Lynch Mob?

The hanging death of a Federal Census worker in Kentucky has raised the question of whether he was the victim of an anti-Government extremist. The word "Fed" was scrawled on Bill Sparkman's chest, according to law enforcement sources, who have told the Census Bureau's regional office that the death is being investigated as a homicide.

If true, and if it is determined that an extremist murdered Mr. Sparkman, blame should go beyond the perpetrator to the poisonous climate created in the past 9 months by the far right -- politicians, pundits, and hate radio personalities alike. In particular, Minnesota Rep. Michelle "I See Commies" Bachmann has been particularly irresponsible and unhinged, saying that she would refuse to fill out her census form and that census data might be used to put Americans in "concentration camps" (no doubt being built by FEMA). She also encouraged her constituents to be "armed and dangerous." It's one of many anti-Government/anti-Obama attacks that the increasingly unhinged right wing has launched since Obama became the 44th President, and it certainly won't be the last.