The Knoxville Shooting: The Liberals Made Him Do It

[Joanne98]

by Leonard Pitts Jr.
Had it not been liberals, it would have been something else. Let’s grant that from the beginning.

Broken people, after all, can always find some equally broken rationale for the carnage they cause. And the brokenness of 58-year-old Jim Adkisson can hardly be doubted after he walked into a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sunday and, according to police, shot eight people, killing two.

He might as well have said he did it because he didn’t like the color of the building, a black cat crossed his path or the voices in his head thought it a good idea. Except, he didn’t. Police say that, according to the four-page note he left, he went on the rampage because he couldn’t find a job — and because he hates gay people and liberals.

Even through the brokenness of the man, that reasoning resonates.

From the days the first President Bush branded it ”the L word” — i.e., the ideology that dare not speak its name — conservative politicians and media figures have been relentlessly effective in selling the idea that ”liberal” is the brand name for every wrong thing they see, every opinion they disagree with, every change they fear. They have not been hampered by excessive devotion to nuance.

As in the pundit who claims ”liberal” is a mental disorder. And the politician who says liberals are in league with Satan. And the preacher who said Sept. 11 was caused by liberals. And the other preacher who says liberals cause natural disasters.

It has reached the point where I no longer have the faintest idea what liberal — or, for that matter, conservative — even means.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/30/10695/

[HawkerHurricane]

1. So...

because of liberals, this guy attacked the most liberal church in the area...

[Doctor_J]

2. Pretty good until this

"No, conservatives did not cause this bloodbath."

They most certainly DID cause this, and when the reckoning comes for Weiner and the rest of their lot, they had better hope that the liberals retain their compassion.

[norepubsin08]

3. This is just like the anti-abortion movement...

all righ wing radio and tv pundits and current and past Bush administration members should be tried according to RICO both criminal and in civil court. If that were to happen, a lot of this bullshit would stop!

[Uncle Joe]

4. Actually according to this paragraph supposedly of his letter "hate" is what made him do it,

now who peddles in hate?

"He might as well have said he did it because he didn’t like the color of the building, a black cat crossed his path or the voices in his head thought it a good idea. Except, he didn’t. Police say that, according to the four-page note he left, he went on the rampage because he couldn’t find a job —and because he hates gay people and liberals.

[fasttense]

5. If you say day after day that a certain group of people

are all evil and the cause of all bad in the world; if radio hour after radio hour is filled with vile comments about those people, then when someone acts on what you say, aren't you just a little bit responsible for the acts?

The conservative, neocons knew they were destroying the US economy, and knew they would need a scapegoat. Jews, immigrants, liberals, it's all the same. A scapegoat for the powers that be to blame.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Just a moment to say

This is why Democratic candidates should not be doing the promanade through the religious zones with 'preachers' spouting off about gay people or any other minority. The McClurkins and Caldwells have blood on their hands as well. As do those who make use of their divisive and hate based messages to gain votes.