Violent Words. Violent Acts. It's Not Rocket Science.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Mike Vanderboegh, of Pinson, Ala., former head of the Alabama Constitutional Militia, put out a call on Friday for modern "Sons of Liberty" to break the windows of Democratic Party offices nationwide in opposition to health care reform. Since then, vandals have struck several offices, including the Sedgwick County Democratic Party headquarters in Wichita. 13 Wham.com

The call from the right for liberals to “do what we say and you won’t get hurt” has been turned up just a notch. In reaction to the passage of health reform, a right wing blogger named Mike Vanderboegh called on his readers to break the windows of Democrats. Shortly afterwards, several Democratic Party offices in different cities were targeted with bricks flung through their windows. Mr. Vanderboegh seems positively exhilarated by the response to his message:

"Wake up and understand what is happening in this country. You need to start listening to people who you think you didn't have to pay any attention to, because sooner or later they will get your attention.”

Indeed. In fact, someone out there is so hungry for attention that someone phoned in to the office of Louise Slaughter threatening violence against the children of lawmakers who support healthcare reform.

Imagine that. A blogger posts a call to vandalism on his blog – and vandalism takes place! It’s as if words typed into the ether actually have some sort of meaning and lead to action in the offline world!

Vanderboegh, of course, insists that he’s not promoting “actual violence.” “How ambiguous is it if I say break windows? Am I saying kill people, absolutely not,” he insists.



But you see, here’s the thing about blogging -- readers are able to see, not just the message of the blogger but, through the comments section, how that message is processed and interpreted.

And looking through the comments posted on Mr. Vanderboegh’s blog does not indicate much reluctance about upping the ante if smashing windows doesn’t work. Here are a few of the comments posted by his fans in reaction to what he calls “the window war.” I should point out that the number of comments on his blog are not high, and these were not at all difficult to find:

“Hmmm, no demopub office here, far as I know. I'll think of something...”

“One article talks about a lack of notes, the other, a lack of injuries...hmmm”

“Today it was bricks, tomorrow it will be ???? The fuse has been lit.”

“We need to track these highly respectable representatives (cough) down to their residences.
Where we can then present them a Hallmark card (cough) kindly requesting they consider the Contitution when they vote..
Rocks and bricks are optional but torchs, pitch forks, tar and feathers are encouraged!!”

“As we know, our society has its roots in broken windows - not to mention tar-and-feathers (always horrible, often fatal) and bullets!”

“I wonder if the brain dead socialist in Washington would get the idea if it happened a lot more often. 
Would a wrist rocket and some ball bearings help get the idea across?”

“I bought a pistol belt and load bearing harness at the Army/Navy surplus store today. Haven't worn one since 1981. Fits real nice.”

“Good thing 223 ammo is still cheep and available. just bought another 1000 rds for 'target' pratice. these clowns are the best gun and ammo salesman in the world.”

“4" PVC Pipe
End Cap
Portable Compressed Air Tank
Hose
Pipe Fittings
Valve
Expanding Foam for Sabot 
Brick

Paint, Scope, Laser Rangefinder, and compensator optional.

Use of above parts left to the imagination of the reader.”

“They're all whining about bricks......

Just wait until it turns to bullets.”

But hey, this is all just a bunch of blog commenters right? It couldn’t possibly have an impact in the real world. It's all just posted to upset liberals.

Right?

Well, it has had an impact in the real world. Strange as it may seem to many people, those supposedly “meaningless” comments sections on a blog (and a small comments section at that) actually reflect the views of human beings who exist outside of the Internet and are capable of acting in the offline world.

Literal people, not virtual people, who are capable of reading Mr. Vanderboegh's blog, literally hefting a literal brick, and literally hurling it through a literal window.

Comments

[merig00.livejournal.com]

That's direct reaction to all the "Bush should be hanged" posts on forums during his years as a President.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

me neither but it is interesting to observe how each side easily brushes off their own crazies and becomes all hysterical when the other side crazies show up.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

You don't consider the greens and hard leftists?....just asking, not trying to equate their destroying of property or justifying bricks thru democrats windows (I know you know that, but it seems I can't be too careful in what I say tonight ;) )

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

there is not supposed to be an *and* between green and hard...I better go to bed before I get too far behind.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Well how many right-wing protests or political actions you've seen over your life? I believe (and it's personal opinion I may be mistaken) the progressives have way more opportunities to went while right is keeping it boiling under the lid.

As for the last really-really a-la 60s violence - do you remember bombing of the Army/NAVY/USMC recruiting center at the Time Square, NYC several years ago?

[mcpreacher.livejournal.com]

so you're saying it's obama's fault that people on the internet said bad things about bush and now he's reaping what he has sown even though no crazy armed militias were found threatening to depose the evil dictator bushitler and install al "jesus" gore upon his rightful throne of america so the parallels are pretty much non-existent.

i'll believe the overly defensive conservative simple folk in this community when they can show me the elected left-of-center equivalent of the republicans who came out in support of the guy who crashed his plane into the irs. otherwise these frequent attempts at equivocation are so much hot air.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

no what i am saying - it's hot air from both sides.

[mcpreacher.livejournal.com]

one side smokes pot and says it on the internet. the other side runs survival drills in the woods and shoots effigies over it.

that sounds like the difference between hot air and training to me.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

the ones who say it are wanna-be's

[merig00.livejournal.com]

You have a really short term memory. Remember Time Square in 2008? For some reason I find to believe that militias decided to bomb army recruitment center.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Err, hot bricks from one side.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Eeh no - and you know it.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but this is just plain bullshit. Yes, there were a few fringe crazies during the Bush presidency that took it way too far, but it wasn't the mainstream of the party. There's no comparison. This isn't a 'those guys did it too' because they didn't.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Militias are mainstream of republican party? Rukh, what are you smoking? (rhetorical question) Well unless you consider Micheal Moore or Code Pink being mainstream of democratic party.

[mcpreacher.livejournal.com]

michael moore and code pink don't train to kill u.s. soldiers and assassinate the president

http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2007/03/eliminationism-in-america-appendix.html

[merig00.livejournal.com]

So you think that Moore, Code Pink and others like them define the democratic party? I'm just curious.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Militias? What are you strawmanning?

[merig00.livejournal.com]

We are discussing militias and you said "Yes, there were a few fringe crazies during the Bush presidency that took it way too far, but it wasn't the mainstream of the party. "

So I thought you were implying that militias are mainstream in GOP.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Didn't see many posts saying this, and I recall a couple of cases where liberals who posted or uttered much milder "threats" ended up with visits from the secret service.

You really are attached to this fiction that "liberals were just as bad," aren't you?

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Learned to read first. After you do that, please discover website http://www.google.com and search for Bush should be hanged.

[paft.livejournal.com]

No doubt there will be plenty of hits. The problem is, you can't come up with any examples of liberals emptying gun stores during the Bush administration, or a liberal blogger inciting liberals across the country to smash Republican party windows, or a prominent liberal elected official invoking secession.

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Yes because Vermont secession movement is totally right wing movement.

How about radio talk host calling for assassination of Bush
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/5/12/153908.shtml

Liberals don't believe in 2nd amendment, they believe in firebombing.