Bullshit Protectors
Jo Fish clearly has a set. He responds to the American Legion's frightening call-to-arms to use "whatever means necessary" to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism:"
Well, that's pretty interesting, "use whatever means necessary" to ensure that everyone just shuts the fuck up. Then Mr. "Fuck the First Amendment" American Legionnaire tries to cover a skosh for his eliminationist rhetoric, and make no mistake that's what this is.Dedicated Atrios readers know that when Bush's approval ratings slipped below 40% this week, Holden got a pony. He then asked "What do I get for less than 30?" To which Watertiger quipped, "Under 30 and you get martial law."Cadmus explained, "No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemie."First, if my elected officials happen to be a bought-and-paid-for members of the Delay Fascism Society, I doubt they're going to give a pig fart whether or not I support the GSAVE/GWOT/Phenomenal Contractor Boondoggle from Hell. They're not going to express my views, or any that are not approved by their party leadership on the floor of the House or Senate any more than Cindy Sheehan is going to learn what the "Noble Cause" her son died for is from the lips of Preznit Horse Fluffer in this or any other lifetime.
Second, isn't threatening violence and creating fear among the populace, well, sort of Terroristic Behavior? I mean when this guy tells me, that he's going to "use whatever means necessary" to silence my and others First Amendment protected objections to this Neo-Con Fantasy War, is he planning to come to my house, burn it down and kill me and my family? Or maybe just something a little less direct, like having a sympathetic AL member who's in law enforcement, picking up my kids at school and taking them for a ride and calling me up and asking where the kids are, and I'd better shut the fuck up now.
I certainly don't think that anyone in the 1600 Crew will gainsay this guy. Not after Trent Duffy threatened the press corpse again yesterday with another "yer with us, or agin us". Members of the American Legion who think this thing is over the top and believe that this reflects poorly on the Legion and it's history and principles, will you speak out?
I have a very bad feeling about all of this. Not that martial law is necessarily in the wings, but the rhetoric is growing so heated and the culture war so fractious that I worry we're on the verge of violent confrontation a la Kent State.
I really hope I'm wrong.
posted by Jane Hamsher @ 8/24/2005 06:16:00 PM
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