Death threat retweeter Erik Loomis claims Rush Limbaugh incites violence, accuses Michelle Malkin of hypocrisy

One month ago, Twitchy criticized University of Rhode Island professor Erik Loomis for a series of angry, profane tweets and retweets bashing pro-gun organizations and individuals such as National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn.

One of the many tweets we mentioned was this one:

@rmccrory I was heartbroken in the first 20 mass murders. Now I want Wayne LaPierre's head on a stick.

— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) December 15, 2012

Loomis has defended that tweet on the grounds that it was metaphorical:

So to clarify, I want to make it blindingly clear that I did not call for the assassination of Wayne LaPierre. In my world, calling for someone’s head on a stick is a metaphor to hold them responsible for their actions. I think the last time “head on a stick” actually meant murder was sometime around 1450. That anyone would take this seriously as a murder threat is completely absurd. What stinks about it is that it has now involved my family, colleagues, and university. So I’ll apologize to them and to anyone legitimately offended by my metaphor.

Or, as he tweeted so eloquently,

Dear right-wing morons, saying you "want someone's head on a stick" is a metaphor. I know metaphor is hard for you to understand.

— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) December 18, 2012

As far as we know, he has not yet defended his retweets wishing for those who support arming teachers to be “beaten to death” and Dick Morris to be hunted down and skinned for breakfast.

Yesterday, the death threat retweeter took a break from talking to his students about historical dildos to complain about death threats and defend his use of metaphorical language once again. He cited this Twitchy post as evidence of blatant hypocrisy on the part of Twitchy owner/founder Michelle Malkin, who neither wrote nor edited the post.

Today, Amanda Marcotte lambasted Rush Limbaugh for saying, “You know how to stop abortion? Require that each one occur with a gun.” Actual violence and intimidation occurs against women trying to obtain their constitutionally guaranteed right to abortion. Limbaugh and others incite people to violent actions (assisted by the high-powered assault rifles and huge magazine clips the NRA supports) against abortion clinics and abortion doctors. Ask the family of David Gunn, of George Tiller, of Shannon Lowney and of Lee Ann Nichols. So it’s far from clear that Limbaugh isn’t completely serious when he says these things.

You know is outraged by Amanda supposedly not understanding metaphor (well hyperbole technically)? Yep, Michelle Malkin.

Ugh indeed, Amanda. Anyone familiar with Limbaugh is well aware of his hyperbolic style and understands that his point wasn’t that abortions should be performed with guns; he was saying that the Left would actually care about the lives snuffed out by abortions if guns were involved.

The gall, the gall, the gall of these people.

Marcotte made similar points:

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/292438014158856193

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/292440377275846656

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/292445730386374657

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/292446018988040192

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/292673080470429696

To summarize:

1) It’s OK to retweet “First fucker to say the solution is for elementary school teachers to carry guns needs to get beaten to death” because that’s metaphor.

2) It’s not OK to use crosshairs on an election map, because that’s violent.

3) It’s not OK to say that liberals care about the killing of unborn babies only if guns are involved, because … violent!

Talk about gall.

University of Rhode Island professor’s retweet: Murder anyone who thinks teachers should be armed; Update: Police met with prof; Update: University issues statement