“I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence.” — An email from Sarah Palin read today on Glenn Beck’s radio show.
The syntax is sufficiently gnarled that it’s not entirely clear what she means, but the menace is obvious enough. Somehow or other there will not be peace because others — not her — will be the cause of it.
No, my dear, the issue is not that politicos will portray ANYONE as inciting terror and violence. The issue rather is that those who use the language of terror and violence are undermining civil discourse and may well encourage others to act violently. How cowardly to blame the politicos or anyone else. It’s your own actions that are inappropriate and irresponsible. As Frye says, bad language is really mob language, whether used by criminals or moose–hunting politicians from Alaska.