{"id":742,"date":"2011-01-13T13:19:26","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T18:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patrioticfederalist.com\/Wordpress\/?p=742"},"modified":"2011-05-29T01:09:09","modified_gmt":"2011-05-29T06:09:09","slug":"tragedy-to-triumph-democrat-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/?p=742","title":{"rendered":"Tragedy to Triumph, Democrat Style"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Alexander&#8217;s   Essay \u2013 January 13, 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tragedy to   Triumph, Democrat Style<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Necessity, especially in politics, often occasions false hopes, false reasonings and a system of measures, correspondently erroneous.&#8221; &#8211;Alexander Hamilton<\/p>\n<p>Do targets incite violence?<\/p>\n<p>Federal Judge   John Roll, a Republican recommended for the bench by Sen. John McCain and   nominated by President George H. W. Bush, was among six citizens murdered by   a psychopath in Tucson on Saturday. Democrat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was   among 14 wounded, and her recovery prospects are promising.<\/p>\n<p>These deaths and   injuries are an incalculable tragedy, and equally so are the deaths and   injuries of thousands of other violent crime victims each year.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Giffords is   a moderate Democrat and a self-described &#8220;strong supporter of the Second   Amendment.&#8221; That notwithstanding, the Democrat Party has already   undertaken to convert the Tucson crisis into political fodder for &#8220;gun   control&#8221; and &#8220;hate speech&#8221; legislation, and a &#8220;national   conversation&#8221; with the objective of silencing conservative political   speech.<\/p>\n<p>A gun did not   commit the Tucson attack, as the Left would like you to believe; the   perpetrator was a mentally deranged 22-year-old, Jared Lee Loughner, who   chose to use a gun rather than some other method to orchestrate his mayhem.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nWhat do we know   about the motivation of this killer?<\/p>\n<p>Former classmate   Caitie Parker described Loughner as &#8220;left wing&#8221; and &#8220;a   pothead.&#8221; Though Loughner listed Hitler&#8217;s &#8220;Mein Kampf&#8221; and   Marx&#8217;s &#8220;Communist Manifesto&#8221; among his favorite books, it is   unlikely that these Leftist texts, or any other Leftist political propaganda,   drove him to mass murder.<\/p>\n<p>According to his   friend Bruce Tierney, Loughner fixated on Giffords after she was confused by   a question he posed in a previous public forum about government manipulation   of grammar. &#8220;How do you know words mean anything?&#8221; he asked.<\/p>\n<p>Her confusion   was understandable.<\/p>\n<p>Though there is   not a shred of evidence linking Loughner&#8217;s actions to political rhetoric,   Democrats seized the day by invoking Barack Hussein Obama&#8217;s former White   House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel&#8217;s Rule 1: &#8220;You never want a serious   crisis to go to waste.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Their first   order of business was to focus on Sarah Palin &#8212; specifically a <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/reference\/violent-imagery\">political map<\/a> from   her SarahPAC website that identified vulnerable Democrat districts with   crosshairs. One of those districts was Giffords&#8217; 8th Congressional District   in southern Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>Liberals argued   that such imagery contributed to the violence in Tucson.<\/p>\n<p>It turns out, of   course, that Democrats have used much more inflammatory graphics, such as a   &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dlc.org\/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=253055&amp;kaid=127&amp;subid=171\">Heartland   Strategy<\/a> map on the official Democrat Leadership Council&#8217;s website, which   identified &#8220;enemy lines.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Then Democrats   went after conservative media commentators like Rush Limbaugh and websites   like PatriotShop.US, accusing us of inciting violence with &#8220;hate   speech.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When asked if   the Tea Party movement is an instigator, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said,   &#8220;For a while, you&#8217;ve been feeding this hatred, this division &#8230; you   feed it, you encourage it. &#8230; Some of the extreme right wing has made   demonization of elected officials their priority.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, a quick   search of comments by Democrat leaders and liberal media talkingheads reveals   a hefty strain of hypocrisy. Of course, were it not for double standards,   liberals wouldn&#8217;t have any at all.<\/p>\n<p>At a Democrat   fundraiser, Obama had this to say about countering his Republican   adversaries: &#8220;If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.&#8221;   He identified Republicans as &#8220;hostage takers,&#8221; later saying,   &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry. I&#8217;m   angry!&#8221; I didn&#8217;t consider any of this to be hate speech, just a clarification   of how seriously and how far Democrats are willing to take the political   fight.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Joe   Biden remarked, &#8220;If I hear one more Republican tell me about balancing   the budget, I am going to strangle them.&#8221; Biden didn&#8217;t mean that   literally, of course, and yet we&#8217;re being asked to believe that Sarah Palin   &#8220;crosshairs&#8221; map was somehow an incitement for the targeted   assassination of Gabrielle Giffords.<\/p>\n<p>In a New York   Times op-ed this week, former Demo Rep. Paul Kanjorski declared, &#8220;It is   incumbent on all Americans to create an atmosphere of civility and respect in   which political discourse can flow freely, without fear of violent   confrontation.&#8221; This would be the same Rep. Kanjorski who had these   words for a then-Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott: &#8220;They ought   to have him and shoot him. Put him against the wall and shoot him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ah, yes,   &#8220;civility and respect.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Subtlety from the Left<\/p>\n<p>A few other   rhetorical examples: From the official Democrat Party website: &#8220;The   Democratic National Committee plans to target Republican John McCain.&#8221;   From the website of Former Demo Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, &#8220;Once   again, the Republican Leadership has launched an attack on working families.   The target this time is one of the cornerstones of protection for American   workers.&#8221; From the website of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), &#8220;It Really   Is Time For Americans To Take Up Pitchforks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Headlines from   Leftmedia sources: &#8220;Democrats Launch Website Targeting &#8216;Republican   Lies'&#8221; (Washington Post); &#8220;A coalition known as Americans United   for Change is targeting Republican senators&#8221; (NPR); &#8220;Obama   administration officials said they were targeting Republican Senators&#8221;   (CNN); &#8220;Dems Play Hardball: Target Republican Senators&#8221; (Huffington   Post); &#8220;In the meantime, Obama will continue to target Republicans&#8221;   (CBS); &#8220;I have to tell you, Rush Limbaugh is looking more and more like   Mr. Big, and at some point somebody&#8217;s going to jam a CO<sub>2<\/sub> pellet   into his head and he&#8217;s going to explode like a giant blimp&#8221; (MSNBC&#8217;s   Chris Matthews).<\/p>\n<p>The Media   Research Center has compiled numerous other <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnsnews.com\/news\/article\/media-research-center-documents-liberal\">violent   threats<\/a> issued by high-visibility liberals against conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>No doubt   clueless as to these many examples of Leftist &#8220;incitement,&#8221; the   celebrities piled on: <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/reference\/hanoi-jane\/\">&#8220;Hanoi   Jane&#8221;<\/a> Fonda, who infamously posed on an NVA antiaircraft gun only   yards from where North Vietnamese prison guards were torturing American POWs,   summed up the situation thusly: &#8220;Progressive Arizona Rep Gabrielle   Giffords is shot. In her ads, Sarah Palin had her targeted in a gun site   (sic). Inciting to violence.&#8221; Thanks for your input, Jane.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and there   was another Leftist celebrity who chimed in this week. Fidel Castro wrote in   an op-ed, &#8220;The Tea Party, constituted by the most reactionary and   politically backward elements of society &#8230; in the midst of the crisis and   disappointment over the promises that Obama has been unable to fulfill, will   take the country into the abyss.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And speaking of   op-eds, consider how The New York Times opined on two tragedies.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, after   Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 30 others at Ft. Hood, all the   while yelling &#8220;Allahu Akbar,&#8221; Times&#8217; editors wrote: &#8220;In the   aftermath of this unforgivable attack, it will be important to avoid drawing   prejudicial conclusions from the fact that Major Hasan is an American Muslim   whose parents came from the Middle East. President Obama was right when he   told Americans, &#8216;we don&#8217;t know all the answers yet&#8217; and cautioned everyone   against &#8216;jumping to conclusions.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This week after   the Tucson attack, that same Times opined, &#8220;It is facile and mistaken to   attribute this particular madman&#8217;s act directly to Republicans or Tea Party   members. But it is legitimate to hold Republicans and particularly their most   virulent supporters in the media responsible for the gale of anger that has   produced the vast majority of these threats, setting the nation on edge. Many   on the right have exploited the arguments of division, reaping political   power by demonizing immigrants, or welfare recipients, or bureaucrats. They   seem to have persuaded many Americans that the government is not just   misguided, but the enemy of the people. &#8230; Now, having seen first hand the   horror of political violence, Arizona should lead the nation in quieting the   voices of intolerance, demanding an end to the temptations of bloodshed, and   imposing sensible controls on its instruments.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Never let a   serious crisis go to waste.<\/p>\n<p>Crisis response,   Part 1: Pennsylvania Demo Rep. Robert Brady is proposing &#8220;hate   speech&#8221; legislation outlawing &#8220;language or symbols that could be   perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a member of   Congress.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Crisis response,   Part 2: California Demo Sen. Barbara Boxer says, &#8220;I believe we should   look at sensible gun laws again. Now, I&#8217;m not saying that these sensible gun   laws would have stopped this killer, but I do know this: It should not be   easy for a killer to obtain a weapon that could kill or wound 20   people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Crisis response,   Part 3: New Jersey Demo Sen. Frank Lautenberg announced that he is working   with New York Demo Rep. Carolyn McCarthy on legislation that would ban the   manufacture and sale of high-capacity magazines like those used in Tucson.   According to McCarthy, &#8220;My staff is working on looking at the different   legislation fixes that we might be able to do and we might be able to   introduce as early as [Monday].&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Since   alcohol-related auto wrecks kill far more Americans than sociopaths with   guns, perhaps McCarthy and Lautenberg will soon be out with legislation   requiring a five-day waiting period to buy a beer, and of course, no   hi-capacity six-pack purchases will be allowed.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, did I   mention that alcohol is a determinant in more than 70 percent of violent   crimes?<\/p>\n<p>For the record,   I fully support your individual right to possess, transport and consume   alcohol, but I also support the notion that you have an individual   responsibility in society not to endanger others by driving in public after   using it.<\/p>\n<p>Some quick facts   about criminals who use guns: The annual murder rate per 100,000 people on   the European continent is 5.4, while in the United States, it is 5.6 (Bureau   of Justice Statistics). However, if you&#8217;re not involved with drug users or   gangbangers, your chances of being murdered drop to par with the more   &#8220;civilized&#8221; Western European nations, about 1.5 per 100,000.<\/p>\n<p>As for Leftist   attempts to disarm Americans, no amount of &#8220;gun control&#8221; will stop   criminals from committing violent crimes against innocent men, women and   children, though, arguably, gun restrictions can <em>increase<\/em> the violent crimes.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. city   with the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, Washington, D.C., has the   highest murder rate at 24 per 100,000. The state with the most unrestrictive   gun regulations, Vermont, has the lowest murder rate at <em>0.48<\/em> per 100,000.<\/p>\n<p>Violence is a   cultural problem, not a &#8220;gun problem.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the   Left seizes on tragedies like Tucson in order to advance their political agenda,   which is a sham and a shame. Their gun safety proposals have nothing to do   with safety and everything to do with disarming Americans. Fortunately, for   the moment, the <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/alexander\/2010\/03\/04\/second-amendment-still-the-palladium-of-liberties\/\">Second   Amendment<\/a> in our Bill of Rights still provides something of an obstacle   for Leftists like Boxer and Lautenberg.<\/p>\n<p>Liberals are   predisposed to blameshifting. Rather than addressing issues such as the stark   social entropy engendered by their Socialist policies, Democrats would rather   blame inanimate objects like guns.<\/p>\n<p>Ronald Reagan   once said, &#8220;We must reject the idea that every time a law&#8217;s broken,   society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the   American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Indeed.<\/p>\n<p>Please join us   in prayer for <em>all<\/em> victims of criminal violence and negligence across our nation, and for their   families.<\/p>\n<p>Semper Vigilo,   Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!<\/p>\n<p>Mark Alexander<br \/>\nPublisher, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/subscribe\/\">The Patriot Post<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>(Please pray for   our Armed Forces standing in harm&#8217;s way around the world, and for their   families &#8212; especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,   Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American   liberty.)<\/p>\n<hr size=\"1\" noshade=\"noshade\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PatriotPost\"><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/patriotpost\"><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/feeds\/\"><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patriotpost\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alexander&#8217;s Essay \u2013 January 13, 2011 Tragedy to Triumph, Democrat Style &#8220;Necessity, especially in politics, often occasions false hopes, false reasonings and a system of measures, correspondently erroneous.&#8221; &#8211;Alexander Hamilton Do targets incite violence? Federal Judge John Roll, a Republican recommended for the bench by Sen. John McCain and nominated by President George H. W. &#8230; <a title=\"Tragedy to Triumph, Democrat Style\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/?p=742\" aria-label=\"Read more about Tragedy to Triumph, Democrat Style\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[238,237],"class_list":["post-742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-democrat-style","tag-tragedy-to-triumph"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=742"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":795,"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742\/revisions\/795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/patrioticfederalist.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}