Many in the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement have talked about racial incidents being an isolated thing. When confronted with the mounting incidents of homophobia, racism and violence against elected officials, they shrug their collective shoulders and will either say those are taken out of context, there is no proof they happened, or will explain these things are not as bad as what has happened to their members. The recent misdirect happened when Rep. Kantor came out and said he was a victim of attacks. One incident, a broken window coming from a bullet, wasn’t even known until he announced it a whole week after massive reports by Democrats of attacks. When it was investigated, the police determined it the bullet was more likely a stray by someone shooting in the air considering the angle of the bullet that his campaign headquarters isn’t marked, and it was suggested the bullet didn’t even hit a room that anyone frequented. Recently he claimed other threats and a man was arrested, causing some to use the magic bullet string theory to connect this to Democratic supporters because the kook who was arrested gave a little over $500 to the Obama campaign.

This they want to use as proof that Republicans are also at threat when you compare it to spitting at black politicians, gas lines being cut, bricks thrown through windows and Republican leaders refusing to clearly and decisively condemn the violence.

Just like the debate on the health care bill, Republicans come out with a measure they say will trigger them into action and when that is met, they raise the bar higher. When Rep, Lewis and other black politicians were heckled, spat at and the word nigger was used, some Republican pundits assumed it was a stunt. They didn’t believe it happened and they trotted out people who claimed they were there and it didn’t occur. They first wanted to know why the people who did those things weren’t arrested, and then the Washington police confirmed someone was detained but no charges were filed. They said it was an isolated incident then after the vote other members where threatened with faxes and words. When this was said not to be real proof of violence on their side, bricks were thrown into the windows of some headquarters. When that wasn’t enough, and a challenge was made to produce proof of the racial animosity of the Tea Party group, a video came online which showed the incident in Washington where the spitting incident occurred. Closer to home, for the talk about the Tea Party being a peaceful movement, footage of an event with Palin and McCain showed two men being forcibly ‘escorted’ out of the rally and being roughed up.

Just now, while I was beginning to watch something on MSNBC about the turn in the movement, I saw a video clip of the rally in Nevada where a protester had Obama in effigy on a hangman’s noose and someone else was beating it with a stick, just like a piñata.

While I couldn’t excuse it fully, when I got upset with the racial incidents occurring at UCSD and other campuses, there was at least the possibility that ignorance of youth could be a weak but reasonable explanation. The folks in Nevada aren’t. For the most part they are senior citizens. They have lived life, experienced the 60s and the racial turmoil in this country. For them to use MY tax money, yes they get social security and Medicaid which I pay for, for them to have the pictures of Obama as a witch doctor, to have him hanging from a noose and someone hitting it, that does beyond free speech. Truth be told, that goes beyond claiming not to know what that symbolism means.

We have been giving this group, and the politicians that support them, much too much deference. We have allowed politicians to egg this crowd on and not shove their noses in the mess they are making. They, meaning the Republican leaders, keep stoking the fires, just to win votes. The radio talk show hosts continue to spread lies and the listeners are either too stupid or lazy to switch the dial, pick up a paper or hit another website to entertain the notion their worldview might be wrong. No they would rather Ditto that Rush, hosting their racism high.

We need to stop acting like all of these folks are just frustrated citizens. Their actions have shown they are more than that and at some point they are going to do something that won’t just be a brick though a window. A gas line is cut and we’re supposed to believe this was someone just mad at a politician, even though his address was printed wrong on a website where people were told to go visit him? We’re supposed to turn the other cheek as they continue to claim they are a peaceful bunch just exercising their rights of free speech when they spit on politicians and hang a black man, yes let’s get to the root of the issue, they hang a black president in effigy and another hits it with a stick and we AREN’T supposed to think this is racism? NO, it is racism and the protesters, politicians and provocateurs who chum the waters to cause a feeding frenzy, just to line their pockets, get re-elected or to boost ratings, need to be called on it.