How many times have we seen the leftist blogosphere spin themselves into a crazed, frothing frenzy over something written on a conservative blog that was intended as a joke? Pretty often. And how often are conservatives told all we care about are the politics of fear and personal destruction, that we wish our political enemies dead? Again, pretty often. So I had to say I was struck by the callous disregard for human life that passes for humor over on Blue Virginia.
This morning, Lowell Feld posted his Monday news roundup, and included a photo of Delegate Scott Surovell on top of Huyana Picchu, a mountain in Peru that looms over Machu Picchu, the famed Incan lost city. Instead of just remarking how beautiful the site is – and the photo is pretty amazing – Lowell had to throw in a jab at Delegate Bob Marshall.
“Some would say Scott has his “head in the clouds,” but I just wish we could send a few other delegates – “Sideshow Bob” Marshall springs to mind – to Peru, drop him in the Amazon somewhere, and let him find his own way home…slowly! :)”
I don’t know about the rest of you, but the idea of Delegate Bob Marshall – a 66 year old man – being dropped off in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon, one of the least populated areas of the entire country and home to a number of native tribes that have had little contact with the outside world, sounds like a death sentence to me. While I am confident he’d go down fighting, there is no rational way he could survive “finding his way home…slowly” from something like that happening. So, in effect, Lowell has basically just said he wants Bob Marshall dead.
Why? Probably because of Marshall’s ridiculous stance on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, where Marshall has suggested that the General Assembly bar gay troops from serving in the National Guard. It seems that in Lowell’s world, suggesting that gays not serve in the military warrants the death penalty. Since Lowell seems to think that “bigots, xenophobes, and extremists” don’t have to be treated as if they’re “decent members of polite society” we can just condemn them to death in jungle.
But wait! How can I take what he said seriously? He used a smiley after the statement! It was obviously a joke! Right?
Hey – if you think it’s funny to suggest killing off members of the legislature you don’t agree with, then sure, I guess it’s funny. And I recognize that I’m clearly being snarky here, but as I and others have noted, Blue Virginia likes to play by its own rules – where namecalling, banning of dissent, suggesting the death of those who disagree, and willfully misconstruing every action taken by Republicans (that’s “Rethugs” for you Blue Virginia fans here to condemn my lack of a sense of humor) is the name of the game, and actually engaging in meaningful debate isn’t on the agenda.
There are a lot of folks that me, J.R., Brian Kirwin, Shaun and the rest of the contributors here at Bearing Drift don’t like on the Democratic side of the aisle. But you will never see one of us stoop so low as to wish death on them simply because we disagree with a policy position. Perhaps because we are decent members of polite society, we recognize those kinds of sentiments are inappropriate.
Lowell should be ashamed of himself. But, of course, he won’t be. In fact, I’m sure he’ll respond by accusing me of defamation again. Some things never change.
UPDATE: Lowell apparently believes that Bob Marshall is a “repressed homosexual.” Specifically, he said “If Bob Marshall isn’t a repressed homosexual then nobody is.”
So if Bob is actually gay, as Lowell is alleging, would Lowell’s suggestion that he be killed be a hate crime?
