Moments ago, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer led her state's legislators in a standing ovation for openly gay hero Daniel Hernandez, who is credited with saving the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.Monday, January 10, 2011
Via JMG: Arizona Legislators Give Standing Ovation To Gay Shooting Hero Daniel Hernandez
Moments ago, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer led her state's legislators in a standing ovation for openly gay hero Daniel Hernandez, who is credited with saving the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Via Courage Campaign:
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"I think it's important for all leaders... not just leaders of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party... to say, look, we can't stand for this...we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is that the way that she has it depicted has the cross-hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they've got to realize there's consequences to that action." Dear Daniel:  I know something about senseless violence.I have never met Congresswoman Giffords, nor Judge Roll, nor any of the other victims of the shocking massacre that occurred Saturday in Tucson. But I recall as though it were yesterday the assassinations in 1978 of my friend and mentor Harvey Milk along with San Francisco Mayor Moscone. As if that were not enough, only seven years later, I was stabbed by a group of skinheads screaming "faggot." For me, political violence has never been hypothetical. Harvey received so many death threats that he stopped looking at them. He almost assumed he would be killed, because of the hate speech and incendiary language that foes of equality hurled with impunity. On Saturday, it happened again. While no one knows for sure what drove Jared Loughner to commit this heinous act, we do know that the toxic political discourse in this country today- candidates talking about "second amendment remedies", news networks featuring anti-government conspiracy theorists, and national political figures like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin describing themselves as "progressive hunters" and urging followers to "reload"- lays the groundwork for this kind of violence (1, 2, 3, 4). We shouldn't stand for it. It has to stop. That's why today the Courage Campaign calls on Rep. Darrell Issa, the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to investigate the ties between violence and increasing calls for it in our national political dialogue. Mr. Issa has promised to hold a hearing every day on various Obama administration programs and legislation. What about hearings on what led to this attack? How about an investigation into increasing calls for violence from national political figures, organizations, and the media? It's time for him to call hearings now on the environment that led to the deaths. We know that law enforcement and the judiciary will bring the perpetrators to justice. But that's only this time. What about next time? We will never end this violence until we have an honest national dialogue about who and what is feeding it, and determine the steps that can be taken to prevent more violence. Will you join me in calling on Chairman Issa to investigate how overheated political rhetoric can contribute to such violence? Let us do more than bring the shooter to justice. Let us put the spotlight on those who are teaching the next shooter that violence is the answer. Join me in calling on Chairman Issa to convene hearings, so that we may again become a nation of democracy and debate, rather than mob rule and violence. Together, Cleve Jones (1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/ (2) http://twitter.com/ (3) http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/ (4) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ |
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Via JMG: Here's How Giffords' Opponent Sold Himself In The 2010 Campaign
Andrew Sullivan: "If you are not disturbed by what it proclaims as the essence of true conservatism - a sunglasses wearing soldier with a machine gun in his open crotch - you should be."NOTE: For those unaware, "RINO" means "Republican in name only." The acronym is commonly used on sites like Free Republic to mock members of the GOP who express anything other than hard-right philosophies. Similarly, some Democrats have taken up "DINO" to describe Blue Dog Dems and other Democrats who support right-of-center ideals.
Via JMG: Openly Gay Intern Daniel Hernandez Jr. Credited With Saving Life Of Rep. Giffords
Daniel Hernandez Jr., the 20-year old student intern credited with saving the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, confirmed to the Dallas Voice this morning that he is openly gay. Hernandez, who confirmed that he is gay in an interview with Instant Tea on Sunday morning, is a member of the City of Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. “She’s been a great ally to the LGBT community,” Hernandez said of Giffords during the brief interview across a bad connection. According to the Arizona Republic, Hernandez was standing about 30 feet from Giffords during the “Congress on Your Corner” event outside a Safeway store near Tucson. When the gunshots began, Hernandez ran toward them and began checking the pulses of people who’d been hit.Hernandez is a junior at the University of Arizona where he is a political science major. Drop by his Facebook page and let him know how proud of him he all are.When Hernandez got to Giffords, he used his hand to apply pressure to the entry wound on her forehead. He pulled her into his lap and held her upright so she wouldn’t choke on her blood. Hernandez used his hand to apply pressure to the wound until someone brought clean smocks from the meat department of the grocery store. He stayed with Giffords until paramedics arrived, then climbed into an ambulance with her. On the way to the hospital, he squeezed her hand and she squeezed back
NOTE: The website for the Dallas Voice is presently showing an "Account Suspended" message. It's possible that this news has caused the site to temporarily exceed its hosting agreement. I'll update this post if more is learned.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
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