Palin, Seriously, Go Fuck Yourself

She is accusing critics of "manufacturing a blood libel" over the Tucson shootings.

Does she even know that that means? I very much doubt it.

A "blood libel" is when someone accuses members of a minority group, whether ethnic or religious, of using the blood of children in ceremonies or rituals. The classic blood libel has been spread by antisemites for centuries, who have spread the rumor that Jews use the blood of Christians for making matzoh for Passover. There is no telling how many Jews have been raped, driven into exile, or killed over this lie, but it would be well into the thousands, if not millions. For Palin to cloak herself in the outrageous claim to be a victim of a blood libel is offensive, to say the least, to every member of any group that has been smeared with a real blood libel.{1}

Of course, Palin is not content with merely alleging that, she also is seeking to rewrite a little bit of recent history:

"Recall how the events of 9-11 challenged our values and we had to fight the tendency to trade our freedoms for perceived security. And so it is today."

Really. Can you name five prominent Republicans who spoke out against the trashing of the Constitution by the Bush Administration? Can you name Republicans who spoke out against the widespread abuse of the "material witness" statute as a tool to detain people without cause or judicial review? Can you name Republicans who spoke out when the Bush Administration first proposed instituting a Star Chamber system of trials at Guantanamo? Can you name any prominent Republicans who objected to the NSA's interception of all telecommunications in this country? Can you name any prominent Republicans who fought the use of "national security letters" as a form of judge-free secret subpoenas? Can you name any Republican politicians who were outraged when the Bush Administration claimed the right to arrest anyone in the world and hold them incommunicado forever if a flunky from the Department of Justice muttered the magic words "supporter of terrorism"? Can you name any senior Republican politician who spoke out against the use of torture?

Can you? C'mon, give me the names of five active Republicans who spoke out on any of those issues. Or better yet, provide the clips of any of the on-air conservative personalities on Fox News who spoke out against the Bush Administration on any one of those issues.{2}

I think you can't. The Republicans have been more than willing to throw away eight of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights, at least when a Republican is in the White House.{3} They have proven that by their conduct. Palin doesn't get to rewrite history on this one.

Worse than that: Palin is not the victim here, even though she seems more than eager to climb up on her personal cross.

The real victims are either lying in caskets or are in hospital beds in Tuscon.
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{1} I write this as one who is both old enough to remember when it was an Eastertime ritual for Catholic kids to beat up Jewish kids "because you killed our Lord." I write this as one whose ancestors fled their old countries to escape the recurring pogroms.
{2} Except for their token liberal(s), of course. That would be the exception that proves the rule.
{3} The Second Amendment is obvious. The other one is probably the Third Amendment.