The massacre in Tucson is shaping up as an awkward episode for racists, nativists, and homophobes. First, the surgeon who saved Giffords’ life at the hospital is Rhee, and oboy, does he look like the right guy in scrubs at the right time. The kid who ran towards the shooting, stayed calm, checked bodies for pulses, and may have saved her life at the scene is Hernandez. Neither appears to have ancestors on the Mayflower. More awkward still, Hernandez is gay [UPDATE: alternate link for this] which doesn’t help with the concern about unit cohesion, being able to trust gay buddies to put their lives at risk for you when the bullets are flying, and all that. [name corrected 9/I/11, sorry]
|
It might get even worse.
Pure speculation here but check out this post on a TPM thread:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/police_looking_for_second_person_of_interest_in_ar.php?ref=fpb#comment-126497641
Here is the opening lede:
And here is the Fox news link:
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/01/09/dhs-memo-suggests-shooter-may-be-linked-racist-organization#ixzz1AYSpwPND
Another piece of the rainbow mosaic here: Gifford’s the first Jewish member of the Arizona congressional delegation.
Also, Hernandez is a wide gay hero.
I keep seeing that Giffords was az’s first Jewish congressional Tula — but wasn’t Barry Goldwater born into a Jewish family?
Damn iPad … Tula above was supposed to read type.
Goldwater was raised as an episcopalian, maintained that affiliation as an adult, and never was a member of the House.
Goldwater was a lifelong Episcopalian, his mother was Christian, and his parents were married in an Episcopalian church: “Jewish family” is a stretch. Giffords is a member of a temple in Tucson.
The Dallas Voice article Michael linked to is no longer available. Perhaps there’s a mistake about Hernandez being gay? Or maybe not. The kid’s a hero, whatever his sexuality.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jack Vetterli and Miss Leya, Alltop Politics. Alltop Politics said: Bad day for the haters http://bit.ly/dFuSAx [...]
Make lemonade while the lemons are fresh.
Carter, regardless of the circumstances, everyone everywhere is better off pretending Mark Penn didn’t exist.
Mother of slain nine year old in the NYTimes:
You can’t blame her for hoping her child’s death will mean something…
And the fact that Tea Party leader Sarah Palin has scrubbed her web site clean of crosshairs is a good start…
The rhetoric of populist anger and rebellion is incoherent to the point of being nearly indistinguishable from the rantings of a schizophrenic in the midst of a psychotic break, and our politics provides no option, no voice, no vision, no hope to understand or oppose what is done in Washington or New York to create an economy without enough jobs, a government (apparently) incompetent to control borders, foreclosures, finance, taxes, health care, . . . .
Cardinal Fang, here’s another link. http://chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/15732025/gay-intern-helped-save-rep-gabrielle-giffords-life Dallas Voice says it’s down for maintenance.
Michael, you’re a hater and it seems like you’re having a good day.
I believe Rep. Giffords was the third Jewish Member of Congress from Arizona, after Sam Steiger (R, 1967-77) and me (D, 1993-95).
Thanks for the correction, and my apologies for passing on the misinformation.
Only current Jewish member from AZ, then.
Maybe the first Jewish woman member of Congress from Arizona?
[...] surgery by Peter M. Rhee. Judging by their names, neither one is a Mayflower descendant. Click on Bad day for the haters for his full [...]
I just spent my “moment of silence”, praying for the recovery of Giffords, the other victims in the hospital, and the families of those who were killed. I asked God, whom I believe in, to heal those victims and comfort the families.
No one, no matter what their political beliefs, should ever resort to violence in the United States of America. Vote. This person should be a prison lifer for sure, and insanity should not matter. I am definitely angry that any elected official and the Federal judge were attacked, but even more angry about the little girl who died. THAT is enough to put this guy away for life.
I am a literal Bible believing, born-again Christian. I am thankful for those who reacted couragously. I don’t care what their sexual activities are… why are we even talking about it? The young man, Hernandez, is a HERO, why is sexual orientation even an issue? The Bible talks about it, so I have that viewpoint, but what does that have to do with this incident at all ???
What I find, is that most of YOU on this blog hate ME, because of my religous beliefs. That sucks, because I don’t hate anyone and I am not racist, or homophobic.
Vince V.
Nice!! In one of the most xenophobic and homophobic states in America, a hero of the day is a gay Latino.
Good thing he forgot to check in first with his Senator John McCain about whether his gayness would “disrupt unit cohesion” —
- or with Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer for questions about his citizenship.
I don’t hate you, Vince. Why should I?
Vince: Nice post, until you got to the end: “What I find, is that most of YOU on this blog hate ME,because of my religous beliefs.”
Where do you “find” this? Can you point to hateful statements “most” of us have made about you?
Not hatin’ on ya Vince, but I do find the paranoid victim mentality a bit unattractive.
Vince: I don’t hate you. I disagree with your religious beliefs. I think that to the extent they purport to state truth about the universe, they are factually incorrect. There has never been a shred of scientific proof of the existence of a supreme being. Nonetheless, it’s your right as an individual to hold such beliefs. I do strongly disagree with the “Christians as victims in America” trope. America is the most Christian, and most religious, rich country in the world. Christians have their point of view represented on our currency, in the Pledge of Allegiance, and in our civil rights laws, which deny marriage equality to those who practice a lifestyle of which Christians disapprove. George Bush Sr. even said that he doesn’t consider atheists to be full American citizens, and a recent poll revealed that atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. Countless other studies have shown that the least religious rich countries are the happiest and most functional. Religion may do you personally some good, but it’s poison for society.