Turn Down The Heat

Jeffrey Goldberg, who often battles with the anti-Muslim right, couldn't help but comment on the slaughter in Norway, even though he's on vacation:

it seems as if my arch-nemesis Pamela Geller is in a bit of a pickle because she and her partner-in-Muslim-bashing, Robert Spencer, were favorites of the Norway killer. [....] Goldblog's position: Geller is a hatemonger, but she didn't pull the trigger. Free speech means free speech. But she should be aware now that violent people look to her for guidance, and she should write with that in mind. Which brings me to the subject of the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, mosque, the new "Ground Zero mosque" controversy. People like Herman Cain, who vilify this mosque (and other mosques) should think carefully about the ways in which their words are heard. I worry about a violent reaction to the Tennessee mosque more than I worry about any other terrorism target in America. More on this later, when I have better access to the Web.

I think this goes way too far.  Everyone should avoid overheated rhetoric (I love tautological statements), but it can be pretty hard to tell how far to go, especially if you think an enemy is actively trying to kill you.  And, of course, one person's violent rhetoric is another person's common sense.  Every side blames some "other" for the problems of the world.  This doesn't mean we should blame opinion makers when some nut goes too far.  If you're not advocating direct violence against the innocent as a solution, then if someone decides to shoot up innocent civilians it's not your fault. (Not "you didn't pull the trigger"--that's too weak.) But further, I don't know how much you should hold back just because others might overreact.  Every side has its nuts, and this would mean almost everyone mute themselves.  I hear plenty of heated rhetoric from those who generally agree with Goldberg, and I hope we can all see no matter what side you take--even if you believe you're a moderate--there's a body count from some nut (or worse, some significant organized movement) that's fought for your ideas.