The Tucson Massacre Pep Rally

Breaking...memorial service in Tucson turns into political rally
Even before the first words were spoken at this evening's memorial service for the Victims of Saturday's massacre in Tucson, the atmosphere turned overtly political. White House operatives passed out t-shirts to the crowd with Obama's new campaign logo, 'Together We Thrive.'  The words were also taped to the seats in which mourners would sit during the service. During Wednesday night’s memorial service of the fallen and wounded in the Arizona shooting tragedy attendees received a free...

Sarah Palin vs Barack Obama: Their differing reactions to the Arizona shooting according to Politico
  Earlier today I read this article on Politico about the differing reactions between Barack Obama and Sarah Palin on the shooting in Arizona. I found the article quite interesting, here is the main crux of the article: In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency in next year. At sunrise in the East on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest — or capacity —...

Media meme o the day: Obamas speech was much more presidential than Palins
This is a useful way to wrap up (hopefully) the coverage of Our National Conversation On Rhetoric as it’s a stark example of how easily the Propaganda about Palin’s culpability in the shootings was accepted as a political fact of life. There are two ways a reporter could address yesterday’s oratorical bookends by her and Obama. One: “Hey, isn’t it insane that Palin had to give this Speech? People don’t normally have to point out that they’re not respon...

Michelle Obama sees lessons after Arizona shooting
Mrs. Obama joined her husband, President Barack Obama, at a memorial service in Tucson on Wednesday for the Victims of Saturday's attack outside a Supermarket, where a gunman killed six people and critically wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Obama said Children would struggle with questions about what such an event says about the world. "The questions my daughters have asked are the same ones that many of your Children will have - and they don't lend themselves to easy answers," the fi...

Obama temporarily lifts ban on religious expression
Administration officials stunned the Tuscon Memorial crowd and television audience last night by talking about God. Although the auditorium crowd was instructed to applaud everything, television viewers were shocked when Janet Napolitano began reading from The Bible. “I expected Security Guards to take her away” remarked Lou Roberts, who watched the program from his favorite sports bar in Atlanta, Ga. Tension continued to fill the air as Attorney General Eric Ho...

Bizarre Tucson Memorial
Humor me while I throw in my two cents. Perhaps it was the raucous whopping. Perhaps it was the Opening Ceremony with the Chief blessing all above, below, here, there, everywhere. Maybe it was the Holder and Napolitano reading the scriptures. No one of the cloth this time to invoke the spiritual. Janet shouting out “hello Tucson, hello Arizona” didn’t awaken my empathy, but perhaps it was her reading of Isaiah. “Make straight in the dessert a highway” that came to m...

An evening in Tucson -- the good, the bad, and the ugly
Posted by Paul at 9:55 PM In the post immediately below, I praised President Obama's Speech in Tucson this evening in honor of the Victims of that horrific Shooting Spree. That Speech was part of a larger ceremony which, on the whole, was rather a mixed bag. The best thing about the evening, even better than Obama's speech, was the news he delivered that Rep. Giffords today opened her eyes on her own for the first time since she was shot. Other good spots: Daniel Hernandez, the intern who helpe...

Consider removing mentally deranged individuals from society
Now that attempts to lay the blame for the Arizona shooting on Talk Radio, Sarah Palin or the Tea Party movement are clearly going nowhere, the new meme seems to be that stricter Gun Control laws could have prevented this tragedy.  I submit that another law is exactly the wrong response to this.  What we need is to start holding officials accountable for enforcing existing laws and consider using existing tools to remove mentally deranged individuals from among us.  While gun cont...

Tacky branding done in poor taste (Memorial service or political event?)
As AJStrata rather appropriately quips, what is it with liberals and their tacky 'Memorials.' Who's tje sicko that decided to handout T-Shirts at a memorial service? Michelle Malkin describes the event as the right Speech, given too late, in a boneheaded venue (WOOT!): ... the University of Arizona announced the Together We Thrive event -- and a few readers write in to say that the campus initiated the logo/campaign. Given U of A president Robert Shelton's embarrassing, thinly-veiled partisan ch...

A Tale of Two Times: Re-Electing Obama, Vilifying Palin
For two non-partisan speeches that were remarkably similar yesterday, the coverage of them by the New York Times couldn't have been more partisan. "President Obama offered the nation's condolences on Wednesday to the Victims of the shootings here, calling on Americans to draw a lesson from the lives of the fallen and the actions of the heroes, and to usher in a new era of civility in their honor." "Sarah Palin broke her silence on Wednesday and delivered a forceful denunciation of her critics in...

Congressman Clyburn engages in inciteful hate speech
Well, I mean he did if you by the left’s definition of “Hate Speech” the last week or so - which is to say someone saying/doing/posting something that the left believes can potentially be used as incitement to commit political violence. Real Clear Politics has the transcript. You can watch video of Clyburn’s remarks at the same link (via Doug Powers ) Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) has been an outspoken critic of the use of so-called violent or vitriolic political rhetor...

"They Couldn't Help It": Right-wing Media Strain To Find Ways To Attack Obama's Memorial Speech
Right-wing Media Invent Absurd Attacks On Obama's Memorial Speech Hoft Falsely Claims Obama "Fibbed" About Giffords "Opening Her Eyes For The First Time." In a January 13 post on his blog Gateway Pundit, blogger Jim Hoft linked to a cached article from the blog the Sonoran Chronicle, which misquoted Chief Trauma Surgeon Dr. Peter Rhee as having said in a Press Conference, "Giffords can open her eyes but because she is on a ventilator she can't speak." The Sonoran Chronicle post itself had been...

Tucson service shows what liberals really mean by 'separation of church and state'
Despite the wholly inappropriate and distracting pep rally sound track, there were some moving moments in last night's memorial service at the University of Arizona for the Victims of Saturday's Safeway massacre in Tucson. But one thing that ought not be allowed to pass by without comment was how the event illustrated as no other public commemoration in recent memory what is really meant when the doctrine of "Separation of Church and State" is invoked by proponents of liberal multiculturalist co...

Limbaugh Slams Arizona Pep Rally And Slobbering Fox News All-Stars
Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves and wasn’t so eager to echo the overwhelming praise of President Obama ’s memorial Speech last night. Not only was he shocked by the “pep rally” tone of the crowd (something that also troubled CBS’ Mark Knoller during today’s Press Conference with Robert Gibbs ), but he also had some complaints about what was said, the timing of the ceremony and the media reaction to it. Limbaugh first doubted the wisdom of having Department ...

Right now: President Obama headed to hospital where Rep Giffords is in the ICU
Here is the White House pool report (from Arizona). Note also there is the list of people who met President Obama on the tarmac in Arizona. News: We are heading to University Medical Center to see Rep Giffords, husband and several other Victims still in the Hospital . Pool will hold outside. Flotus and potus walked down steps and each spoke for a few moments with each of several greeters (names below). Flotus was first, followed by potus, Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Justice Kennedy, Nancy Pel...

Rush: Obama Speech Was Pep Rally
Mediaite reports: Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves and wasn’t so eager to echo the overwhelming praise of President Obama’s memorial Speech last night. Not only was he shocked by the “pep rally” tone of the crowd (something that also troubled CBS’ Mark Knoller during today’s Press Conference with Robert Gibbs), but he also had some complaints about what was said, the timing of the ceremony and the media reaction to it. Limbaugh first doubted the wisdom of having Depar

President Obama official schedule and guidance, Jan. 12, 2011. Tucson Memorial Service
In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. This meeting is closed press. Later in the morning, the President will meet with Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon to discuss U.S. support for Lebanon's Sovereignty, independence, and stability, the ongoing work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and other regional issues. Lebanon is an important partner in U.S. efforts to promote peace, stability, and justice in the Middle East. The President an...

President Obama at Tucson memorial service
About 45 minutes into the service, following remembrances by Gov. Brewer, former Governor and current DHS Secretary Napolitano, and Attorney General Holder, President Obama is introduced by UA President Robert N. Shelton. The text of his remarks as prepared are available below the fold. President Obama is expected to speak for just under twenty minutes. Update: President Obama's begins: To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the Students of this university...

The First State Approved Megachurch Service
That's essentially how The PJ Tatler describes last night's memorial in Tucson: Last night we may have witnessed the 21st Century's first spiritual gathering in which our political leaders become High Priests too. There were no Jewish rabbis or Catholic and Christian clergy who represented the faiths of those who actually died or were terribly maimed. Instead, the University of Arizona offered up Secular political leaders to serve as our spiritual leaders. They were the ones who were there to s...

A letter from Michelle Obama to parents after the Tucson tragedy
From the White House: Dear parents, Like so many Americans all across the country, Barack and I were shocked and heartbroken by the horrific act of violence committed in Arizona this past weekend.  Yesterday, we had the chance to attend a memorial service and meet with some of the families of those who lost their lives, and both of us were deeply moved by their strength and resilience in the face of such unspeakable tragedy. As parents, an event like this hits home especially hard. ...

Note from First Lady Mrs. Obama
Like so many Americans all across the country, Barack and I were shocked and heartbroken by the horrific act of violence committed in Arizona this past weekend. Yesterday, we had the chance to attend a memorial service and meet with some of the families of those who lost their lives, and both of us were deeply moved by their strength and resilience in the face of such unspeakable tragedy. As parents, an event like this hits home especially hard. It makes our hearts ache for those who lost loved ...

Michelle Obama's Open Letter to Parents
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at a memorial service for the Victims of Saturday's shootings at McKale Center on the University of Arizona campus Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (CBS) First lady Michelle Obama posted an Open Letter to parents Thursday on the White House blog in which she asked parents to talk openly with their kids about the shooting in Tucson Saturday and answer questions Children had about it. Among the Victims was Christina Taylor G...

Michelle Obama sees lessons after Arizona shooting (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – First Lady Michelle Obama urged parents across the United States on Thursday to talk to their Children about the Arizona shootings and use the event to teach them a lesson about American values. Mrs. Obama joined her husband, President Barack Obama, at a memorial service in Tucson on Wednesday for the Victims of Saturday's attack outside a Supermarket, where a gunman killed six people and critically wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Obama said children...

Mrs. Obama talks tolerance in open letter to parents
First Lady Michelle Obama on Thursday urged parents to teach their Children tolerance in response to the deadly Tucson Shooting Spree that touched off debate about political Rhetoric. Mrs. Obama, who joined her husband at a memorial service for the Victims Wednesday, issued an Open Letter to parents. Children are struggling, she said, to make sense of Saturday's shooting that killed six and left 14 injured, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. "We can teach them the value of tolerance -...

Branding the Tucson massacre: Together We Thrive in white and blue
President Obama used to preach that there was no “Red America” and no “Blue America,” just one America. But tonight at the memorial for the Tucson massacre Victims, it will be a sea of blue as the White House unveils the “Together We Thrive” logo and slogan. Yes, the Tucson massacre is being branded. All the University of Arizona buses in Tucson have been flashing the slogan on their digital signs. Attendees at the memorial tonight report that they are bein...