After the Oklahoma City bombing, President Clinton had this to say about hate speech:
President Clinton Monday denounced the “loud and angry voices” that inflame the public debate and called on the American people to speak out against “the purveyors of hatred and division.”
Addressing last week’s bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, Clinton said the nation’s airwaves are too often used “to keep some people as paranoid as possible and the rest of us all torn up and upset with each other. They spread hate, they leave the impression that, by their very words, that violence is acceptable. … It is time we all stood up and spoke against that kind of reckless speech and behavior,” he said in Minneapolis.
In angry tones, the president said: “When they talk of hatred, we must stand against them. When they talk of violence, we must stand against them. When they say things that are irresponsible, that may have egregious consequences, we must call them on it.”
You probably remember what happened next.
Some conservatives reacted furiously to suggestions that there is a link between the Oklahoma bombing and harsh public attacks on government. Rush Limbaugh accused liberals on Monday of trying to foment a “national hysteria” against the conservative movement.
“Make no mistake about it: Liberals intend to use this tragedy for their own political gain,” said Limbaugh, whose radio show is carried on 660 stations. He blamed “many in the mainstream media” for “irresponsible attempts to categorize and demonize those who had nothing to do with this. … There is absolutely no connection between these nuts and mainstream conservatism in America today.”
The joke is that “mainstream conservatism” these days is synonymous with “right-wing extremism,” and the few remaining conservatives who are, you know, conservative got hooted out of the Republican party some time ago. Only the nutjobs remain.
Many years have passed. Now we know that back in the innocent days before Tim McVeigh was executed the Right was just getting warmed up. Now we’ve got a monster posing as POTUS who threatens political opponents with violence and hurls vile hate speech at minorities, especially Latinos and Muslims.
Trump’s anti-Muslim bigotry has a long history. In 2011 and 2012, Trump insinuated that President Barack Obama was secretly Muslim. In September 2015, at a campaign rally, Trump nodded along as a supporter claimed “we have a problem in this country; it’s called Muslims.” Trump continued nodding, saying “right,” and “we need this question!” as the supporter then proceeded to ask Trump “when can we get rid of them [Muslims]?” In response, Trump said: “We’re going to be looking at a lot of different things.”
In November 2015, on “Morning Joe,” Trump said that America needs to “watch and study the mosques.” Four days later, he indicated that he would “certainly implement” a database to track Muslims in the United States. Two days after that, he falsely claimed that “thousands and thousands” of Muslims cheered in New Jersey when the World Trade Center collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001.
Then came the most egregious statement — one that should haunt Trump’s legacy forever and taint everyone who supported him subsequently: On Dec. 7, 2015, he called to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Three days later, Trump tweeted that the United Kingdom is “trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem.” On March 9, 2016, Trump falsely claimed that “Islam hates us.”
See also Republicans Are Denying Trump’s Complete Open Bigotry Against Muslims. But, of course, it isn’t just Trump. Steve King got into trouble again with a tweet that encouraged civil war. And then there’s the ever horrible Jeanine Pirro. Pirro was booted off Fox News — I assume temporarily — for this:
Pirro teed off on criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks in discussing Israel and its supporters in the United States. Omar is a Muslim and wears a hijab. “Think about it,” said Pirro. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”
But Trump is outraged that one of his favorite bobbleheads was taken off the air.
One of the few bedrock values that nearly all Americans at least pay lip service to is the right to say any damnfool thing you want without penalty from the government. Other western democracies do prohibit some speech, such as screeds denying the Holocaust. Germany bans displays of Nazi symbols. Germany also bans Volksverhetzung, “incitement of the people” or hate speech. Should the U.S. do likewise? The problem, of course, is that when the Right takes back government again I hate to think how they would administrate such a ban. See Trump Supporters Say the Darndest Things.
https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/important-reads/16495-trump-s-anti-semitism-shouting-fire-in-a-crowded-theater
OY!
He's lost (howver little of) "it" (he ever had)!
Something's shaken him badly.
"Mueller?"
"Mueller?"
Being badly shaken would not be a bad thing for a horrible president*.
Unless that president* is tRUMP.
And as unstable as he is, he may decide to go out with a "BANG!" by pushing the nuclear button. Then, no one well be left to criticise, and/or scold, and/or mock, and or arrest him!
So: Armageddon!
Hell, tRUMP's narcissistic enough to think that the Universe revolves around him, and as a consequence, he may think "he alone" can survive it! Or that he might, upon his death, be immediately transferred to an alternate, but like, Universe (NAH! That's way too sophisticated an idea for such a stupid and ignorant schlubb like him). Or, best of all, he might think that he and a bevy of beautiful women (Including Ivanka, I'm sure) will survive, and that all of those women will beg him for sex so that they can begin to repopulate our planet.
Outlandish and extreme thinking?
I don't think.
THE MAN IS NUCKING FUTS!!!!!
So, to sum up: On an Earth devoid of humans, there'll be no one left to hold tRUMP responsible. No one ever has before. And no one ever will if he takes us with him.
I hope I'm worrying for nothing.
I'd add a few things. In Trump's latest tweetstorm he named the talking heads with Fox who he wants restored. Those are the most offensive – you have to be really offesive to get a time-out free vacation penalty from Fox.
At the same time, Trump was calling for the FCC to investigate CNN and the parent of SNL because they aren't being so flattering as the hatemongers on Fox.
This isn't normal, folks
Just a couple of weeks ago 'individual one' held a rally in Miami FL and right behind him on his right was the leader of the proud boys. Now who ever chose the backdrop crowd, and they knew what they were doing, needs to be asked why they did that.
Are the chickens coming home to roost? I think the walls are closing in on Trump and it's beginning to manifest through his tweets. All the little incidents of wrong doing and lies where we would normally expect accountability that were just glossed over in thinking that he wouldn't be held to account are now beginning to gel in one big massive ball that is coming in his direction. He's got so many things coming at him it's hard to keep track..
He's got too much exposure from too many angles to un-ass this baby. His pardoning power has been effectively nullified because he doesn't know who remains to be charged and what connection to him in illegal acts they might have. Sorta like playing a game of crazy eights where you just can't exit the game unless everything works out perfectly. And with all the loose ends he's got to contend with to save his own ass it can't be done without furthering his own complicity.
He who rides the back of the tiger cannot dismount? I'm hearing and believing that NYSD is going to hit the Trump organization with a RICO statute. With all the shit we've heard over the past three years it would make perfect sense to just roll up Trump and his brood in one big criminal ball and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
It's no wonder why he's coming unglued. He a big ole orange tufted bag of shit, and I hope misery and suffering overtake him.
The pen is said to be a powerful weapon, at times superior to the sword. The tweet then, to one who likes to bend reality, can warp minds. You can't hardly sell a ticket to an honest wrestling match, but the illusion of a wrestling match will draw big crowds. It is just a matter of changing perspective, as from the right angle and with the proper light, collusion disappears. Magic and magical thinking is the power of the con artist. Con artist may tend to get a little nervous around the ides of March.
The announcers for the golf tournament this weekend provide us with a fine example. One of the golfers hit a shot that required some talking to. He coached the ball, in flight, to make some adjustments. The announcers chimed in that finding a golf ball that listens well to instructions is not as common as one might like. What is common is the idea that we can command even an inanimate object, like a golf ball, and it will bend to our orders. Young children and old age regressive types seem to bark these magical commands a lot. Spoil sports, like me, remind them that all that coaching has absolutely no real effect. Then again, a high percentage of people think they can influence the outcome of a sporting event by yelling at the TV. This might warrant a similar spoiler alert. You may want to have magical powers like that, but you get them by coincidence and chance only. All golf balls and at least older TV sets are totally deaf.
Ah yes, "only the nutjobs remain". There are so many of them. They worship at the shrine of "the big ole orange tufted bag of shit". He will tweet them the kind of world they want. They will bust no brackets and all their yelling at TV sets will work perfectly this year. Tis the Madness that is March. Will someone please tell them you must shortly return to sanity. April fools day is on the horizon.
Gulag: I too hope you're worrying for nothing. However, on the bright side, if Trump is the only human left on the earth due to his own actions, he will be food for a whole bunch of non-humans. The idea of cockroaches swarming all over his bloated body gives me a warm feeling.
Speaking of responsible rhetoric… A news reporter asked Sarah Sanders whether she thinks Trump should tone down the the inflammatory rhetoric. He specifically mentioned Trump's rhetoric pertaining to Democrats being anti-American. Sander's responded by saying…"Well, look, Democrats are perfectly comfortable with ripping babies from the womb."
It kinda reminds me of the old joke where a teacher wants to be kind and welcoming to all the children in her class so she goes around giving candy to all her students. When she gets to little Johnny and offers him some candy he says, I don't want none of your fucking candy. She is mortified by his foul language and decides to speak to little Johnny's father. When she tells little Johnny's father what he said when she offered him some candy, the father replies…If he doesn't want any of your fucking candy then don't give him any.
To Sarah Sanders: And, Republicans are fine with ripping babies from their mothers'/fathers' arms.
Support for abortion is running at around 2/3 of the general population, which is a lot of anti-American Democrats. Abortion is always their lame excuse to try and obfuscate involvement in so many depraved antichristian philosophies and actions.
Bill,
These are the same American "Christians" who were on the WRONG side of EVERY SINGLE civil and human rights issues since long before even the Civil War!
And so they latched onto "life" because they think that THIS issue is the same as supporting voting, civil, human, LGBTQ, and women's right's. But the main benefit, is that it also provides cover for their their truly anti-Christian, inhumane agenda. An agenda that:
– Forces women to be subservient and dependent human-slave incubators, with little time to pursue things that will make them independent from their slave-master husband's.
– Holds any and all minorities down. They still wrongly believe that it's minority women who fuck around wantonly more, and have the vast majority of abortions.
These people are also known as "tRUMP's Base! "
I think of all the foul Trump has pulled as fake President, what he rolled out last week (military, police, bikers are gonna "not be nice to" maybe guns maybe something something ……….) that smells the worse. That must have some folks at the top worried? That is text book dictatorship stuff. Does Trump know he's finally crossed the line? Is there a line? Maybe that's why he threw out all his twenty something shit tweets on Sunday, it works every time. Trump has figured out to trick idiots by telling them everything he is going to so?
I'm not picking, choosing, endorsing, talking nice or trashing any democratic nominee for president during this primary. I’m going to keep my trap shut until I actually vote. Then I'm going to vote for whomever wins. I'm not interested in transforming what the Democratic Party is. I'm only interested in winning the next election. The house is on fire, we can remodel the kitchen later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTu4cXW9H_Q
If the mahablog had an edit button: I'm not picking, choosing, endorsing, talking nice or trashing any democratic nominee for president past or present during this primary.
Then came the most egregious statement — one that should haunt Trump’s legacy forever and taint everyone who supported him subsequently: On Dec. 7, 2015, he called to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.
The most egregious part of Trump's statement wasn't that he called for a ban on all muslims…It was the "I, Donald J. Trump" part of that statement. His arrogance and overly inflated sense of self importance is what really set that declaration off to showcase what a big obnoxious and vile bag of shit he really is. He hit ground zero of narcissism with that statement. To call him a big bag of shit doesn't even scratch the surface in identifying the substance of his being.