Mother Jones has done some scary reporting on John Bolton's appearance at the recent CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) meeting.
I have to confess that this man doesn't bring out the best in me. He makes me want to say those same things that conservatives used to say about liberals during the Bush administration, that he's "un-American" and unpatriotic, that he's putting American lives at risk, that he's giving "aid and comfort" to our enemies. I believe those things, but I also don't like the person I become when I feel them. (And actually, I only believe he's un-American using one of a few definitions I might use.)
It is unreasonable to toss around the suggestion of a nuclear attack on Chicago in the context of a joke targeting the president. That is not acceptable public discourse. Except, of course, that I believe in freedom of speech, so John Bolton is free to be as tasteless as he likes.
It is very hard for me to find a balance I am comfortable with when I'm trying to respond to this sort of baiting. Grrrr. The terrorists win again!
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