Praying for Wisdom, For Strength, For Light, For Compassion.....For Healing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
31 Bullets, 20 People shot, 6 Dead, a Congresswoman fighting for her Life... and the little girl who won't see 10...A Little girl who went to see and meet her Congresswoman....Americans, Liberals and Dems Shot , Targeted at Safeway Parking Lot. The past two years have been full of Hate Rhetoric and so many had worried that the Hate Rhetoric would end in Violence. Any of us that worked on the Obama Campaign or Health Care Battle will tell you it was as bad as anything from the Sixties. That Hate is Alive and Well, and that Racism is not just about Color, it is about Ideals and Politics. Being Targeted with Hate Mail and Threats for being a Democrat or a Liberal is Not what makes a Healthy Democracy.
Many of our Leaders and Reps have had Threats, not like any other Era in Our History. Yet any of us that survived and lived through the Sixties we know that Threats lead to Violence, not sometimes...But Always.Just say the Names, John F.Kennedy, Robert F.Kennedy, Martin Luther King.....Blood was shed, Lives Lost, Lives Shattered. I wish I could say Lessons Learned. All of us that grew up as Children of Sixties dreamed, prayed of not having to revisit these Lessons with Our Children.
Some of the Right Wing and Some of the Media has been out in force saying that Rhetoric and Palins Crosshairs Map are not to blame for what a sick troubled young man did. It would be easy, a convenient Ostrich in the Sand Moment for everyone to just blame a Young Man's Sickness....I can not agree....The Hatefilled Climate in this Country has been dangerous...Even Gabby Giffords warned about the Hate Rhetoric especially of Palin during the HCR battle last March, we even have her profound prophetic words on March 25th after her office was vandalized. Please do read this Raw Story post and share the link- I will post Link in Comments We need to listen to Gabby, now more than ever. And share this video, Gabby Gifford's Words, Thoughts, Worries.
How Do we Fight Hate. We have to stand up for What Matters, we have to make sure to Teach Each Other and Our Children What Matters. We have to show the Right, The Media and the World that we still have Some Compassion, that we can come together when Our World is Broken. That we can pray for Wounded Victims and their families, and for the Dead. That we are brave enough to Talk of What Matters. For the First Time in Our History not only was an Elected Political Leader Shot, Targeted in an attempted Assassination, BUT her Constituents were also Targeted as they went to meet with her at Public Place. The Media has Not Focused on This Critical Change in Our History.....otherwise it becomes Accepted, Commonplace ?
For Two years the Right Wing and the Tea Party and the Repubs used words like "Lock and Load" Reload" "Come Armed and Dangerous" "2nd Amendment Remedies" "Death Panels" Calling Dems "Dangerous, Take'em Out" "Bury Obamacare with Kennedy" " Are You Willing to Die for Healthcare".....The Signs the Heated ugly Rhetoric. And if Media was confronted that they were enabling this Ballistic Language, that they were giving Air Time to this Dangerous Violent Inciting Language we were dismissed. I do blame CNN and FOX for Enabling and Coddling the Tea Party Anger, fueling an out of Control fire that started during the 2008 Campaign season with Palin and then carrying forth during the HCR Battle.( I even wrote to the Media and was told that the Tea party was exciting new patriotic party. I responded then and do now, They ARE Dangerous.Period).
We also know that under the Bush years anyone could be targeted, maligned, threatened and it was all done under the guise of "Patriotism". It heralded an age of Embracing Bullys. Muslims, Hispanics, Any Immigrants, Gays, Gay Military, Women, Divorced Women, Any Kids who were Different, Dems,Liberals, Bloggers etc etc. ALL were allowed to Labeled and attacked under the Free Speech Banner. It set up the Breeding Ground for the Birth and Seedlings planted by the Teaparty and the Birthers, it birthed a whole new level of Racism ,of Hate. Anyone could be Hated, Anyone.
"What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists, is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." ~Robert Kennedy
With the Election of Obama many of us were hoping and praying for a return to a Civil Dialogue, and Critical Thinking and Working on problems together. A Time for people to come together, and after 8 years of Bush maligning and mistreating Dems, we thought that this was a New Era. But instead Dems and Liberals have been tarred and feathered , especially our New President. It has been a time of incredible worry, angst. It has been fueled by Anger, Joblessness and Homelessness. But for some reason the Repubs and TeaParty decided that Dems could and would be blamed for ALL of these Problems. ( Not once identifying two Costly Wars that Bush propagated and prolonged based on lies....and war crimes...).
"Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies." ~Robert Kennedy
We are at a Turning Point, a Crossroads, where we go from here, how we get there, it us up to all of us. But we can not stay silent, we can not let the Right Wing Propaganda Machine and the Corporate Media Control how this Crisis is handled. It is up to all of us to speak up that there are many factors to look at in this Violent Tragedy. And many Questions to be answered. Were the Threats and Violent Rhetoric a part of this Bloody Mess ? Did the Young Boy have access to Proper Mental Health Care and Medical Care ? What is Wrong with Our Gun Laws that would allow such a young man to be able with ease to shoot down People in a Safeway Parking Lot with a Gun that had 33 Rounds ? There are so many Questions that we must navigate with Clarity, Wisdom, Critical Thinking. And we have to be able to Talk to Each Other, and Listen. And we have to find Compassion in Our Hearts for all Effected and in Pain over this Event. But we must also recognize There is Something Wrong in Our Country.
For the Patient to Heal, Any Patient, The Depth and Extent of the Wounds must be recognized and acknowledged, or there can be No Healing. And that is how I see Our Country right now. Very Wounded. We Must Heal....Together. It Starts Right Here, Right Now. Enough Is Enough. Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Little girl went with her neighbor excited to see and meet Her Congresswoman...a little girl who wanted to be part of the Political Process....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gabby's husband sits and holds her hand. We send him and all the victims our prayers....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A young man, her community outreach rep shot dead, he will never marry his young fiance...30 years is too young.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I too am sorry if I ever in any way contributed to the Climate of Hate we have in this Country.....I know as a Nurse I fought hard for HCR, and I apologize for any hurt or pain that I caused in that time. I send only Condolences to All that are in pain at this moment. I give you my compassion, Tonight during the Memorial Service I will be lighting Candles and praying for all........1.11.11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Teach Your Children Well" CSNY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imagine....John Lennon ( and yoko ono...)
