Pretty Woman
http://email.comedycentral.com/a/hBNNy8OBAhkQSB8XgyvNsfnhM.B8U2fbBi/video
Sarah Palin, the commentator who got a news network to build her a studio in her house,
says she will not be silenced. Watch to see what else Jon has to say about her interview with Sean Hannity.
WATCH NOW!
http://email.comedycentral.com/a/
hBNNy8OBAhkQSB8XgyvNsfnhM.B8U2fbBi/video
Hi,
In the wake of the mass shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others in Tucson, we must end the violent rhetoric that has exploded in American politics over the past two years.
That’s why I signed this petition calling on every member of Congress, as well as the major TV news networks, to put an end to any overt or implied appeals to violence in our political debate.
Can you join me at the link below?
http://pol.moveon.org/debatenothate/?r_by=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&rc=confemail
Can you also take a moment to help spread the word and share this important petition with others?
Even if you don’t usually email petitions around, this is a time to make an exception. We must speak out now to end the extreme and violent rhetoric that is spreading in American politics to ensure that this does not happen again.
Thanks for all you do.
Thanks!
Last night President Obama spoke powerfully about what happened in Arizona.
We were struck by the incredibly strong reaction our friends and family had to the speech, so we’re passing it along in case you missed it:
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Kat, Nita, Steven, and the rest of the team
While we may never know what exactly motivated the shooter in Arizona—and while there are many lessons to draw from this tragedy—one thing is clear: Our country must turn away from the culture of violent, hateful rhetoric that has been pervading our political discourse for too long.
Nearly 200,000 people have signed our “Debate, not hate” petition. It calls on politicians and the media to stop spreading hateful rhetoric and implicit appeals to violence. Can you sign the petition today?
Just click here: http://pol.moveon.org/debatenothate/?id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=1
And please share this important message on Facebook and Twitter, or just forward this email.
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin
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Dear MoveOn member,
The tragedy in Tucson has shaken us all to the core. Facts are still coming in, and we all must be careful not to jump to premature conclusions.
But in the wake of this disaster one thing is clear: We must put an end to the rhetoric of violence and hate that has exploded in America over the past two years.
That’s why we’re launching a petition calling on every member of Congress, as well as the major TV and cable news networks, to put an end to the hateful rhetoric and all overt or implied appeals to violence. Click here to sign the petition:
http://pol.moveon.org/debatenothate?id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=6
Here’s what the petition says: “I call for an end to all overt or implied appeals to violence in American politics. We must debate, not hate.”
After you sign, please forward this email to the people in your email address book and post on Facebook and Twitter to keep it going. With a large enough response, this petition can help focus the debate on the urgent need to end the rhetoric of violence and hate that has become so widespread over the past two years.
We don’t know what motivated the individual or individuals who committed this atrocity. And, if reports are true, it’s deeply troubling that the suspected shooter displayed so many signs of serious mental illness, and our public health institutions failed to respond.1
But the terrifying fact is that this act of violence falls into a pattern that has emerged over the past two years in America and in Gabrielle Giffords’ district in particular.
Windows were smashed at Representative Giffords’ district office last March just a few hours after the House vote on health care reform.2 At one of the infamous town hall events in August 2009, a man attending the event accidentally dropped a handgun on the floor that he had been hiding under his arm.3
And violent tendencies have been inflamed by the careless and irresponsible rhetoric of certain political leaders. Sarah Palin‘s infamous “target list” displayed Democratic districts, including Rep. Giffords’, in crosshairs, as if viewed through a gunsight.4
In addition, violent imagery was prominently featured during the last election. For instance, a rally for Rep. Giffords’ Republican opponent, Jesse Kelly, was promoted with the following notice: “Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M15 with Jesse Kelly.”5
As Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, speaking from the heart at an emotional news conference last night, said:
There’s reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol… When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous.6
Please take a moment to add your voice to this call to end the rhetoric of violence and hate, and then share it with all your friends. Click here to sign:
http://pol.moveon.org/debatenothate?id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=7
And thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Adam, Amy, Anna, Annie, Carrie, Christopher, Daniel, David, Duncan, Eli, Emily, Gail, Ian, Ilya, Ilyse, Joan, Kat, Laura, Lenore, Mariana, Marika, Matthew, Melanie, Michael, Milan, Nita, Peter, Robin, Ryan, Susannah, Stephen, Steven, Tim, and Wes
P.S. You might also want to check out a video we posted on the petition page of Rep. Giffords herself talking about this issue last year. It’s a powerful reminder not only of how important this issue is, but also what an amazing leader Gabby Giffords has been for America and, we deeply hope, will continue to be.
Sources:
1. “Exclusive: Jared Loughner Radically Changed Before Alleged Shooting, Friend Says,” ABC News, January 9, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205717&id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=8
2. “Rep. Giffords’ Tucson office vandalized after health care vote,” Arizona Daily Star, March 22, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205718&id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=9
3. “Gabrielle Giffords Town Hall: Gun Left Behind,” The Huffington Post, August 11, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205721&id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=10
4. “Tucson rampage casts light on toxic political tone,” Arizona Daily Star, January 8, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205719&id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=11
5. “Sarah Palin Criticized Over Gabrielle Giffords Presence on ‘Target List,'” CBS News, January 8, 2011
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20027918-503544.html
6. “News Conference with Pima County Sheriff & Others (Courtesy of KVOA TV, Tucson, Arizona),” C-SPAN, January 8, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205720&id=25774-17809870-vPzuBwx&t=12
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Violent threats have consequences. And they have no place in American democracy.
Sarah Palin has a special responsibility and opportunity in the wake of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. For it was Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin alone who earlier put the crosshairs of a gun on Rep. Giffords. And so far, Palin’s response has been Facebook prayers for the victims and an official denial that her widely distributed map involved gun sights at all. This is obscene duplicity at best. Let us be clear. We do not know why the shooter targeted Rep. Giffords. Sarah Palin did not arm him or pull the trigger. We do not know if the shooter admired, loathed or ignored Sarah Palin. We will eventually know, and that will be a different accounting. But only Sarah Palin put 20 Democratic members of Congress in her crosshairs, and only Sarah Palin bragged that 18 are now gone, leaving Rep. Giffords and Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia. Someone has to say it. There has been an astonishing acceleration of violent right wing rhetoric. At the same time, the mainstream media has come to accept armed revolution (second amendment remedies) and violence as legitimate political discourse instead of calling it out as behavior that crosses a very dangerous line. In the past week alone, incendiary devices were received at the offices of the Democratic Secretary of Homeland Security and the Democratic Governor of Maryland. This is what Sarah Palin and others like her have wrought with their violent and vitriolic rhetoric that literally places gun sights on people who don’t agree with their extreme views. Apologists on the right are already saying that while tragic, this event was simply the result of an isolated act by a deranged individual. There have always been deranged individuals. But they have not always had easy access to guns nor have they always lived in a 24-hour-a-day media machine that promotes a toxic soup of violent attacks on political opponents. We are heartbroken by these events and our hopes and prayers are with the victims and their families. But prayers and broken hearts are not enough. How can anyone not be haunted by the prophetic words of Rep. Giffords herself in March 2010, after her office was vandalized, threats received, and her name and district identified by Sarah Palin in her infamous crosshairs: “Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there are consequences to that action.”1 Will there be consequences? Imagine the consequences if Palin were to apologize for her use of targeting imagery, pledge never to demonize her opponents in such a way again, call on all of her passionate followers to pledge to do the same, and promise that she will call out those in the media who do not follow her lead. Will Sarah do more than offer her condolences? She might sell fewer books and have fewer Facebook fans. But the consequences would be enormous. What happened in Arizona yesterday was not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a long stream of threats and attacks, most in response to the Congresswoman’s support for health care reform. In November of 2009, a staffer fearing for Rep. Giffords’ safety called authorities after a visitor dropped a handgun during another “Congress on your Corner” event at a local Safeway in her district.2 And on March 22, 2010, just hours after Rep. Giffords cast her vote in favor of health care reform, a vandal jumped a gate and smashed the glass front door of her Arizona office.3 It was just days later that the now infamous map featuring Rep. Giffords’ district in the crosshairs was posted by Sarah Palin’s PAC. In announcing the map, Palin issued a chilling tweet urging her supporters “Don’t retreat. Instead — reload!”4 Incredulously, through a spokesperson, Sarah Palin is denying that the crosshairs on her map targeting 20 Democrats who voted against health care reform represents gun sights.5 As if the crosshairs weren’t clear enough, Jesse Kelley, Rep. Giffords’ Republican opponent in a hard fought race for reelection held an event two months later that makes the stakes all too clear. He asked supporters to donate $50 in order to “shoot a fully automatic M16” to “get on target” and help “remove Gabrielle Giffords.”6 Sarah Palin subsequently praised Jesse Kelly on Fox Business News saying: “I don’t feel worthy to lace his combat boots.”7 We agree with Keith Olbermann who said last night that “Violence, or the threat of violence, has no place in our democracy.”8 Our hearts are heavy for the victims of this tragedy. We must put a stop to the escalating hate rhetoric of the right and its very specific calls to armed violent action. Lines of decency have been crossed. Michael Kieshnick and Becky Bond 1 YouTube video of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on MSNBC, March 25, 2010. |
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