Now is not the time for people to "apportion
blame" for the weekend rampage that left six
people dead and an Arizona congresswoman
clinging to life, Sarah Palin said in a video
statement posted on her Facebook page today.
"But, especially within hours of a tragedy
unfolding, journalists and pundits should not
manufacture a blood libel that serves only to
incite the very hatred and violence they purport
to condemn," Palin said.
"That is reprehensible."
Defiant in the face of those who charge that her
heated rhetoric encourages such violence, Palin
noted that criminals are responsible for their own
actions, "not those who listen to talk radio, not
with maps of swing districts used by both sides
of the aisle."
"Like many, I've spent the past few days
reflecting on what happened and praying for
guidance," she said. "After this shocking tragedy,
I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and
now with sadness, to the irresponsible
statements from people attempting to apportion
blame for this terrible event."
Drawing a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks, the
former Alaska governor takes aim at proposed
legislation by Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., that would
make it illegal to place crosshairs on a Congress
member's district.
"It is in the hour when our values are challenged
that we must remain resolved to protect those
values," she said. "Recall how the events of 9-11
challenged our values and we had to fight the
tendency to trade our freedoms for perceived
security. And so it is today."
The video followed earlier comments in which
Palin said, "I hate violence." That was her reaction
to the shooting in Tucson of Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords and 19 others that has once again placed
the former Alaska governor in the middle of the
national political discussion.
The words were part of an e-mail exchange read
by conservative commentator Glenn Beck on his
syndicated radio show and first reported by
Jonathan Martin on Politico.
Here is the full e-mail as read by Beck:
"I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not
have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to
succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror
and violence. Thanks for all you do to send the
message of truth and love. And God has the
answer. - Sarah"
Palin's comments come amidst the swirl of
rhetoric concerning the most discussed
"crosshairs" in political memory. On her
Facebook page last year, Palin posted a map of 20
Congressional districts being targeted by her
political action committee, "SarahPac," in the 2010
midterm election. Gabrielle Giffords' Arizona
district was one of them.
At the time Giffords herself responded.
"When people do that, they've gotta realize there
are consequences to that action," Giffords said on
MSNBC.
Though there are no known ties whatsoever
between shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner
and Sarah Palin or any part of the Tea Party
movement, the "crosshairs" became part of the
media coverage of the Tucson shootings from
the very beginning.
Rush Limbaugh entered the fray on his radio
show today, accusing liberals of "making fools of
themselves to take an incident like this and to try
to turn it into a political advantage by accusing
people that have nothing whatsoever to do with
this sordid, unfortunate event, as accomplices to
murder. It's silly on its face."
"Don't kid yourself," said Limbaugh. "What this
was all about is shutting down any and all political
opposition and eventually criminalizing it.
Criminalizing policy differences, at least when
they differ from the Democrat Party agenda."
Conservative pundits have rushed to Palin's
defense. One blogger unearthed graphics
produced by the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee which featured red target
symbols on certain Congressional districts. A
graphic produced by the Democratic Leadership
Council in 2004 featured bulls' eyes.
Former Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Carney,
who himself was in Palin's "crosshairs," told a
Pennsylvania newspaper, "I'm not sure if 'blame'
is the right word for Ms. Palin, but I think it wasn't
helpful, obviously …It would be very useful if she
came out and, if not apologize, say that she was
wrong in putting that sort of logo on peoples'
districts."
Source: Http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sarah-palin-gabrielle-giffords-tucson-shooting-admonishes-journalists-pundits-blood-libel/story?id=12582457
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