Heritage Foundation whines, "It all started when he hit me back!"

[marmar]

from OpenLeft:



Heritage Foundation whines, "It all started when he hit me back!"

by: Paul Rosenberg
Tue Jan 11, 2011 at 10:30


Conservatives never take responsibility for anything: slavery, segregation, racism, coddling Hitler, Central American death squads, pollution, mass incarceration, three decades of budget-busting deficits, 9/11, Katrina, the Iraq War, the Wall Street meltdown & the Great Recession--the list goes on and on. So why would their reaction to the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords be any different? And it's not, as the Heritage Foundation whines, "It all started when he hit me back!"

Libel is No Path to a Civil Society

All of us at The Heritage Foundation were profoundly saddened by the tragedy that occurred this past Saturday morning in Tucson, Arizona. We mourn all of those who lost their lives and are praying for a full recovery by all of the surviving victims. As Speaker John Boehner said Saturday, "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve."

Unfortunately, some have chosen to use this tragedy for political gain. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, the Democrat who refused to enforce SB 1070, told FOX News' Megyn Kelly this weekend that the shooting was caused by an "atmosphere" created when "one party trying to block the attempts of another party to make this country better. " In case there is any doubt in your mind who Sheriff Dupnik was talking about, one veteran Democratic operative, who, like Sheriff Dupnik, blamed overheated rhetoric for the shooting, told Politico that President Barack Obama should "deftly pin this on the tea partiers."

Pressed by Kelly to identify ANY evidence linking the shooter to the tea party, Sheriff Dupnik admitted he had zero: "That is my opinion. Period."

Of course, Dupnik's original claim wasn't that Loughner was a Tea Party member, but that the same incendiary rightwing rhetoric used to fire up the Tea Party--some of which directly targetted Giffords, who had been the target of violence in the past--also played a role in inspiring and directing Loughner's murderous rage. So, the Heritage Foundation is lying, as usual. But that's just the starter lie. The hum-dinger is here:

Americans like Sheriff Dupnik, who claim that they are interested in creating a more civil discourse, ought to think long and hard about pointing their fingers at other peoples' words before making completely unsubstantiated accusations. Those who blame the rhetoric of their political opponents for these heinous crimes, when no such evidence exists, only further coarsen our civil discourse.

Why, heavens! We'd hate to see anyone coarsen a civil discourse characterized by "death panels", "Second Amendment remedies," nooses, swastikas, spitting on congressmen and the like. This is the sort of "civil discourse" the Heritage Foundation wishes to preserve? Where, exactly has Heritage been all these years? ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.openleft.com/diary/21370/heritage-foundation-whines-it-all-started-when-he-hit-me-back

[Supersedeas]

1. and most of the mainstream media has picked up on the Heritage Foundations talk point

it won't be long before the Media turns on the Good Sheriff

[DCKit]

2. Reminds me of the time my three-year-old nephew started screaming like an air-raid siren...

turns out his baby brother bit him - to stop him pinching him, repeatedly. There were marks all over his torso.

The older kid didn't understand why nobody would take his side.

I detest bullies, and have learned to decode their language.

[Arkana]

3. Clarence Dupnik is in the unique position

of being able to paste whoever the hell he wants. Since he's a local official he's untouchable.

And I love how these pricks are suddenly circling the wagons--even though not a single elected Democrat of any importance has accused them of ANYTHING. Even the talking heads are being careful.

Methinks the right doth protest too much.

[Rex]

4. I love it when someone comes along and pisses off these freaks.

Makes my day to watch them squirm with guilt written all over their faces.

[malaise]

5. As we say here Sheriff Dupnik mashed up the dolly house

and stole the meme. The majority of people agree with the Sheriff about the vitriol.