Should Liberals Go Heeled?

By Kleinheider Posted on April 1, 2009 at 3:56 pm

Ilissa Gold thinks it might be wise to take your whistle with ya if you’re fixin’ to leave your house as a progressive:

But I wonder if it’s something that all progressives, regardless of sexual orientation or other factors, have to worry about. The violent rhetoric from the right about rising up and overthrowing the government is growing. Republican leaders are actively calling for a “revolution”. Militia activity has been on the rise in the last few years, and is expected to increase with Obama’s presidency.

And while you’d rather think of people like Jim Adkisson shooting up a Unitarian church in Knoxville as an evil aberration, you do have to wonder how many others like him are out there, whose minds have been so poisoned by the violent right-wing rhetoric that they could snap at any moment, and look to take out those whom, again, they perceive as “weaker”.

This isn’t going to stop anytime soon, and I’m of the opinion that we need to be prepared. I’m not saying all liberals need to (or should) carry, nor am I saying that anyone should rely on weapons at the expense of reaching out to others through dialogue and eudcation. But it’s a civil liberties issue, as far as I’m concerned–if the Bill O’Reillys and Glenn Becks and Michelle Malkins of the country have the right to spread violent rhetoric, then those of us at whom the rhetoric is aimed have the right to defend ourselves. We cannot be caught off-guard again.

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Tags: firearms, guns, Ilissa Gold, liberals, Militia activity, progressives, revolution, sexual orientation  

Mike Padgett And Mad Props

By Kleinheider Posted on May 30, 2008 at 7:02 am

Democratic U.S. Senate Mike Padgett “journals” his get together with some local Democrats at the Tin Roof:

This evening, Jake and I hooked up with about 30 local Democrats at the Tin Roof on Demonbreun. My friend John Little dropped by, as did Brady Banks, Derek Tibbs and popular Nashville bloggers Sean Braisted and Ilissa Gold. Jake was on his best behavior, with his beautiful girlfriend at his side.

With this 35-and-under crowd, the conversation was hot, the beer was cold, and a good time was had by all.

Ilissa Gold recounts her conversation with the candidate on education:

Since he served on the Knox County school board, he has some specific ideas as to how to improve education in this country. His goal is that every child should be able to read the newspaper by fourth grade (I can’t speak for newspapers in the rest of the country, but the Tennessean is certainly written on a level that fourth graders should be able to read it). He also wants to work to reduce class sizes, noting that larger class sizes later on in a child’s education wouldn’t matter as much as long as he or she has the fundamentals.

Overall, I left very impressed by his candor and honesty.

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Tags: Ilissa Gold, Mike Padgett, Sean Braisted, Tin Roof