"The sounds of conservative talk radio filled his home" - description of Jimmy Lee Dykes

[Ganja Ninja]

He was a loner who allegedly lost contact with an adult daughter years ago, according to people who lived near him. The sounds of conservative talk radio filled his home and fed his anti-government attitudes, locals said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/jimmy-lee-dykes-dead-alabama-hostage-situation_n_2615001.html

Tell us something we didn't already know.

[geckosfeet]

1. Or - "why it is wrong to use publicly available media to broadcast hate rhetoric 24x7"

The question of the last 230 some odd years in the US - how far does free speech go?

Does publicly broadcast hate speech constitute a threat to public safety?

[duhneece]

18. Air waves were declared 'public'

So why do we, the public, allow hate speech that poses a threat to our safety? I, too, am asking how far free speech goes when we're talking about PUBLIC air waves.

[Ikonoklast]

27. Stochastic Terrorism.

It is happening in this country as we speak.


Historians will look back upon this era much the same as we look back on the run-up to the Civil War.

[MynameisBlarney]

33. Indeed.

That's exactly what it is.

Not sure what can be done to stop it at this point.

[AverageMe]

45. What is the matter with you people

How many freedoms are you willing to give up for a sense of security. Freedom comes with a cost, and that cost is a little bit of insecurity. First we have the Patriot Act, and now you are willing to give up the free speech over the public airways. Who determines what is "hate" speech.

[Tikki]

50. Well, I've never heard of a person filled with self-absorbed hate and rage after listening...

to "A Prairie Home Companion" and that radio show has political over-tones.

I think 'hate radio' is just that...HATE.


Tikki

[Rex]

53. Freedoms? Oh right, I'm supposed to get outraged

do you know what freedoms we already don't have anymore? Please enlighten us. I'm sure you felt this way about the George Bush administration too.

[Ikonoklast]

60. 1st Amendment does not apply to those who advocate violence against the government.

I'm sure that your pal Pimpleass appreciates your support.

[indepat]

58. Just how many notches do domestic right-wing stochastic terrorists usually add to their collective

belts each year? This is but one of the infinite joys the public seeming derives from living in a right-winged-soused society that society will hopefully tire of some day soon.

[Chorophyll]

2. I've been reading about this guy.

He once beat his neighbor's dog to death with a lead pipe. He repeatedly threatened to shoot children who strayed onto his property. How dangerous would you actually have to be in this town to get locked up?

I hate to think that "conservative" old loons are a protected class in some places, but...

[malaise]

4. Let me tell you a true story

Decades ago my landlord's beautiful four year old son, his sibling and friends were enjoying themselves in their backyard in a respectable part of Brooklyn New York when a neighbour bathed him in acid. He lost his sight and his entire face was destroyed as were parts of his upper body.
The man who committed the act had recently returned from Vietnam. He had been forced to kill Vietnamese families and many of their children.

Spare a thought for 'this guy' as you called him. He was merely one of the young men used and abused in the name of patriotism and 'the national interest'.

Then ask yourself if you would be pro-any government who used you and then forgot that you existed.

There is no black and white here. Rest assured that like many others he never got over the Vietnam War.
Now contemplate what's coming given the PTSD associated with three and four tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[DollarBillHines]

7. Did this asshole have any combat experience?

I have only seen "Viet Nam -era" tags regarding this fuckstick.

Whatever, PTSD is no kind of excuse for anything like what Jimmy Lee Whoever did.

[pinboy3niner]

8. Dykes may not be a Vietnam vet, after all

He may be a VN era vet who served in the Navy during the war, but not in Vietnam. So far, reports based on his military records are not showing Vietnam service:

The U.S. Navy confirmed Monday that Dykes served in the military from 1964 to 1969.

Naval records list him as an aviation maintenance administrationman third class who served with units based in California and Atsugi, Japan. The job entails clerical work related to aircraft and aircraft maintenance, according to the Navy's job description.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/04/us/alabama-child-hostage/index.html

[hatrack]

9. Apparently, he did aviation maintenance while in the Navy

Government records and interviews with neighbors indicate that Dykes joined the Navy in Midland City and served on active duty from 1964 to 1969. His record shows several awards, including the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. During his service, Dykes was trained in aviation maintenance.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130205/NATION/302050369#ixzz2K213Vg2Y

Don't know what the means in terms of combat experience, but if he'd been a combat veteran, I'm reasonably certain that would have been mentioned.

[Ganja Ninja]

17. All you had to do to get a Vietnam service medal was be in the military during a certain time period

That changed at a certain point but a lot of people have them and never went to Vietnam.

[pinboy3niner]

22. Award of the medal requires VN or other SE Asia service in support of the war

Vietnam Service Medal

The armed forces' Vietnam Service Medal (at left in photo) was established by Executive Order 11231 from President Johnson's desk on 8 July 1965.

The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army's Institute of Heraldry.

The service medal was awarded to all members of the armed forces who service in Vietnam and contiguous waters and airspace between 3 July 1965 and 28 March 1973.

In addition, personnel serving in Thailand, Laos or Cambodia in direct support of operations in Vietnam during the same time period also were eligible for the medal.

To qualify for award of the VSM an individual must meet one of the following qualifications:

(1) Be attached to or regularly serve for 1 or more days with an organization participating in or directly supporting military operations.

(2) Be attached to or regularly serve for 1 or more days aboard a Naval vessel directly supporting military operations.

(3) Actually participate as a crewmember in one or more aerial flights into airspace above Vietnam and contiguous waters directly supporting military operations.

(4) Serve on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days in Vietnam or contiguous areas, except that time limit may be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations.

...


http://www.history.navy.mil/medals/vsn.htm

[Ganja Ninja]

30. I'm going to have to check to see if they gave me one.

I'm not qualified under these rules but I remember being told back in 71 while I was in the Navy that they had tightened up the qualification (or at least the dispensing) because at one point they were passing them out pretty loosely.

[2pooped2pop]

10. No he was a pencil pusher who saw no combat

according to stories I read here on DU. This old fucks problem was not ptsd. It was faux news, Rush Limpballs, Glenn Speck. Those are the fools who made hate ok in America. Those are the fools preaching how the end is near. Those are the fools advocating violence and treason.

Those are the fools who need to be outed, stopped, and sued.

[Oilwellian]

41. Yes, Mr. "You're going to have to shoot them in the head" Beck

I captured some of Beck's show shortly after the Arizona massacre:

On Edit: I'm including his original broadcast that day. I just changed the background pictures to show a more exact visual of what he's talking about.

http://mediamatters.org/video/2011/01/22/beck-flashback-youre-going-to-have-to-shoot-the/175432

[Chorophyll]

11. I have "spared a thought" and more for ALL of our veterans.

And I'm well aware that we do not take care of our veterans once they return home.

However, Dyke's neighbors weren't "the government" any more than the rest of us are. He killed a dog. That's a crime. He took potshots at his neighbors. That's a crime. Ultimately, he murdered a schoolbus driver and took a kid hostage for a week. There are a gracious lot of veterans in this country who have seen horror and who do not take it out on everyone around them.

I don't appreciate being picked on because I feel that the authorities in this town dropped the ball repeatedly.

[get the red out]

20. I agree with you

Something needed to be done long before the bus driver was murdered and this little boy taken hostage. Even if they had taken him in for psychiatric evaluation maybe he wouldn't have been available to keep escalating his crimes to the point of murder and kidnapping.

Something should have been done to have this man off the street plain and simple. He has even paid the ultimate price for the justice system's failure here. If he were in jail he'd still be alive.

[4_TN_TITANS]

14. Excellent response...

made me stop and think.

[EastKYLiberal]

39. The only victim in that story is the 4-year-old.

After you harm someone, especially a child, there's no excuse big enough to justify it. It IS that black and white and off to a tiny cell they should go.

[malaise]

42. Thankfully the parents of that little boy were more thoughtful

They blamed the war that destroyed them both (indeed they hated Nixon) since the one who destroyed their son could not bear the sound of noise from children without conjuring up memories of the atrocities he committed on the children of the perceived enemy.

Go walk a mile in his shoes. Nothing is black or white.

[Bandit]

44. I guess the dead bus driver was not a victim in your opinion or his family....

[tblue37]

48. That poster is referring to the story of the vet who poured acid on the 4-year-old neighbor boy, not

to the story about Dykes and his victims.

[auburngrad82]

3. Let's refer to Pigboy and the others as "hate radio" for now on

I like the sound of it. Maybe it will catch on. And they truly do espouse hate.

[workinclasszero]

5. Thats why hate radio, Limpballs, Hand Job, etc put out their dog whistles 24/7....

They are waiting for angry white men with assault weapons and thousands of rounds to start their fascist coup against democracy and the scary black man.

[MynameisBlarney]

28. Yup

Stochastic terrorism.

[mtasselin]

6. 1st

As much as I despise these worthless pieces of shit they do have the first Amendment. Without the first there would not be a second.
Ever wonder why these pieces of shit get paid to much money to divide the country, and another why do people listen to them unbelievable.

[efhmc]

12. Take away their sponsors.

[progressoid]

13. Not trying to deny them their 1st amendment rights,

just showing where some of the blame lies and that actions have consequences.

[Ganja Ninja]

15. Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean you should do it.

No one wants to take away the right to free speech but that doesn't mean we need to or should allow the air time of every AM radio station across America to be filled with hate speech. Not having opposing views to balance out the conversation is a big part of the problem.

[dotymed]

21. This is why, until reagan.

we had "The Fairness Doctrine." All points of view were mandated to be broadcast. Americans, pre-reagan, were a very informed people. The corporatists will do anything to not have The Fairness Doctrine, re-instated....it would really fuck with their propaganda.

[tblue37]

49. Hate radio in Rwanda was a major factor in the genocide that occurred there.

Propaganda had a lot to do with the willingness of ordinary Germans to go along with the extermination of those who had been reduced in their minds to the level of "vermin."

BTW, Rush is heavily played on Armed Forces Radio, which is one reason why so many of our soldiers end up with extreme RW views, even many of those who didn't enter the service with such views. They are being heavily propagandized.

[get the red out]

23. They have "first Amendment"

Which means, I think, that they should not be arrested for voicing their opinions. But can't we have standards for use of the public airwaves? If not, then how did censors prevent married couples from even being shown sleeping in the same bed on TV back in the 50's?

If you can't say "fuck" on radio you shouldn't be able to spew hate, JMO.

[1gobluedem]

35. But they don't broadcast it as 'opinion'

They broadcast this garbage as fact KNOWING that people like Jimmy Lee Dykes accept it as gospel truth.

[get the red out]

37. I agree

We need some standards in broadcasting, like not passing off hate-based editorial as "news".

[EastKYLiberal]

40. Yeah. I'm fine with taking their soapbox away and still letting them say what they want. nt

[get the red out]

46. I like your "handle"

This is off-topic but as someone who grew up in Paintsville, I like the handle "EastKYLIberal"

[AndyA]

24. Rights come with responsibilities

Some people believe what they hear on the radio. The hate radio jocks need to be held accountable for their words, and the actions those words may cause.

[AgingAmerican]

16. I suspect the same with these mass gun murderers

Gun nuts gone off the deep end.

[bonniebgood]

19. What do violent video games and hate radio have in common? and

why no one left or right, during this gun violent crimes discussion, no one EVER mention the
word Evil. You only hear "mental Illness". I feel that anyone who's on syc meds, history of threats to
another person should lose your gun rights. And yes that should include Ted Nugget and that other gun nut who threaten to start shoot people if the President moved toward acting on gun violence ON VIDEO.
One lose their gun rights if they are labeled a non-violent felon.
Hate radio makes one EVIL.

[Andy Stanton]

25. Violent nutsos, conservatives and guns

Doesn't it seem as though there's a link between violent nutbags, conservative politics and guns? No, not every nutty person is violent but the ones that are seem to be inspired by conservative politics. And they invariably end up with guns.

[tblue]

43. Why didn't Wayne LaP mention hate radio

along with video games and mental illness as contributing factors? It's time we did.

[workinclasszero]

47. Cause the NRA loves hate radio

It gets the rubes all riled up 24/7 and scared that some godless homo democratic non white person of color is gonna break into their house and steal all their stuff and cause a commie/fascist stampede into liberal re-education/death camps...that about covers it I think.

So they all run down to the nearest God/Guts/Guns freedumb store to get their Bushmaster/AR-15 military weapon of mass killing and five or six 30 round mags of death lovin FREEDUMB BABY!

And guess what? The NRA, promoters for gun makers, all all good with it!

[Ganja Ninja]

55. That would be admitting that we not only have a gun problem but ...

we have a conservatives with guns problem.

And yeah it's about damn time we spelled it out, conservative nut jobs with guns and agitated by hate radio are a real problem.

[stonecutter357]

26. K&R

trolls are getting desperate.

[toby jo]

29. Funny how the mentally unstable are drawn to hate radio like moths to their flame

everything weak, unable to reason with the world, lacking in morality, no emotional bonds with other human beings - hate radio loves you.

[Ganja Ninja]

32. It's like the chicken or the egg conundrum.

Which came first, the mental instability or the hate radio?

[Grantuspeace]

31. When I heard reports of his anti-government paranoia, I wondered if hate radio had anything

to do with it.

The NRA argues that violent movies and video games cause or contribute to gun violence. Couldn't it then be argued that the right wing media, with it's constant conspiracy and anti-government rhetoric, causes irrational and delusional behavior? And in some cases even contribute to tragedies like this?

[1gobluedem]

34. Blood on their hands

Hate radio is out of control. We need the Fairness Doctrine back.

[EC]

36. So they all knew he'd blow

sometime and nothing could have been done?

[alfredo]

38. Republican radio has blood on its hands.

[Rider3]

51. Conservative talk-radio cultivates hate

This was another perfect example. Of course, they'll say otherwise, but we know the truth. We've seen the pattern over and over again.

[Baitball Blogger]

52. Right-wing hate talk.

Why am I not surprised.

Will we ever know why he went after school kids?

[Ganja Ninja]

54. I'd like to know what his demands were.

I suspect he went after the kids because they were easier to drag down into his little spider hole.

If I had to guess he was probably demanding Obama resign over some birther nonsense.

[libdem4life]

56. Hate Radio doesn't hold a candle to Military/War Zone Hate

Teenagers, with no former "axe to grind" must be made/forced to Hate the Enemy/"Them" in order to kill them as merely a job without the more appropriate adrenalin rush of actually defending the Homeland. Government to the troops..."we don't like so-and-sos in (fill in the blank)____ country, so go kill them." About sums it up.

Depending on many psychological/emotional realities, the automatic transfer back from the killing fields to return to the original ... No Hate/"Us" ... now go home to your family is incomplete, repressed and woefully unaddressed by ... see paragraph 1.

Question: Exactly where is the original mental/psychotic illness here, really?

[Turbineguy]

57. That's why none of these RWHR clowns

talked him down. They would be accepting resposibility for this.

[uhnope]

59. all of you, please join campaign to prevent more Jimmy Lee Dykes

See my signature and get in touch