Understanding ‘Hate’ In The Wake Of The Family Research Council Shooting

abaldwin360:

Wednesday’s shooting at the Family Research Council was a tragedy, and the wounded security guard and others who put themselves in harm’s way to overpower the shooter are indeed heroes. But how conservatives have responded in the shooting’s wake is incredibly disconcerting, an attempt to appropriate a tragedy to cover up the harm caused by their anti-gay views. As FRC readies its “Religious Liberty Under Fire” campaign, the National Organization for Marriage’s Brian Brown has offeredthe most flagrant response, claiming that the use of the term “hate group” is an invitation to violence:

BROWN: NOM has always condemned all violence and vilification connected to our ongoing national debate about the meaning and definition of marriage. For too long national gay rights groups have intentionally marginalized and ostracized pro-marriage groups and individuals by labeling them as ‘hateful’ and ‘bigoted’ — such harmful and dangerous labels deserve no place in our civil society and NOM renews its call today for gay rights groups and the Southern Poverty Law Center to withdraw such incendiary rhetoric from a debate that involves millions of good Americans.

This distortion of reality demands an understanding of the different ways the word “hate” is used. First, it’s important to point out that yesterday’s shooting should be investigated as a possible hate crime. The Family Research Council is a political organization — not a religious one — but it does couch its beliefs in religion. Religion does not justify the anti-gay positions the group has, nor does its extreme interpretation of Christianity in anyway represent what most Christians believe. If the shooter merely objected to FRC’s anti-gay political beliefs, then it probably was not a hate crime, but if the shooter was specifically targeting FRC for being a Christian or heterosexual organization, then it very well could be. FRC claims to oppose all hate crime laws because they “undermine the freedom of speech,” but any argument (like NOM’s) that uses the shooting to victimize all anti-gay Christians relies on the very same principles at the foundation of hate crime laws.

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This is terrible and my heart goes out to the guard and his family.

That said, the way conservatives are latching on to this as “proof” of how “hateful” the left is sickens me.

Here are some comments I’ve read on this story this morning:

Well, left wing hate again. The shooter was upset about “conservative” views and was found with a bag labeled with “CHICK FI LA.” hmm, the left and violence, something so common with these leftist vermin.

“Violent young liberals will vicitmize you just because they are bored.”

“Why does the LGBT promote such hate? I hope Holder prosecutes this case as a hate crime…so much for tolerance!”

I guess the Obama campaign’s negative and divisive rhetoric is having the desired effect.

Could this be the result of over-the-top rhetoric against people of faith by our media, many public officials, and liberal bloggers everywhere?

Got to love them liberals ( internal terrorist ) no doubt. they like pushing their agenda. don’t they? wonder who paid the guy? follow the money..

More intollerance from the left.

The amount of projection going on here is astounding, and I’m really getting sick of hearing about the “violent intolerant left”.

This is in reality a horrible isolated incident, I’m going to be keeping an eye on right wing websites and see how they try to spin this as “typical liberal behavior”.