How Is This Any Different?

I fail to see how shooting a congresswoman is any different from the kinds of violence and intimidation that al-Shabab are carrying out in Southern Somalia.

Actually, what's particularly disturbing is how this fits in with some of the imagery that the "Tea Party" morons are using.

Consider the imagery of this screen cap from Sarah Palin's website (which was removed AFTER this shooting):



Now, tell me just how this isn't incitement? Crosshairs, and obviously what are supposed to be gun sight crosshairs ... one might just imagine that someone might take that as a suggestion.

From my point of view, whether the gunman was consciously following what he perceived to be the messages of the extremists or not is irrelevant. The messages are out there, and they are violent in the extreme - someone's going to take the wrong cue from it.

Any political "movement" that resorts to violence - real or implied - is no longer a valid part of democracy, and has descended into the realm of thuggery and violence.

In the Western World, we are quick to condemn the political violence that the Taliban or al-Shabab conduct. Will we be so quick to condemn that same kind of silencing violence on our own soil?