Mistaken Balance
Sure, there will be people like criminal G. Gordon Liddy who would like to link the Holocaust Museum Shooting to those associated with Democrats (even when all the signs point to a conservative-based influence).
What people need to understand is this: while the Right and Left each have their fringes, that doesn't mean each side is equal in how they react. The whole "They Do It Too" retort just doesn't hold water.
Take Liddy's claim for example. While there hasn't been a report on Rev. Wright's reactions toLiddy's comments or the shooting, the media has decided to but Obama's ex-pastor into the mix by releasing a story saying Wright blames Jewish people for his limited (read: non-existent) access to the President:
Wright clearly isn't concerned about any agenda Obama may have (which is precisely why Obama has distanced himself from the Reverend), but more importantly (and Wright admits this much himself) he doesn't care about what the political climate is right now. We have had three violent, ideologically-charged shootings in the past few months and Wright is boo-hooing about not being able to have a chat with Obama.
And before anyone starts ranting, let me mention that you don't hear these complaints coming from other religious-political figures like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Wright's issues are most likely just about him.
But I digress: while I doubt that Wright influenced von Brunn in any way (the guy liked African-Americans as much as he liked Jewish people), the two do seem to share a "blame the Jews" philosophy. As despicable as that philosophy is, until I see Wright (or one of his followers) brandishing a gun in public, I'm going to hold back from saying the two are exactly the same.
And the media needs to learn that while every story may have two sides, they are not always equally factual, accurate or sympathetic.
What people need to understand is this: while the Right and Left each have their fringes, that doesn't mean each side is equal in how they react. The whole "They Do It Too" retort just doesn't hold water.
Take Liddy's claim for example. While there hasn't been a report on Rev. Wright's reactions toLiddy's comments or the shooting, the media has decided to but Obama's ex-pastor into the mix by releasing a story saying Wright blames Jewish people for his limited (read: non-existent) access to the President:
"Them Jews ain't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office," Wright told the Daily Press of Newport News following a Tuesday night sermon at the 95th annual Hampton University Ministers' Conference.
"They will not let him to talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is. ... I said from the beginning: He's a politician; I'm a
pastor. He's got to do what politicians do."
Wright clearly isn't concerned about any agenda Obama may have (which is precisely why Obama has distanced himself from the Reverend), but more importantly (and Wright admits this much himself) he doesn't care about what the political climate is right now. We have had three violent, ideologically-charged shootings in the past few months and Wright is boo-hooing about not being able to have a chat with Obama.
And before anyone starts ranting, let me mention that you don't hear these complaints coming from other religious-political figures like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Wright's issues are most likely just about him.
But I digress: while I doubt that Wright influenced von Brunn in any way (the guy liked African-Americans as much as he liked Jewish people), the two do seem to share a "blame the Jews" philosophy. As despicable as that philosophy is, until I see Wright (or one of his followers) brandishing a gun in public, I'm going to hold back from saying the two are exactly the same.
And the media needs to learn that while every story may have two sides, they are not always equally factual, accurate or sympathetic.
UPDATE: Here's Olbermann's take on Wright, which I have no problem with:
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