Sarah Palin: Horrible, horrible woman.

[James.]

http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/3141123.html?thread=582208515

Worth a read. Sad that it takes a tragic event for this kind of wreckless rhetoric to come under real scrutiny.

[--------]

http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/3141123.html?thread=582208515

Worth a read. Sad that it takes a tragic event for this kind of wreckless rhetoric to come under real scrutiny.

I would have your hard hat close to hand, if I were you. I suggested this a few days ago and was shot down in flames (if I can express myself in such inflammatory and confrontational language on a public forum). I was told that there was no way Palin's website could have influenced the shooter - no way at all. I was being silly.

I really don't think Palin can be said to be an accessory to the shootings in any sense. There is such a thing as personal responsibility - I saw Palin's website, and I didn't immediately feel irresistibly impelled to go out and shoot myself a couple of MP's. Besides, I have no room at present to mount their heads on my study wall, so there would be no point, really. (Joke - before someone goes all sensitive.)

However, the combination of inflammatory rhetoric, most of which appears to be related to shooting things ('time to reload', 'get them in your sights', etc) along with a singularly unfortunate selection of graphics (using the image of the cross-hairs of a telescopic sight hardly suggests Palin was advocating a peaceful and tolerant approach to the 'problem' of these Democratic incumbents, surely?) does suggest to me that people like her should learn to engage what little brain they have before opening their great flapping mouths.

What makes it worse is that Palin has been indulging in this sort of rhetoric for some time now - the fact that someone might take her literally hasn't seemed to cross what passes for her mind. I mean, there aren't any unbalanced individuals in the US with access to firearms, are there?

I believe that there have been incidences of gun dealers selling hunting rifles to people like Palin under a buy-line, "The Rifle Jesus Would Have Used..." To go with "The SUV Jesus Would have Bought".

Whereas to my knowledge there's no record whatsoever of Jesus driving an SUV - or shooting anything - bear, deer, moose, beaver, possum - or even former state governors of little brain and even less moral sense.


PS - it's a little-known fact that Noah had a fleet of SUV's to transport the animals to the Ark before the Flood - "the animals went in four-by-four", as the old song has it? :greengrin

[James.]

:top marksCan't find that thread Doddie but completely agree with what you are saying. The style in which politicians of Sarah Palin's ilk conduct themselves with regards to their campaigning needs to change.

[bighairyfaeleith]

Sarah Palin is, like so many americans, dangerously naive to the world.

There is no way she would be allowed to seriously run for prime minister in this country. The womans a complete fruit loop.

Anyone that says otherwise, frankly is an idiot.

[lobster]

Sarah Palin is, like so many americans, dangerously naive to the world.

There is no way she would be allowed to seriously run for prime minister in this country. The womans a complete fruit loop.

Anyone that says otherwise, frankly is an idiot.

'Blair consulted the bible before making major decisions' in todays news. Are you sure about that?

[Sir David Gray]

http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/3141123.html?thread=582208515

Worth a read. Sad that it takes a tragic event for this kind of wreckless rhetoric to come under real scrutiny.

Two things I would say about this;

1-In my opinion you can't blame anyone for this heinous crime taking place, other than the gunman himself. Yes, politicians could conduct their campaigns in a more responsible manner but any normal, balanced person looking at that map of the crosshairs would not be encouraged to go out and kill people. The guy who did this was clearly a very disturbed individual and I'm not even certain that there's any evidence at the moment that he was inspired by that map to carry out the shootings.

2-Sarah Palin is not the only politician in the US who is "guilty" of using this kind of rhetoric. In fact the president himself, Barack Obama, said a couple of years ago "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun." when he was talking about the Republicans.

I have a few issues with Sarah Palin over some of her policies but attempting to pin some of the blame on her for these shootings in Arizona taking place is just people on the left attempting to get at her and I think that's unfair.

If you want to blame anything, other than the gunman, then it should be the ridiculous gun laws that exist in the US. In fact, I saw a news report from Tucson a few days ago and the reporter went into a local supermarket and showed off a huge range of guns that were on sale there. You could buy a gun in that supermarket, like you or I could buy a loaf of bread in Tesco or Asda.

The reporter went on to say that Arizona has some of the most liberal gun laws in the entire country. After all, it's one of only three states that does not require people to possess a permit for a concealed weapon.

Ordinary members of the public should not be able to walk into a supermarket and, within two minutes, come out owning a firearm.

It'll never happen as "the right to bear arms" is ingrained into the psyche of the US population but it's time for Americans to change the legislation on gun ownership in their country because, as things stand, there is literally nothing to stop practically any disturbed individual in the country from carrying out a shooting spree and murdering dozens of people as guns are so easy to come by.

[bighairyfaeleith]

'Blair consulted the bible before making major decisions' in todays news. Are you sure about that?

Are you seriously comparing sarah palin to anyone with religious beliefs because I'm not:confused:

[Beefster]

I could find examples of Tory, Labour, Lib Dem, SNP etc politicians using gun-linked rhetoric. "Target", "Turn our guns on" and so on. It's not uncommon.

For the record, I'm no Palin fan.

[Leicester Fan]

Isn't trying to blame Sarah Palin for a murder, that no reasonable person could ever think was something to do with her, just the sort of nasty hostile rhetoric that these people are complaining about?

[--------]

:top marksCan't find that thread Doddie but completely agree with what you are saying. The style in which politicians of Sarah Palin's ilk conduct themselves with regards to their campaigning needs to change.

I deleted it - couldn't be bothered with the argument at the time.



'Blair consulted the bible before making major decisions' in todays news. Are you sure about that?


Are you seriously comparing sarah palin to anyone with religious beliefs because I'm not:confused:

Is ANYONE seriously suggesting that EITHER Blair OR Palin are Christian in any meaningful sense of the word? :cool2:

I reckon I could find both of them prophesied in the Book of Revelation.... :devil:



Isn't trying to blame Sarah Palin for a murder, that no reasonable person could ever think was something to do with her, just the sort of nasty hostile rhetoric that these people are complaining about?

Ho-hum... :rolleyes:

Please read what I wrote. Second paragraph: "I really don't think Palin can be said to be an accessory to the shootings in any sense."

Most serious commentators on this business have made this very point - that violent rhetoric such as that used by Palin and Obama in the examples quoted in this thread is very liable to persuade weak-minded or unstable individuals that resorting to violence to resolve political problems is OK.

Most serious commentators have also conceded (as I do) that we all need to exercise personal responsibility - just because a politician employs violent and abusive language in attacking his or her opponents doesn't mean that other people should escalate the situation to the actual use of firearms to eliminate those with whom they disagree.

Political rhetoric in the US has become more and more violent, more and more dismissive of opponents in the past year or so. This needed to stop before someone was hurt. Unfortunately it's too late now.

Which, unless I grossly misunderstood him, is the point AyrshireHibs was making in his opening post.

Simples!

[heretoday]

Sarah Palin will be the next president I'm sure.

The more I see of the US the more I'm convinced they are all mental.

[Big Ed]

Sarah Palin will be the next president I'm sure.

The more I see of the US the more I'm convinced they are all mental.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility, but I am inclined to think that the Republican Party wiill baulk at the prospect of this "loose cannon" (no pun intended) running the show.

[--------]

It is not beyond the realms of possibility, but I am inclined to think that the Republican Party wiill baulk at the prospect of this "loose cannon" (no pun intended) running the show.


The real question will be regarding who else provides a credible and electable alternative.

If she wins the nomination, she's in. Obama's a liability, but as the present incumbent, he'll almost certainly be the Democratic candidate.

Unless, of course, someone shoots him.... :rolleyes:

[Big Ed]

The real question will be regarding who else provides a credible and electable alternative.

If she wins the nomination, she's in. Obama's a liability, but as the present incumbent, he'll almost certainly be the Democratic candidate.

Unless, of course, someone shoots him.... :rolleyes:

Obama may be a liability just now, but he is in mid-term.
I don't know enough about credible Republican candidates, I must confess; but I'd be surprised if there was no one else other than Palin.
My instinct is that the Party machine; whether Republican or Democrat, seldom doesn't get their guy to run.
If Obama suddenly starts to do well and Palin is the only electable candidate, then yes, they'll go with her. However I still think that she is too "off message" for conventional politics.

[Green Mikey]

The real question will be regarding who else provides a credible and electable alternative.

If she wins the nomination, she's in. Obama's a liability, but as the present incumbent, he'll almost certainly be the Democratic candidate.

Unless, of course, someone shoots him.... :rolleyes:

I don't think that she'll be the Republican candidate.

IMO the Republican party are using her and the Tea Party movement to increase support for their party and win voters back from the Democrats. Once they're ahead in the polls I think they'll choose a more suitable Presidential candidate who will choose a Tea Party VP candidate. On the other hand I could be completely wrong!

[--------]

I don't think that she'll be the Republican candidate.

IMO the Republican party are using her and the Tea Party movement to increase support for their party and win voters back from the Democrats. Once they're ahead in the polls I think they'll choose a more suitable Presidential candidate who will choose a Tea Party VP candidate. On the other hand I could be completely wrong!

Two years to go (or thereabouts), and she's clearly working for the nomination now. We'll just have to wait and see...