Fine. Let's blame "inflammatory rhetoric" for violence such as that in Tucson, Ariz., last weekend. Let's condemn its authors with the most, well, inflammatory language we can find. And let's ban it.
Of course, we'll have to start with The Koran and a few score Muslim clerics throughout the world, including here in the United States.
Not what you had in mind, liberals? Ah, but you suggested it. I didn't.
Some liberal "pundits" and politicians have claimed Jared Loughner was motivated to kill six people in Tucson and wound several others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, by comments from conservatives. Sarah Palin has been mentioned as one culprit.
That's absurd on the face of it. Loughner wasn't motivated by conservative rhetoric any more than John Hinckley Jr. was spurred by liberal comments to shoot former President Ronald Reagan. Both are lunatics. Period.
But let's assume the liberals are right, but just picked a bad poster boy in Loughner. Again, if we're going to ban extreme writing and rhetoric because it may tend to incite violence, where's the logical place to start?
Hundreds of Islamic terrorists say they were motivated to become murderers by The Koran and incitement from a few radical Muslim clerics. That's a fact, where you like it or not.
Clearly, then, the liberals should - if they have any sense of logic - begin their campaign by demanding the bookstores stop selling The Koran, universities stop teaching courses on Islam, and imams tone down their exhortations. That isn't going to happen, because the liberals aren't really interested in curbing hate speech. Their real target (sorry for using the word) is free, vigorous speech that opposes their political agenda.
It's merely a continuation of a successful strategy:
It goes on and on. Why do the liberals use the strategy? Because it works.
Do you really think some of the liberal commentators and politicians who spew this nonsense believe it? Of course not. They've just found the strategy tends to muzzle their opponents and gain them votes from several segments of society that view them as heroes for standing up for (name a cause) rights against the evil conservative villains.
Are conservatives always right? Heck, no. Are they sometimes hypocritical? Yes (think fiscal responsibility). But at least they don't lie - and that's the appropriate word - to silence dissent.
Myer can be reached via e-mail at: Myer@news-register.net.