Scattershooting on othering ...

While wondering whatever happened to Blackie Sherrod?

I'm going to leave the Palin bashing to Andrew Sullivan. He seems to have a better read on her than just about anyone else and you can click on his blog to the right.

But the idea that the rhetoric we've seen the past few years doesn't contribute to a culture of violence and of othering of those with whom we disagree is, at best naive, and at worst just a continuation of the incitement. There was a time when we realized the political opposition sought the same end for this country as we did, they just believed in a different mean to get there. There was a time when you could have friends of different political persuasions and as long as they weren't communists or Redskin fans it was okay.

But we don't merely disagree with our opponents anymore, we disavow them. The opponent isn't refuted (and by the way, refute doesn't mean to disagree, it means to prove wrong so stop using it copy editors). He must be othered. We see parts of this country labeled "Real America" we see some of it's people labeled patriots. Well if you are a patriot and I disagree with you, what does that make me? It makes me a traitor, a lesser American, a lesser human and it's not far from subhuman.

And I am not optimistic that Congresswoman Giffords' shooting will be the end of it. We've seen the right leap to defend it's choice of martial rhetoric. Jack Shafer claimed that violent language is healthy. Limbaugh claimed that the shooter was working for the Democrats. All have railed against the idea that anyone has committed a crime by placing cross hairs over an opponents district or claiming the president is a foreigner not fit to hold office.

But the fact is, no one has called for any of these people to be charged with any crime. There is no attack on the First Amendment. There is no doubt that the rhetoric is heating up the reality in the political arena. Conservatives, who claim to stand for personal responsibility, are, in this matter, attempting to wash their hands of any responsibility. Just as they have nothing to do with the budget deficit, the economy or the war in Iraq.

No one is asking anybody to give up any rights. We're just asking for the leaders of the debate to act like adults.