My friend Richard asks a good question. Why does Rush Limbaugh get a pass on encouraging his listeners to riot at the Democratic National Convention in Denver?
“Riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention would see to it that we don’t elect Democrats,” Limbaugh said during Wednesday’s radio broadcast. He then went on to say that’s the best thing that could happen to the country.
Of course, Limbaugh tried to backpeddle.
Several callers called in to the radio show to denounce Limbaugh’s comments, when he later stated, “I am not inspiring or inciting riots, I am dreaming of riots in Denver.”
Limbaugh said with massive riots in Denver, which he called “Operation Chaos,” the people on the far left would look bad.
“There won’t be riots at our convention,” Limbaugh said of the Republican National Convention. “We don’t riot. We don’t burn our cars. We don’t burn down our houses. We don’t kill our children. We don’t do half the things the American left does.”
This is typical of Limbaugh talking out of both sides of his mouth. If the proposed riots are part of his ‘Operation Chaos’ (a plan that includes having Republicans vote for Clinton to extend the race) then they are clearly inspired and instigated by his listeners as a way to make the ‘left look bad’.
As for the rest of his statement, it includes clear references to the Rodney King riots and the high level of black on black crime in our cities In other words, his listeners can light cars and homes on fire in Denver and try to blame it on outraged black people. Limbaugh has been known to peddle in overt racism before, but this is the first time I am aware of that he has combined that loathsome practice with an incitement to violence.
Richard is right, this is something the Colorado Attorney General should look into. You can contact him here. This is like a citizen’s COINTELPRO and it should not be tolerated.
Update [2008-4-25 10:36:14 by Steven D]: COLORADO REVISED STATUTE 18-9-102(3) reads:
Inciting riot. Any person who incites, urges, instructs, or signals a group of five or more persons to engage in a riot and injury to a person or damage to property results therefrom commits a class 5 felony.
