Geller, Rubin, Breitbart, Erickson and a host of other wingnut hacks were quick to blame Muslims. Now, they're running for cover while still somehow blaming Muslims. "He's not a real Christian! He's not a conservative! He's not, he's not, he's NOT! Actually, he's a JIHADIST!" Ahem...
Are merchants of hate, bigotry and intolerance like Geller, Rubin, Breitbart and Erickson responsible for the Norway tragedy?
Of course not. Anders Behring Breivik is responsible. But it's a fact that spreading hate, bigotry and intolerance breeds hate, bigotry and intolerance, just as extreme rhetoric inspires extreme people to extreme acts.
Right wing hacks, desperate to avoid any responsibility for their wildly irresponsible rhetoric, are once again claiming this was just a "lone wolf" and an "isolated incident." Seems to be quite a few of these "isolated incidents" of right wing violence lately. 24 and counting here in the US since June of 2008:
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/violence-directed-liberal-and-govern
The 1500 page manifesto Breivik posted online is not the maniacal screed of a raving lunatic. Rather, it is a methodically and logically constructed polemic that accurately mirrors the language and the positions of these wingnut "thinkers" and the "mainstream" writings of right wing anti-Muslim blogs like Atlas Shrugged and Jihad Watch. In fact, some wingnut hacks have gone so far as to praise his thoughts while condemning his actions. Can you say "mixed message?"
Far from being a loner a la Ted Kazchynski or the myth of Tim McVey, Breivik was very social. He was well known and well connected in right wing political circles. He was a long time leader of the 2nd largest political party in Norway, a right wing, anti-immigrant party similar to our Tea Party, another group Breivik admires and mentions prominently. He had 7000 Facebook followers.
Right wing media howled in the aftermath of the Gabbi Giffords shooting, denying their extreme rhetoric could ever lead anyone to extreme violence. They're howling now. The sad irony in their all too predictable reaction is while they are rightly upset at suggestions that they are to blame for the violent actions of the few, they are completely blind to how they themselves engage in exactly this kind of illogical smear of an entire group every time they demonize Muslims.
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