite black T-shirts. Now the dog is at it, though she’s less particular about the color.
Also this morning, Polly’s second-fattest cat Max treed itself. That’s something for a declawed cat. I was less impressed with her refusal to jump down afterward … she was all of six feet above the ground.
Update (later, same day): I revised this post on the advice of my sister Mary who thought I had unnecessarily buried my main point, which, of course, is the continued incitement of violence in American political dialog … and the fatness of Polly’s cats.
Update II (later, same day): Fired already. No doubt the right will now call for defunding the Indiana AG’s office.