The following quote from Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce is chilling in two ways. One, it’s an intimidation tactic designed to chill the exercise of First Amendment rights. And two, it’s chilling in the “horribly frightening” sense of the word in that it evokes Nazi tactics. I’m not trying to Godwin the issue, but when you suggest using the same tactics the Nazis did with their political opponents, you’re kind of asking for the comparison.
According to the Yellow Sheet, Pearce made this crack about what he and his buddy Sheriff Joe Arpaio would do if workers stood up for their rights and demonstrated: “I’ve spoken with the sheriff, and he has some nice buses that hold a lot of people. We’ve also got some tents with a view.”
I’m sure that Pearce will say he was joking and that his critics need a sense of humor, but this statement is really beyond the pale. A high-ranked government official suggesting shipping Americans off to “camps” for exercising their First Amendment rights isn’t funny or clever. It’s nothing short of sick. (For fun, just imagine if the President joked about sending all gun owners to government run “camps”. Would Pearce find that funny? Of course the President, or any other Democrat, wouldn’t be stupid enough to say something so asinine.)
No comments:
Post a Comment