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News & ArtsThursday, September 24, 2009
News Regarding the Lynched Census Worker
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Now might be a good time for everyone to pause and read or re-read the brilliant essay Adam Gopnik wrote for the New Yorker after the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Two relevant quotes...
Fifty years from now historians are unlikely to write, “In the mid-nineties, politicians and talk-show radio hosts created an atmosphere of poisonous hatred against the national government. Also, in a completely unrelated development, somebody blew up the federal office building in Oklahoma City.”...
The point, of course, isn’t that Limbaugh or Pat Robertson or G. Gordon Liddy caused the killing. It is that they seemed never to give a moment’s thought, as they addressed their audiences, to the consequences of stuffing so much flammable resentment into such tiny bottles. Conservatives are generally clearheaded about the connection between rhetoric and action when it comes to people who are not conservatives…. And when it comes to Leonard Jeffries or Louis Farrakhan today, it is not hard for George Will or Murdoch’s Post to insist, against the grain of liberal indulgence, that if you daily inject hatred into the bloodstream someone might get sick.
So here we are, 14 years later, and once again figures on the right—some of the same figures on the right—have created an atmosphere of poisonous hatred against the national government. You might not want to put your kids in any day care centers located in federal buildings for the time being.
1
ahem, Dan; you might want to amend that 'now' in the last sentence to 'not,' lest you give the anti-Ref71ers an *actual* reason to proclaim 'protect the children!'
4
I have nothing to back this up, but I've got a funny feeling that this killing had less to do with Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck than it had to do with their fear that he would discover the still on the back 40.
5
I agree... let's get busy hangin' the BAD GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
judge roy beanersnnooty.
judge roy beanersnnooty.
6
@ 4, perhaps - let's see what facts come out. It's interesting that they painted "FED" on his chest. I guess "REVENUER" is too long.
8
@4: Don't try to figure folks from Kentucky out. Most of the smart ones leave the state entirely or move to the Lexington-Louisville corridor. The rest? Ehhhhhh.
12
I really do think that, if there is some other large bombing on US soil, it's more likely at this point to happen at the hands of an American right-wing extremist group than at the hands of a foreign, Islamic extremist group.
13
Speaking purely hypothetically, let's say it comes out that this was an act of anti-government violence comparable (although much smaller) to the Oklahoma City bombing. If that's the case I'm sure we'll see a repeat what immediately followed the Oklahoma City bombing: right-wingers screaming that a senseless act of violence should not be used by a Democratic administration to advance its own agenda.
Whether or not the Democratic administration in question plans to "use" a tragedy in such a way will be irrelevant, since the primary concern of the people who stoke the fires of anti-government hatred will want to deflect any attention away from themselves. And they've shown there's no better tool for deflecting attention than projection.
Whether or not the Democratic administration in question plans to "use" a tragedy in such a way will be irrelevant, since the primary concern of the people who stoke the fires of anti-government hatred will want to deflect any attention away from themselves. And they've shown there's no better tool for deflecting attention than projection.
14
@4 - maybe so, but if I was trying to hide my still/pot farm/meth lab, and I was a murderous sort, and some meddling Census worker found it, I might kill said Census worker, but I'd probably dump the body somewhere quietly, not write "FED" on them and string them up. Which might attract even more attention to my still/pot farm/meth lab.
16
They don't care, they're making themselves very rich in the process. Which basically sums up the past 10 years.
17
I just recently started working in the Federal building in Little Rock. We recently had to evacuate for the first bomb threat since McVey. I often wonder about this as now I am a father.
18
Dan, sincere thanks for not taking the cheap shot at Kentucky. It's nice not to see that attitude on Slog for once.
19
So, I am a temporary Census worker. It is set up by the people for the people since 1790, the first census, to give us proper representation in the House of Representatives, and enough money to run schools, shelters, etc. so get it right people!! Take an active part in giving to ourselves, there's no info that goes outside of the Census Bureau, because Title 13 protects us, the people for 72 years, then the info is archived. Pick on some other facet of the gov. to be parnoid about, but do not shoot yourself in the community foot because of ignorant rebellion. Be counted!! You matter. We as Census workers are only hired to do this job, then laid off. Being counted is our right, and I'm guessing the gov. really doesn't want to spend the money on this but they have to. Take advantage of being counted!!! Get Fed. funding that is so desperately needed in every community. Do it for your family:^)
20
Have they checked the victim's stomach contents? Maybe Buffalo Bill had just fed him, before the regrettable lotion/basket incident.
21
@17 Someone made a bomb threat against the FAA control tower in Lansing, Michigan this week. no bomb was found, but the secretary got the day off.
22
Doing census work of the type that requires going door-to-door is pretty dangerous work in a lot of places, not just the Appalachians. One of my aunties did this kind of work back in the early 70's and one guy tried to forcibly drag her into his house for nefarious purposes. She had to literally run for her life.
Distrust for the federal government runs deep in some communities, without any help from conservative radio.
Distrust for the federal government runs deep in some communities, without any help from conservative radio.
23
It is worse now. These days leading republican politicians are claiming the Obama administration has a hidden agenda behind the census
Michael Steele:
“Certainly the collection of this information is going to be part of an ongoing political campaign by this administration.”
Michele Bachmann says she REFUSES to fill out her census form completely, also says there's a hidden agenda
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/17/bach…
With shit like this who needs fear mongering right wing haters on the radio?
Michael Steele:
“Certainly the collection of this information is going to be part of an ongoing political campaign by this administration.”
Michele Bachmann says she REFUSES to fill out her census form completely, also says there's a hidden agenda
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/17/bach…
With shit like this who needs fear mongering right wing haters on the radio?
24
On a completely insensitive note: that "fed" thing is a little awesome. It's like "rosebud".
Oh yeah, talk radio is bad.
Oh yeah, talk radio is bad.
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