Andrew B. and sympathy

OK, first off, few people wish any ill on his family. Even if it turns out his wife supported him and enjoyed the money, we can also note that there was little anyone could have done to stop him from being what he was. Some people choose to be who they are, and not all the threats of an early grave nor begging pleas can stop that, nor does that make it any easier for the family.

However, we need to keep one thing very clear. Andrew knew he was hurting people, and he did not care, period. Let's say he was just a showman that knew where his bread was buttered. He knew that poor people, vulnerable people were getting hurt, and he at best did not care, and at worst, enjoyed it. Furthermore, he knws he was LYING. It is one thing to be a sociopathic jerk is you were raised to be one and know no better. Mitt Romney and Grover Norquist, kids of the manor born, could be prime examples of people that really do believe their own lies.

Andrew had to know, in the editing room, that he was ACTIVELY LYING, as was his sidekick, Miles. Evidence is there, and when you edit fottage, you have to watch the stuff you cut out. Somewhere on the cutting room floor, there had to be something his conscience had to ignore. This is NOT just the idea of left and right fighting honorably, this was deception fueled by MONEY.

So no, I am not going to be kind. Yes, I do feel for mothers and wives and sons. However, the words used by charatans kill, and have been shown to cause violence. I do not even need to say the words "Gabby Giffords" as we all know that was not the first time the right wing radio jocks inspired violence, nor will it be the last. Long before Tim Mcveigh, long before Gabby, long before Free Republic, there is a pattern in Right-wing media for the right to call for violence, and then whine when they get called on it. Sadly, the internet has allowed some of these types to get a lot more traction than normal, as the late Mr. Breitbart was perhaps the main example thereof. Unlike Stephen Colbert, who plays a character that is no more real than Mickey Mouse, Breitbart wrapped himself in the mantle of serious journalist, indeed, he saw himself as the replacement for such, which means that we expected to be taken seriously. He did not even do the weak "I am just a harmless fuzzball" speech Rush trots out. or even the "I am just a rock star" that Ted Nugent says, disclaimers that remind people that they take people serious at their own risk. Yes, those disclaimers are weak, but they at least are there to remind people that there was a sdifference between news and entertainment.

The point is, Andrew, Miles and those like him, are not trying to be simple entertainers. They are IN THE WAR, trying to get people hurt, if not killed. They have made a climate here that has made this country the most divided since the Civil War, and cheer on the warmongers, even as , with every war in the modern era, we make humanity's lifeline a little thinner. Americans have died thanks to these people, and many elsewhere have died. Go to an emergency room, or food kitchen, or foreclosure, and tell me that these people have not caused innocent people to suffer!

Yes, I do feel pity for Andy's family and friends, but I feel more compassion for those who were harmed, and will be harmed. I can feel for enemies fallen in war, but this man was no honorable opponent. Furthermore, those who will follow his path need to know that they can and will be called to account for what they do. If democracy wins, they can be embrassed and run out of their little trade...if they push things to society goes mad, then they can and will reap their share of the whirlwind.