For a decade the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby has written a startling year-end column about "hate speech of the Left," in which he collects some of the most vile and virulent statements from supposed humanitarians. (To see these, go to the most recent column, from December 2003, and note there the listing of prior columns.)
The Left's hatred of George W. Bush already years ago reached pathological depths but the envelope keeps getting pushed further and further. Perhaps the most noxious piece of writing comes in today's Guardian, where the newspaper's television critic, Charlie Brooker, writes an unbelievable article, "Dumb show," that culminates in a call for the assassination of the U.S. president: "John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr - where are you now that we need you?"
Comment: The degradation of political debate has – I hope – now reached rock bottom. (October 23, 2004)
Oct. 24, 2004 update: The irresponsisble editors at the Guardian latterly woke up to the problem that calling for murder of the American head of state has brought on them. Here is their lame excuse, posted in the place of Brooker's article:
The final sentence of a column in The Guide on Saturday caused offence to some readers. The Guardian associates itself with the following statement from the writer.
"Charlie Brooker apologises for any offence caused by his comments relating to President Bush in his TV column, Screen Burn. The views expressed in this column are not those of the Guardian. Although flippant and tasteless, his closing comments were intended as an ironic joke, not as a call to action - an intention he believed regular readers of his humorous column would understand. He deplores violence of any kind."
Ironic joke, indeed.
Comments: (1) Brooker and his editors stand exposed. (2) Just imagine if a conservative said such things about a liberal – and then pleaded that it was all "an ironic joke." Something tells me it would not wash.
Oct. 26, 2004 update: A reader, Christian Hovden, points out that trendy Norwegian rappers, spurred by the Norwegian Socialist Left Party's TellHim.no website, have come up with a KillHim.nu website. I hesitate to provide Hovden's partial translation but do so to show the depths of the European Left's depravity.
KILLHIM.NU is a cross political, non-religious movement working for the collection of money for a reward for shooting George W. Bush. The Bush family has done enough damage to the people of the world. The people of the world have clearly stated what we think of how the Bush family is running the world for its own benefit. When Bush refuses to listen to the opinion of the world, Bush has got to go!
The only outrage at this website so far, it appears, comes from the U.S. ambassador to Norway.
