Last Friday, the Daily Caller ran a piece on Mike Tyson’s recent heinous ESPN remarks on Sarah Palin, and the story sparked a massive row amongst conservatives.

The gist of Tyson’s remarks was tantamount to advocating rape. Were this about any other woman, the media would be all over it.

Correction: were this a conservative saying the same about a progressive female, the “equal rights” fellows-in-ideology would selectively invoke their chivalry and take a stand against the remarks. As it is, progressive males (and females) routinely sanction such language against conservative women. We could go over the reasons why, but feigning interest in the psyche of the male progressive is above my pay grade.

I think it’s absolutely newsworthy that a progressive male — a wife-beating convicted rapist — worshipped by Hollywood and prevalent in pop culture, advocated for rape against Sarah Palin on ESPN radio. As I write this, Tyson’s name is trending on Twitter because he is taking part in Charlie Sheen’s roast. He has cameos in big Hollywood films. His remarks were accepted by society. I don’t think this should have been reported as a dry news story, but rather in an editorial with the headline: CONVICTED RAPIST HASN’T CHANGED: TYSON ADVOCATES FOR PALIN RAPE?–a slam dunk editorial excoriating an individual and the society that idolizes women-violators and shuns conservatives who believe women should be treated better.

What almost everyone has missed is that Tyson’s remarks weren’t made on some obscure radio show. They were made on ESPN. My teenage male cousin heard this. ESPN’s jocks laughed and encouraged a nine-minute-plus diatribe by Tyson, wherein he made obscene remarks about rape and Sarah Palin. They laughed and supported it.

No one has called out ESPN or their Las Vegas affiliate on which the show aired because everyone is too busy arguing over a bad editorial call. This story was driven in the wrong direction by reaction and the focus removed from the actual victim, a woman who progressives routinely target with hatred and violence. It does Palin a disservice to use a verbal attack made on her by a rapist as a way to drive traffic, or to settle personal or political scores.

Regrettably, a Daily Caller editorial does not have a reach equal to that of ESPN. ESPN is a much larger media outlet. That is the entire point. Where are the calls for the heads of those ESPN jocks who made a joke out of rape?

Greta Van Susteren weighed in yesterday and she and Carlson argued at length on air.

I understand the need for policing our own side, because no matter how hard we fight for our principles in Washington and our own state houses, if we assume the characteristics of those against whom we fight, we have lost. But every moment we fight with each other is also another missed opportunity to bear conservative witness to the public in general.

Finally, there is a another, bigger problem here that is not getting any play: namely, that our society thinks violence against conservative women is OK. We think nothing of fawning over a convicted rapist, inviting him on television, fêting him with movie roles, and laughing sycophantically when he jokes about raping a woman, a wife, a mother–because she is a conservative.

What’s worse, this entire discussion stemmed from a liar’s book.

We need to have a better strategy.

After I drafted this piece, Greta posted this response to Carlson appearing on her show:

With Tucker’s permission, I am posting his email to me after OTR. Friends can get really angry at each other and the temperature can get raised high. When the temperature gets raised really high, the knives come out. Better friends, however, can rise above their anger and remain friends. Tucker and I don’t agree on what we discussed tonight — but we can rise above it. Tonight’s segment lets you pull back the curtain a bit and see what happens when friends get angry at each other. Frankly, I get angrier at the people I like more than the people I don’t when there is a disagreement. I know you and your friends have gotten really mad at each other. Tucker and I are not unique in that department…but perhaps somewhat, even with a few bruises, unique in that we will turn down the temperature and walk away friends in spite of our continuing differences of opinion.

Other conservatives need to bury the hatchet and point our verbal arrows at the real culprits–ESPN, in this case.

*From the comments:

Reader alanwillingham writes:

I called the offices of ESPN to register Disgust with On-Air segment condoning Tyson RAPE Fantasy against Sarah Plain…. I suggest we light up their switchboard (702) 876-1460 …

Nick Shaw also has this:

Here is the tel & email of the ESPN station that did the interview.

Lotussignup@yahoo.com

8755 W Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89147

Phone: (702) 876-1460

I called to demand the show hosts should be fired.