Hello everyone,
I'm afraid this is a bit of a hasty diary, and as it is my very first here on Daily Kos, I do apologize. I am sorry, too, that I will not be able to be back for comments, if any, until much later this evening. But it is not my opinion here that is important, it is merely to pass along something I just saw happen, that I could not let go by without reporting to this community.
I was just listening to Hardball (something I seldom do, actually) and a Congresswoman from Maine was on (along w/Raul Grijalva and Debbie Wassermann-Shultz). The Congresswoman from Maine, Chellee Pingree (whose name I did not know when I sent my e-mail), following Raul Grijalva's indictment of the vile vitriol from the Right, followed up with the statement
"But you know honestly it happens on the left and the right. There was a left wing blogger who when Gabby didn't vote for Nancy Pelosi said, 'Gabby Giffords, you're dead.'"
More below the fold. . .
I was so appalled (yet not completely surprised) to hear this utterance from a Democrat, that I immediately sent off an e-mail to Hardball (for all the good it will do).
I wanted to share that, and to ask if anyone reads this, and can add any information or thoughts of how to counter this horrible misinformation, they go ahead and post. She went on to say that "Yes, words do matter". I agree completely, which is why I feel this needs to be highlighted.
Thank you for reading.
My email:
"Dear Chris Matthews,
The Congresswoman from Maine, whose name I cannot recall and do not wish to take time to research at this moment, stated on your show a few minutes ago that there was also a "left-wing" blogger who wrote, upon being disappointed in Gabby Giffords' vote agains Nancy Pelosi: "You're dead".
That is simply not true.
The blogger in question was someone who had worked for Gabby Giffords, admired her greatly, and was, along with all of his family, appalled when she voted against Pelosi's leadership. Likewise, he, with all of his family, was appalled at what happened to her. However, the statement he actually made -- and was quick, in light of the events of Sunday, to apologize for, and to delete his diary from DailyKos -- was that she "is dead to me."
Anyone with an ounce of literacy or cultural knowledge, knows that this statement is one used by Jewish mothers and multitudes of others, over and over and over again, not to wish harm upon someone, or as a threat, but rather as a statement that this person is no longer part of my life. Not only did you not correct the record when the Congresswoman spoke; you are perpetuating this false equivalency meme that has taken hold that "both sides are equally culpable" for practically any infringement of civil behavior that happens. And it is SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
If people on the Democratic side of matters participate in this willful misunderstanding of facts, and never attempt to correct it (and worse, in this case, actually further something the right has seized upon as their "out" for their very real culpability in recent events), then we are done for as a nation.
Even if this unnamed blogger cited by the Congresswoman from Maine, had said what she stated that he said, and meant it in that way (neither of which is the case), to in any way equate that with the multitudes of statements put out there by the Right over the past two years in particular, statements made by highly public figures with highly public platforms and profiles, who are heard over and over and over again, is worse than reprehensible. It is horrifying and complicit.
I BEG you to correct this. You may not feel that it matters much in the scheme of things, but it does matter greatly. Surely one minute's thought should make that very clear."
UPDATE W/CORRECTION: First and foremost, to BoyBlue, I am sorry for getting your name backwards; I had the feeling that I was when I wrote it, but was in such a hurry to get the diary posted, and my e-mail sent, before I had to rush out the door, that I just did not take the time to check. Please accept my heartfelt apology and equally heartfelt support in all of this.
Second, well, wow. . .rec list! I thank you all for reading and responding and recommending (!), and am especially grateful that the news about this incredibly disappointing event got out there and received so many responses and additions of new and helpful information.
Finally, as mentioned, this is my first diary here, and I am rather hopeless at the technical aspects of publishing on the site. Hence, in response to someone who suggested I post a link to BoyBlue's diaries, I do not yet know how to do that. But my understanding is that his original diary has already been reinstated and should be easily searchable.
UPDATE #2: Chellie Pingree's response. This entry is near the end of the diary; I am still unable to figure out how to link to it. I for one am grateful to Rep. Pingree -- and impressed with her actually paying attention and apologizing for her error.
Sorry for the error
Thank you to the DKos community for the feedback. I did misspeak when I named the title of the blog on Hardball, my apologies. I appreciate BoyBlue's immediate response and explanation, and agree that this is not the equivalent of some of the more egregious examples, such as the infamous "gun sights" map. But I do hope that we all recognize in the wake of this tragedy that our words do matter and we need to choose them carefully.
Also, I just want to clarify that whether I'm in Washington or in my home district in Maine, you are welcome to call -- messages get to me from either office even when I'm not physically there. My phone number is 202-225-6116 and all my contact info is also on my website, http://pingree.house.gov/...
by Chellie Pingree on Tue Jan 11, 2011 at 06:55:38 AM PST