When I heard Sen. John Thune getting heckled Friday morning, it underscored a theme I've been thinking about more and more - incivility in political discourse.
The heckling also reminded me of a Swiftian "modest proposal" once offered in jest - I hope and pray - by novelist and buffalo rancher Dan O'Brien, a friend with whom I often share whacky ideas.
But first, the Thune story.
The South Dakota Republican spoke at a National Rifle Association event titled "A Celebration of National Values."
Thune was the first guest speaker. Speakers that followed included John McCain, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney (by videotape) - all of them Republican presidential candidates. The lone Democratic presidential candidate to address Friday's conference was Bill Richardson, who also spoke by videotape.
John Ashcroft spoke, too, about how weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists threaten our very survival and how we must protect ourselves.
The NRA event was the perfect forum for Thune to explain his proposal to make concealed-weapons permits reciprocal among the states. If drivers licenses are reciprocal, he said, it only makes sense that the same courtesy be extended to citizens packing heat.
Thune's warmly received speech, however, was interrupted by a woman shouting: "Don't attack Iran! Don't attack Iran!" (Or something close to that. I heard the event on C-SPAN, by satellite radio in my car, so I didn't take notes.)
Boos drowned out the woman, whom I presume was carted off. I don't think she was Tasered, like the Florida student who similarly heckled Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., but Thune verbally Tasered her with kindness.
The senator said he supported ALL the amendments in the Bill of Rights, including the woman's right to free speech. He hoped aloud that she, in turn, would respect Second Amendment rights.
The crowd cheered.
Thune went on to advise the NRA audience that in Washington, it's better to be on "offense" than "defense" and that anti-gun lobby certainly was "on offense." He reminded the audience how badly Gen. David Petraeus had been treated by the same crowd, which I took to mean anti-gun, anti-war liberals.
The subtext here seemed to be the MoveOn.org newspaper ad headlined: "General Betray Us." In other words, NRA opponents are rude to war heroes.
"Betray Us" backfired the same way Ann Coulter's "liberals are traitors" theme backfired. Both provided good ammunition to the opposition.
Still, political incivility remains popular, even here in polite and respectful Rapid City. During a recent public forum just before the election on an incentive to bring Cabela's here, a couple of opponents of the deal jeered an alderman - in a mild, Rapid City sort of way. (There were no "Stop Cabela's!" chant. No Tasers were drawn.)
However, to see how uncivil debate can get here, go to the Rapid City Journal's homepage and check out the online comments on reporter Scott Aust's story about the Cabela's forum. You'll find it under the section "Most popular Rapid Replies" because, as of Friday, there were 576 comments - a RapidReply record.
Most of the comments are polite. Many are well reasoned and informative. And a significant number accused various parties of sins ranging from greed and malfeasance to ignorance and stupidity.
We see the same phenomenon on our political blog, Mount Blogmore, where we also allow people to post anonymously - an indulgence, I admit, that contributes to incivility. (And some, I blush to add, is pretty entertaining.)
In the end, does incivility work? Certainly it can rally people who already agree with you, but political road rage often leads to self-inflicted shots to the foot.
And speaking of foot shooting, I wonder what the woman who heckled Thune thought she would accomplish. She sounded rude and boorish. He sounded tolerant and statesmanlike.
Let's also note that that the protester was interrupting a senator who proposes that concealed weapons permits - available in South Dakota without taking a test - should be valid in all 50 states and the District Columbia. If such reciprocity were federal law, maybe political hecklers would think twice, at least at NRA meetings.
Which brings me to Dan O'Brien's modest proposal: one free, no-questions-asked homicide for every adult in America. Dan theorizes that if we thought the guy who cut us off in traffic still had his get-out-of-jail-free card, we would edit our hand gestures. (Conversely, bad drivers might be more careful, lest the people they cut off hadn't used up their own homicides.)
Dan was only joking, of course, but you could argue that political discussions would be calmer and more reasoned in a world where gun permits were reciprocal and the first shot was free.
Reporter Bill Harlan's column runs Saturdays. Contact him at 394-8424 or at bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com
