The Southern Poverty Law Center's summer newsletter has the headline, "Terror from the radical right." I've blogged on this subject previously and pointed out just how dangerous to our society is this segment of the American population. Each fringe, left and right, represents the kooks of a society- people who cannot abide a centrist viewpoint on governance. The difference or the worry-factor between the right nuts and the left nuts is that the right wing-nuts are both mad and armed.
The SPLC details the recent actions of members of the radical right which always includes some nut shooting and killing another citizen. After the fact we discover that the man had a history of anti-social behaviors as well as a stockpile of weapons. 'Guns and ammunition have flown off the shelves since the election of Obama,' the report says. Of course, I say. What can you expect from these mentally unbalanced men whose imagined 'way of life' is threatened by a black man in the White House.
Their 'information' on what's happening in this land is gotten not from mainstream news sources, but rather the right-wing talking heads who, 24/7, fill their heads with emotional blather that stokes the fires of hate and doubt in the confused minds of the listener. A daily dose. Relentless hate-talk, fear-mongering.
It doesn't take a psychiatrist to understand the effect of that constant chatter on the well-armed, mentally unstable nut-cases of this nation. The next national headline is one trigger-pull away. Who will be the next victim? Which emotionally charged, propaganda-filled nut will be squeezing the trigger?
'Armed and dangerous in America' out to read, 'Armed, dangerous and mentally unstable in America.' Perhaps the most sad part of this entire somber story is that most of them believe that they are being 'patriotic' when they squeeze the trigger. Patriotic citizens trying to 'bring America back.' Bring America back. To what? To their vision of what this nation ought to be like?
Scary, very scary.
