Alaska – Sarah Palin posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page early Wednesday, accusing journalists and pundits of inciting hatred and violence in the wake of a deadly Arizona shooting that gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
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Last spring, Palin targeted Giffords’ district as one of 20 that should be taken back. Palin has been criticized for marking each district with the cross hairs of a gun sight.
In the video, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate said vigorous debates are a cherished tradition. But she said after the election, both sides find common ground, even though they disagree.
“But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible,” she said.
The term “blood libel” is the false allegation that Jews kill non-Jews, especially Christian children, to acquire blood for the Passover or other Jewish rituals, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. It has been used in other contexts, and Palin’s meaning was not clear. Her aides did not immediately respond to an e-mail early Wednesday.
Jared Loughner, 22, is accused of trying to assassinate Giffords, wounding 12 others and killing six people.
“There are those who claim political rhetoric is to blame for the despicable act of this deranged, apparently apolitical criminal,” Palin said. “And they claim political debate has somehow gotten more heated just recently. But when was it less heated? Back in those ‘calm days’ when political figures literally settled their differences with dueling pistols?”
Ms. Palin is correct. We are looking to analyze the actions of a madman who was a loner (as per media reports) and apply it to the context of political differences. That distorted logic results in attribution of blame to millions of people who have no criminal leanings at all. Such attributions are justly accused of being nothing more than an effort to criminalize the innocent based on disagreement. There is zero blame here with the exception of the shooter. The liberal media has no business bringing other elements into the picture, and Sarah Palin sees the attempt at blaming her and other right wing Americans for a hideous, barbaric crime as a hate campaign. If I was a psychiatrist, I would surmise that these journalists are obsessed with their anti-Palin views, and will look for something derogatory to say about anything she does or says. Maybe there is a sale on Prozac or something that could help these folks in the media.
Palin has made an excellent response. the so-called democratic strategist who rush to condem her comparisan to a “blood libel” feel threatend by her. Did these dems say anything when the liberal NY DAILY headline: “The blood is on Palin’s hands”?
And Mr. Hank will forever be associated with politicizing the blood libels. What an irrelevant stupid statement.
What about the libels from the right? Many right wing internet sites claimed that the shooter was someone who claimed he wanted Giffords dead in a dailykos article, and that kos “scrubbed” the article. Both these allegations were false but they are still all over the internet.
In any case the use of the term “Blood libel” should be reserved for actual blood libels such as that which took place in Damascus in 1840. I’m willing to give Palin the benefit of the doubt that she did not know about Jewish history, but she should retract and apologize.
Also, she is a hypocrite for claiming “both sides find common ground” when she herself blasted the compromise on the tax deal.
Sarah, people are jealous of you therefore they are so fast to blame you for everything that goes wrong. When George Bush was in office and the world was cursing him no one went killing anyone but the media did nothing to stop that cruel treatment of an active president instead our former president went blaming us for all the ill in the world and no less to our biggest enemies.
Even now when a sitting president goes around belittling us all over the world no one will blame him for anything that can and will go wrong.
Too many red flags were ignored when he purchased more then one magazine with 31 rounds to shoot at once… That needs to be investigated a lot better.
Always the victim. Me. Me. Me.
I have never seen a bigger narcissist.
The ignorance of this women in using the term “blood libel” to denigrate her media critics is disgusting. Either she is too dumb to know the origins of the term or she deliberately seeks to establish moral equivalence. Either way, she is only digging herself deeper into a hole into which we should all hope she will never emerge.
Does anyone ever notice that all the “Pride of Wasilla” does is pontificate from her Facebook page? She issues “tweets,” statements and press releases, but will never sit down and engage in a conversation or take questions from even her most synchophantic journalists on FOX. From here on in, whenever the question of “Death Panels” comes up, I want to see a picture of her map with the crosshairs in it as Sarah Palin’s own “Death Panel.”
Sarah Palin, what happened to being proud of Americans who exercise their first amendment. Being selective are you? Sarah Palin doesn’t know how to form her own opinions. She reads from a teleprompter.
i listened to what she had to say, all of what she had to say!
she speaks well and i am convinced she is sincere,
she makes the point of every normal person i have listened to or spoken with.
a crimminal is responsible for their actions, period
before prosecuting the crimminal do not lynch society or any segment there of.
dont use the crime as a springboard for your agenda.
similar to when a jew is alleged to commit a crime no one wants all jews to be considered crimminal.
keep things seperate and ifin fact at some point in the investigation it is proven that there are causes that are responsible like , society , talk radio. rhetioric.. then connect dots and make a point.
however till its proven dont jump the gun and blame innocent people who have nothing to do with the crime.
and if you are looking to blame , look no further than your own self as certainly you are one step closer to being guilty than they are.
All the leftist are tar and feathering Palin. Leave her alone. This loser who killed 6 people did not need the news media; he was totally messed up in his head. Instead of going after Palin; how about we unite; send some money to the families who have been injured or killed, start an organization to promote true peace for messed up people, talk with civility when you criticize your friends idea but not your friend. Glen Beck on one of shows told his followers if you curse, insult the person who even has insulted Beck you are not with him. We as Jews know to hate the sin not the sinner.
The lady is eloquent and intelligent and speaks with conviction and heart. She exudes strength and graciousness and is at once both charming and dignified — and gets under the skin of male chauvinists. Way to go, Sarah! Keep standing tall… suits you well.
Let us not get too oversensitive about the use of the term blood libel. Ms. Palin was using it in an entirely different context. Perhaps, she may or may not know the origin of that term. However, there are many in our own community, who are also ignorant of that term. We don’t hold a monopoly on certain words. For example, the word “holocaust” was around long before it was used to apply to the genocide against our people during World War Two. The meaning of holocaust, according to the dictionary is a great or total destruction by fire,or any widepread destruction. In fact, during the Los Angeles riots of 1992, when hundreds of buildings were set on fire by roving mobs, a local firefighter correctly described the scene “as a holocaust”.
I love these liberals: ” Jared Loughner, 22, is accused of trying to assassinate Giffords, wounding 12 others and killing six people”
Accused??? He was caught in the act and held on the scene till police came. What’s this “accused” he is guilty as they come. Now you wonder why criminals are all out on the street? Cause they are accused even though they are caught in the act.
Very effective and dignified response.
I’ve never encountered the term “political blood libel”, so I assumed she coined it and it is very succinct as used here. And for this reason it will probably stick. Just like another term she coined, “death panels”. It stuck, and using it as a weapon, Sarah Palin made Obama retreat, no say flee, twice: first time during the original congressional passage of the obamacare, second time when the rshoim attempted to bring it back stealthily through executive fiat. She is a very intelligent woman, with her heart in the right place. Underestimate her at your own peril.
The people complaining about the use of Blood Libel need to grow up. You can’t take offense at every use of something that has a connection to something bad happening to Jews. This was used in correct context given that she was said to have Blood on her hands. She didn’t say that this is a bad as the Blood libels that were used against the Jews.
Her statement as a whole is also correct. Neither she nor talk radio are at fault here. People use metaphors all the time. They are not responsible for the excuses that sick, deranged people try to use. Even more so, here as it has come to light that HE didn’t listen to all those talk shows and political speeches.
All she needs now is halachic conversion. She already loves E.Y., now she is the victim of “blood libel” she is closer and closer to understanding life as a Jew. 😛
Charlie-Hall: While your comments are usually well written, they ring hollow. It is very difficult to take someone who ALWAYS sticks to the same “side of the aisle” if you will… on every topic, ranging from political (Sarah Palin BAD, no matter what) to health (Vaccines GOOD, no matter what).
It’s like giving “the hand” virtually… whenever a discussion should be happening… Never stopping to think, to consider, perhaps to look at the issue from another angle.
As usual, the media picks up a minor detail, blows it up, and obscures the real issue. Here is the scene:
Major detail: Deranged criminal shoots a member of Congress.
Major detail: Media scurry to blame conservatives, particularly Sarah Palin, as being responsible for the crime.
Minor detail: Sarah Palin uses the term “blood libel” to refer to the wrong attribution of responsibility and blame.
Why does media place responsibility anywhere but on the shoulders of the shooter? Is there “evidence” linking the suspect to any aspect of organized politics or to specific individuals?
I think that the media realized that trying to make Palin responsible for this was absurd and laughable, so the alternative was to make a farce out of her denial of responsibility. Smokescreen. I’m not fooled.