Behind the OPNTalk Blog Screen Arizona Edition

You ask. I answer.

Hey folks,

Welcome to a behind the scenes look at the OPNTalk Blog. This is what I do from time to time to answer your questions, give updates, new stuff, ETC. Today we have a special Arizona Edition. Meaning, all to do with the Shooting, Obama's Speech, ETC. I have received so many questions in reference to this, I feel this is the best way to answer. So here we go.

The two most asked in various ways are these.

"What do you think of the Memorial Service?" "What did you think of Obama's Speech?" Oh, let me throw in there "Why did you post the Speech and not Comment on it at all?"

First the Memorial Service. Some of you on both sides are not going to like me with this one. I thought is was a shame. But I do not blame Obama. I blame the PEOPLE there, not because it was a Memorial, but because Obama was there. I blame those that made Tee Shirts, those that applauded and cheered. It was more like a Pep Rally than anything else. Sorry, that's what it was.

Look, the people that were there, were the catalyst for the Show it became. Yes Obama picked up the pace a bit. Yes it did seem that he was back on the Campaign trail from time to time, but I truly think that he just got caught up in the moment. That same type of thing that lead Hillary to Screech, and Dean's yell that cost him his run for President. The Crowd gets excited and you react. When you are speaking to a group of people and they react in a positive way. You step it up a notch. You enjoy the positive reaction and you want more. Like a comedian telling a joke that really scores. You get a big reaction, so you continue along those lines. You elaborate. If a joke bombs, you move on to something else. Or in a speech, you change subjects. So on and so forth. That is what I think happened here. There people, a lot of whom where there JUST because Obama was there, to see their Messiah, were reacting to him. He in turn got fired up forgetting what the whole thing SHOULD have been about. He got caught up in the moment. So I DO blame the People for turning this into something that more resembled a Pep Rally than a Memorial.

Now what do I think of the President's Speech, and why did I not comment on it? I did not comment on it for a VERY specific reason. When I saw the Speech and read the Transcript, a couple of things jumped out at me as if in 3D. First was this.

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized - at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do - it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.

And this.

So yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.

So let's examine the FACTS. He is right. After something like this, we should not be engaged in Politics as usual. Hence the setting aside, postponing ALL things in the House until this is dealt with as the new Leader did. Yet, a half an hour after the Shooting, what did we see from the Left? Dupnik started things off. Blaming Palin, Talk Radio, Fox News, and anyone that doesn't agree with his insane ideas. This guy is so bitter from the 2010 Elections, that he is letting his Hatred and Political Ambitions, his need to be on TV, to get in the way of actually doing his Job. This was followed by the MMD {Mainstream Media Drones} to dutifully fall in line by directions of their Liberal Bosses to attack Palin and Talk Radio, and ANYTHING Conservative. The Liberal "Smart People" saw this as an opportunity to further long loved agendas. The Liberals in Congress then seen this as an opportunity to write, pull out of Draws, whatever, Bills to Ban Guns, Ammo, and limit Free Speech. I truly believe that the "old assumptions" that Obama talked about may be referring to the Constitution. But the LWL {Left Wing Looneys} took this whole thing and ran with it. Some are STILL running with it even in the face of all the evidence to the contrary. So I guess they did not hear Obama.

But what we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

I truly believe Obama was attempting to calm HIS side down. To reel them in a bit because they were looking like the fools they are. The FACTS are clear. This guy is a Pot Head, Lib. He did not watch Fox News, listen to Rush, or give a hoot about Palin. Yet to this very day we STILL have some LWL and even some in the MMD attempting to link the unlinkable.

I did not comment on the Speech, because I was wondering if the Left was going to get the message and back off. They didn't. Then when the Right got tired of being attack and said something, we were told to shut up and turn the other cheek. Sorry, I'm not turning the other cheek. I'm done with simple dismissal of these folks as simply the LWL. When they are attempting to destroy the Country, limit Freedoms, or attempt to attack those that are SANE and want to keep America the Greatest County she is, fight for Freedom. I will not be silent. Sorry, but in the face of lies and insanity, we need beacons of Truth, Logic, and Reason.

"What do you think of TEE Shirt Sales?" "Are the Victims Forgotten?" "Will this be his 2012 Campaign Slogan?"

"Together We Thrive" is the logo on the shirts. Nice concept. Too bad the LWL do not believe it. They were not talking about "Together We Thrive" when they were locking the Republicans out of House Debates. Obama was not talking about "Together We Thrive" when he said "We Won the Election. Deal with it" Obama was not talking about "Together We Thrive" when he was telling the LWL to "Bring a Gun to a Knife Fight." Obama was not talking about "Together We Thrive" when he told Illegal Aliens to "Punish your Enemies." The MMD was not talking about "Together We Thrive" while they were blaming the Right for the Kook shooting people in Arizona.

The Tee Shirts were tacky. Do I think Obama will "cling" to this Phrase? Will it be a possible Campaign Slogan? I wouldn't doubt it. The only time the Left talk about Bipartisanship and working together, or now "Together We Thrive," is when they have no choice. That's what this whole movement is to all sit together at the State of the Union Address. They do not want you to see how bad their loss really was.

My message to the Speaker and all those New Republicans in the House is simple. No. Sit where you sit, and let them sit where they sit. Do not be sucked in. Do not be fooled. Do not be suckered into going along with the LWL.

I know how that sounds. Sounds exactly the way they want it to. "You see, it's the Right. We want to work together for the betterment of all, they just want to play games and they will not work together with us." They are RIGHT. I have NO desire to work together with those that want to destroy the Country I love. I do not want Bipartisanship toward stealing away Freedoms. I want people to work together for the betterment of the Country as a whole. Not the destruction of it. The Left's version of working together is as long as we work with THEM. Not the other way around. Believe as they. Shut up. Do what THEY say. Anything else to them is obstructionism and vitriol. We said enough in November. Stay with us, and we will stay with you.

"Do you think some on the Left may see this as an opportunity to steal away even more Freedoms?"

Uh, YEAH. They already started. You know, some sound an awful lot like those in Dictatorships. Did you catch the exchange between Gibbs and the Russian Reporter? The Russian Reporter, Andrei Sitov, wanted to blame American Freedoms on the Arizona Shooting Spree. Not kidding. He said this.

"Does not seem all that incomprehensible, at least from the outside. It's the reverse side of freedom. Unless you want restrictions, unless you wanta bigger role for the government."

He also said this after Gibbs repeated what Obama said about the Motivation may never be known.

"This is America, the democracy, the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition your government. And many people outside would also say -- and the quote, unquote "freedom" of a deranged mind to react in a violent way is also American. How do you respond to that?"

{Laughing} Does he NOT sound an awful lot like the LWL? Seriously. There is little difference in him and the American MMD. Now to be fair, Gibbs stood up to this guy. He said this.

"No, no, I would disagree vehemently with that. There are -- there is nothing in the values of our country, there's nothing on the many laws on our books that would provide for somebody to impugn and impede on the very freedoms that you began with by exercising the actions that that individual took on that day. That is not American.

There are -- I think there's agreement on all sides of the political spectrum: Violence is never, ever acceptable. We had people that died. We had people whose lives will be changed forever because of the deranged actions of a madman. Those are not American. Those are not in keeping with the important bedrock values by which this country was founded and by which its citizens live each and every day of their lives in hopes of something better for those that are here."

Way to go Gibbs. But the problem is, it IS those on YOUR side of the Isle that sound just like this guy. It IS those in the American MMD that are asking those same questions. It IS those on YOUR side of the Isle that are TRYING to do away with the Second Amendment and Limit the First. That IS the Problem Gibbs. What you just said is TRUE. But it is NOT YOUR side that are the ones trying to defend these Principles. They are trying to destroy them.

Look, if you want TRUE Bipartisanship, if you want to talk about "Together We Thrive," then jump on board with us. Stand with us to fight for and protect our Freedoms and this Country. THEN you will have TRUE Bipartisanship. But we will NOT do it YOUR way.

"Should this change the way we interact with our Elected Officials?"

Most likely it will. But I do not think it should. I think most Americans LOVE to get up close and personal with their Representatives. Some Representatives love getting up close and personal with their Constituents. Just like Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, loved to do. This guy is a KOOK. He lived in his own little Kooky world, that may have very well been PROTECTED by Dupnik. This is a RARE case. Never before in US History, I believe, have we had a Female Representative attempted to be assassinated. This is not a common occurrence at all. Chances are, it will not happen again. So I hope our Elected Officials see this and continue as normal.

One of the problems with this whole thing, Government, is that once some of these people get Elected, they somehow feel as if they are now better than anyone else. They feel they are part of the "Ruling Class" Royalty if you will, and those that put them there are peasants. They forget that they work FOR the People. I hope they start remembering this. I hope this one instance does NOT change the norm. But we will see.

Well, I guess that about wraps up this session of Behind the OPNTalk Screen. I hope this helps some of you better understand where I'm coming from with this whole situation. Until next time, don't forget you can Email me ANYTIME at opntalk@gmail.com Be right back with the rest of the Big Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog Sunday Edition.
Peter

Sources:
OPNTalk - Obama Arizona Speech 011211
AOL Original - Gibbs Spars With Russian Reporter Over Tucson Shooting and U.S. Freedoms
AOL - Together We Thrive: Conservatives Slam Tucson Memorial 'Brand' on Twitter