I hoped, perhaps, it was just me.
I saw the hateful crowds at at McCain and Palin rallies. I heard the weak denials (they can't hear the threats, I watched a mouthpiece tell a talking head, though it's clear on one video that McCain reacts when some yells 'terrorist'.) I waited for the candidates to at least say that calling for violence is uncalled for. Still waiting.
It worried me. But perhaps, I told myself, I worry too much.
I grew up in violent times. My earliest political memories are watching on TV the processions that brought Bobby and MLK to their graves. But that couldn't happen again, could it?
Of course, it has.
I've visited several times the site of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. It happened when political divisions and hatreds inspired a community of vigilantes armed against their own country, which helped hide a couple of even crazier extremists -- who made their statement by blowing up a building of innocent workers including 19 children.
When you start calling people traitors, or calling Obama a terrorist -- the modern equivalent of calling MLK a communist -- you help people excuse these sort of acts.
So Mr. McCain, if one of these crazies turns to violence, you share the blame.
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