Blood Libel: Sarah Palin Tops Crosshairs Map By Upsetting Jews

Blood Libel? Former Governor Sarah Palin sticks her foot in her mouth again.

On the heels of accusations that she helped fan the flames of hate against Democrats supporting President Obama's Health Care Initiative - which led to Jared Lee Loughner's shooting of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 14 people, killing six of them - Palin causes a new firestorm by launching a speech which included this statement:



Or, in text:

Within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.

This is the definition of "blood libel" from Wikipedia:

Blood libel (also blood accusation) refers to a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, in European contexts almost always Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays. Historically, these claims have–alongside those of well poisoning and host desecration–been a major theme in European persecution of Jews.

Considering that Palin herself was the focus of much criticism in the wake of her use of crosshairs to mark Tucson, Arizona as a "target" to oppose U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords support of Health Care Reform, then referring to those same images as "bullseyes," now it looks like Palin's trying to compare herself to persecuted Jews.

Of course, this isn't sitting well with Jews - or anyone else.

Sarah Palin is classic for using terms and symbols without thinking about the consequences - the crosshairs map and blood libel are the latest examples. In her rush to get out a message and try to keep herself relevant on the day of the night of President Obama's trip to Tucson, Palin, perhaps due to an act of God, stuck her foot in her mouth.

The message is for Sarah Palin to just chill on this day when America, the President, elected officials and friends and families of the victims are gathering to mourn.

Sometimes it's better to just lay low for a while.

But where did she get it in her head to use the term?

My guess is Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blowhard, who used the term in this tweet:

And to the gutless GOP establishment who watches in silence the blood libel against @SarahPalinUSA. We will remember. #TeaParty

That too, was ill-advised. But Breitbart has never hinted that he's running for President either.

Stay tuned.