Slinkerwink suggested a separate diary be made for this, so apologies if this ends up being short. My friend alerted me to live comments on CNN from Texas governor Rick Perry about the plane that was purposely crashed into the Internal Revenue Service building (which, to me, fits the definition of a "terror attack"). His comments included this line:
"It is always a battle between a battle of anarchy and tyranny,"
The role of a governor, or any leader in this situation, is to unequivocally condemn the attack and convince people that things will get better, and that this would not happen again. The above quote shows, on the other hand, that:
- Perry is not taking sides. In fact, he appears confused as to whether he should support the "anarchist" who committed this atrocious crime, or to support the "tyrannical leaders" of which he is technically a part of, being an elected official.
- Rather than reassuring the people, Perry instead frames it in terms of an ongoing battle between two, frankly, bad sides, from which the people would be helpless.
Thoughts? I'll update with more as the discussion continues.
Update: Little points out another Perry quote:
"Our hope is that the days of flying aircraft into buildings are over," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry."But you always have some exposure in a free society."
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
It's a start, but not exactly the strong condemnation a situation like this deserves. Let me know if you find any other Perry responses to this.
Update 2: OIL GUY pointed out Perry's response to the Fort Hood tragedy in November:
"The Texas family suffered a significant loss today with the tragedy at Fort Hood. Along with all Texans, Anita and I are keeping those affected by today’s incidents in our thoughts and prayers.
"We are deeply saddened by today’s events, but resolve to continue supporting our troops and protecting our citizens.
I have to agree with OIL GUY's comment that there's a disconnect between Perry's reaction to Fort Hood and that to this act. I apologize if it seems like I'm trying to twist or cherry-pick his words here to make him look worse. I'm just wondering where the strong reaction that was so evident in Fort Hood is today, for an act that is quite frankly just as heinous of an act.