We were disgusted at reports of the blame-the-victim rants Thursday on the Kirby Wilbur Show (KVI m-f, 5-9a) in the discussion of the Griego murder case.
She's the woman shot in a UW office by a British ex-boyfriend who'd been stalking her. He was in the country illegally.
According to the KVI choir, it was her fault she was shot in the head because she should have turned him in for both being a coke dealer, and an illegal immigrant.
One genius even said "it's her fault he's dead."
(Funny, these right-wingers usually want to take constitutional defendants' rights away in the name of "victims' rights").
It was disturbing that "moderate" Republican Stefan Sharkansky dipped down into the reactionary muck to dredge up a press release from shadowy right-wing gundamentalist and media mini-mogul, Alan Gottlieb of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
He's stoking the anti-immigrant fires to stifle any conversation about the role of guns in the tragedy.
(We know, we know- guns and 2nd Amendment issues have but a minor role in this crime, but as usual, people like Gottlieb want no discussion whatsoever of guns' roles in crimes, preferring to deflect it with another red hot herring- illegal aliens).
Gottlieb, a wealthy Bellevue entrepreneur who pled guilty to felony tax fraud in 1984, describes himself as "the premiere anti-communist, free-enterprise, laissez-faire capitalist."
He's a well-known activist and donor to extreme right-wing candidates and causes- especially to those who agree with his quaint anrchist views of the 2nd Amendment.
He also owns four conservative radio stations, three in Washington including KITZ (Home of Mike Siegel!) in Port Orchard, KGTK in Olympia, and KSBN in Spokane. Also KBNP in Portland, Oregon.
According to his self-description in his Wikipedia entry:
[he] owns Merril Press, an independent publisher of unusual nonfiction books by authors who know what they're writing about."
Gottlieb owns Merril Mail Marketing, Inc., a for-profit corporation, that is Gottlieb's direct response mail fund-raising business, and The Service Bureau, Inc., a non-profit cooperative corporation that provides it members with services such as telephone fund-raising and accounting. The member organizations that can receive assets upon dissolution of the cooperative are the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise; Second Amendment Foundation; Right to Keep and Bear Arms Political Victory Fund; Merril Associates; and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
The tactics he uses in his direct mail business, what we know of them are not so benign as described in this 1995 article in the now-defunct Eastside Week by Jim Halpin and Paul de Armond.
(Funny how even the so-called "moderates" and "mainstreamers" in the state GOP are so quick to the align themselves with far right "woodwork" Republicans when they need them).
Lots of things went wrong with the poor safeguards that would protect people from this kind of crime- blaming it on illegal immigrants is just demogoguery, and an excuse for conservatives to make Seattle the whipping boy
Remember when Gottlieb was Mike Siegel's only sponsor on Siegel's nationally syndicated show in the early '90's? The show lasted about 15 minutes and was noteworthy for the Gottlieb Gun commercial repeated in every break.
Posted by: cinco | April 06, 2007 at 03:16 PM
I love this comment over at (un)Sound Politics, shows you who they are.
I am Glad we Gun Owners Scare YOU !!!!
Be Afraid..... But more importantly, I suggest you Move to Another Country where perhaps Guns aren't an issue. You see, we have had the RIGHT to own them for years, you are living in the wrong country buddy.
Maybe your an illegal "alien"?
Hope you don't have a girly friend, she may shoot you!!!
Posted by: Chris on April 5, 2007 07:51 PM
Posted by: James Meredith | April 06, 2007 at 03:21 PM
It's really scary to me that people are associating the illegal status with the crime committed even though his status has no relation to the crime. Those people are effectively convincing themselves that illegal immigrants shoot their ex-lovers, and that more strict anti-immigration laws will somehow prevent ex-lovers from being shot in the future. I have little faith in the longevity of our species.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2007 at 03:27 PM
I have little faith in the longevity of our species.
On that we agree, Andrew.
Posted by: joanie | April 06, 2007 at 04:37 PM
Probably the same people who said the British sailors were "wussies" for going along with what the Iranian captors told them to do...
Posted by: sparky | April 06, 2007 at 05:05 PM
I have little faith in the longevity of our species.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2007 at 03:27 PM
With all due respect: 'RUBBISH'!!
Posted by: Duffman | April 07, 2007 at 06:49 AM
Ah, Duff, I defer to the arrogance of the human species thinking it can overcome nature. We shall see . . .
Posted by: joanie | April 07, 2007 at 10:35 AM
The fact that so many people, even college educated, are duped by the most unsophisticated varieties of logical fallacy, means we are doomed to repeat mistakes of the past over and over until someone sets of a huge bomb that blows up the whole planet. Mexican immigrants are becoming the new Jews.
Posted by: Andrew | April 07, 2007 at 12:47 PM
I disagree, Andrew. Jews have long suffered from being in that despised place of having money but no power. merchant class- everyone hates them. The Mexicans will achieve political power in this country.
Posted by: blathering michael | April 07, 2007 at 01:02 PM
The similarity is that otherwise rational people are buying into irrational logic in order to justify getting rid of something. Deporting all illegals because a few of them of them shoot people is like persecuting Jews because a few of them killed Jesus. Maybe they hated Jews because they were wealthy but when they attacked them they gave other reasons.
People only want to be sensible human beings until their own interests are at stake, and which point everyone becomes a con artists fooling themselves and others, and it will be that way until the end. Modern enlightenment is disposable on a whim.
Posted by: Andrew | April 07, 2007 at 01:21 PM
WOW, what a bunch of B.S. - I can certainly see that you view life as a glass half full - NOT!!
Can you feel a little more sorry for yourself...and mankind. I can imagine how far this world w/have progressed with attitudes like yours. Have a good life this is not worth discussing further...rather it be siphons and fish tanks!
Posted by: Grace | April 07, 2007 at 01:31 PM
The rain does that to people....
Posted by: sparky | April 07, 2007 at 02:20 PM
Oh, Andrew, such cynicism at such a young age. I agree, however, mankind is its own worst enemy. And people are sensible until they see that their own ox has been gored . . . latest example? Matthew Dowd.
Back to fish tanks, gas tanks and siphoning . . . what, no physicist with the answer yet?
Posted by: joanie | April 07, 2007 at 02:53 PM
So there goes Grace, doing the "appeal to ridule" logical fallacy, attacking the messenger rather than the message, then puting in her earplugs to avoid any reproach of her weak and fallicious one-size-fits-all response. In Grace's world, only Grace can be heard. Thank you Grace for helping dig the grave in which mankind will surely lay.
Posted by: Andrew | April 07, 2007 at 04:15 PM
Grace,
Why get a glass that is too big or too small. Just get the correct glass in the first place.
Joanie,
If you fill the hose in the tank before extending it from the tank while covering the draining end. Unseal the end of the hose after getting it to the low drain point and you may not have to provide manual suction.
Happy spring break.
Posted by: chucks | April 07, 2007 at 05:02 PM
Im going to run out and try that this very moment...with all this rain I have have some siphoning to do...
Posted by: sparky | April 07, 2007 at 06:00 PM
I got a hose for you.
Posted by: dink | April 07, 2007 at 09:56 PM