It has become almost a fait acccompli for some readers to complain when a contributor brings to readers’ attention some unpleasant or unflattering news about members of the “other party.”
And perhaps the number and type of such reports tilts more one way than the other.
It is also true that members of the party that “made the news” will often not only point such unbalance out, fact-check it, bring up mitigating or extenuating circumstances, but will also counter with some balancing “but the other party does it, too” stories. (One report has already called the following incident “the manufactured outrage of the day.”)
Having said all this, I was shocked to read today that a gathering of Tea Party HCR protesters subjected Democratic member of Congress passing through the Longworth House office building to disgraceful heckling and epithets. One member of Congress was allegedly spat on.
Two of the members are black and one is gay, thus I will leave the epithets to the reader’s imagination.
It is truly a shame that some protesters feel they have to use such tactics, and I hope that readers—of whatever political affiliation—will strongly condemn such.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.