Yalies Push Back on Hate

(photo courtesy of D. Carvalho, Yale Daily News)
I noticed that UU's got left off the poster's list.

Forever a classic, just like the new hate mail Markos got this past week at DK.

(h/t TN)

Good Analysis by Newshounds About Hannity's Show Last Night

For those of you who were wise enough not to watch on other channels of the teeve, I decided to watch Hannity for a little while to see if he would fess up to his misguided attacks on the DHS. I thought, well Shepard Smith could own up to it, maybe there's a chance for Hannity.

Well, Hannity didn't take that opportunity. Instead, he had the hero of Freeperville on, Newt Gingrich. But I think I'll link to Newshounds instead to give you the skinny on why any progressive with a half brain would be outraged at these two. Hannity ensured too that it was fair and balanced by having the most vicious GOP hack, Ann Coulter, on the show to attack other folks.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Newshounds, they watch Fox News so you don't have to. I think I will go back to my old practice of reading their site, Daily Kos, Eschaton, or Media Matters to get the news about the loons.

Edwards at Berkeley

A fellow blogger, Manoj, saw JRE at Berkeley yesterday and has suggested this article to post. And I will.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina is neither his party's front-runner nor the fresh-faced new kid on the block of Democratic presidential politics.

But the candidate -- who was the target of a high-profile conservative pundit's anti-gay slur Friday -- is viewed as something more by many of the party's young and loyal activists: a presidential hopeful with strong potential for a surprise showing in the 2008 race.

The measure of Edwards' appeal came Sunday as members of an overflow crowd sat on fences, jammed sidewalks and even filled parking lots near the Berkeley YWCA where he addressed 1,000 activists and potential voters.

"I want to say something about my party," he said. "I'm so tired of incremental, careful caution. Where is our soul? Where is our soul? We are our most powerful when we speak from here" -- he touched his heart -- "and not from a poll."

Dressed in jeans and shirtsleeves, he issued a call to action for "transformational change" in America on issues like health care, the environment, education and even what he called "the bleeding sore that is Iraq."

In a news conference afterward, Edwards talked about the scathing attack last week by author Ann Coulter, who dismissed him as a "faggot" in a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington -- whose members laughed and applauded the slur.

Edwards said Coulter's comment was "hateful, selfish, childish behavior."

LINK

Thanks to Berkeley Bubble blog.

Presidential Rhetoric

Yesterday I wrote about how Coultergeist reappeared and the Edwards' responses to her caustic, hateful words. There are some of the DU who think their responses were tepid at best and should have gotten into the mud pit or post stronger rhetoric.

If these same critics had read Saving Graces, they would know that Elizabeth was a target of hate herself in the last campaign. Here are a few excerpts worth sharing from Saving Graces, p 252-3, in which the setting is Grand Junction, CO:

On a bench outside the airport gates sat a man, perhaps in his 60's, his hair thinning, the color of his faded jacket and the color of his weathered skin nearly the same, and on his lap he held a handmade sign, maybe 12 by 18 inches, and on the sign a single word, plainly printed: FATSO.

skip a couple of paragraphs to page 253:

The sign I realized, was meant for me. It was a thrust of ugliness and meanness, designed to throw me off. The man had made the sign, driven to the airport, parked and sat on that bench for who knows how long, waiting for me to come by, so that I would read his sign, so I would see that someone, a plain old man, called me Fatso.

If you didn't understand John, or even grasp what Elizabeth said, read further here, again quoting from her book:

--there were 3 Secret Service agents and my little team, more than the usual load. "Did you see that guy?" I could tell 2 things from the way the Secret Service had responded: they had hoped I hadn't seen it, and they were mad."

I think I understand how John and Elizabeth operate. They have to "shrug" this off, but as Elizabeth and John say, this talk has no place in our society at large. But like any president or first lady, it is important to keep the message focused, then move on. The difference in the response here, and one I haven't seen in the past 6 years, is one of true empathy. I think empathy, a true Saving Grace, is what the Edwards as a family will bring to the White House in 2009.

Update: James S at JE08 reminded me of this PSA spot Elizabeth did at Thanksgiving last year. Here's the clip.



Decency costs nothing, as Elizabeth said.

Tools Deserve Sisyphus' Fate for Bashing Gays

As BW readers have seen every where, including the Media Matters sidebar on this site, the Coultergeist has a potty mouth of her own.

But instead of apologizing, and in which GOP pols even had to say her comments about gays was wrong, the NYT printed an article that read (albeit I'm not crazy about the reporter, but it's better than no article at all):

Ms. Coulter, asked for a reaction to the Republican criticism, said in an e-mail message: “C’mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.”

On her site, in which she calls herself, Chairman Ann (whatever that means, chairman of her chair I guess), her comment is, " I'm so ashamed, I cannot stop laughing."


Meantime, John Edwards issued the following statement this afternoon:

Ann Coulter's use of an anti-gay slur yesterday was un-American and indefensible. In America, we strive for equality and embrace diversity. The kind of hateful language she used has no place in political debate or our society at large.

I believe it is our moral responsibility to speak out against that kind of bigotry and prejudice every time we encounter it.

Elizabeth Edwards said it best, and perhaps it is because she has been the target of hate herself in the last campaign, with these words:

When Miss Coulter spoke about John at the conservative convention in Washington yesterday, she used a word that she intended as a nasty and derogatory suggestion. John and I have long ago shrugged off the vile words of this person. When she made a joke about the exact moment of death of Charlie Dean (Howard's brother and a schoolmate of mine), and when she attacked the courageous 9-11 widows, she told you all you need to know about what she is made of: her compassion -- or lack thereof. Now we need to find out about you.

Although her words did not hurt us, they may have hurt some in the gay community. We are all sick and tired of anyone supporting or applauding or introducing hate words into the national dialogue, tired of people thinking that words that cause others pain are fair game. And we are sick and tired of people like Miss Coulter thinking that her use of loaded words about the homosexual community in this country is remotely humorous or appropriate.

John gave a graduation speech at NC State several years ago, and in it he said that none of us can stand by when words of bigotry and division are used. It is only when the rest of us stand up and say that this is not acceptable that we drum out the hate-mongers from amongst us. The first reaction in the room at the conservative convention yesterday was a gasp -- a horrified gasp, even -- but it did not last. In a few seconds, those who were not horrified started clapping and drowned out the gasps.

Now it is our turn to drown out the hate. Find a way -- whether it is contribution here that sends a message to Miss Coulter and those who applauded her (which, of course, I prefer) or whether it is a statement on this blog or others or all of the above -- but please find a way not to sit silent in acceptance. It doesn't change until we say we will not be silent when this happens.

Silence..is betrayal.

I hope John Edwards includes this incident in his speech tomorrow at Berkeley in commemorating the march at Selma and civil rights.

Family Values pic of GOP candidate Mitt, Romney, and his Ann supporters (his wife and Coulter) at CPAC yesterday

(photo at CPAC courtesy of Talking Points Memo)




It was said in mythology that King Sisyphus was punished by Zeus for his hubris. So should Coulter (who is the Queen of the Mean Kingdom), the GOP, MSM, and anyone who is silent in not denouncing hate talk against gays, and for foul comments about John Edwards.