Meet Mark Sell, NRA Employee and GOP activist:
A Halloween-themed email from the Loudoun County, Va., Republican Committee was swiftly condemned by conservative and liberal groups today for featuring an image of a ghoulish-looking President Obama with a bullet hole through his head.The message, with the subject line “Halloween 2011,” invites supporters to a community parade where “we are going to vanquish the zombies with clear thinking conservative principles and a truckload of Republican candy.” It also features a caricature of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a jack-o-lantern, and cartoons of zombies.
Missing from the news story are facts about
Mark Sell.
Mark Sell works as an electronic communciations specialist for the NRA. He has been active with the Loudoun County Republican Party for nearly a decade, fighting for conservative values. He has served the committee in many capacities, including LCRC Treasurer, Convention and Mass Meeting Rules Committee Chairman, and District Chairman. He has volunteered for many Republican candidates, including serving as a Volunteer Coordinator for the victorious "Cuccinelli for Attorney General Campaign." Mark has the grassroots experience we need for furthering the efforts of the Loudoun County Republican Committee to elect conservative candidates.
ok well this ad was definitely in bad taste but so is the the title on this topic is also dishonest the copy in the ad does not recommend shooting the prez. is the pic of a zombie Obama with bullet hole in poor taste definitely but no where does it advocate killing anyone.
ReplyDeleteDAG:
ReplyDelete"Mark Sell works as an electronic communciations specialist for the NRA."
And he couldn't have possibly known how inflammatory such an image would be? Right.
DAG: Really? Whenever someone puts out images or words suggesting violence, there's going to be some segment of the population that either isn't bright enough or is deranged enough to believe it constitutes acceptable behavior.
ReplyDeleteLook at NRA member Tim McVeigh as an example.
What ever happened to the days when someone like this could find himself prosecuted for threatening the president?
ReplyDeleteThis behaviour is totally irresponsible.
Does conservative mean totally insane in the US?
So zombie obama is a legitamate threat to the pez. So we now believe it constitutes a threat on some ones life to turn someone into a fictional character?
ReplyDeleteI agree the ad is in poor fast and shouldn't have been run but this strikes me as the same thing as the joker obama picture. Which is to say in bad fast but not nearly as bad as it was made out to be.
Again show me where it says shoot obama, or shoot those that don't share our point of view.
During bush's presidency there were plenty of protesers who carried signs with a bulseye over bush's face and no one complained. I should know seen as I was at the rallies supporting the protests.
ReplyDeleteDAG: Let me give you an example where one doesn't have to specifically say something to convey a specific meaning.
ReplyDeleteSuppose I say DAG shouldn't be left alone with children. Did I say you were a child molester? No. But the intent of my comment certainly implies that.
NRA Tim McVeigh was convinced by enough NRA rhetoric that the Govt was going to seize all his guns that he bombed a daycare center.
When people talk about Second Amendment remedies and place target images on political foes, the meaning is clear enough to those disposed to believing violence will solve their problems.
It's a lot worse than bad taste, DAG. Remember Atkisson?
ReplyDeletehttp://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2009/02/tenessee-church-shooter-sentenced.html
Guys like that are influenced by stuff like this.
"During bush's presidency there were plenty of protesers who carried signs with a bulseye over bush's face and no one complained"
ReplyDeleteNever saw one. Perhaps you could find one that was sent out by Dem organization using Dem funding?
In this case, this was sent out by GOP committee supported by the national GOP. Sell, of course, also works for the NRA.
Jadegold here are some links
ReplyDeletehttp://www.behindthehype.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/bush_target-580x590.jpg
http://www.daylitesun.net/page_1/images_1/Bush-Target.jpg
http://vofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/bush_is_the_disease3.jpg
http://vofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/kill3.jpg
http://vofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/laser-target3.jpg
to your statement "Suppose I say DAG shouldn't be left alone with children. Did I say you were a child molester? No. But the intent of my comment certainly implies that."
i know more people who if you said that about some one they would just assume you meant that the person was inattentive or irresponsible. its our job as ADULTS not to jump to irrational conclusions not make a snap reaction with out thought.
"NRA Tim McVeigh was convinced by enough NRA rhetoric that the Govt was going to seize all his guns that he bombed a daycare center."
it wasnt just NRA rhetoric but i guess we can just white wash the fact that Tim McVeigh was a extremist militia member who was just looking for time and place to try and and attach the gov. seen as the Alfred P murrah building was a federal building, not just a day care center.
Jade where in that ad is there discussion of second amendment remedies. I agree that there are plenty of loony republicans out there but my original and all defending posts point out that the title of this topic is not accurate, and that the "controversy" that people are talking about is one of bad taste no where in the ad does it talk about committing violence your getting upset about a zombie Obama on Halloween?!?
lastly should my bad behaviors reflect on my employer just because they employed me. the NRA does plenty that pisses me off but its unfair and silly to say because some one worked for the NRA that it shows the NRA's position on something.
Mike I have to disagree with you on what those people are influenced on, they are influenced on the fact that they are insane, people who actively profess the desire to kill another person by definition are either sociopaths or psychopaths, they do not either care about the consequences of their actions or they cant comprehend them. what ever reason they give does not change the fact that they would commit the same crime for just an alternate reason if the supposed stimulus was removed.
Funny how not a word is spoken by you guys when someone like actor Orlando Jones tweets that Sarah Palin should be killed. Where's the outrage over that? Certainly Orlando Jones has a lot more influence than someone from the NRA that I've never heard of.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware that Orlando Bloom had done that.
ReplyDeleteHowever there was another instance where someone made a similar statement recently at one of the OWS rallies, and the pushback and outrage was very pronounced.
So, I am skeptical that there wasn't any outrage at Orlando Bloom. How much did you look for any?
The NRA has great communication with their largely single issue base; the people they want to listen do so.
Let me add, they not only listen, they listen without critical thinking or any significant effort to inform themselves.
ReplyDeleteOrlando who? Again, the point you seem to want to miss is Mark Sell isn't just some crank who sends out random death threats. He's the leader of a GOP organization thar receives funding from the national GOP. He also represents the NRA.
ReplyDeleteDAG: Several of your links were dead. Those that weren't appear to be individual efforts--not the product of a local or national organization.
"Does conservative mean totally insane in the US?"
ReplyDeleteToo often it not only means insane, it means threatening anyone who is not also as insane as they are.
DG; Orlando Jones. I think his claim to fame is a couple 7up commercials.
ReplyDeleteI am corrected, thank you Jadegold.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it was something a Brit would be likely to say about an American politician, particularly not one who was serious about working in high profile roles in American movies.
Orlando Jones appear to have also been on MadTV more than a decade ago, and a few guest appearances, and a short lived talk show, pretty much all on cable, not the much more widely viewed broadcast media.
In other words - no one influential.
As to no pushback or condemnation of Jones - wrong, there WAS pushback, and some of the condemnation was quite harsh
Worst Persons: Tony La Russa, Roger Ailes and Orlando Jones ...
current.com/.../worst-persons-tony-la-russa-roger-ailes-orlando-jones
6 days ago – Worst Persons: Tony La Russa, Roger Ailes and Orlando Jones ... KEITH OLBERMANN: First -- because without this little island of sarcasm, ...
Oblermann did an extensive and very articulate rant against Jones and against any kind of statement that advocated harm to anyone on the right, or anyone else.
And then there is this which indicates that Jones received a lot of criticism for his tweet:
http://www.cafemom.com/group/99198/forums/read/15241793/Orlando_Jones_slammed_for_tweets_calling_on_liberals_to_kill_Sarah_Palin
"After receiving widespread criticism for his hateful tweet, the comedian spent the better part of Tuesday attempting to defend himself."
I suspect that the ONLY reason that there was not more criticism is that 1. the tweet itself wasn't that widely known, and 2.Jones is nobody; NOT because there is approval of that kind of statement. Quite the opposite.
http://www.behindthehype.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/bush_target-580x590.jpg
ReplyDeleteTakes me to a page full of links, not something I'm going to plow through.
http://www.daylitesun.net/page_1/images_1/Bush-Target.jpg
Image of Bush is one that accompanies an article by rightwing writer that complains about press putting Bush in its crosshairs, no explanation of where image originated.
http://vofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/bush_is_the_disease3.jpg
broken link.
http://vofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/kill3.jpg
broken link.
http://vofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/laser-target3.jpg
broken link.
Not compelling evidence.
Orlando Jones was pilloried on a number of "liebral" websites. Go check FreeThoughtBlogs/Dispatches From The Culture Wars.
Mark Sell is a lying piece of shit fuckweasel, iow, a perfect Republican operative.
none of my links are broken for me if you just copy and paste them they into the brower bar they will work.
ReplyDeletedemocommie said...
ReplyDeletebroken link.
broken link.
broken link.
You better call the Old folks home tech services and get the reading room PC fixed.....
All of those links worked....
DAG:
ReplyDeleteNot one of them worked on my browser except the ones I said worked. I have no idea what you're using for a browser, nor do I really give a shit. If the ones I couldn't see are as stupid as the one I did see, you got nothin'.
Thomas:
My giving a fuck what you think is not on my list of "to do's".
Demo I used Firefox and you should care that your browser isn't working properly it probably means your missing graphics and other info in topics you are interested in.
ReplyDeleteDAG:
ReplyDeleteI've tried Firefox and other browsers and they all fail. Probably my server but Verizon is pretty much all there is to work with up here unless you want a cable package. I used to work for Verizon and I really, REALLY dislike them, but it's the best deal I can get.
You should care that the one link that I did get to work didn't, in any wise. support your contention about Bush being treated like Obama in the Halloween announcement.