Monday, January 17, 2011
MLK, Jr
Here is the speech that Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the night before he was killed. It speaks volumes about civil rights and civility.
http://www.afscme.org/about/1549.cfm
http://www.afscme.org/about/1549.cfm
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
In the Aftermath
Politicians, citizens, the media, we all should take advantage of the unfortunate shootings in Tucson. While shooter may or may not have been politically motivated, his access to automatic multi-rounded guns is. The interpretation of the second amendment to allow such access is very political. While there are some who do hunt their meals, most us only hunt the aisles of our local supermarket. We need to really examine our gun culture, what it means and why is it necessary.
Second, in the memory of those who died trying to exercise their civil and political rights and talk to their congressional representative, we should take advantage of the opening to really talk about what political discourse should or should be, talk about civility, the lack or not of it, talk of responsibility, public good and community. Instead I hear the blame game--not my rhetoric, the shooter was acting on his own, etc, etc. For instance, if we believe the shooter was acting on his own, why do most people seem to castigate all billion Muslims as potential terrorists because of the actions of 19+??? If crosshairs, reload, etc. are not provoking violence but are metaphors for change and voting, perhaps we need to remember that in our democracy political change has been peacefully conducted at the voting booth (for the most part). [BTW, if Gov. Palin really believed that her rhetoric was not instigating violence, she should have decried the violence at the first of the 2008 rallies when her supporters who cried out "kill him" or called Obama a terrorist. But she did not, nor did McCain.]
Second, in the memory of those who died trying to exercise their civil and political rights and talk to their congressional representative, we should take advantage of the opening to really talk about what political discourse should or should be, talk about civility, the lack or not of it, talk of responsibility, public good and community. Instead I hear the blame game--not my rhetoric, the shooter was acting on his own, etc, etc. For instance, if we believe the shooter was acting on his own, why do most people seem to castigate all billion Muslims as potential terrorists because of the actions of 19+??? If crosshairs, reload, etc. are not provoking violence but are metaphors for change and voting, perhaps we need to remember that in our democracy political change has been peacefully conducted at the voting booth (for the most part). [BTW, if Gov. Palin really believed that her rhetoric was not instigating violence, she should have decried the violence at the first of the 2008 rallies when her supporters who cried out "kill him" or called Obama a terrorist. But she did not, nor did McCain.]
Labels: gun culture, Political Discourse, Tucson
