I did read several stories about Sparkman expressing his anger at people in his community, and their distrust and hate towards the Government. As you mentioned, this tragedy came weeks after Pelosi’s statement of findings from the Homeland Security Department, regarding the escalation of ‘hate groups’ that are followed by this Department. In addition, it coincides with the findings of the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center), who has been tracking these ‘hate groups’ for a long time.

It is not incorrect to single out the ‘right wing’ as the source of most of the ‘hate speech’ rehtoric, and the findings prove that. I find it a little naive and defensive on your part to just ‘assume’ that it is wrong without noting the findings.

One more thing…..I have driven through that area along the Daniel Boone Express in Kentucky, while on vacation to visit a friends mother. When I drove into town (which was about a ‘blink of an eye long’) I stopped to ask directions. When I initially got out of the car, everyone stopped what they were doing, and some even went inside a building and were watching out the windows. I was driving a red sports car, which obviously stood out, and one man who was still standing outside walked over to me very cautiously (I felt like I had entered the ‘Twilight Zone’), and he asked what I wanted. When I told him who I was looking for, he immediately smiled and was happy to give me the information (but not until he called my friends mother on the phone first). I spent 2 days with her Mom and the whole family, and her Mom told me stories of the place and surrounding area. There is a real distrust of strangers and the Government in particular. She told me a story about when they were first building the DB expressway, they came across this family who lived up in the remote back woods, and thought that the President was still FDR…..and other stories such as this. I’m sure glad that I always travel with my gun, because these people would just as soon shoot you, then ask questions later.

So, my point is this…..none of this was overblown in the reporting initially, as I pointed out earlier in my ‘oh too lengthy response, and when I heard the story I immediately had a flashback of my trip through the TZ.

I realize that in the end the story was not what it had initially appeared to be, but my personal experience, along with the findings of the HSA and SPLC, is in no way an indictment on the media, nor Pelosi.

If the ’shoes fits’…..well, what can I say. Oh, and btw, my friends Mom and family are ‘right wingers’ and racists, but I loved them all.