The point is not to silence the people saying these things, but to point out how grotesquely irresponsible they are -- in the hopes that they will cease doing so, and start acting responsibly. It's their choice to use irresponsible rhetoric. It's not just our choice but our duty, as responsible citizens, to stand up and speak out about it.
Right. The goal, however idealistic, would be for FOX News and others to do the right thing and voluntarily cut the crap with the guns and ammo stockpiling talk. I haven't read any reputable blog that's called for anyone to lose their jobs over the shootings or for anyone to be censored by any sort of outside governing body. Responsible talk. That's all.
Put another way: where is the line drawn? How far can FOX News go before it's okay for the rest of us to speak out about it?
For the sake of argument, let's push the rhetoric to its craziest level. Say for instance, a FOX News talker praises violent militias -- the kinds of militias that vow to shoot federal agents. Are we justified in calling out this irresponsible talk? Of course we are.
Oh wait. Someone on FOX News has already said such a thing. Dick Morris on FOX News last week:
Those crazies in Montana who say, ‘we’re going to kill ATF agents because the UN’s going to take over’ -- well, they’re beginning to have a case.
They're beginning to have a case. A case for killing federal agents. And we're supposed to let this sort of thing slide, especially in light of the recent shooting sprees? That's rich.