Pat Oliphant for August 30, 2010

Too close to the truth.

Touché, Monsieur.

Him whose reading the golden plates in the hat?? Yes, Punk is absent, and I think because what Lincoln is saying is EXACTLY what Beck, and the “ten percenters” are after.

This trumpet has been sounding since the primaries.

It is time to differentiate between legitimate “free speech” and treason fomented by Armey, the Koch boys, JBS, Rove, Perle,and those put off by any cut taken from their profits, taken from the middle and little class folks. “Braveheart” William Wallace was also shafted by such cowards as active today for feudalism’s return.

I think today’s intent is much more ominous.

… indeed, and the violence has already begun …

Ouch! I’m a big Pat Oliphant fan, but isn’t this going just a tad too far…?

1) He’s doing what we criticize the Tea Partiers for doing by presuming to speak for long-dead national heroes, and

2) he’s attributing to Beck the intention of inciting assassination, which is borderline libel.

You can argue that Beck’s antics could and might inspire and embolden some lunatic assassin, but it’s another thing entirely to accuse Beck of intending to do that. Yeah, I know it’s an editorial cartoon, and I think editorial cartoonists should be allowed to draw and write anything, but I for one don’t want people in the Middle or the Right to think that this represents the thinking of those of us on the Left.

And, yeah, I know the Tea Partiers (and Beck himself) regularly attribute evil intentions to people who oppose them–including the President–but shouldn’t we hold ourselves to a higher standard?

Just saying.

Perhaps Beck is inviting somebody to shoot him. Sacrificial lamb and all that.

More than borderline libel. This is disgusting and sick–accusing Beck of wanting someone to shoot the President is really off the wall. Shame on you!

They’ve gotten their followers to pipe-bomb mosques and oppose new mosques on bigoted grounds. There’s no reason to expect that their call for violence, and their calling Obama a Muslim, won’t have this effect.

Oliphant expressed one of my greatest fears in this cartoon. Those who say “over the top” may not have noticed that the number of hate and paramilitary groups and individual open-carry types has grown fast since we elected President Obama. Some of these people have an agenda; others are just “ready for action.” Beck and Palin are leading the parade but the “kingmakers” funding them laid out the parade route. Let’s hope they fail.

In the 60s, it was the far right racist and conservative John Birch society bigots who didn’t listen and engaged in libelous ad hominem attacks. Now, sorry to say, it’s the far left which stereotypes, is filled with hate, doesn’t listen, and engages in libelous ad hominem attacks (characterized by this name-calling and libelous “cartoon”). Two sides of the same coin. A pox on both the far right and the far left knee-jerk views expressed by Oliphant and those who applaud his sick implications.

One of my greatest fears also. There are too many people out there who feel they have the right to violently act alone when they disagree with our government. Where have honesty, spirit of national pride and cooperation to achieve our goals gone? Where did all the hatred come from? It is unbelievable that we have fallen so far during my lifetime. Working together and compromising to solve differences worked well for many years. Why not now? Let’s try it.

I didn’t watch the Beck rally but read quite a few comments upon what actually occurred. In reading the unabashed fear and hatred presented by many above and elsewhere apparently Beck is quite effective and may be accomplishing his goals.

There is a disease of the left called oikophobia. Many of you out there really hate the US and our basic philosophy. Capitalism, the individual over society, merit based, family over government, rejection of a big “socialist” type government, success and failure, class system, minimal taxes, etc. You are much more comfortable with society as practiced in Europe before it began to collapse.

It really is different here and the fact that since FDR our country has swung away from your core values is really bothersome. Obama was the solution to all your aspirations. Hope and Change. From the left he is a terrible failure but he is no more of a success to the right.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704147804575455523068802824.html

I love Oliphant, but I agree that this toon is over the top. I certainly worry that someone is going to take a shot at Obama, but I think it’s going too far to say that Beck wants someone to do it. There’s plenty to criticize about Beck without this.

I was originally thinking that this might be over the top, but then again, I remember that Beck, on national television, has had skits about poisoning Nancy Pelosi, and pouring gasoline on congressmen and then lighting them on fire.

Beck’s already suggesting stocking guns, and has had viewers try to storm military bases because he said that base was going to become a FEMA reprogramming camp.

Oliphant, sadly, is right on the money.

dtroutma, while I believe you mean well, ‘Freedom of Speech’ must be for everyone, otherwise it is just censorship in disguise. It must include you and I, ANandy, The Black Panthers (if any are still around), the self-serving entertainers like Beck, Palin, and Limbaugh, and even the truly demented who spew nothing but hate.

We can hate the message they spout, we can and should deride the lies they tell, but we can never pretend denying them the right to voice their opinion is justified.

Pat calls Beck an “idiot”. From that it is clear to me that Pat is not accusing Beck of calling for Obama’s assassination. Just that Beck is a dimwit.

But…

Careful with the “dog whistle”. No telling what kind of mutt will respond.

Remember Mitch McConnell saying that he took Obama at his word that the President is a Christian?

By putting it that way, ol’ Mitch gives a wink to the pinheads among us.

An interesting article regarding the anti-Obama idiocy:

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/28/alter-how-obama-can-fight-the-lies.html

Bill, I do agree on “free speech” but even the Constitution draws a line at treason, slander, libel, and inciting illegal acts. A certain other kook wrote “Slander” and “Treason” and the books were filled with exactly what she titled them.

Having seen a burning cross, and seen the places where men were lynched because of speakers like Beck– I think it’s time to pay closer attention- to the speakers, and their herd.

With conservatives throwing around terms like “reload” and “second amendment solutions” this is not over the top.

Great cartoon and some good comments. But the usual confused people have also weighed in, too bad. Beck is a very bad form of entertainment that many people find believable, even desirable. If he were on network TV he would have been fined and removed years ago. His message is confused and could incite somebody to do something very wrong. And he would feel blameless as his televised persona has no scruples. His persona believes that he can say and do anything because he is right. I expect he will end up like Father Coughlin, that is, a strong and bothersome voice for a time who will be ultimately rejected by reasonable people.

Just for curiosity what did he say that would have him banned from TV? The seven words?

Seems everybody is afraid of the potential Tim McVeighs that the right wing pundits are creating. I share your sentiment.

Although this is the meanest Oliphanata I’ve seen in a very very long time, I note that he could have made it even meaner. He could have included JFK and had Lincoln include Oswald in his observation.

And whatever happened to Sirhan Sirhan?

http://tinyurl.com/ygkck8h

maybe someone will eliminate beck…

myming, I agree with those who are saying that that’s what Beck WANTS, and that’s what the cartoon is saying. Even an unsuccessful attempt would make him the martyr he so desperately wants to be.

Rallen285 You’ve forgotten about Jesse Helms and Bill Clinton, haven’t you? And that wasn’t a per se madman, that was a US Senator threatening a sitting President of the United States.

Anyone who thinks a bullet to the head is going to settle a high-profile social argument is an idiot, and will go a long way towards demonstrating the power of the ideas he’s presumably stopping. Whatever else Beck is, he is NOT himself an idiot.

If, as the cartoon suggests, Beck is hoping to inspire a John Wilkes Booth or a James Earl Ray, it is in the hopes that he himself will be equated with Lincoln or King, not to put Obama in that position. Not to equate Beck with Obi-wan Kenobi either, but by drawing a bullseye on your own forehead you are in effect saying “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you ever imagined.”

And they wouldn’t want to turn Obama into another JFK because…? Eliminating JFK certainly put an end to any progressive movement in the country, and set the stage for the war that culled the young men of my generation. Martyrs may live on in our memories but they are still dead which renders them fairly ineffective.

“Eliminating JFK certainly put an end to any progressive movement in the country, and set the stage for the war that culled the young men of my generation.”

Uh, we were already in Vietnam before JFK was shot. As far as “ending any progressive movement” in this country, were you asleep from 1964 to 1972?

So… having a vigorous discussion is “unhinged”?

Hmmm… yeah, I kinda suspect we’re seeing a comment on Glenn’s take on potential martyrdom. It would sure make his attempt at a “lasting legacy” an easy job.