An alleged extremist named James Wenneker von Brunn shot
a security guard at the United States Holocaust
Museum here in Washington, D.C. The shooter, who was himself
shot by police, is reportedly in critical condition
and, sadly, the security guard he shot has died.
This shooting is, of course, a terrible crime committed on sacred
ground that all reasonable people should condemn.
But the left-wingers in the blogosphere and the
commentariat are already claiming that because the shooter
was an alleged right-wing
extremist, specifically a racist neo-Nazi, Janet
Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security was right to
identify conservatives, libertarians, and returning veterans
as potential terrorists in the controversial (and recently
withdrawn) directive to law enforcement officials across the
country.
This is the worst kind of smear but it's par for the course for
the left.
BarbinMD at the loathsome Daily Kos website writes
With the second rightwing political shooting in as many weeks,
will the conservative media apologize for their "outrage" at
the Department of Homeland Security report on "rightwing
extremism"?
Predictably David Neiwert of
Crooks and Liars gloats, "Anyway, it's not like we didn't
warn that this was going to happen."
Similarly, Andrea Nill at the
Wonk Room at Think Progress writes, "Brunn's
hateful rhetoric followed by today's violent outburst chillingly
echoes a controversial warning issued by the Department of
Homeland Security concerning a rise in 'rightwing extremist
activity.'"
Michelle Malkin has rounded up some other reactions from the
loony left.
The reprobates at the left-wing smear site
Media Matters for America must be jumping for joy at
this seemingly heaven-sent opportunity to advance the progressive
cause. By sheer coincidence, at the website of the journalistic
equivalent of a roving, extremely well-funded death squad,
left-wing hate purveyor Eric Boehlert put up a post last night
called "O'Reilly and Fox
News will have more right-wing vigilantism to explain."
No doubt Boehlert's going to get a raise from the Media
Matters boss and founder serial
liar
David Brock. Two months ago Media Matters
mocked conservatives when they raised legitimate concerns
about the report.
By comparison,
TPM Muckraker's post is mild and factual. Its authors don't
seem to be trying to capitalize on today's events.
None of this changes the fact that Napolitano's politically
motivated directive was wrong then and remains wrong now. As
I wrote in an article called "Thoughtcrime
Redux," it was a malicious un-American smear calculated to
ridicule and intimidate opponents of the left's policy goals. It
goes without saying that police need to be on guard
against right-wing extremists, left-wing extremists, and
anyone planning to carry out violent attacks. But police should
not be on guard against or investigating individuals and groups
solely because they don't happen to agree with the Obama
administration or the Democratic majority in Congress.
Just a few minutes before the shooting occurred I happened to be
at an ACLU-sponsored meeting about reconsidering the Patriot Act
and a presenter, who identified himself as a former FBI agent,
denounced the DHS report for being "overbroad." He's right.
Meanwhile, expect the liberals' hate fest to continue and
probably intensify. The leftists may even say today's events
prove that stronger hate-crimes legislation is needed. Perhaps
the attack today will serve as a new rationale for other parts of
the left's agenda too.
I would not be surprised to hear a strongly worded comment from
the highest levels of government: Never let a good shooting go to
waste.
(crossposted at Capital
Research Center)
Updated: Shame on me for missing this
idiotic mini-rant from
Andrew Sullivan, this garbage from Gawker,
and this particularly shameful post from the highly
overrated Matthew
Yglesias of Think Progress whose pontifications are funded by
the
George Soros-led Democracy Alliance. (hat tip to Joseph
Lawler)
