In response to a supposed wave of vigilantism (in reality, a handful of isolated attacks) against Democrats who voted for increased government control over our health care system, Mark Potok of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center has become quite incensed.
He is right to decry violent acts against any individual for speaking his mind or voting his party’s will. It is wrong to attack an individual physically or to vandalize his property because of his vote. That sad, I do wonder where Mr. Potok was when liberal activists trashed Republican campaign offices in 2004. Or when gay marriage advocates published the names of those who contributed to “Yes on 8,” hounding one man out of his job and steering business away from one restaurant because one employee supported the campaign.
Still, he must criticizing those gay marriage activists for publishing the names of those who oppose gay marriage:
“This is what neo Nazi leaders in America do today,” Potok said. “They post personal information about their enemies and sit back and wait for somebody else to act.”
Or is he?
He only “compared the online posting of a public official’s address to tactics used by hate groups.” Maybe it’s okay then to post the address of a private citizen online?
Look, the main reason I am writing this post is because I believe these actions are absolutely reprehensible. Folks like Mr. Potok are right to be outraged. But, they–and the left-leaning media which echoes their complaints–have been strangely silent when outraged left-wing protesters committed similar infractions, inciting violence and publishing the names of private citizens who supported causes they didn’t like.
Much as I decry such violence, it seems outgoing House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s is grandstanding when he demands that “Republicans to stand up and condemn the threats.” I wonder if he ever decried violence against Republicans. Still, his Republican counterpart, John Boehner, the 61st Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives,
. . . called disrespectful acts towards members of Congress “unacceptable” and urged health law opponents to speak with their votes instead.
“Violence and threats are unacceptable. That is not the American way,” he said on Fox News. “Yes, I know there’s anger, but let’s take that anger and go out and register people to vote, go volunteer on a political campaign, and let’s do it the right way.”
Not only are violent acts wrong. They are also counterproductive. Vandalism and violation of privacy only help advance the cause of the targeted individuals.
The gay marriage advocates who targeted those who contributed to the “Yes on 8” campaign didn’t help advance the cause of gay marriage, instead looked like sore losers. Similarly, opponents of Obamacare in threatened those who voted for the measure help turn the focus away from the bill’s myriad flaws to their acts. And we all know how ready the media are to highlight reprehensible acts of angry right-wingers.
That’s also what ACORN and the SEIU thugs did to AIG executives a few months ago.
I commented on Mr. Potok’s blog post:
Ha ha ha! Nice catch, Dan! I missed the connection. 🙂
Moral relativism breeds the kind of thinking where political correctness justifies some distasteful means as acceptable because of the noble ends. It is equally true that moral relativism breeds the kind of thinking that permits hyper-moral outrage if it is your ox that is being gored.
Threats, epithets, and base actions are thuggery at best and they cheapen the cause. That said, Obamacare was the child of threats, epithets and base actions. It takes a well disciplined opposition not to react in kind. Gandhi and Martin Luther King specialized in spreading that truth.
Nonetheless, I rather enjoy watching the left insist they have the high ground and get all moral and prissy. There they stand, knee deep in their own sewage complaining about how other people smell.
More left-liberal projection, as modern Left governance is nothing more or less than the economic program of fascism (i.e., government regimentation of the economy).
Well, he should know.
This just in: According to Rep. Clyburn (D-S.C.) opponent of the Democrats health care “reform” plan are aiding and abetting terrorism.
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/03/25/clyburn/
Gosh, this makes me nostalgic for the good old days when dissent was considered the highest form of patriotism (14 months ago).
Wow! The Democrats are apparently just getting warmed up with today’s smears. Bawney Fwank is now comparing the opponents of Obamacare to bullies that drive teens to suicide. Seriously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCpyUl_EqTM&feature=player_embedded
Sean A, wonder if Barney is going to ask Democrats to differentiate themselves from him. Looks like you may have given me fodder for another post.
Ah, the beloved “reductio ad Hitlerum”. Why don’t they ever accuse anybody of being Stalinists or Maoists? Those guys killed off way more people. But they weren’t “racists”, so it was just a misunderstanding.