Public standards are set by what the public tolerates. The public outcry over violently charged political rhetoric is real and the public is making it known. It will inhibit future excesses, hopefully, and lead to more responsible journalism.
Don't fool yourself...there are plenty of nuts out there on both sides. www.fas.org/irp/world/para/left.pdf
sarah palin is not any more an elected offical than rage against the machine or the beatles. it wouldnt matter if she was. if she wants to "target" areas for voting or whatever it was, there is not a problem. the only people who have a problem with it are people who do not understand the concept of responsibility.
I really don't care if you have a problem with me or my opinions or if you don't. Like I said, it doesn't shock me, that some lunatic shot a congresswoman and now people are blaming Palin. I understand why they blame her. Do I? No. But I can see how some lunatic would take her "targeting" seriously. I never said she was an elected official, and you are dead wrong if you think she isn't a politician, which is what I said she was. All I know, is that before Obama got elected, you would have been hard pressed to EVER find people who wanted to bring guns to town hall meetings and crap like that. Palin and the Tea baggers, and the Republican party, have equated Obama with Hitler, a Nazi, among other things. It's not shocking when lunatics come out of the woods and start shooting people. Regardless if Palin has the right to say those things, do those things, whatever, it's not surprising. I do think it was irresponsible for her to do that, just like it would be irresponsible for me to say "I wish that mother f was dead" in front of my child. However, I do not think she is to blame. But you will conveniently skip over this part like i never said it.
Considering my impressions of Martin from the atheism thread, it feels strange to agree with him 100% on this issue. While I do feel more would get accomplished if there were more civility and less vitriol in the public debate, everyone is responsible for their own actions. If Glenn Beck locked me in a room with Nancy Pelosi, put a loaded Glock in my hand, grabbed my arm and pointed the Glock at Nancy, and ordered me to pull the trigger, the decision - and the responsibility - to do it or not would still be mine. Loughner chose to do what he did; no one forced him.
I know that there are plenty of nuts out there. It's just that the left wing nuts in American do not commit murder in the name of their cause as right wing nuts do. The document that you cite doesn't list a single incident of left-wing terrorists committing murder in America. It's a long list of potential threats, plans. concerns, and agendas by people with a short list of murderous action.