But in the wake of the terrible events in Arizona, with many commentators pointing out the obvious fact that Gabrielle Giffords had been targetted by Palin in the November election on a map that used a chilling gun site graphic, I thought it would be worth watching her page for a little while to see if her team were indeed deleting negative comments routinely. But I had no idea how incredibly, almost comically, efficient her people would turn out to be in deleting comments that were even slightly critical of the former Governor. And then I came across... well, what I guess you'd have to politely call an appalling example of editorial misjudgement at best.
Here's what I found, from a brief sample achieved by the simple expedient of hitting the refresh button repeatedly over a short period of time:
A negative comment saying, "YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE, YOU EVIL WITCH" - at 17:19PM. (I'm in London, so that's British Standard Time.)
Was removed by 17:28 (although I failed to capture a screen grab - oops).
A comment that simple says, "hypocrite" - presumably in reference to Palin at 17:28
Gone by 17:29.
OK. At this point, I am finding this all kind of... well, funny I suppose. I mean, the ruthless efficiency of the deleting and the desperation with which people would try to get their negative comments up there combined with the efficiency of their removal. There were actually a lot more examples than what I've been able to show here.
And in fairness to Sarah Palin, I should say that there were a couple of comments that were removed that weren't directly critical of the Governor but clearly offensive. Most notably, a commenter who repeatedly posted, "To bad it wasn't Pelosi." Yikes.
But then things got a little... well, upsetting.
A commenter posted the following at 18:12:
"It's ok. Christina Taylor Green was probably going to end up a left wing bleeding heart liberal anyway. Hey, as 'they' say, what would you do if you had the chance to kill Hitler as a kid? Exactly."
I think I literally gasped when I read that. Remember, Christina Taylor Green was the 9 year old girl killed by the shooter. Apparently she had been brought there by her mom, who thought she might get a kick out of meeting Rep. Giffords, having recently been elected to her student council.
I assumed, as a matter of course, that this particular comment would be deleted with greatest possible speed.
So I kept hitting refresh, hoping to use this as an example to say, "You see, Palin's Facebook editing at least has the good judgement to remove clearly offensive content such as this." But it didn't come down.
By this point I thought it was likely that the staff person monitoring the page was simply no longer working - I mean, fair enough it's a Sunday, right? So I thought I would just satisfy myself that the page was no longer being edited by continuing to look for negative comments, assuming that either they would all remain live for the time being, or if the editor came back to work, that they would be removed simultaneously with the Christina post.
So here's a comment posted at 18:16 saying, "I hope you're happy now. It's because of the influence that you do wield, that you should think about things you say and do."
So then I thought, well maybe the page editors just haven't seen it. We all make mistakes, perhaps it just slipped by them.
Then I spotted another commenter, rightly expressing her disgust at the post. "You are so out of touch... Show a little consideration and leave innocent out of your twisted diatribe."
Having been alerted to the post, does the editor NOW remove it? Nope, it's still there.
And I spot several other posts being removed. For instance, here's a post from 18:28 saying, "Your type of sorrow doesn't make up for the blood on your hands."
Gone by 18:29.
I found a few more instances, but I won't belabour the point. The Christina post was still live at 16:39 when I started writing this post.
I don't really know what to make of this. Sarah Palin has the right to edit her Facebook profile - it's not technically a public platform, it's a privately owned space. But the fact someone has a right to do something doesn't mean it is always a good idea, and I think that someone who aspires to public office has an especially strong responsibility to try and engage with the public at large - not just those who agree with them. But still... she's not currently in any form of elected office and she can do what she likes.
But I find her team's editorial judgement to say the least... odd.
UPDATE: Since this blog was posted, there has been a lot of media attention paid to it and a lot of online discussion. If anyone wants to discuss the article with me, the best way to reach me is on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/karinjr
UPDATE II: Here's what happened when I conducted the same exercise to look at Barack Obama's facebook page: Totally Straightforward Edits on Barack Obama's Facebook Page
490 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 490 Newer› Newest»10 January 2011 03:36
Anonymous said... I am Tina King.I want to apologize for what was apparently an ill fated attempt at satire. I posted a comment that was meant to been seen as a brutal commentary on the violent rhetoric that has become a staple of the political discourse is this country. It was in no way intended to be taken seriously and in the context of my other posts that fact is clearly seen. I feel horrible that a child, or anyone, had to die in this senseless act of violence. My heart goes out to Christina Taylor Green's parents as I cannot fathom the horror of losing a child, no less in such a terrible and tragic way. Although I believe this event was not directly related to the state of political discourse at this time, but rather the act of an individual who's mental well-being is questionable, I also feel this tragic event must bear as warning that toying with the idea of violence as a resolution tactic is a dangerous one. I apologize wholeheartedly for anyone I have offended and hope that this unfathomable tragedy may bring those in contention to some sort of understanding. I do not believe in violence and I do not think politicians should be given free reign to suggest their constituency has the right to threaten others. context: http://i.imgur.com/dUMdl.jpg
Obamalondon, if you need verification of who I am please let me know how to contact you.
Tina, if what you say is true, why did you allow your post to remain on Palin's page? You had the ability to remove it, especially after someone else apparently commented on how distasteful it was. Have you allowed it to remain still?
And while you may think your comment was made as "satire," you're no Jon Stewart, and the comment was still wildly inappropriate - even as "satire."
I hope by now that at least you understand that words have consequences.
Next time, especially in the aftermath of a horrific crime, please think before you post.
Can we find out who left that comment about the little girl who was shot? Can he/she be charged with anything (hate speech??).
Personally, I don't know anything about this, but experience leads me to theorize that this whole thing is related to politics. The recent push in the media against Palin's "trigger happy" TV show seemed to set this up rather nicely. Now with an innocent child dead and the congresswoman merely wounded, the event becomes a political play for sympathy, gun control, and a brake on the "revolutionary" theme of the current right wing extremists.
Thanks for posting this, saves me my precious time.
Oh great land of the brave and free where politicians fight for the right for every idiot and half-twit to carry a gun, where Nazi symbols can be freely shown without consequences, but as soon as someone posts something that is of a political opposing view it gets deleted. HALLELUYAH FREE SPEECH ... not.
The crosshairs on opposing politicians thing ... I still remember back in my history lessons in school having seen posters of the elections from 1933 where the NSDAP targeted liberals, socialists and Jews with similar symbols. Let's be honest here, like minds always seem to use the same rhethoric/symbolic.
If Palin was a politician over here, her political career would have been over the moment she showed that map with the crosshairs. Alas, the USA is not Europe. But then again, thank goodness it is NOT Europe. We already have enough stupidity of our own over here, we don't need another incredible increase, thank you very much.
The fact of the matter is that publicly blaming someone for the shooting is slander. The posts that you're refering to are defamtion posts, so they're getting deleted. It's not Palin's people's jobs to go in and remove posts that aren't publicly slandering her. It's terrible that a child died, and yes, it's even worse that someone would post something that rude but the person/people in charge of watching the page are not instructed to remove things like that. It's simply not their job.
As for the fact that she has the page edited at all, most people do. You wouldn't leave a defamtory comment on yoru page. You'd delete the comment, and probably the friend as well. Everyone does it, but because she's such a controversial person. Watch Obama's page. He does the same thing!
I'm by no means a Palin fan, but the shooting is not something that you can blame on her. It was a person who made poor judgements that he believed were right. Sarah Palin had nothing to do with him.
I'm a Republican. I've been to a Tea Party. At no point have I ever felt the need to, or been encouraged to go on a shooting rampage.
People need to stop focusing on who we can blame and start remembering the people who died.
There's a good chance Loughner knew nothing about Palin or her map. He is mentally ill for sure and a drug user. He may have shot Giffords simply because she is his local rep. Odd how no one is checking what movies, TV, and video games he played... as was done in the Columbine and other mass murder incidents.
RT: @mykkal @pollbuster Wherever there's a politcian...there's an asshole close by. http://bit.ly/gTJtJP
The majority of people in America are rational and only want the best for all citizens. I personally don't believe the shooting was directly related to Palin or her rhetoric. I do believe that political pundits like Palin, Beck, Limbaugh and others are fanning the flames of anger on the part of many people in this country who want to find a scapegoat in the "liberal, socialist left". This type of punditry that is designed to divide this country needs to be stopped. Things have really gotten out of hand.
I'm not an American, but I'll give my take on this.
First of all, it's obvious that no one in their right mind would want this to happen, and that includes Sarah Palin. However, her rhetoric with the crosshairs can be seen as somewhat offensive. Assuming that 99% of her supports only think of it as rhetoric, there is still that 1% that can take it literally and act on it. All I'm trying to say is that she should chose her words very carefully, otherwise there could be damaging effects.
Now, I'm not saying that the shooter is a Palin supporter, and frankly I don't care. It doesn't change the fact that her rhetoric can be viewed as offensive.
Secondly, Sarah Palin and her staff is free to remove any comments they wish from her page. Removing negative comments about her but leaving that very offensive comment concerning Christina Taylor Green seems inappropriate. If Palin wants to keep her image clean in Facebook, she is free to do so, but having that comment stay can be damaging to her public image.
I don't have a google account so this will get posted as anonymous. Deal with it. I would probably be described as a leftist. I am okay with that. That being said, I won't even say that I think Palin is to blame for the tragedy in AZ. In order for her to actually be to blame for something like that, she would have to be a lot more intelligent. Criminal mastermind, she is not. She seems like a push-when-it-says-pull sort. Most likely it didn't even occur to her the kind of damage that map could do if seen by the wrong individual. But in the end, each person is responsible for their own actions. However, I firmly believe that when you choose to put yourself in the spotlight, especially politically, you have a responsibility to make sure you are not being a hate/fearmonger. I think Palin is both of those things because that is the only way she can get support. She appeals to the percentage that believes the sky really is falling. I'll tell you what, even if the sky really is about to crash down on our heads, Palin is not the messiah. Find a new security blanket, folks.
My theory on why the comment was left up: the person removing the posts didn't read it as sarcastic and thought it was serious commentary in support of Palin.
That's really cynical if not ghoulish, but...
most anons publish that way because it actually is more liberating. it actually feels better to be able to say what you want, sometimes into a empty hallway, sometimes into a beehive and not hear anything back.
when you have your picture and or email showing up, do you self censor ? do you sometimes type what you mean and then read it and go, damn better not post that! and edit it ?
This shooting is bad. I don't care what side the people who got shot were. It doesn't matter what side the shooter was on. it doesn't even matter what palin's website said. the guy probably would have done it anyway.
what does matter is that there needs to be responsibilty in what you say when you are a public figure. especially a political.
putting targets on people just isn't cool.
@Rick Provost Now she is (a political thread) ;)
And by the way:
If the staff really didn't knew who Christina was, they are indeed more ignorant than most.
The killing of this nine year old girl has been, not only on every AMERICAN news, but on every news every hour all day all over the world.
As far away as in Denmark (you know - the capital of Sweden) we knew the very second it became publicity know.
I usually stay from commenting on political issues, but to compare a nine year old girl with Hitler and that it was almost heroic to kill her, so that she didn't grow up to be a democrate...?
I'm digusted!
With the original poster expressing such statement; with the editor not immediately removing it; With Sara Palin not stand up and regret the statment not removed; AND with you trying to defend it!
If the U.S.A. really is the defender of the free world; if Sara Palin (God forbid) should ever become president - God save the free world!
OMG! I knew she was a sick woman but that is far sicker than I thought. Please send this to all major media and expose her for what she is.
Anonymous (@10 January 2011 06:23) said:
"It's terrible that a child died, and yes, it's even worse that someone would post something that rude ..."
You Sir/Madam need to check your priorities if you think that a rude comment is worse then killing an innocent child.
In fact, after your comment, I think you are not at all concerned about the violent undertones of political rhetoric in your society these days, but only of the politic implications this might have against your beloved party.
Is it really that long time since had your last civil war? Politicians on both sides need take heed of this event. Learn your history.
Take this from someone whose country suffered a ciwil war last century.
She really can't and shouldn't be held accountable. The poster who compared those accusing Palin to those who hold video games responsible for violence, hit the nail on the head.
Also, Sarah definitely has the right to edit her facebook profile to her heart's content (and publicist's capacity). (Who among us hasn't 'untagged' an unflattering photo?) Obviously, though, this is a slippery slope for someone in the political spotlight.
What's really interesting to me is the vitriol over the comment itself. It's certainly off-color, and more than a little insensitive, but the fact is, those that are most incensed by it, seem to be those that it resembles most. Anyone that can't handle freedom of speech, should move back to Europe where censorship for the greater good is routine. Next thing you know, we'll be calling for the alteration and censorship of our literary satire as well... (#slave)
Quick question: Why are none of us blaming McCain for bringing Palin to everyone's attention? If it wasn't for him trying to be "hip" no one outside of Bumfuck, Alaska would even be aware of her presence. (I am the same person who posted comment #201) Sorry, that just occurred to me. And my apologies to people from Alaska; just trying to illustrate a point.
Wow. This is all I can say. Wow.
Thank you for this, it's very edifying. The comment about the little girl Christina was extremely disturbing.
Hi, Can you provide the link, or the method used to see these comments. I don't know where to go to see this level of activity. Also, can you update the status of this message, is it still there at this hour (midnight Pacific Time 1/10/11)
Thanks Michael
"It's ok. Christina Taylor Green was probably going to end up a left wing bleeding heart liberal anyway. Hey, as 'they' say, what would you do if you had the chance to kill Hitler as a kid? Exactly."
above is the post in question......
just a BIT of reading comprehension tells you that they are speaking of the CHILD that was shot....
BUT, I guess that again tells you of her supporters.....
You are a left wing liberal troll exploiting the tragedy that occurred. This is like crying over a bus full of school kids that went over a cliff because they were wearing leather and thats bad for cows.
Here is a Screenshot of Sarah Palin's Facebook Page Just Before the "Crosshairs" Map Was Removed: http://articlesurfing.org/politics_and_government/sarah_palin_facebook_reconstructed.html
A few points. First of all, Tina King - I accept that your comment was intended as satire. It was poorly judged, but I certainly wouldn't want to be held responsible for the worst thing I ever wrote on the Internet. My blog was not directed at you - however I think it's gracious of you to aknowledge your mistake. Grownups can admit it when they make mistakes, apologise for them, and learn from them. That's really all I'm looking for Sarah Palin to do here.
Secondly, someone asked why I write so much about US politics when I live in the UK. For those of you who are new to the blog (which is pretty much all of you, based on my usual pathetically low stats) I am a US citizen, a US voter, and a US political activist (Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad here - www.democratsabroad.org). I have worked hard for many years here to register US voters overseas and try to foster political engagement among expats. This blog was originally created for that purpose, although it has become more of a personal vehicle for me.
Someone accused me of being obsessed and having too much time on my hands - we'll it's true, I'm a little obsessed, but not with Sarah Palin. Check the name of the blog, guys.
I've been writing about US politics, Barack Obama, Democrats, policy and politics for almost 3 years now. In all that time I've mentioned Sarah Palin exactly once on the blog. I just ran a serch to confirm. It was in this post:
http://obamalondon.blogspot.com/2009/08/chillin-out-its-august.html
But I spend 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon doing some basic research, tweet about it twice and suddenly... the Internet explodes. I don't think it's me who's obsessed with Sarah Palin.
Anonymous at 1:05 lists some statements of what he thinks of as fact-seeking liberals to make fun of them. However, except one every statement is factually right or an opinion about dear Sarah. The one exception is:
'Sarah Palin is the devil.'
Due to non-existence of this and other deities this is a false statement.
But other statements of fact such as
“Palin has a long history of suppressing criticism whenever she can”
are correct, and the current facebook scrubbing confirms it once more.
OT
Dear Obama London,
I do have a google account and would like to use it to comment. But why do you want my password for that? Pl explain how it is used.
Thanks,
Sophie
This is an awesome article. Better yet are all the comments people are posting. I'm in Minnesota and the shooting was the front page headline here and we are 1600 miles away. But this Palin stuff has not really surfaced here.
How about you losers in the UK mind your fucking business. United States and our citizens are none of your fucking business. Stay out of our politics and worry about your own lousy failing country.
I wish people would stop saying "Sarah Palin is a murderer." No, she's not. She did not pick up a gun and shoot anybody (unless you count the probably hundreds of animals she has killed, which I do, but we're focusing on humans here). Do I think she's a tragically stupid person who belongs in a trailer park? Yes. But I honestly don't think she's responsible for anything besides being a fucking moron and having a dumb TV show that glorifies violence, and I think calling her a murderer detracts from legitimate claims on the left side and makes us all look like fucking hateful loonies.
I wish people would stop saying "Sarah Palin is a murderer." No, she's not. She did not pick up a gun and shoot anybody (unless you count the probably hundreds of animals she has killed, which I do, but we're focusing on humans here). Do I think she's a tragically stupid person who belongs in a trailer park? Yes. But I honestly don't think she's responsible for anything besides being a fucking moron and having a dumb TV show that glorifies violence, and I think calling her a murderer detracts from legitimate claims on the left side and makes us all look like fucking hateful loonies.
Wow, I'm a lefty and I'm not "smug with glee" nor do I blame the tea party or Sarah Palin. I do however blame the ****WHACKO**** that picked up the gun and shot these poor people.
Do I think that Sarah Palin was out of line when she posted the graphic with the crosshairs? Absolutely. Am I ticked when anyone puts politics before life? Nope.
But I am so tired of being told what I believe in because I lean to the left. How about you all stop labeling me. K?
To the blog writer - great facts. That's all you did was show us the facts. I agree with you the post about the poor child who was killed being left up was inexplicable after looking at the facts. Thank you for reporting what you saw - the rest of you need to take a breath, start thinking MOST humans are great again and not out to get you, and then go outside and enjoy some nature. You're putting too much into this whole left/right thing.
Seriously
"Anonymous said...
How about you losers in the UK mind your fucking business. United States and our citizens are none of your fucking business. Stay out of our politics and worry about your own lousy failing country."
It's pathetic that you think people can't discuss politics in other countries. It's actually an entire field of study called "comparative politics," try reading a book and learning something about the world. Frankly, every person in the world is everyone else's business because we are part of a global community where one country's politics, especially America, affect the entire world.
Some over here in the UK are saying that Sarah Palin with her views would be kicked into touch, that she would be in a fringe Fascist party like the BNP. Thta may be true just now but wait till murdoch gets full control of SKY. SLY news is bad enough but wait till Murdoch has it all, it will start pumping out exactly the same content as Fox and there are plenty over here with views similar to Palins, plenty of secretly agree with Nick Griffin. With Murdoch in control the political climate would encourage the Tories would welcome many of the BNPers with open arms.
Wow! Congratulations for hitting the Wasp nest here.
I'm an American and utterly opposed to what SP is up to, but it is definitely not for the good. Some of my friends are 'Friends' with her just to keep up with how crazy her whole position is.
There is all sorts of offensive rhetoric out there in the political spectrum. "Racist" and "Teabagger" are the two things that come to mind right away. However, most have to live with those labels. And nobody cares one iota if the label fits or not. They throw those words around and hope it sticks to anyone. And for anyone else who might be interested, there are many sites out there right now trying to scrub ANYTHING that could be considered inflammatory. "Huffington Post", "Daily Kos", and "MoveOn" are all censoring their sites and scrubbing. So maybe in the name of fairness and honesty, you should monitor some other sites instead of sitting on Sarah Palin and implying that she is the only one doing it.
This is disgusting. America should be pulling together or this crazy son of bitch with a gun wins. The blame is not Palin. Get a grip. Your ranting accomplishes nothing. Don't let this guy tear down Democracy. Fuck the bastard who started this mess w a 9 mm.
Good grief, since the very beginning our politics have been aggressive and threatening. I think some of you all live in some alternate reality. The left crying like little sissies and the right carrying on like banshees. A complete role reversal since the 60's-70's.
The left is every bit to blame as the right for this if your going to make that kind of blanket statement. Problem is neither side want to give in any, well anyone knows where that leads. Just like this thread, both side are throwing the wood onto the fire. But those on both side think its justified when they do it.
No one is responsible for this nutball but himself. Nutball's like him have no release for the pressure they build up in themselves and end up exploding. His fuse was built up over time through a warped mind. To be afraid of speech because we have a few nutballs in the world is insane. Hell they have nutballs going off all the time that aren't politically motivated. You can't protect yourself from people like this kid by muzzling the population.
This country is starting to resemble China is suppressing the voices of people. How come back in the 60's when political violence was much worse, people were not calling for all this PC BS.
I got an idea, why don't we blame the shooter.
I too lean to the left, but I don't let people like Palin sway me. The reason she is still in the public domain is because people are fascinated by how dumb she is and what she is going to do or say next. It is a shame that some many people have died as a result from the shooting.
I am 73 years old, a veteran,along with three older brothers,two of which received war wounds fighting for you peoples' freedom. I am totally disgusted with what i see posted here!!You condemn people with nothing but hearsay and spew hatred out of your vile mouths. You know nothing about this woman,neither do I. She does have a child who will never be normal, so one can reasonably assume that,but to hint that she would, in any way, harm a 9 year child is cruel of you and speaks loudly about your feeble minds. I wouldn't want to share a "fox hole"or put my back side to any of you creeps on the battle field. You are the reason America is going to fall.Your children and grandchildren will never enjoy the freedoms you and I have had because our Constitution won't exist. The American people sent a loud,clear message in the last election,yet you continue to ignore it!! What will it take to convince you? Civil War? That's what Americans have done in the past when their voices weren't heard.God forbid----
People should start flagging the good comments, giving her Goebbels staff twice the amount of work to do.
73 year old anonymous said
"I am 73 years old, a veteran,along with three older brothers,two of which received war wounds fighting for you peoples' freedom. I am totally disgusted with what i see posted here!!You condemn people with nothing but hearsay and spew hatred out of your vile mouths. You know nothing about this woman,neither do I. She does have a child who will never be normal, so one can reasonably assume that,but to hint that she would, in any way, harm a 9 year child is cruel of you and speaks loudly about your feeble minds. I wouldn't want to share a "fox hole"or put my back side to any of you creeps on the battle field. You are the reason America is going to fall.Your children and grandchildren will never enjoy the freedoms you and I have had because our Constitution won't exist. The American people sent a loud,clear message in the last election,yet you continue to ignore it!! What will it take to convince you? Civil War? That's what Americans have done in the past when their voices weren't heard.God forbid----"
Thanks for being a veteran, but talk about feeble minded you talk about freedom, what happened to freedom of speech, why to be an American.
"I bet you didn't know this, but if you are a fan of hers on Facebook and you see a derogatory comment on the note that you don't like or agree with, you can click 'Flag' and it will be removed."
"How do I know? I am one of her fans and did that on my own. I'm sure there were several other people that did that as well. So...awfully shameful of you to assume that it was someone from Palin's camp."
I see. So it was not Palin's team who left the comments about the dead girl there. It was YOU. Glad that's been cleared up. Thanks.
So if we flag all the positive comments will they disappear in minutes too?
I am saddened that everyone else in the world(yes we not in America too) had Christina's named emblazoned in their hearts but the moderator of Palin's blog would have us believe they did not recognise it and take down the offensive reference. Where were they when the news spread all over the world?
The usual Palin Derangement talking heads begin their "have you no decency?"
Palin has used some martial metaphors—"lock and load"—and talked about "targeting" opponents. There's a climate of hate out there, all right, but it doesn't derive from the innocuous use of political clichés.
How about...
Obama: “They Bring a Knife…We Bring a Gun”
Obama to His Followers: “Get in Their Faces!”
Obama on ACORN Mobs: “I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!”
Obama to His Mercenary Army: “Hit Back Twice As Hard”
Obama on the private sector: “We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.“
Obama to voters: Republican victory would mean “hand to hand combat”
Obama to lib supporters: “It’s time to Fight for it.”
Obama to Latino supporters: “Punish your enemies.”
Obama to democrats: “I’m itching for a fight.”
Former Gov. Palin and the tea party movement are more the targets than the source.
Progressive partisans in the States (or here, superior-minded Brits in danger of losing all sense of identity) can be exquisitely sensitive when they want to be. The Sunday after Major Nidal Hasan shot up Fort Hood while shouting "Allahu Akhbar!" the press in the States was full of cautions about not drawing premature conclusions about a connection to Islamist terrorism. Where was that caution after the shootings in Arizona?
As another former high school classmate of Loughner Catie Parker stated on Twitter: “As I knew him he was left wing, quite liberal. & oddly obsessed with the 2012 prophecy. I haven’t seen him since ’07 though. He became very reclusive.”
The paranoid Hendrix-loving flag-burner Loughner had problems alright.
After the historic beating in the midterm elections and seeing the popularity of ObamaCare plummet while voters flee the Democrat party in droves, progressive US leftist Democrats and like-minded Brits who purport to care about the health of the political community demonstrate precious little actual concern for political well-being when they seize on any pretext, however flimsy, to call their opponents accomplices to murder.
Btw, why not make it a point to tweet about all the sinister censuring of BBC Comments? Forced tax pays for that yet, all too typical, the focus is create a reason to satisfy self-esteem pointing fingers across the ocean.
Thank you for posting these things. I know that this woman in Alaska probably did not ignite the hate in the boy who committed this crime, but she is a hate monger and will now hopefully reap some of what she sowed. Sad day for this country. Now politicians and public will be even more detached.
They are not crosshairs, they are surveyor symbols. Bull's eyes, however, have been used by the Democratic Leadership Council in their maps.
"Former Gov. Palin and the tea party movement are more the targets than the source."
Is this a joke?
I gather from your comments that you don't live here?
Trust me, you're wrong.
"They are not crosshairs, they are surveyor symbols."
LOL!!!!!!!
I guess you're forgetting about Sexy Sarah's tweet three days after those "surveyor's symbols" went up?
“In the battle, set your sights on next season’s targets! From the shot across the bow – the first second’s tip-off – your ………leaders will be in the enemy’s crosshairs, so you must execute strong defensive tactics. You won’t win only playing defense, so get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so penetrate through enemy territory by bombing through the press, and use your strong weapons – your Big Guns – to drive to the hole. Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win.”
Yes, I'm sure she was exhorting her followers to "survey" the political opposition.
To be clear- I am disgusted by Palin and everything she stands for, and the cross-hairs map was a really distasteful and shocking piece of propaganda.
But do people really believe that she was directly responsible for an obviously deranged person shooting and killing several people? I mean, really? You really believe that this young man saw that piece of propaganda and decided to go on a shooting spree? That it was that that set him off?
There are two issues here which I don't think are intrinsically linked. Of course living in a society that sees bearing arms as a human right is going to have an impact on a troubled mind, but lets face it, America has been that society long before Palin came on the scene. What we all should be shocked by is her amazing lack of sympathy for that girl - there is NO excuse for not deleting the post mentioned in this article, particularly since many others are being deleted. I simply do not believe someone hasn't flagged this post as offensive - they must have scene it.
I am an independent voter from the USA and frankly, I am very embarrassed that this happened.
I do not need to tell you what Sarah Palin did wrong here. I think everyone knows. She is her own worst enemy. As a politician, I don't like anything about her except for the fact that she does seem to be honest about who she is which I find refreshing.
I am not a big fan of our two party political system. The fierce divisiveness on this and every other blog involving politics is a good example of why. Neither side is ever completely right about everything. Think for yourselves, everyone.
Guns are actually supposed to keep the peace if private citizens exercise their right to use them for that purpose. I wonder if this murderous shooter would have (or even could have) done what he did had he been surrounded by a bunch of gun toting civilians.
Taking away everyone's weapons is crazy and allowing everyone that's not a felon to purchase them is crazy, too. We live in a huge gray area in need of compromise. I'm obviously not against owning guns, but I do believe that stricter laws on purchasing guns should be considered in our future.
Thanks to our UK watchdog. This really is some epic investigative journalism.
CYA
Tremendous work here. I applaud your tenacity in keeping an eye on the Palin team's editorial antics
My 2 cents
http://handthatfeedsyou.blogspot.com/2011/01/it-was-wrong-before-shooting-started.html
omg hitler was such a 'lefty' lol
I am an independent voter from the USA and frankly, I am very embarrassed that this happened.
I do not need to tell you what Sarah Palin did wrong here. I think everyone knows. She is her own worst enemy. As a politician, I don't like anything about her except for the fact that she does seem to be honest about who she is which I find refreshing.
I am not a big fan of our two party political system. The fierce divisiveness on this and every other blog involving politics is a good example of why. Neither side is ever completely right about everything. Think for yourselves, everyone.
Guns are actually supposed to keep the peace if private citizens exercise their right to use them for that purpose. I wonder if this murderous shooter would have (or even could have) done what he did had he been surrounded by a bunch of gun toting civilians.
Taking away everyone's weapons is crazy and allowing everyone that's not a felon to purchase them is crazy, too. We live in a huge gray area in need of compromise. I'm obviously not against owning guns, but I do believe that stricter laws on purchasing guns should be considered in our future.
Thanks to our UK watchdog. This really is some epic investigative journalism.
CYA
Does anyone else find it sad that facebook and twitter is running our country. Facebook is meant to catch up with old friends and help students get together with classmates. If none of you do not see the problem in this blog and how dependent we are on social networks, then we are rapidly descending into a world that is ruled by social networking idiots.
Funny how the leftists look for every opportunity to viciously attack those they don't like, but give a free pass to those they do.
This post is heavily designed to support your own preconceived beliefs and prejudices. Open minded? Not even remotely.
Obama once said this:
"If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun" - Barack Obama
How does that sound? Oh, it was taken "out of context" you say? You'll of course defend that comment and make excuses - even though you can't truly speak for him.
Sarah Palin, however...that's another story, right?
Shameful, and oh so typical.
Looking back through our brief history, elevated dissent usually brought a better society.
The American Revolution brought us freedom and rights.
The civil war freed men held as slaves.
The civil rights movement solidified civil rights for all.
The anti Vietnam movement shut down the war machine churning our young men's lives into dollars for war profiteers and industrialists.
In times of non dissent we usually are headed downhill rather progressively.
I wouldn't be too quick to silence dissent. Whether you like it or not it creates a better society then pacifism does.
Something to think about.
Everything in the Universe balances out and dissent is the equalizer to tyranny. Remember the voice of the people is never tyrannical Only the voices of those that would oppose the will of the people are tyrannical.
Why do we even talk about that horrible woman Palin as if her opinion even matters. She's an idiot and a bigot.
Tina King
you will cry rivers for what you said
Echoing someone's earlier comment - first, well done! And second, maybe you should email this post to Rachel Maddow's blog? Or Keith Olbermann's?
Hatred inciting political rhetoric is asking for trouble, but does the concept of free and easy gun ownership in a civilised country sound odd or what?
Just a quick point. You are not in British Standard Time, in fact there is no such thing. BST which is what you are referring to British Summer Time, obviously we are not in summer so you are in GMT.
What would happen to a Muslim if he released a map of American politicians in crosshairs?
Obama has also used questionable language in the past, e.g., http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/obama-we-bring-a-gun/
Check out her discussion page. I tried counting the number of "post deleted" but gave up http://www.facebook.com/#!/topic.php?uid=24718773587&topic=25035
Sounds like you have too much free time in your life. You should look at getting a job or finding a hobby.
Factor in belief: everyone on the left believes they have the truth, everyone on the right believes they have the truth, everybody to the extremes believe they possess the truth. Those sitting on the fence they possess the truth too. Those that don't give a damn; their reasons for not giving a damn are the truth to them too. All these truths. Too bad none of em are really truths. The Truth is a very guarded secret by those calling the shots. You ain't never going to be privy to the truth, you might even stumble upon the real truth, but it wouldn't do you any good anyway. Too many different perceptions to overcome.
So only when we can collectively become a majority in dissent regardless of position, can change be motivated. It is actually the escalation of dissent that creates an urgent need for compromise. Dissent is really not a bad thing when it is the majority. And right now the overwhelming majority are in dissent of some part of government and politicians, which side they support matters little. It is always the collective dissent of the majority for all directions of dissent that create the urgent need of compromise.
Dissent has always been positive when everyone gets involved regardless of position.
Well for everyone that doesn't favor tyranny that is.
Looks like Sarah's daughters are making comments in here.. You can tell by the way they post messages.. just like they do when they attack people on there Facebook page...
Ya know, I don't see this as anything more than a distraction. A heavy handed slapdown of the american public by an individuality challenged slave pushed by a team of psychologists for the purpose of mob distraction by oligarchies that have less respect for human life than we have for a fly we swat.
I posted a comment on Palin's page on Saturday evening and it was very quickly deleted but not in time for a few of her fans to be able to see it and then send me a barrage of nasty messages, and block me me so that I couldn't respond or engage in any robust debate.
It didn't surprise me; it just confirmed the fact that so many of her supporters want to remain blinkered and ignorant. So depressing.
Anonymous at 12:46 - you have no idea how much that made me laugh. I work a 60 hour week, am Vice Chair of local Democratic Party, happily married, learning the guitar, go out socially 3-4 times a week and even squeeze in the gym occasionally. The post took 2 hours on a Sunday. I wrote it instead of watching a bad movie. Too much time is NOT my problem. ;)
Honestl, her Church was burned down tow winters ago, she has been hung
in effigy, not long before that, because of lies spread by the Journolist, There was a raft of vicious comments, placed probably
an astroturfing firm, when her facebook page first went on line,
so they are probably extra diligent
in some regards. But lets examine
the other side. We know Axelrod's reputation, his associates put the
'secessionist' meme in play, we
know Obama has spoken out about the Bill of Rights, as a 'charter
of negative liberty,' How Mark Lloyd, an FCC official with real
power, has spoken of Chavez's
'wonderful democratic revolution'
he dreams of having the authority
of your Mr. Cable, An other former
official, Anita Dunn, speaks of her fondness for Mao, one of the great butchers of the 20th Century.
The manufacturing czar, do you have one of those, is fond of the
line 'power flows from the barrel
of a gun'. The bloom is off the Obama rose, even abroad, much like
a Kinnock premiership would probably have gone by now,
You know what. You're an idiot, plain and simple an idiot. You're just another blogger reaching into his/her uneducated and ignorant mind trying to pull something out of your ass with this blog, you do know anyone can flag a comment on facebook and have it removed and what is it with you brits and American Politics? You guys want to be the 51st State are something.
BillyBob Hillbilly Report
* Mar. 2009 - Michele Bachman (R-MN) states that she wants the citizens of her state "armed and dangerous".
* Aug. 2009 - someone dropped a gun from their pants at a Giffords town hall meeting in Arizona.
* Jan. 2010 - Sharron Angle gives famous "second amendment remedies" speech, and also states "we have to take Harry Reid out."
* Mar. 2010 - Tom Perillo's (D-VA) brother came home to find a severed gas line after Tea Partiers posted his address online, thinking it was the Congressman's address.
* Mar. 2010 - Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said that the windows of her Niagara Falls office were broken and she received voicemail referencing snipers.
* Mar. 2010 - Eric Cantor (R-VA) discovers that even Republicans aren't immune to having their office windows shot out. Perhaps his constituents figured out he doesn't celebrate Christmas.
* Mar. 2010 - Monroe County Democratic Committee (N.Y.) were vandalized when bricks were thrown through the windows.
* Mar. 2010 - Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) angrily shouts "baby killer" while Bart Stupak (D-MI) speaks on the floor of the House or Representatives. Afterward Stupak released tapes of violent threatening "baby killer" messages left on his voicemail, presumably not also by Neugebauer.
* Mar. 2010 - RNC Chairman Michael Steele said Nancy Pelosi should be put on "the firing line."
* Mar. 2010 - John Boehner (R-OH) states, in an interview, that congressmen who vote for the health bill would be 'dead men'.
* Apr. 2010 - Sarah Palin tweets "Don't retreat, instead reload" to her followers.
* Jul. 2010 - Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) office windows were shot at.
* Oct. 2010 - Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) offices were sent white powder through the postal service.
* Jan. 2011 - Explosive packages sent to the Maryland capitol building, the Maryland Department of Transportation and to the office of Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
http://hillbillyreport.org/diary/2396/erick-erickson-over-at-red-state-puts-lipstick-on-the-pig
Obviously, Sarah only cares about ... Sarah.
If I say someone should die and they do, it doesn't matter how, I should be prepared to fall under criticism for my remarks. In the human condition, if you wish a family member would die and they do, you usually feel pretty guilty about it. That should extend to people you don't know too, but that's not always the case. The defenders of this kind of rhetoric pointing out the shooter being a registered Democrat or "crazy" miss the point: SP wouldn't have to defend herself if she hadn't made such inflammatory comments in the first place. People who didn't make such comments aren't having to defend themselves now, are they? Both sides of the political spectrum need to learn to watch what they say or it will haunt them. Someone will always use it against them later, such is the nature of politics.
William L. said...
"I'm not an American" (but I will post some more BS here)
He and the rest of you are all just useless - go back to wanking. LMMFAO
After watching Glenn Beck toss fuel over a smug-looking offsider... Well anything is possible in America I guess.
From Australia we watch in horror at these murders...I'm sure I can speak for the majority of Aussies on this. Thanks for your article.
Bob
Let's see, a crazy kid described as an ultra-liberal pothead decides to shoot an AZ congresswoman and people are blaming Sarah Palin?
That is lower than low.
Who cares whether she edits her Facebook page? People are blaming her and that's just ridiculous. If you feel like you have to blame a public figure, blame someone on the Left that this kid was listening to.
The hatred some of you have is just unfounded.
I will
keep peace in my heart and head and hate speech out of my life in honor
of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona shot along with 19 others. I will also hold others accountable for instigating any form of
hate speech in my presence.
If the God that she believes in exists, Judgment Day for Sister Sarah will be vastly different from what she is expecting.
You should send this to Dylan Ratigan, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert!
Osama ... errr... Obama censors entire domains ... www.obamasucks.com takes you to a google search with great Obama news... while palinsucks is an available domain... go figure!
Really people! Wake up and give due blame to the guilty, quit blaming Sarah Palin for the actions of this sad excuse for a human!!
First off, Tina King already posted an apology for her lack of class, which no doubt some of you will also blame on Sarah Palin. Though I highly doubt anyone, including Sarah would ever want to influence such a laps of common empathy and judgment on Tina's part.
Furthermore Sarah Palin doesn't monitor her own FB page and again cannot be blamed for the actions of others, (ie. the conspiracy known as scrubbers).
Those in our society who continue to refuse to make people responsible for their own actions, who harbor this age of no personal responsiblity, only further the cause of lunatics like this disturbed young man.
Anonymous at 7:05:
"What's really interesting to me is the vitriol over the comment itself. It's certainly off-color, and more than a little insensitive, but the fact is, those that are most incensed by it, seem to be those that it resembles most. Anyone that can't handle freedom of speech, should move back to Europe where censorship for the greater good is routine. Next thing you know, we'll be calling for the alteration and censorship of our literary satire as well... (#slave)"
Whoever you are this is the kind of self-aggradandizing and ignorant thinking of some that makes America dangerous. First of all your university system is corrupt and serves money and capitalism instead of learning. And secondly the media in America, if it is "free", is also manipulative, unbiased and unreliable. Get your facts straight. You think your country is "free" and nobody else's is? That's a lie and you don't even know it. Because America is just controlled by money. Look at the media and see who owns them. Look at the people on top who are deciding the messages that American people get in their TVs and their news.
You don't need censorship when there is a monopoly of intormation that already dictates what most people are going to hear and believe. And that combined with one of the worst and less democratic educational systems in a capitalist country makes America much more uninformed and ignorant than many in Europe. We might be cynical and too critical, but I've lived in America, and its the blindness of the people to their own manipulation and their eagerness to put flags everywhere and be ESTREMELY patriotic that makes me cower in fear
Its not odd that Palin edits negative comments...its perfectly in sync with her cowardice, as cowardice is a common right wing trait as well as a trait of violent bullies.
Dont let the facts get in your way. THE DLC Democrat leadership concil I believe it stands for, has a Republican map with the exact markings as Palin.
Never heard of battle ground states, everybody uses the term. The shooter was a nut that if anything is a reddit lefty
I think the double standard is interesting. Does anyone remember the high school kid who was questioned by the Secret Service for having crosshairs on a t-shirt of bush? The original news article from 2002 was taken down, but this reference still exists:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/news_alert_121202_general.html
hThank you for bringing this to light. I have never heard of your blog but my friend Wade posted it on FB and I thanked him as well. A"first amendment" and selfprofessed freedom lover should not be ed:iting (or allowing on her behalf) negative commentary. On the other hand, people should not use her page as a "shooting gallery" just to take "pot shots" at Sarah. Her supporters' vitriole is startling. Tor Hermannsson charlotte,nc
Those people accusing Palin are stupid. It really is that simple. Until it's confirmed that the shooter actually SAW the graphic that supposedly incited him to violence, why speculate and target Palin (yes, I used the word TARGET!)
By the way, the Tucson assassin was a registered Republican and here's the proof - http://lauramartin.tumblr.com/post/2680767575/jared-lee-loughner-is-a-registered-republican-giffords
It has become difficult to find the original Sarah Paloin cross-hairs map on the web. It seems to have been deleted from many newspaper sites. Would somebody please find the original and preserve it.
Partitards are always going to blame the other side. They can only see their own side. That is why they are partitards.
"Some on the left really have greeted this shooting with a terrifying, smug glee."
Name someone and show me an example of smug glee. You can't. Now shut the fuck up.
Sarah Palin is OVER. She will never be nominated for any political office again (unless she runs in Arizona).
Read the real and complete story here...
http://a6a584fpjjlg5lbgqo78xgrlxs.hop.clickbank.net/
Prophetic clip from an old episode of "The View", where all the hosts (Elizabeth Hasselbeck included) strongly agreed that Palin's crosshairs map is intended to incite violence.
Whoopi: "I want to put something out there to those talking heads who are still busy inciting this: WHATEVER COMES DOWN FROM THIS, IT'S ON YOUR HANDS."
CLIP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSsyi6B-14o&feature=player_embedded
Wow... I can't believe all this over a person simply maintaining their legal responsibility to control the message they deliver. While I am not a Palin supporter, I am a republican in America. More importantly, I understand the legal ramifications that could happen if Palin were to leave those comments on her board - they would be considered as if she had made them herself.
I'm sorry, but would you like me putting up negative comments about Obama if you knew that they would ultimately be YOUR legal responsibility?
Oh, and I looked into the whole voter registration issue and would encourage you to seriously second-guess any "screen-shots" of Jared Lee Loughner's registration considering either a Voter ID or a valid Arizona Driver's License is required to access that information. One "screen-shot" I saw actually had the city of Tucson misspelled - clear evidence that the text had been poorly photoshopped.
with the lights out it's less dangerous
here we are now entertain us
i feel stupid and contagious
here we are now entertain us
Jonathan Azaziah
VeteransToday
Gordon Duff
PressTV
Palin (and any mildly intelligent person) knows damn well what she's doing with her language and symbols of fear, hate and violence. Its all carefully designed, calibrated and delivered.
The far-right loves symblos and innuendo- they have violent fantasies they need to mask, lest the general public realize what they really want. And if something like this happens they claim plausible deniability. After a while, however, its fair to say those denials ring hollow.
Not all Tea Partiers are responsible for this. But there are those within their ranks- and on Fox News, and even in the halls of congress- who have been dancing the fine line between free speech and sedition for about 5 years now.
And they simply cannot be left off the hook. And nor can those who tolerate these people alongside them, for that matter.
Feeling defensive conservatives? That posture won't help you. Try introspection, though we know its not your strong suit. This is YOUR problem. It is YOUR decision to join the adults trying to govern this country...or become a band of rogues, a hate-based political runt of a party.
It is not libel to suggest that Sarah Palin is leading a political culture of right-wing violence which is leading to murder and assassination.
I would refer to such a claim as "calling a spade a spade."
Deal with it. Your objections only make you look worse.
Before you lay this tragedy at Sarah Palin's feet, I'd like to point out TWO United States Presidents who have done something similar.
First we have George Bush's Targeting Strategy Map. Let me remind you that George Bush is from Texas, the state that allows you to shoot trespassers on your property.
http://www.verumserum.com/media/2010/03/DLC-Targeting-map.gif
Next we have Barack Obama's statement in Philadelphia in which he said that if Republicans want to bring a knife to a fight, then the Democrats will bring a gun.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/06/14/obama-if-they-bring-a-knife-to-the-fight-we-bring-a-gun/
The political elections in the United States are just ugly.
During political season, I can't even turn on the TV because of the mudslinging going on. Our Politicians can't even conduct their campaigns with dignity and decency. All you hear are accusations, rebuttals, distorted information misconstrued as facts and bitchy word fights that rival middle school girl's locker rooms.
I had to DIG during the last election to find out what each politician stood for and what they pledged to do for our state if elected. I sent each and every candidate a personal letter that told them I don't care what the other candidate did, this isn't a preschool room full of tattle tales. Tell me what you are going to do for my state if elected.
The government of the United States is no longer for the people, by the people. It is run by whomever has the most money. Legislation is bought and paid for every day by special interest groups, lobbyist, large corporations etc and laws are rammed through that are not in the best interest of the country.
Take a look at the last session of congress, it was nothing more than political temper tantrums by both sides with additional pork barrel spending thrown in to push votes through. It was like watching candy given to temperamental toddlers to get cooperation.
I won't even touch on the issues of TSA and their latest violations of the US Constitution, but that is a prime example of what is going to push the citizens of the United States over the edge. Look at the legislation that failed to go through that was backed by Monsanto. Want to see a nightmare? Go look that up.
~ Hoyden
Before you lay this tragedy at Sarah Palin's feet, I'd like to point out TWO United States Presidents who have done something similar.
First we have George Bush's Targeting Strategy Map. Let me remind you that George Bush is from Texas, the state that allows you to shoot trespassers on your property.
http://www.verumserum.com/media/2010/03/DLC-Targeting-map.gif
Next we have Barack Obama's statement in Philadelphia in which he said that if Republicans want to bring a knife to a fight, then the Democrats will bring a gun.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/06/14/obama-if-they-bring-a-knife-to-the-fight-we-bring-a-gun/
The political elections in the United States are just ugly.
During political season, I can't even turn on the TV because of the mudslinging going on. Our Politicians can't even conduct their campaigns with dignity and decency. All you hear are accusations, rebuttals, distorted information misconstrued as facts and bitchy word fights that rival middle school girl's locker rooms.
I had to DIG during the last election to find out what each politician stood for and what they pledged to do for our state if elected. I sent each and every candidate a personal letter that told them I don't care what the other candidate did, this isn't a preschool room full of tattle tales. Tell me what you are going to do for my state if elected.
~ Hoyden
Housekeeping note - I've just discovered about 13 comments that were sorted into the spam filter. Presumably this is because many of them had links or cross references. In any case, they were all relevant so I've made them live as a batch. Apologies to those who were looking for their missing posts.
I've combed through the history books and I've managed to count 4381 people killed in the United States during the 20th Century from political disputes of one sort or another [n.1]:* 2729 were killed in racial conflictso That would break down to 1963 lynchings and...o 766 killed in racially motivated riots, bombings, beatings, etc.* 622 were killed in labor disputes.* 300 (more or less) were killed as the Mexican Revolution intermittently spilled over the border -- estimates run from 196 to 554. (Let this be a lesson to the isolationists among us: we can't hide.).* 178 killed because of activity of a religious cult.* 171 white people were lynched, probably by vigilantes.* 381 people were killed in all other types of civil strife, such as bombings, presidential assassinations, prison riots, mysterious deaths in jail, antiwar or anti-abortion protests, etc.
http://users.rcn.com/mwhite28/usa-riot.htm
the shooter is a registered republican, not a democrat, as one commmentator wrote
Let me start off by saying this is a horrible thing that has happened here in America. However do we have a moment of silence when another armed service man/woman dies in the call of duty? If I am correct I believe they are the ones standing up for our rights and freedoms in this country. Please remember them also. Several lose their lives every day and do not get the press and coverage they deserve. Just an observation.
Seems mjore like Sarah Palin's FAKEbook page instead of Facebook page!
No, we're not responding to this tragedy with glee, we're responding to it in anger. We saw this coming and tried to alert the world but it took something like this to get the attention of the media and the citizenry.
Ever since the health care debate was corrupted by the Tea Party who shouted down any serious debate the rhetoric has increased and increased. During these debates you started seeing weapons being brought to these town halls as well as people openly carrying weapons when the President spoke. Sure these people had permits etc. but still why the need to openly brandish a weapon other than to stifle honest debate, to bully anyone you disagree with.
We face a crossroads here and we need to discuss how we interact with each other or else lose our democracy.
For the people who question why a Brit would care about the politics in the United States or if they have the right to I say this. The actions of this country affect the world and they have every right to be concerned and to comment on it. Just like what happens in the Senate. No I don't have any input in to who the citizens of Wyoming elect to the Senate, but I sure am affected by how these people vote on the issues of the nation.
I agree with what Anonymous said on 10 Jan. at 01:50.
"I am a lefty. However the same way I don't believe video games turn people into murderers I don't think Sarah plain is responsible for this shooting. However it may make her think twice about how she goes about representing her views."
I am a registered Democrat, with views that are considerably liberal. I'm pro- pretty much everything Sarah Palin is against, but I do not hate her. I will not call her evil. I will not blame her for this tragedy committed by a poor, messed up soul.
re: the Christina comment:
Even if it was intended as satire, it was satire in very poor taste. The moderators should have removed it for that reason.
In the same vein, Palin's map with gunsights image was also in poor taste, and her team should have though more carefully about it before ever publishing an image like that.
Curious, I looked at President Obama's FB page to see if any negative comments were being removed there, and found that one individual (who I will not name) has posted several comments that are incredibly insensitive that have been left up for as long as 15 minutes. Either the President's people are too busy to watch over his page like a hawk as Palin's people do, or they've decided people have the right to voice their opinions. Either way, that's an attitude I can appreciate. There are more important things to do than silence differences of opinion.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x157525
that link shows a small sample of the right wing's products sold to "hunt/kill Democrats"..sold online and at political events....which now the talking heads claim has nothing to do with the 80+ murders since Obama has been in office.
This link discusses the "hunting license" they still sell.
http://www.irregulartimes.com/rightwingstuffviolence.html
It's so easy to post anonymously..
..so brave..
How is this any surprise? SarahCorp© has been scrubbing any and all negative comments since the Facebook page began. Then, they also block the poster from ever posting again. But hey, that Free Speech thing is just making her look bad, don'tcha know? *wink*
If you think politics can exist without violence then it is best for you people to not get involved. The history of the world up to this date says your playing out some fantasy that just never existed anywhere in American politics other then short spurts when the economy was thriving.
Only dissent from everyone on all sides will expedite compromise.
I arrived here yesterday from Graham Linehan's twitter feed and I just noticed you've now been linked to on the Guardian website. They call you "the wesbsite for Obama supporters in the UK". But this isn't an official site, right? It's just one person's blog? Just curious.
Anonymous said...
It's so easy to post anonymously..
Well actually it is easier then having to put in the info over and over again. Besides does it really matter if it is John or anonymous. Both are still anonymous. To think otherwise is quite silly.
What a crock of shite, think Obama doesn't censor negative comments out. just look at the embarrased smirk he came out with when challenged by one of his own supporters who was "tired of defending him" when there was no way he could defend against a question that wasn't staged, planted and pre-answered.
Politicise all you want but is it really fair to blame just one person for the incitement to this kind of action. i don't think so - or are you guys really that worried about the next election and the coming of Mamma Grizzly.
Lets see that get censored!
If you post a long comment with the negative part at the end it would make it much harder for the Palin people to censor it.
Flaging a comment on facebook does NOT make the comment just disappear. That is a lie. It only "flags" the comment and the person making it to facebook. Even when you hit the flag button facebook will say it might not cause removal of the comment. It would still be removed by a moderator of the facebook site.
awesome ! you guys are great ... this is a terrorist woman ... she is doing everything for money .. and she can get many others killed ! oppose her .. she is brain dead and she has a following of all the people who are nut cases .. which is worse .. as a misguided nut case is more powerful than a misguided educated man - though both can inflict the same damage ...
Anonymous with your "lets get sarah palin off facebook" link : Why? You wouldn't have anything more to use against her. People need to quit acting like they're investigators, or that they really have anymore idea of what happened than what they read in the media or on facebook or on random blogs. Learn to think for yourselves guys. You read a piece of "news" on the internet and suddenly it's gospel? As for flagging posts on facebook, that does not remove the post. It hides it from YOUR view and sends a report to the page admins and facebook for THEM to determine whether or not it should be removed. Does no one have anything better to do that to drag Sarah Palin through the mud? I'm neither a fan nor supporter of her but they way people are virally spreading hate about her I'm worried she's going to be the next one harmed. If you honestly believe HER words incited such violence what on earth do you think is going to happen with all the nutbags out there calling out against Palin? Nothing good will come from this.
Yes Una...Lets slam America because of your dislike for one of our politicians. I don't see anyone on here slamming Europe or any of the countries in Europe.
Regarding this:
For example, I saw about somebody said that this guy was a Registered Democrat...
I saw that too.
And instantly I said: "wha?"
I've read everything about this guy and there is nothing out there legit claiming that.
But that's the way the right-wing propaganda machine works.: Lying without links. Or linking to questionable new sources. They salt the discourse with lies. Some will permeate and stick and be accepted as true.
Here is the bottom line:
The internet blew so fast into every aspect of our human lives that we didn't have time to prepare a critical-thinking defense to the onslaught. Most of us are like gullible babes being overwhelmed with misinformation.
Anyone remember the video brought to you by www.conservatives4palin.com in 2009 titled "There's a Bore In the Woods"? It depicts Mitt Romney and a bear as well running through the woods....in the end 2 shots are fired by Palin and then she is shown smiling on her couch. How long will it take her fan sites to erase comments on this video like, "He's got a good 3 years to learn not to mess with the Cuda" ? Her fan shrine website thought it was hilarious but apparently they've scrubbed that too though it's still easily found on the internet and youtube (so far). What message does that send? We can’t close our eyes to the fact that there are some extreme fringe nuts out there who see and listen to Palin's dangerous rhetoric and may see this as encouragement to take her inflammatory messages literally.
I am choosing anonymous because I just don't want yet another signin and PW to worry about, in another venue which I don't have time to track like this Google space. But this thread is interesting and has involved some fairly hard work, so I would like to weigh in.
I don't personally think much of what people are focusing on above matters in terms of assessing Sarah Palin's merit. The target image certainly looks bad, but it's not so different from much of the vitriole that is out there.
My issue is that rather than participate in a larger debate about violence in politics, as have many people like Boehner and the head of the Tea Party, Palin has expended her efforts on staying out of view and making sure there are staff to scrub her Facebook page. The grownups in the room are talking about something that is of real import, Palin is covering her backside.
Palin's one post expressing condolences is what it is - a nice response that ducks the bigger issues like whether this young man felt enabled by the environment to express his politics by killing people.
Palin is just not showing national stature. She may wish it, but she is totally blowing any chance at earning it here.
Even prior to the gunning down of Congresswoman Giffords, do you think Sarah would have Todd kick me out of her book signing if she saw that I was wearing a t-shirt of her face with a "surveyor's symbol" over it? .
.
We ALL know the answer to that, You betcha!
When you "Flag" a comment on Palin FB page you get this message:
>>Thank you for providing feedback. You can this action or Report it as abusive.<<
You have merely flagged it for the moderator and it is temporarily hidden from YOUR view. Refresh the page and that same flagged post reappears. Commenters do not have the ability to delete others' comments.
Jonah Goldberg should be shown the Tina King comment before he says ANYTHING about the left following this terrorist attack. Then he can see who the Fascists *really* are.
The shooter is a registered Republican!
"Anonymous said...
It's so easy to post anonymously..
..so brave..
10 January 2011 17:09"
Did you forget that this is the internet and we're ALL anonymous? I don't see you posting with your name. Hypocrite much?
As for Palin....With all the hate speech now directed towards her, when she ends up shot whose hands will be holding that blood? All these people sitting on their asses on the internet calling for her to "get what she deserves" and "make her pay."
Hypocrisy reigns supreme.
If you "like" Sarah Palin's Facebook page and leave a comment she doesn't like, they delete it and block you. No one else can Block you, They block you. Try it. I did, and all I did was question some of her economic issues. My comments were deleted and I can not comment on her page from my FB page, I'm blocked. So anyone who thinks it's not Her or her people deleting is delusional.
A number of people have posted Sarah Palin quotes on her FB page, only to find them deleted and themselves banned from further posting on the page. Granted, they were stupid-sounding, unflattering Sarah Palin quotes. Those aren't hard to find. More details about this practice are available on the FB page Sarah Palin Censorship.
I just flagged a post on Sarah Palin's wall,it said "1 down 19 to go."
And a lot of argument that some crazy did it,you can't blame us,but it's ok to hate liberal's,GOD say's so.
"British Standard Time"
We call it GMT, BST is British Summer Time.
Sorry for the pedantry.
Well, let him swear. It is not necessary to discuss it.
Actually the "Flag" button doesn't remove the post, it "flags" it so the page owner can decide.
If it were up to the "friends" the I would be more disturbed that the post wasn't "flagged"
It's good to know that someone outside of the US can see what a coward Sarah is. Oh and a mssg to Sarah, blood stains don't just scrub out Sarah, you have to use bleach.
There's no 'I' in team, but there is a 'U' in cunt, as in all you batshit crazy yankee rightwinger Palin supporter cunts! Palin's a cunt herself, as well. A cunt's cunt, she is.
Any ad campaign that hints at violence against one's opponents is obviously irresponsible and reckless no matter which party of which political official it. Congress is supposed to address the issue in their next session.
Outlawing this behavior is not a complete solution. Why don't we channel our energy into about how to fix the problem of gun control instead of Democrat vs. Republican... bash Sarah Palin vs. defend Sarah Palin- it's not going to solve the problem.
This incident is symptomatic of a bigger problem that cannot be solved easily. Taking guns away from the law abiding citizens that will vountarily turn them in is a recipe for disaster as is continuing to sell them guns to anyone of age that isn't a felon. How about a proctored test you have to pass (with a large percentage of questions aimed at uncovering psychological instability and tendencies toward violence)? At the very least, maybe mental health issues (which this shooter had) should be a red flag during the background check required to purchase a gun. Let's honor the victims by arguing about a solution to the problem.
If this story hits the press, it has the makings of a big scandal. I'm sure it's already posted on lots of people's social media sites. What you say here does matter. Be a part of the solution.
This reminds me of Nov. 1963. I was teaching a high school class when we got word that JFK had been shot. The first thing the right wingnut in our dept. did was rush to the parking lot and remove the "Ban The Brothers" bumper sticker from his car.
Yes I saw that yesterday too as I was bouncing back and forth over several sites, right and left-leaning....my remarks, which were not inflammatory were immediately deleted and then I was totally blocked from being able to comment on anything.
What I did notice however and this is an important point when one looks at the war of misinformation was that remarks coming from those who hated Palin, some of those remarks were left to stand as if to bolster the stance of the right that those of us who call Palin out are "haters".
The remarks like mine which were polite and factual vanish but the more strident ones, the nasty ones, some were left.
Makes me think that the persuasion machine was working overtime yesterday.
To the Obama London blogger. Thanks for the time you took to take all these screen shots. A link to your blog has been posted to a new facebook page... Banned By Palin ----- started after many members reported being blocked from Palin's discussions after posting even the most mildly critical remarks.
Great work!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Banned-by-Palin/125564910842910
This is amazing and incredibly distressing. Thank so much for posting it.
Looking at this mess from a european perspective, many people are just shaking their heads. There once was a lot of admiration for the USA, their lifestyle and freedom. Maybe not so much anymore, after the sixties, seventies, Vietnam, then Reagan... but you always still had loyal friends in these times. Then came Bush sen., and Bush Junior, and people couldnt believe it. They explained it with 9/11, and said "the US has to make all mistakes, before it does the rigt thing", ok. With Obamas election, there was really hope that the majority were not "like that", that the hysteria und the gun-and-bible-"i dont want healthcare"-nutcases would not prevail. But Obama has been weak, has not shown to really make a difference, or was not able - yours wars, your financial crisis, your treatment of Wikileaks, whatever. But now, in the light of this political murder, there are still these loudmouthed crazy dumb nutcases, the congresswoman is still in hospital, a judge, a child killed just yesterday, and on they go with their stupid "guns are good. god loves us conservatives. the market is everything. America is so great"-bullshit, while there in reality there is really not much left to be proud of, nothing the current generation did. And of course, we have our own nutcases and ridicolous figures here, and sometimes they even rule countries like in Italy. But your hateful hockeymom and her loony tribe, preparing to rule the country - that is something we only had here in the fourties, and fortunately your grandfathers came over here and saved us from it. But who will save you, the "only remaining superpower", if you do not manage to do it yourself? Dark times.
I don't "do" Facebook, so I don't know a lot about the way it runs. But it seems to me that any site that allows comments to be automatically deleted when they're flagged - even if it takes more than one flag to do it - is going to be naturally biased. I've seen it on Yahoo! News, so it doesn't surprise me that it's happening on Facebook too. And Sarah Palin is so polarizing anyway - people seem to be either for or against her.
What's interesting to me is how fast the comments on her Facebook page are being "edited", as you have demonstrated here. I think that says a lot about Ms. Palin's supporters and how determined they are to keep her looking good. And as a citizen of the country that Ms. Palin may one day run for President of - I find that very, very scary.
Does anybody know what happens when you "flag" a comment on Facebook? I can't find ANY information on it ANYWHERE.
Thanks for this. Point of clarification: I assume you meant that you started writing the post at 18:39? Also, how is it that in that last screen shot, the number of minutes since the post is larger for the top post (31 minutes) than the post in question (30 minutes)?
oops. i posted a second ago on the order of the posts... i see my mistake on that one. so only calling out the "16.39" typo... no biggie. Keep up the good work!
This is exactly what makes liberals look and sound like IDIOTS and why conservatives tend to stay quiet.
These very comments are why we Americans fought for our independence. We do have freedom of speech in America. Sarah Palin is not the only politician to use "target" and/or crosshairs in campaigning against opposition. Democrats have done the same in trying to unseat Republicans/Conservatives. I'm not sure what other word would be used. There is a very common word used during our election cycles that is metaphorical in nature; it is "battleground." In using that word, no one is suggesting we all get out there and shoot it out. You Britons might be much better off if you had the freedom of carrying a firearm.
Anonymous said...
I bet you didn't know this, but if you are a fan of hers on Facebook and you see a derogatory comment on the note that you don't like or agree with, you can click 'Flag' and it will be removed.
How do I know? I am one of her fans and did that on my own. I'm sure there were several other people that did that as well. So...awfully shameful of you to assume that it was someone from Palin's camp.
************************
More misinformation. You can Flag a comment but you can't remove it. It might be removed by FB moderators eventually, but not within two minutes.
Why do you people have such a lack of respect for truth?
Who stated
"They bring a knife we will bring a gun. Or who has stated we need to get in their faces, we need to be angery. You better do more research on the young man. The people that know him has stated he is very liberal. From what I have researched he cared very little for babies or the Constitution That is not a Tea Bagger.
Also you better mention the Federal Judge that was killed--- let me see he was appointed by Bush.
Wow....I don't even know what to say. Am I surprised? Not in the least...Am I shocked? Nothing out of the mouths of Palin supporters shocks me anymore...Am I sickened? You Betcha.
As others have posted, Sarah Dum Dum's staff are also probably dumb enough to not realize the little girl's name and that the comment should've been deleted.
All I can take away from this is that "Tina King" who posted the tasteless comment is a stuck-up hateful bitch. Satire eh? Don't quit your day job, if you have one that is.
@ Anonymous 23:29: The UK has a registered neo-Nazi party that draws enormous numbers of votes. Do something about that, please, and we'll handle Mrs. Palin.
Here's something for the Bible thumpers to ponder:
Proverbs 6:12-14
12 A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up conflict.
Proverbs 10:9-11
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
How are you so sure a stupid liberal didn't post that comment about killing Hitler? You are some sneaker f*&kers!
I believe 'Tina King' is the third right wing nut to make an insensitive blog post and then try to retract by saying it was meant to be 'satire'.
Here is another one
http://stfuconservatives.tumblr.com/post/2656407955
Didn't save the third...
Could it be that there is an organised "tea party = satire" defence?!
I think it was her people who put up the post about little Christina Taylor Green . In a weird attempt at reverse psychology they are trying to elicit sympathy for Palin by subliminally suggesting that of course Palin would never intend to harm a child ergo her incendiary language about "targets" had nothing to do with what happened . These people(?) have no shame .
@Lila: "Right to life" tends to only refer to fetuses. Once the baby is born they don't care what happens to it, they just go on to trying to "save" another unborn life. A 9 year old child is far too old for someone like Sarah Palin to care about when it comes to the whole "right to life" concept.
It doesn't surprise me at all that comments against Sarah are being so quickly deleted. Her family is probably helping out, as we all know already that her children aren't above spewing hate and bigotry the moment someone dares speak ill of the Palin family. The only opinion you're allowed to have of them is that they are greater than God himself. Any opinion lower than that and you are just jealous of the family and it's "successes" in life.
disturbed minds create insane scenarios from sane realities
Maybe you should flag and report her site to whitehouse.gov
I would like to respond to georgiakg’s comment that the writer of this blog lives in the UK and should be concerned with her own country.
As Anonymous at 05:25 on 10 January indicated, even those who are not US citizens may have good reasons to be concerned about American politics. However, as I personally know the blog owner through Democrats Abroad, I can tell you that she is very much a US citizen. The fact that she has chosen to live in London for about a decade does not change the fact that the USA is her country.
Approximately 7 million US citizens live outside the USA. Those of us in Democrats Abroad are doing our best to educate these US citizens living abroad of their legal right and moral responsibility to vote in federal elections in their country. In fact, we have a wonderful web site to guide them through the process: Vote from Abroad.
Wow, 357 comments? I've never seen so many on a blog.
So here's my 2 cents: America's heading for a civil war at this rate. Shots have been fired and people killed, & this will either be the incident that stops this madness, or exacerbates it.
Personally, with the killer currently looking like a lone nutjob, I can't see the right/ Tea Party mob taking stock of their actions. There's protesting, and then there's threats - violent threats, racial threats, it goes above and beyond free speech and agencies such as Fox are only too keen to stoke the fire.
I'm not about to dive into debates with peabrained clothheads on a blog's comment section, but as a parting shot to the brave 'Anon' (there have to be hundreds here) who said, "The UK has a registered neo-Nazi party that draws enormous numbers of votes."
Really? Enormous? That suggests perhaps 70, 80, 90% votes? Is that your argument? Almost all the people in the British Isles vote Nazi?
News to me, and I live here. Statements like that make you dumb as mud. Did you get that from Fox? Because, guess what, you're too pleased to see your rascist, right-wing paranoid delusions being supported to realise that you're being fed propaganda.
There is a small group forming on Facebook called:
Banned by Palin
Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Banned-by-Palin/125564910842910
It also has 18+ screen shots from yesterday Jan 9 hours of 14:20-16:22, before I was completely blocked from her Facebook page.
This blog has been linked to several others and with any luck will become a MSM story. I know that CNN did a story and interviewed Randi Zuckerber VP of FB last night.
I contacted the CNN reporter (Don Lemon) and provided him this blog's link, the FB group and my own screen shots.
This is a story and I am pleased that you did such a great job chronicling it.
I am a liberal. I put Sarah Palin's part in this tragedy in the same vein as the media exposing (and in some cases encouraging) anorexia, bulimia, and dieting in young girls. HOWEVER, Palin did not put a gun in that man's hand. She did NOT pull the trigger. She did NOT hold his hand and walk him to the building. Life is a series of choices and the shooter chose wrong. That being said, I feel that it is incredibly classless to leave the comment comparing a young girl to baby Hitler, and saying that she is better off dead than becoming a liberal. Classy as ever.
The shooter is a troubled individual who has a history of supporting White Supremecist, anti-Semitic beliefs (he's publicly stated that one of his favorite books is Hitler's Mein Kampf). Sarah Palin likewise believes that Jews are nothing more than heathen doomed to perish in the Apocalypse, and since she's gearing up for a presidential run, I'm quite sure she's quietly elated that she got one of her mindless sheep to do her bidding for her. If there's any truth to the End Of Days prophecy, it'll come shortly after Palin gets elected. Did anyone see the movie The Omen? I see Palin as no different than Damien: she's worse than an ignorant, illiterate hick who's an embarrassment to our country; she stands for everything evil, and is unapologetic in her methodology of spreading divisiveness and hate. If there IS a God, I can only hope that he/she will punish Palin and her minions for their endless attempts to drive our society back to the days of cavemen, slavery, prohibition and plague. Shame on ANYONE who chooses to support such a vile, abhorrent and evil excuse for a "public official".
It may be 2011 but for Sarah Palin, every year is 1984.
And, uh, about this guy being a "registered Democrat", thanks for playing. Try again..
There is no censoring going on... the volume of the comments is way too high for anyone to keep up.
What IS going on is people are doing what is called a "super logoff" on Facebook. When you do this, your comments will appear as if they have been deleted.
A Facebook super logoff is when you permanently delete your Facebook account. Only thing is they never really delete your account. As soon as you log back in you can reactivate your account and your allegedly censored comments will reappear.
Why did your site pop up when I clicked on the MSN story on the Palin video?
Are you All ready be sensored now-- The funny thing is when you take Palin's right to speak or comment or delete, your asking the government to take your right away.You will not always be on the governments side. They give laws and take laws.
You will not always agree with other liberals especially in govenment so you should be careful. They use you as they use their opponents. They have you mad at Palin, Then they will start talking (News)about sensoring the internet. OH, doesn't Britian already sensor what their citizens hear or read? And again if I hear what Palin says she would be the first person that would fight for your right to speak. But I know you would rather not have the right to speak or write just to stop Palin from having her right to speak or write.
Please stop promoting violence with your words such as F--America,isn't it promoting a symbolic from of rape---oh I forgot that is not violence under certain religious laws in Britian.
Just a note. "flagging" a post does not delete it. Deletion happens at an administrative level. So it's either FaceBook (unlikely) or Palin staffers doing the deletions. That fact is now clear. A rather desperate attempt to redirect. It doesn't really matter who is doing the deleting, it shows a delusional resistance to alternative points of view. The Palin staff and her supporters are basically 'shooting down' anything that doesn't corroborate her whack-ass rhetoric.
Palin employs people on message , her message, the fact that they failed to delete this comment shows where their heads are at and in response to one commentator above what person working for Palin does not know the 9 year old child's name Christina Taylor Green
Christina Taylor Green
Christina Taylor Green
her dad was even quoted on Fox news .
Great post! I'm anxious for the rest of my countrymen and women to wake up about this woman!
Seriously? I agree - you do have far too much time on your hands - or perhaps a very deeply disturbing obsession with Sarah Palin in order to spend that much time on this useless exercise? Check the facts and check yourself. Gees. The only thing more disturbing than this blog post is the AZ shooter's idea that shooting Gifford and innocent people would change politics. Both very disturbing.
Hmmm All of these comments about hate and it being all Palin's fault. I am NOT a Palin fan. But I am at a loss as to how the posts on here can condem hate, yet spew it. "How can we use this" "Can we get this to Rachel Maddow"...is that not fanning the flames that us "right wings" started? Maddow, wow, that's just the left wings answer to Glenn Beck...but THATS ok. Look, it can't be one way for some and the other way for others. I was interested in London's point of view, which is what brought me here. I can't say I am shocked with what I read on here, but respect the opinions of others, even though I do not agree. There is a lot of things that the people of London do not understand. "...gun lovers have their guns as if it is some sort of right..." Well...it IS a right in America. The 2nd Amendment...look it up. This has nothing to do with Palin, right wing nuts, or left wing nuts. It has to do with Jared Loughner. PERIOD! Look, an entire book of my opinion without name calling. It can be done people, you just have to learn to articulate using maturity. If there are those of you who refuse to understand there is only one person responsible, you have bigger problems then worrying about Palin and her stupid FB page. From an AMERICAN, Palin is as irrelevant now as she is any other day. God Bless
this whole thing is so sad. Tina King thinking its a joke, all the people brainwashed by Palin....when is it going to end???
Do you ever delete comments you do not like from your blog?
Who cares if the Palin camp knew her name or not? I did not know what it was until I read this blog; however, as I was reading the quoted comment from her FB page, I KNEW exactly who the commenter was referring to because I have the ability to use logic. The comment referenced a little kid, the AZ shooting, and how she was possibly a liberal in the making. It does not take a genius to put it together. Then again, Palin's aides might not exactly be geniuses. No boss wants to keep around minions smarter than him or her.
Why can't the Wikileaks peeps who hacked Amazon and Gawker help us with that page of hers, lol?
Go look at her discussions tab. She hasn't removed those comments, including the one where a guy said that the little girl deserved to die because she was a bleeding heart liberal. Disgusting...
Thank you for tracking this and sharing it with us. It is amazing that there are many out there, including political leaders, that are still condoning violence and threats of violence in the wake of such a tragedy.
I've had the same results on GW's page, you can say anything you like as long as you just love them.
we need First Amendment Solutions in the United States
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/fnb_first_amendment.html
I don't know what is more disturbing - the idea that Sarah Palin's Facebook staff is deleting negative comments or that her 'loyal supporters' are.
Once it's on the internet, it's always on the internet.
I don't think that anyone has pointed out the role that Glenn Beck has in all this. If the shooter had been sitting at home watching Glenn Beck (who is even more violent in his speech than Palin), he is just as likely to have responded to Beck as Palin.
the anonymous Palin fan who said "they" flag the comments to make them disappear is LYING.
Palin's page is heavily modded & they delete all comments that don't "PRAISE" her but willfully leave up violent, vitriolic, crude & distasteful comments made about other dems/liberals.
YOU CAN'T BELIEVE THE PALINITES - THEY LIE FOR THEIR LEADER POP-TART PSEUDO-POLITICIAN PALIN!
You DO edit/delete your comments! Pretty hypocritical, huh? Disturbing... and very disturbed.
A bit off-topic, but...
I live in a town of almost 20k that voted
for McCain 70%. Our Tea Bags hold meetings
each month & less than 75 people show up.
The latest meeting they had, last month, their
numbers were down to about 20, or so. These
fools have outgrown their own crap-filled
diaper. They are moving on, they are dying
off, because they are all old...it is always
darkest before the dawn. They know they
are a dying breed. They were kicking up a
fuss because they are of the past & have
no future.
My R/W family members who love to
repeat the gems they hear on Fox "News"
haven't uttered a WORD about this shooting.
Not a word. I think the idiots are finally
starting to see how stupid they look with
their talking points.
Thank you for documenting this disgusting record on the part of Palin and her staff. Callous and downright evil. I hope that this resurfaces in full force at election time.
Tracy in Kansas
You Like Obama So Well In London then take the Idiot Please what a bunch of Liberal Idiot Wankers you all are
First off if the nut who did this blames that map or graphic ... they are delusional in the same sense that Mark Chapman killed John Lennon because Catcher in the Rye directed him to or that John Hinkley Jr tried killing Reagen because Jodi Foster would love him if he did.
Anyone who thinks Ms Palin or her media team actually advocated the killings of anyone with their graphic is also delusional. Bad taste, sure.
By the way, Ozzy and Judas Priest lyrics cause teenagers to commit suicide.
But of course to a liberal, this whole sad mess is a perfect opportunity to sling mud. It would be shocking except nothing coming from the left is shocking any more, they are willing to equivocate anything, even the death of an innocent child by an insane stalker.
The killer had a grudge against his prey for three years, long before Mrs. Palin was a candidate.
Your Blog just got picked up by AOL news:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/10/sarah-palin-facebook-page-deleting-negative-comments-about-giffo/
I love all of the misguided Palin-supporter crazies that came here just to prove the exact point this post (and a lot of today's media, not just "liberal") is trying to make. Congratulations, team.
A bear! LOL! I'm writing that one down for the comedy tour.
Sarah the Quitter's followers are mindless zombies who have apparently scoured the web for any articles referencing her and have fanned out like the monkeys from the wizard of oz to try and spin the narrative in every way possible. But they cannot fool us. We all know the darkness that is what passes for their souls. We've lived with it for 2 years now. Their hatred and decisiveness is there for everyone to see. Theirs souls are black and I have no intention of praying for them. May they all rot.
This attack was bad enough but what has really caused me to give up on them is the total lack of humanity and the absolute state of denial and rhetoric they are espousing, even now. It makes me realize they like themselves the way they are and have NO intention of changing.
Don't be fooled by their postings everywhere. They are loud and obnoxious but they are not really that many. They are NOT real Americans, but rather an oozing pimple on the American collectiveness. {/end rant}
To Real Americans everywhere and those around the world that share our vision for a brighter day, Blessing and best wishes for a world where compassion and respect are the norm.
there is a fb home for everyone who's been kicked off of sarah palin's fb page here:
www.facebook.com/pages/I-Got-Kicked-Off-Sarah-Palins-Facebook-Page/121795181190787?v=wall&ref=ts
you can hear from them how they were deleted & banned within a minute or 2 of making their first post, haha!
that page has almost 1,000 people as members! :)
It is interesting cyber stalking palins face book page, I never had the stomach for it, but if I appreciate the effort and the article. Two things to keep in mind is 1) I doubt Sarah Palin does this herself so it is some peon who left the post as is and 2) Tina King will learn not to try sarcasm in a world that thinks it makes sence, and save the biting comments to posts where you can be anonymous, and I am glad she came forward to apologize, she is less of an ass than Sarah Palin who removes her target after the fact, And plays a victim!
I became a FB "fan" of Palin a long time ago in order to post there. You cannot post on her page unless you are a fan. Not only does your post get deleted, if you are critical of Sarah, you are immediatly "un-friended" so you can no longer post there. She and her staff do not tolerate any form of criticism.
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