A motherly come-to-Jesus talk that might save rightwingers from jail, if not political irrelevance

Children...children!

Come here. Right now. NOW, I said. Sit your bottoms down and listen, because as much as I don't like having to deal with this, it's high time you faced facts.

I've had enough. Everyone has had enough. You know what I'm about to say, because I've said it before, but I made the mistake of speaking to you as though you were intelligent almost-grownups, and clearly you've got a long way to go before anyone in his right mind would call you grownups.

Your behavior is unacceptable, and if you keep it up, you're going to wind up in history's rubbish pile and no-one will want to help you or even talk to you ever again.

But, but...HE DOES IT TOO!!! He's just as bad. He was making fun of my favorite President, Ronald Reagan...

Stop it right there, mister. There is a big difference between drawing political cartoons with your new Photoshop program and standing on the steps in front of your school with a megaphone and telling your friends to reload their paintball guns, it's time to show that school who's boss. Yes, I'm talking to you--everyone heard you say that, it's on YouTube now, and you can't deny it.

Well, the school deserved it. They gave us so much homework this week, it made us mad.

Mmm-hmm. Is that your position, then? Is that your excuse: your brother does something that annoys you, so you're allowed to do whatever you want to get back at him? Or wait, let's try the other excuse: your teachers do something that's good for you, but you don't happen to agree with it, so you can do anything you like in retaliation?

You will to go to your rooms, right now, and read quietly. Yes, I know you've finished your homework, off you go anyway--you're going to do some important reading for the next several hours.

First, here's some information on something called the principle of imminent lawless action. Essentially, it says that when you rally your friends to do something illegal that could hurt people, something dangerous or destructive, and they then get busy doing those illegal things--hurting people, destroying things--before the authorities can get there to protect people from your friends, the words you were yelling into that megaphone are themselves a crime; they're not considered protected speech because they caused imminent lawless action.

Then, I want you to reflect on all the horrible things you've been saying and doing and think long and hard about them. Not just the words and actions themselves, mind you, but the long-term effect they have and the shame they've brought to your family and country. Here, a lady named Digby says it really well with this list of some absolutely dreadful behaviors--examples of what I'm talking about--and the risibly pathetic excuses you've been using:

I can hardly believe it, but apparently America's wife beaters have actually decided to use the defense that these Democrats are "asking for" death threats from the right wingers because they are "making them mad." I documented Sere and Cantor's warnings this morning, but there are more:

Breitbart: Congressional Black Caucus members went "searching for ... racism" by walking through Tea Party crowd

Graham tells Beck -- Beck! -- Tea Partiers "get mad" because they "don't like being called racist

Michael Graham: Pelosi was "asking for" response by carrying Medicare gavel

Rove warns Dems that discussing threats against them may "inflame emotions"

Now. I want you to stay there, in your rooms, reading and reflecting. I'm disconnecting the XBox and the Internet until you can prove to me that you're willing to try hard and do better, which means you're going to have to start over, okay? Hey, you're always saying that when you're losing a game--Waaah, let's start over!--well, now I want *you* to start over. Show me that you want to be a part of this family even if we don't all agree on everything; that you finally realize that you're not the only human being on the planet--not even close!--and that you truly, honestly, deeply understand that what you say and do affects all those other people.

In the meantime, I'll be keeping a close eye on you.

Also at Cogitamus.