@CoffeePartyUSA reacts to the tragedy in Arizona
Coffee Party USA has not only been working on the upcoming For The People Summit on January 20th-22nd, including launching a new website for the event, it has, like nearly every politically involved person and organization in America, been watching and reacting to last Saturday's mass shooting.
Join me, the maintainer of the Coffee Party USA community on LiveJournal and one of the adminstrators of Join the Coffee Party Movement Michigan on Facebook, over the fold for the reaction of Coffee Party USA to the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others.
Crossposted to Daily Kos.
COFFEE PARTY FOUNDER SPEAKS OUT ON ARIZONA SHOOTING
Washington, DC - Coffee Party co-founder Annabel Park issued the following statement today regarding the tragic shooting in Arizona over the weekend:
"This is not the moment to justify hatred or anger at our own, perceived opponents. This is the time to unite in our love for peace and the well-being of our community, country and humanity.
“The shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others in Arizona is heartbreaking on many levels, most of all the tragic loss of life. It is a sad day, also, because we are not shocked by these events. Violent language, vitriol and intolerance have become normal, useful and profitable in our culture. And, whether or not our political climate contributed to this tragedy, it has forced all of us to live with a sense that political violence is inevitable. We cannot stand for this. We the People must unite and work together to face the many difficult challenges facing us as a nation. We must resolve to begin a new era of civic engagement working together as a people."
Park and the Coffee Party online community (including 338,529 on Facebook) have started a petition calling on all Americans to end this era of extreme division
Following is the text of that petition. To sign, click on the link in the subject line and enter your name, email address, city, state, and zip code.
Petition: Resolve to End the Violent Rhetoric
Dear Fellow Americans,
This is a heartbreaking moment in American history. Although we do not know the details of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 20 others in Tucson, we do know that we are living through an era in which horrific acts of violence directed at politicians seem inevitable. It's heartbreaking in part because we're not shocked.
We're not shocked because violent language, vitriol and intolerance have become normal, useful and profitable in our culture. It is deliberately used in political campaign activities and packaged into entertainment by the media.
The world that we are co-creating right now as citizens, members of the media and politicians is a world at perpetual war. It is a world in which American people are not only at war with people outside the country, but with people inside the country. We believe this constant strife is weakening our nation.
At some point, as American citizens, we have to say: enough is enough with the violent rhetoric and the politics of division. As Abraham Lincoln said to a divided nation in 1861: We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.
To politicians and the media, we'd like to say: stop pushing our buttons and behave responsibly. Stop inducing conflict among the American people to advance your political or profit-driven agenda.
We, the undersigned, accept our civic duty to end this era of violent rhetoric and the politics of division. It is our responsibility - as citizens, politicians and the members of the media - to encourage civil and informed political engagement. We recognize that civility, tolerance and understanding are values that form the foundation of a stable, prosperous, and democratic society.
The assassination and mass shooting were also a major subject of Coffee Party USA's Blog Talk Radio program today.
Open Call-in Hour w/ Annabel
1/10/2011 5:00 PM - 1 hr
Description: These are difficult days for America. The shooting in Tucson has been a wake up call for many across the country. Let's talk. Let's call for a renewed commitment to civility and cooperation. Let's begin to heal our country.
Coffee Party USA has also featured the voices of others on its Facebook page. First up, Ariana Huffington.
Huffington Post: Arizona Shootings: Our Moment of Silence Needs to Be Followed by More Than Just Lowered Voices
Today's moment of silence was poignant, and we are being urged to follow it by ratcheting down the tone of our political discourse. But that's not enough. Along with raising the politeness level, we must also have a real conversation about what kind of country we want to live in, and take practical, concrete action to create it.
Rage, paranoia, and division are not the only possible responses to the very legitimate anger millions of Americans -- on both sides of the political spectrum -- are feeling at the state of the country and the state of their lives. And the Arizona shootings put a spotlight on the need to redirect that anger, frustration, and despair, and use them to take action, and make life better for those who need help. We can choose connection rather than division. Understanding rather than fear. Reaching out rather than turning away.
Coffee Party USA chose to highlight the following passage.
I'd love to see President Obama use this moment to call on the country to find ways to "overcome evil with good." Americans, he said in a 2006 speech, "want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives." That purpose should be found in the shared national objective of rebuilding our communities and our connection to each other through everyday acts of compassion, generosity, and service.
Next, Jillian Rayfield.
Talking Points Memo: Megyn Kelly Questions Sheriff Dupnik On His 'Political Spin' Of Giffords Shooting
Dupnik's been making the rounds, talking about the tense political climate that may have contributed to the mass shootings in Arizona over the weekend that targeted Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D). Talking about inflammatory rhetoric, Dupnik told Kelly: "I think it's irresponsible for us not to address this kind of behavior and try to put a stop to it. There's no doubt in my mind that there are consequences to this type of behavior."
Coffee Party USA commented that "We support Sheriff Clarence Dupnik's view on the shooting and call on Fox News management and reporters to think critically about their own rhetoric & spin."
Other stories about the shooting featured on Coffee Party USA's Facebook page included the following.
L.A. Times: Shooting victim, 79, had retired to Arizona
Though a Republican, Phyllis Schneck had come to shake Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' hand. She had moved to escape the New Jersey winters; her husband died of cancer a few years ago.
N.Y. Times: Born on Sept. 11, Claimed by a New Horror
Mrs. Green said that she hoped that Christina’s death would bring not only justice in the jailing of her attacker but also a national awareness of the cost of a venomous political dialogue.
“I think there’s been a lot of hatred going,” she said, “and it needs to stop.”
Washington Post: Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tucson: Did it stem from state of political discourse?
"You have to be very careful what you say. We live in a very polarized environment here in the United States, and while I do believe in the second amendment, no one should be referring to second amendment solutions," said Patrick Beck, president of the Mohave County Tea Party in the northern part of the state.
N.Y. Times: A Turning Point in the Discourse, but in Which Direction?
The more pressing question, though, is where this all ends - whether we will begin to re-evaluate the piercing pitch of our political debate in the wake of Saturday’s shooting, or whether we are hurtling unstoppably into a frightening period more like the late 1960s.
Finally, here is Coffee Party USA founder Annabel Park speaking on July 5, 2010 about her personal reaction to extreme political division and the need to stand up to extremism.
Click to viewBoth the text of a petition and a link the original for people wishing to sign it are in the body of the diary.