' ... During the interview Adkisson stated that he had targeted the church because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets.'July 27 is anniversary of the 2008 attack on liberal church by a conservative ideologue. For context, digby's post was published shortly after the attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and several months before the Charleston shooting. Not once in all the coverage of Charleston did I hear reference to this shooting, despite the similarities in motivation. This shooters hatred may be somewhat more diffuse, incorporating liberals and gays, as well as blacks:
I didn't see a lot of people showing solidarity with the folks who were killed in that church for their religious and political beliefs or declaring war on the people who held such ideas. Nobody seemed to react to it much at all. Why was that?
Inside the house, officers found "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder" by radio talk show host Michael Savage, "Let Freedom Ring" by talk show host Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor," by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly. [Knoxville News Sentinel]Two died and seven were wounded in the attack on the TVUUC. Let's remember the heroism of Greg McKendry (who died because he deliberately stood in front of the gunman to protect others), as well as John Bohstedt, Robert Birdwell, Arthur Bolds, Terry Uselton, and Jamie Parkey, who restrained the gunman. Remember, too, that Linda Kraeger was the other life lost in the attack.
Remember. And keep asking: why is it ever socially acceptable to vilify liberals, atheists, gays, blacks, or any other group? Why do media outlets that routinely give white supremacists, theocrats, fascists, and other hate group representatives a platform continue to enjoy broad support? Why are there still Confederate flags flying anywhere? Why are there textbooks used by public schools that claim white supremacy and slavery were only side issues in the Civil War while utterly ignoring Jim Crow and the KKK?
Maybe, just maybe, if we stop teaching kids to hate, and giving cover to their hatred when they're adults, we can all get on the same page and work towards justice for all.
