Liberals Hate Free Speech Unless It's Theirs

Ever since a violent, evil lunatic decided to shoot innocent people in a public place in Tucson, Arizona, hand-wringing liberals have been vilifying everyone but the violent, evil lunatic himself. They have tried to blame Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, the Tea Party and the NRA. I'm sure some of them are even trying to figure out how to pin it on George W. Bush.

One might think that "violent" or "divisive" rhetoric was something new to them. In fact, to hear them talk, prior to the last two years, all political discourse was "civil." Of course, they are modern-day experts at employing some of the nastiest slurs in the history of politics, but more on that later. Obviously, they have never read some of the early political language of the Founders of this country.

In the infamous election of 1800, when President John Adams was being challenged by Vice President Thomas Jefferson, the two exchanged smears that stand as some of the most insulting and outrageous of all time. Consider their barbs:

Jefferson's campaign called Adams a "hideous hermaphroditical character, with neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."

The Adams people fired back by calling Jefferson a "mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father."

As the campaign went on, Jefferson's forces labeled Adams, alternately, a fool, a hypocrite, a criminal and a tyrant. Not to be outdone, Adams' supporters branded Jefferson a weakling, an atheist, a libertine and a coward. Federalist newspapers even claimed that a Jeffersonian presidency would bring about the "teaching of murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest."

And Barack Obama thinks Sarah Palin's little crosshairs on a map are "uncivil."

Patrick Henry told his contemporaries, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

James Madison boldly proclaimed, "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed — unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."

Noah Webster warned, "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any brand of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.

John Dickenson and Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare that…we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind and resolved to die freemen rather than to live as slaves."

Today's whining libs are masters at the very style of rhetoric they claim to abhor. Barack Obama's insults are not as colorful as his predecessors; but then, he is no John Adams or Thomas Jefferson, now is he? Nevertheless, consider some of his political speech:

"If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun."

"Hit back twice as hard."

"I don't want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I'm angry!"

"I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."

"If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, 'We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends…' then I think it's gonna be harder and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2."

"I don't want the folks who created the mess doin' a lot of talkin'. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talkin'.”

"I will be happy to see the Republicans test whether or not I'm itching for a fight on a whole range of issues. I suspect they will find I am…"

In the words of John Paul Jones, "I have not yet begun to fight."

Amen.