TYREE: Tucson overreaction: Putting wimpiness in crosshairs on The Murfreesboro Post

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TYREE: Tucson overreaction: Putting wimpiness in crosshairs

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By: DANNY TYREE, Post Columnist

Posted: Sunday, January 16, 2011 5:45 am

What a party that must have been!

I’m speaking of the time that Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wilkes Booth and James Earl Ray hopped into their Hot Tub Time Machine and journeyed to 2011 to listen to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and get brainwashed into entering the assassination game.

That scenario is not so far-fetched for those who are rushing to declare the recent Tucson shooting rampage the fault of (take your pick) the Tea Party, conservative talk radio, FOX News or negative campaign ads.

Suddenly “civility” groupies are bemoaning “vitriolic rhetoric,” “hate,” “anger,” “bitterness,” “rancor,” “extreme ideologies” and “verbal savagery.”

I agree that politicians, commentators and voters should be ashamed of rumor-mongering, deliberate distortions of the truth, and knee-jerk auto-pilot opposition to everything the other party proposes – but beyond that, we do a disservice to our forefathers if we insist on playing the child-pacifying game “Tiptoe, Tiptoe, Quiet As A Mouse” around so-called hot button issues.

Is political discourse in 2011 something unique in history?

Returning Vietnam War veterans were taunted as “baby killers.”

An infamous 1964 campaign commercial strongly implied that challenger Barry Goldwater would plunge us into nuclear war.

The Copperheads thought Abe Lincoln a bloodthirsty tyrant.

One of Thomas Jefferson’s supporters branded John Adams “a hideously hermaphroditic character.”

Since 1776 this republic has survived with the option of placing the opposition in the hot seat.

Apparently now our only option is to reenact Monty Python’s version of the Spanish Inquisition. (“Congressman, we have evidence that you lied about your military record, engaged in insider trading and practiced serial bigamy. We have no choice but to subject you to the COMFY PILLOW!”)

Sarah Palin and others have been scrutinized for using provocative “gun imagery” (say it with the same venomous tone as “kitten bludgeoning imagery” for the proper effect) in campaign material.

Sure, let’s focus on the few hypothetical nut jobs and not on the millions of citizens who see “gun imagery” but don’t take violent action.

Let’s self-censor and “tone down” and mollycoddle and hope that some psycho doesn’t still use the generic phrase “throw the bums out” as a license to push opponents out of an 8th-story window. (And what about deranged fans, who might take rosy descriptions as an invitation to dispatch their idol to a Better Place?)

The squeamish think that tossing around the magic words “esteemed colleague” and “distinguished gentleman” through clenched teeth will make us safer and more productive, as if a bandit’s demanding “Your money or your life—PLEASE” somehow leaves us in better financial shape.

They think that a curtailment of “negative” campaign ads will leave us better informed.

If they get their way, ads will leave the electorate with information such as “Them lollipops, rainbows and pink unicorns sure are purty!”

Pundits have warned that the current level of political discourse turns people off from voting – as if making passionate issues such as abortion, gay rights and illegal immigration boring doesn’t discourage people from voting.

We have been lectured that free speech comes with consequences.

Let’s not forget that neutered speech comes with consequences as well.

Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Perhaps it’s time to update that to “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to give a wimpy response.”

Danny welcomes reader e-mail responses at tyreetyrades@aol.com.

Tagged under Danny Tyree, Tyree's Tyrades, Voices

Member Opinions:

By: publius on 1/18/11
I do not think that Ms Palin or Ms Angle meant for anyone to shoot people, and for most of us we understand that they are using these words as a metaphor, but the mentally ill(the Phoenix killer) or even some extremists both left and right use these words to validate their hate speech and actions. Being restrained with your words is responsible , it does not mean that you can't speak your mind. It is not just the two ladies above using these kind of words I heard Harry Reid say a Congress man who was protesting was "throwing bombs" I don't believe he meant that literally, and I would guess that most of you don't think he meant it literally. But what if what he said validates a crazy person's thought and he/she left that bomb in the back pack by the side of the road in Spokane Washington; And remember free speech does not mean you can yell fire in a crowded movie theater. Being responsible does not mean you do not have free speech, it just means you are a grown up who understands the world is dangerous place.Do you really believe that it is OK to change our government using our second amendment rights? That is not "negative campaigning" it is insurrection; if a democrat said that during President Bush's term and some one attempted to assassinate him, as was done to Pres Reagan would you still think that it was free speech. What I am talking about is not neutered speech, but responsible speech. Negative campaigning has always been a part of American politics, but saying we will change the government with our second amendment rights is not negative campaigning, it is down right irresponsible.

By: Sprtman on 1/20/11
Abaham Lincoln was a bloodthristy tyrant as proven by history.

By: BMWKT on 1/20/11
The violence the leeft has thrown at Sarah Palin including bumper stickers that say Abort Palin,death threats of all kinds is running rampant.

The one thing they accuse Sarah of they do themselves and the lame media looks the other way.
If the left didn't have double standards, they would have NO STANDARDS.
What a bunch of hypocrits!

By: publius on 1/21/11
BMWKT I agree that both the left and right use inappropriate speech but we do not do anything to stop it we participate. Each of us as individuals need to stop. I did not think that President Bush was right about many of his decisions, but I found the bumper sticker on cars about a village in TX is missing it's idiot offensive. I found Rush Limbaugh's parody about the Chinese leaders speech embarrassing. How many listened and laughed. We can not stop these people from doing and saying these things but we can choose not to participate. Both the right and the left have no standards, we need to.