A year ago I wrote a column here on Big Journalism detailing violence by leftists and expressing my desire that my friends in the media would spot it, expose it, and perhaps hold firm to their promise to “protect” the public by making us aware of a very real threat.
So far, the media has done nothing but blame the wrong people. At the first site of violence in Colorado, ABC’s Brian Ross turns to the Tea Party because apparently that’s the only template he knows. He could not have been further from the truth.
If police reports are accurate, the violence at a Conservative lobbying group in Washington DC was perpetuated by a radical leftist whose motive was purely political. He said so. He reportedly said he shot up the place because of what it stood for. It doesn’t get more clear than that. It’s like a guy going into a US Military Base yelling “Allahu Akbar” and the media still wondering what the motive is. Wait, that happened as well and the motive was ignored. “We don’t know why Major Hasan did this,” is what most media observers said.
An honest media is necessary to expose the motives behind these violent leftists. No, this is not equal on both sides. Not even close.
Violence by leftists has been well documented. I will go through it again. A moveon.org volunteer bit off the finger of a conservative because of politics. Conservative Kenneth Gladney was selling American flags and was beaten up and put in a wheel chair by SEIU thugs because of his politics. The guy who tried to bomb the Discovery Channel building in 2010 was inspired by radical environmentalism. I have personally seen the late Andrew Breitbart accosted by angry mobs. The violent acts of leftist groups like Occupy Wall Street have been well documented.
I will repeat my cry from a year ago. The media should expose the violence for what it is and who is doing it…and why. The media likes to tell the public how they are there to protect them from everything from high chairs to egg yolks. They often work to scare people into watching their next newscast with faux danger. It’s what supposedly gets ratings, it’s what consultants and management tell them to do. I know, I have been in the meetings. Meanwhile, real, legitimate threats from violent leftists are ignored because of politics.
Does anybody think this political environment will cool down between now and November 6th? Of course it won’t. OWS is inspired by a political party demanding the 1% be taken down. Some of their members are going to jail for plotting the bombing of a bridge in Cleveland. I could go on and mentioning the violence from this group. Which party and which candidates are providing the rhetoric that is inspiring these nut jobs?
Media, do the job you profess to do. Expose leftist violence for what it is.
Follow Ron Futrell on Twitter @RonFutrell
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