Violent Rhetoric

From the Left, or at least Roseann Barr. [Link]

“I do say that I am in favor of the return of the guillotine and that is for the worst of the worst of the guilty.

“I first would allow the guilty bankers to pay, you know, the ability to pay back anything over $100 million [of] personal wealth because I believe in a maximum wage of $100 million. And if they are unable to live on that amount of that amount then they should, you know, go to the reeducation camps and if that doesn’t help, then being beheaded,” Barr said with a straight face.

Imagine if anyone had said anything remotely like this at a Tea Party rally about socialism and socialists, even in jest.  And this isn’t just some unknown provocateur — Barr is one of the most successful entertainers and producers in Hollywood, or at least she was at one point in time.

If this was humor, the only part that was funny was the economics.  I’m pretty sure ABC didn’t pay her in hippie beads when she ruled the Nielsen charts in the 1980s and 1990s.  Her sister filed a $70 million lawsuit for her share of the proceeds from the TV series Roseanne (thrown out for statute-of-limitations issues), which strongly suggests that Barr exceeded her own “maximum wage” limitation.  Besides, it’s always amusing to hear economic policy from someone who doesn’t know the difference between “wages” and “wealth,” even more so than when some political leaders can’t tell the difference between “price” and “cost.”

Just remember that when conservatives organize into grassroots movements, it’s almost always about protecting their own property and individual liberty.  When leftists decide to start grassroots movements, like OccupyWallStreet or Barr’s example of leftist populism, it almost always involves seizure of property, threats of violence, and eventually re-education camps and the guillotine.

I think this reveals a certain amount of projection from some on the Left.