Hi Stephen,
I've been doing some more reading about this whole shooting in Tucson mess, and I wholeheartedly agree with John Stewart (love him) on the Daily Show, that these people should not be dishonored or disrespected by turning the focus onto politics. I didn't realize that I echoed his message in my post to you yesterday, having not seen the show at that point. I am, after all, a bleeding heart liberal, so it's only natural for me to agree with him.
BUT...at the same time, having read the responses of our President, (a man I respect a great deal for trying to rise above the pettiness and bullshit of DC against all odds and being set up to fail by the media and those around him at every turn), and in addition to having read a completely OPPOSITE type of response from Sarah Palin, I think perhaps more should be said about this political mess we're all in. Those politicians represent US, and if that's how WE handle situations, it's no surprise to me if we'll all be extinct with nuclear war soon.
What all this really boils down to, is the fact that our politicians have lost sight of the #1 rule of all representatives of the people: The requirement they VOW to uphold when they take office---the promise to LEAD BY EXAMPLE, and take responsibility for what they say and do, and know that whatever their actions or words, there are consequences.
These Republicans who just took over the House decided to be smart-asses and read the Constitution---but, they conveniently left OUT any mention of SLAVERY, even though that is our HISTORY, and PART OF THE CONSTITUTION. They just decided to rewrite history as they saw fit, by ignoring that---and by ignoring the history of every black VOTER out there who paid attention to this deliberate revisionist slap in the face.
Not to mention the whole controversy over Huckleberry Finn---oh yes, they are still fighting over that book too, much to Mark Twain's disgust I'm sure---and a publisher actually wants to REMOVE the word "nigger" which appears nearly 300 times in the book, and replace it with SLAVE. However, as one of John Stewart's sidekicks pointed out, "slave" was a JOB DESCRIPTION, and "nigger" was a description of all black people being considered less than human---which is exactly HOW IT WAS.
Publishers should NOT be allowed to rewrite history, remove things from the classics as they see fit, nor should they be allowed to take part in ANY form of censorship or revisionism. If any teacher out there is worth their clout as a teacher, they will know that they also need to TEACH THOSE KIDS WHO READ IT just how our society and our whole world really WAS back then---they will show the students the background in which the book was written, the upbringing of Mark Twain, along with the daily life of blacks and whites, and will STAND UP AND PROTEST about anybody trying to take those words out of a book that changed so much about the interactions between black people and white people. Huck Finn was FRIENDS with a slave---an ESCAPED slave no less--and this was hugely controversial at the time it was written. Why it still has to BE controversial TODAY, remains a mystery to me.
It only proves that racism is still a cancerous growth on our world.
It only proves that racism is still a cancerous growth on our world.
But let's get back to the point...I'm starting to lean a little bit towards disagreeing with myself and what I wrote yesterday, about not wanting to bring politics into a tragic and senseless killing spree of some 22 year old mentally deranged kid---it seems that my words were (as usual), too little, too late, because it's already happening all around us. So, in light of this sickening turn, I must now contradict myself and say: POLITICIANS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR WORDS AND ACTIONS, AT ALL TIMES.
The fact that Palin is still verbally attacking anyone who questions her, reveals a sickness in our world that seems beyond cure. It's hard to win a battle of wits with an unarmed person, so they say, and for all her big talk about guns and hunting, she's the most unarmed witless person in the universe as far as I'm concerned.
But, as I've said many times before, we all seem to know how to create our own monsters in life---so the magical part of it is, she has no clue how badly this will hurt HERSELF politically...and so instead of saying, "Don't mix politics with this issue," now I say, "Keep on talkin' like that honey, just keep those lips a-flappin', because you'll only ruin yourself, and that's poetic justice at work....karma too...so just keep talkin' and spewing venom like you do, go ahead, keep it coming and see where it gets you."
I actually applaud her stupidity sometimes, because it harms her own campaign so much.
Read for yourself, and compare the integrity of both political people, and what they said...you'll see what I mean, and perhaps you already agree, but this is truly a moment in our society that can--and SHOULD BE---changed, healed, and turned into something BETTER----if we don't blow it, or allow our politicians to blow it, or sweep it under a rug. They ALL need to THINK before they speak, they need to STOP before they invoke violent images, and be held responsible for their actions and words. If we the people don't demand this, we are all guilty.
"To do nothing, to be a bystander and complacent in the light of adversity, is just as bad as being a perpetrator"---this is a lesson I learned while working at the Museum in DC.
I guess you could say I have an "activist" attitude, and I want to do something about it, to make the world better---I have the chronic "save the world" syndrome, and it kills me every day because I know nobody cares and nobody wants to be saved. You'd think I'd get over that illness of mine, and just live vicariously and recklessly doing whatever the hell I want to do and ignoring anyone else who disagrees with it...but isn't that what caused the mess we're in? Perhaps taking a step back, and a deep breath, to really THINK about these things, could signal a change in direction for our whole country. We need to unite together to make this world better, not polarize and isolate ourselves into "us vs. them."
If the Republicans think they're so smart reading the EDITED and POLITICALLY CORRECT version of the Constitution to fit their own agenda, then let them also read (and CHOKE ON) this too: "TOGETHER WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL."
Obama urges nation to honor youngest Ariz. victim
TUCSON, Ariz. – President Obama exhorted Americans to refrain from partisan bickering and urged the country to embrace the idealistic vision of democracy held by 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest Arizona shooting victim and an aspiring politician who is set to be buried Thursday in the first of half-a-dozen funerals.
Speaking to an arena audience of about 14,000 and even more in a nearby football stadium and at homes across the country, Obama drew on themes of unity, patriotism and heroism as he tried to help the nation make sense of a tragedy that unfolded as citizens were exercising their most basic of rights, meeting with their congresswoman.
Christina and five others were killed and 13 injured Saturday in a shooting rampage as a crowd waited to meet Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head and left gravely wounded. Obama revealed during his speech that she had opened her eyes for the first time shortly after he visited her bedside.
Obama focused on memories of the victims and the heroism of those who sprang to their aid after the gunfire. He steered clear of the political tit-for-tat that has consumed much of the dialogue since the massacre while acknowledging the "sharp polarization" that has gripped the country.
He reminded the audience that the third-grader's neighbor had brought Christina, a Little League player and newly elected student council member, to meet Giffords because of her budding interest in democracy.
"She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted," he said. "I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it."
The funeral for Christina, who was born on Sept. 11, 2001, was set for 1 p.m. MST (3 p.m. EST). It was to be the first of several planned in the coming days for the victims, including a federal judge with nearly 40 years of service and a Giffords aide who was about to be married.
Obama's comments brought the crowd to their feet and his speech was frequently punctuated by rousing cheers and applause. One woman waved a sign that read "We Will Heal!" while another hoisted a painting of the president.
In an electrifying moment, the president revealed that Giffords had opened her eyes. First lady Michelle Obama held hands with Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, as the news brought soaring cheers.
Obama bluntly conceded that there was no way to know what triggered the shooting rampage and cautioned America to avoid dwelling on the role of incendiary rhetoric that could sully the memory of the victims.
"If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate — as it should — let's make sure it's worthy of those we have lost," he said. "Let's make sure it's not on the usual plane of politics and point-scoring and pettiness that drifts away in the next news cycle."
The president also lauded the actions of the men who wrestled the gunman to the ground, the woman who grabbed the shooter's ammunition, the doctors and nurses who treated the injured and the first responders. He singled out for praise a Giffords intern and University of Arizona junior who tried to staunch the congresswoman's bleeding.
The intern, 20-year-old political science student Daniel Hernandez, was seated next to Obama during the service and appeared to tear up after the crowd broke into deafening applause at Obama's tribute. Hernandez spoke briefly before the president and rejected the label of hero, saying those involved in public service are true heroes.
Obama politely disagreed.
"Daniel, I'm sorry, you may deny it, but we've decided you are a hero because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss, and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive," the president said.
The attack ended when bystanders tackled the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, who is in custody and has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
Those who attended Obama's speech said they appreciated that he focused on the memories of the fallen without adding to the political back-and-forth that has marked the days since the tragedy.
Karla Schumann, 41, drove from Phoenix to attend and said she particularly was touched by Obama's challenge to Americans to live up to the Christina's innocent beliefs. She left wearing a blue T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Together We Thrive: Tucson & America," which had been given to each attendee.
"I think Obama was spot on. He really pumped the patriotism but it wasn't distasteful and I appreciate that immensely," she said. "He basically said he wants us to live up to the America she believed in. ... Sometimes we have to be reminded of that."
High school basketball coach and graduate student Briana Felix, 28, said her family was friends with John Roll, the federal judge, and the mother of one of her team members was shot but survived.
"I was privileged to hear one of the best orators of our time and I think he struck a chord in the right spot, calling on us to come to a common place and get over the hate and the fear," she said.
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Ben Feller, Nancy Benac, Erica Werner and Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington contributed to this report.
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