THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 7, 1995 TAG: 9505050016
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
William Raspberry deserves a raspberry for his castigation of conservative ``right-wing'' broadcasters (Perspectives, April 28).
He theorizes that flamboyant talk-show hosts have, by their words, ``the power to push certain people over the edge, into violence.'' I have two words for Mr. Raspberry: Oh, puh-leez!
This sounds to me like a case of liberal sour grapes. Conservative talk-radio played a significant part in the overthrow of the Democratic regime last November, and now the liberals are fighting back, and fighting dirty.
Take the recent flap about the school-lunch program. The Democrats have been wringing their hands and wailing that the Republicans are ripping food out of the mouths of our starving children. Even after it was proved that the GOP plan will actually increase funding, the onslaught continued.
These people have ``loud and angry voices . . . whose sole goal seems to be to try to keep some people as paranoid as possible and the rest of us all torn up and upset with each other.'' Sound familiar?
Would not these inflammatory words also have the power to push certain people over the edge? Would it not be possible for, say, a divorced mother of limited means who depends on the school-lunch program, to hear this clap-trap one too many times and become so upset that she rushes out, buys a gun and shoots the first Republican she sees?
The liberal Democrats should quit using the Oklahoma City tradegy as a grindstone for their ax. That's not playing dirty. It's even lower than dirt.
IRENE ULRICH
Currituck, N.C., May 1, 1995 by CNB