Can we stop talking now about anybody getting hurt or worse? PLEASE?

[NoSheep]

Okay. We all know. Thread after thread about hand wringing fear of violence. I feel like I'm watching Nancy Grace or some shit. But can we just stop now? These people are crazy as hell. We've seen the random violence and the targeted violence that occurs when these things get ramped up. That's why Keith said he'd stop talking about O'Liarly. I don't think we are helping our cause or the safety of the people we have elected by indulging in this ad infinitum.

We are smarter, more compassionate, saner...so why go on about it? We know where it comes from and we could be making it worse by adding to the negative energy.

I say take a chill pill. Step back from it. None of us will help this situation by hand wringing, scenario-izing...I'd give anything if we could all at once just think about our wisest mentors. Some of mine are the civil rights folks who sang through the hardest times, even in prison. We should be singing songs of joy because we have an opportunity to break through some of the oppression we've been under. Remember: The joyful singers won that battle.

I know it's bad... but we are NOT the death-necks. We are different from them. Can we just please all stop to think about how our good fortune, that which made us see, is still with us? Because IT IS. The truth is still the truth.

I'm no Pollyanna. Never. But I see reaction from so many I have been with here be SO strong...dont let them get to you. They are small. They are pitiful and hateful. We "are large...contain multitudes".

I ask that we all just sit back for a moment. Get grounded in what we know is right, and stop feeding into this crap. Stop imagining the worst. It doesn't help. They're reading this...some of them are unstable. We should just stay positive IN PRINT if any of us are TRULY concerned about our elected representatives in government.

I am not saying cower, I'm saying be inventive! Be smart. Be calm. Use your head and steel your heart.
This will die down. But I can see how we aren't helping anything here with the negativity that has become like the front page of the National Enquirer (damn that's hard to spell)

Be with me on this please? Look how cool Obama is. imagine what he has seen in his life that has informed his behavior. Let's be with him on that. Their screams will resonate like bombs when they bounce off the walls of the still..the knowing and the wise. Be clever..be vigil, but can we please stop with the discussion of violence on a public board?

[NoSheep]

1. Great. Someone pushed unrec. Wonderful. Perhaps sanity doesn't reasonate with you.

[Petrushka]

7. K & R

[NoSheep]

9. Thanks for giving me hope that I may have made some sense.

[MADem]

16. Sanity doesn't resonate with more than a few, unfortunately.

Some folks don't want to be sane--they love the worst case scenario. It's how lazy bastards live on the edge, to speculate about the worst thing that could happen, and try to get others in an uproar.

I get the idea that some of these nut jobs posting these "To ARMS!! A battle in the STREETS!" threads are spoiling for a little fight....from behind their keyboards.

People are too fucking fat and lazy to engage in "battle in the streets." Hell, most of them won't waddle to the fridge to get a beer if they can con someone else to bring them one.

The whole construct is just stupid. It reminds me of stuff that "echoes the tone and substance" from a certain conservative website belonging to our political opponents.

I gave your post an R, to counteract the U.

[NoSheep]

18. Right on.

[snake in the grass]

24. I won't push unrec,

never have and probably never will, but I'm realistic enough to see that this will lead to bloodshed before it's over. Tiller and the Holocaust Museum were just the prelude. This country has shunned intellect and been allowed to fester in ignorance for far too long that love and understanding alone will prevail. It's simply human nature.

[NoSheep]

2. Should I have written a screed about how cool it is to freak out about a bunch of idiots?

And how wise it is to go ON and ON about...oh fucking never mind.

[vaberella]

4. Don't worry about it.

In most cases people here are as bad as the masses in regards to stuff. They tend to feed on things without knowing full information----~sigh~ I've even fallen to that jive. Hence the reason I'd rather hear it from the lips of our President than anyone else speaking for him or about something he said. Eventually people on here will get their heads together, hopefully.

[vaberella]

3. I understand your point but at the same time I can't live behind rose coloured glasses.

My life doesn't allow it and considering every aspect of my person is politicized there's no way. I won't close myself off to the blatant racism, to the violence perpetuated by the Republican party and their cohorts, and basically the negative face of this nation that can be found polluting even this board which is supposedly a "safe haven" for progressive thought.

I will stay positive within reason. I will support my president within reason. However, I do consider myself a practical progressive and as such I have to keep in mind that I may not always agree with my president, that I will most definitely disagree with many on this board and people outside of this board in regards to his actions and the actions of others (ie. crazy zealot idiots).

However, I won't unrec your post because I think you have a valid point.

[NoSheep]

5. Thank you ,vaberella, for being thoughtful.

Truly.

[vaberella]

6. De Nada.

I get tired of the damned negativity on this board as well, but then at the same time...I'm glad I know of it. Imagine how many people in our nation who "aren't aware." You're exercising a choice so many don't have. Look at the fools running amok (ie the Repub foot soldiers); obviously they are people unaware who are feeding into all the negativity as though it's factual. Their out bursts, exclamations of a lost nation, and just plain old hate has gone overboard. Unfortunately in their case, they either don't know the truth, or they believe the lies that come out of the mouths of people they hope to trust, or they just don't understand and get it and no amount of explaining will help.

They remind me of one of my mum's favorite sayings, "If I didn't understand it the first time, what makes you think I'll understand it now?" Basically that's where these idiots are at and unfortunately they'll stay that way, I suspect. We have to recognize it, understand and then break them down. However we shouldn't ignore it.

[NoSheep]

8. No never..

NEVER ignore it. And NEVER be invisible. I just see a growing contingent here who seem to be getting waylaid by the violence or the mere suggestion of it...and I'm not sure it's a wise thing to do; for us individually, for our political interests (and we know that is all of us including the duped) or for our basic consideration of those at risk. I don't want to go on about it otherwise i will be doing exactly what I feel we should cease doing. Don't get me wrong. I am up front, marching and preaching the most progressive (veeeeery far left) message I can to everyone I know. But I see that those here who are expressing their fear of danger as if they are enjoying blackberry cobbler. "Oh...I shouldn't eat this...I know it will make me fat.. munch munch swallow, drool, munch drool." And I am suggesting we lay off the cobbler lest somebody 'splode.

[vaberella]

10. Understood.

Do you think maybe some on here might be prone to violence? I'm unsure how to read the last statement.

[NoSheep]

11. No. The same way a person might over eat when they really want to lose weight

is the analogy I'm making. I'm assuming no one here (who belongs here) wants anything bad to happen..but they can't shut up about it.

I think it is possible to lose sight of the POSITIVE impact one has on society when we remain SANE in the face of what we are witnessing right now. Sane is all we have. That's why Obama is a relatively superior president and that's why he won the election. Sanity appeals to people, right? But folks here are getting so caught up in this I'm worried they may escalate it and I know that isn't what they want.

It seems to be catching on like some kind of virus. I've been watching it for days. Going from 'Oh my word can you believe this?" (rice cakes) to endless mentions of assassination, compulsive threads about fear...(vanilla bean custard with hot peach compote)

The hate is seductive. I guess I had hope I might be able to help someone wake up to that.

[Better Today]

12. I disagree with you entirely. When a group that is being stoked up and

riled up and start threatening violence against us and our leaders, I think we need to be aware; not necessarily react, but be aware and that requires being informed. I would hate to think of what would happen if we all sat back with the idea that it won't actually happen and therefore are not prepared. Living in a very red state, and knowing that my neighbors are very caught up in the insanity, I am definitely on high alert after reading some of the warnings I've read on here. Perhaps I will moderate the way I speak of things with my neighbors over the next little while to ensure my own safety, others may do the same. It isn't like some of their nuttier, nut jobs haven't been going on shooting rampages. It is only a step or two further for groups to start up some shit.

So I guess the summary of what I'm trying to say is that we need to be aware so we can be prepared, otherwise if they do en masse decide to start a civil war of sorts, we won't be blown away because our heads were in the sand and our hearts too trusting of the concept of fair play.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

13. Democrats need to set ground rules for these town hall meetings

and then follow up with security and police. Let these morons get arrested a couple times and see how rowdy
they'll be the next time around. In the bigger scheme these people are a small vocal minority getting the MSM
coverage those of us protesting the war never received.

[NoSheep]

17. I appreciate your comments and I really do agree with you more than you may think

but who's head is in the sand? Not anyone's here that I can tell. You can't miss it here. I just wish the dialog were about doing something better than joining in on the kick-somebody's-ass direction. I posted the other day saying I thought we should take the debate to the web. But No comments section allowed. The speaker speaks the ideas. People view it, email questions and then the second video posts the answers, that way we avoid giving them power in a venue where others may want to have a civil discussion. But NO ONE seemed to take that ball and run with it. Posters just kept feeding the hate machine. I'm saying I feel that isn't constructive and could be helping to fuel a wild fire of violence. I was calling for a real strategy that could silence these asshole death-necks disrupting a real discussion, which is what I think they are.

It appears people would rather wring hands and go on about the gorey details.

[Gman2]

14. Bullshit, We are soft. We had better harden for battle. THEY ARE.

They dont talk nice. I had better curl up in a ball. It is so unpleasant confronting them. WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Lets roll.

[deep1]

15. If they even try anything that would lead to Obama's harm........

I will not be surprised that it will lead to riots everywhere in this country and Republican beatdowns. These people are mad dangerous and stupid. I love and care for Obama, greatly, these fuckers better not try anything to endanger his life........

[Odin2005]

21. Ditto.

[cwydro]

19. K and R

[depakid]

20. The probablity is that people ARE going to get hurt

They already have- and I can't imagine that a reasonable person sees any objective signs that the situation is getting any calmer, or their corporate sponsors and opinion leaders are going the behave any more responsibly.

Wishing for something doesn't make it happen.

[RamboLiberal]

22. I wish I could agree with you but I can't

When will it die down? We went through this for all of Clinton's term - then when they had power they told us to sit down, shut up and if we didn't called us traitors.

Yeah we can stop talking about it but that will not prevent them from hurting and injuring people. Go out and view the warning from Frank Shaeffer who was inside this movement and his warnings on Rachel Maddow's show Friday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E1SLJgATvM

We need to fight back - not with their methods necessarily - but speaking softly is not going to do it.

Take a lesson from Germany - I'm sure there were many there who thought if they just sat back and didn't engage the growing Nazi movement it would "die down".

[ohheckyeah]

23. I refuse to let the wackos still

my sanity and peace. I just don't worry about this shit. If it happens I will deal with it then but loud mouth bullies really don't frighten.