Revisiting Republican Repsonsibility for Hate Crimes

Last June, I discussed the horrible murders of two Knoxville, Tennessee parishioners of a Unitarian church. I lived in Knoxville for 3 years and know members of that church. The killer attacked the church because of its liberal views. Inspired by Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Savage, O'Reilly, and the other right-wing hate-filled gasbags, he took their views to their logical extreme and acted. The result was tragedy, as well as the predictable right-wing silence.

Sara Robinson notes that the killer has been sentenced to life behind bars. Upon his sentencing, he released a rambling message discussing his actions. Robinson excerpts part of it:

"Know this if nothing else: This was a hate crime. I hate the damn left-wing liberals. There is a vast left-wing conspiracy in this country & these liberals are working together to attack every decent & honorable institution in the nation, trying to turn this country into a communist state. Shame on them....

"This was a symbolic killing. Who I wanted to kill was every Democrat in the Senate & House, the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg's book. I'd like to kill everyone in the mainstream media. But I know those people were inaccessible to me. I couldn't get to the generals & high ranking officers of the Marxist movement so I went after the foot soldiers, the chickenshit liberals that vote in these traitorous people. Someone had to get the ball rolling. I volunteered. I hope others do the same. It's the only way we can rid America of this cancerous pestilence."

"I thought I'd do something good for this Country Kill Democrats til the cops kill me....Liberals are a pest like termites. Millions of them Each little bite contributes to the downfall of this great nation. The only way we can rid ourselves of this evil is to kill them in the streets. Kill them where they gather. I'd like to encourage other like minded people to do what I've done. If life aint worth living anymore don't just kill yourself. do something for your Country before you go. Go Kill Liberals."

Again, this is Republican eliminationism at its highest levels. None of this man's inspirations went on the air to apologize for their words. None condemned his man or his ideas. With all the hate they spew, some people are going to act. Listening to the radio or watching Fox News is not going to be an outlet for them, it's going to be an inspiration for action. Limbaugh and his ilk have a lot of blood on them, not just in Iraq but at home too.