The Cowards Among You
18 May 2008 12:30 pm by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
Edward M. Kennedy is an American patriot. I pray for his return to health so he can continue the fight he’s given his entire life.
After a very long day yesterday, coming home to the comments on the Senator
Edward Kennedy post was a sharp blow. I have never been more disappointed in
this community during the primary season than when I read some of your comments.
They have been deleted, with posting to that thread disabled. It’s the second
time in a week I’ve had to disengage comments. We’ve had a lot of trouble in
the comments recently and I realize I can’t nor do I want to control anyone,
but the lack of humanity from some of you towards Senator Kennedy was embarrassing.
I was appalled. That you weren’t was alarming.
The other aspect is the cowardice of many people to not jump in and rebut what
was being said. That’s the only way this community can work, because I can’t babysit you, though after yesterday it’s clear that’s what some of you require. So to those of you emailing me saying your were disappointed,
but didn’t have the spine to stand up in the comments yourself, stuff it. You’re
just as bad as the people who made the comments. One regular in the TM.com community
finally got it:
I just read your last post on the thread and am ashamed I didn’t speak up.
I was ready to post a video yesterday from Sen. Kennedy from last year, an
impassioned plea on the Senate floor about raising the min. wage to remind
everyone of his good work for our nation. But I chickened out fearing being
attacked for doing so. Shame on me and good on you. Thanks for all you do.
But the cowardice by those writing disparaging things about Senator Kennedy,
especially in the midst of a potential life threatening situation, was even
more shameful. Making jokes? Bringing up Kennedy’s past mistakes?
Have you no humanity? Never mind, I got the answer yesterday. It’s why I put up this post with these words after I returned home:
Politics has to be about more than your own candidate. It has to be about more than your own interests. It has to be about something larger than any two people or one nomination in a single year, because otherwise what we’re doing gets lost in all the fighting, zero sum salvos and constant oneupsmanship. More than it all, we must not lose our humanity on the alter of activism and partisanship. There has to be more to it than that.
Scan and Grey stood up, which is why they’re guest bloggers around here which isn’t for the faint of heart, as did a others. To those few who did, I thank
you from the bottom of my heart. But some regulars around here made fools of
themselves. You have lost my respect. It’s obvious you didn’t deserve it to
begin with. That more people didn’t stand up with Scan and Grey shows the mob
rule in the comments around here.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy has given his life to this country. The Lion of the
Senate has given his all to make this party and the policies for which we stand
stronger through legislation. Read this guest post by Mash to see what Senator Kennedy has meant to people around the world. He has given his entire life to this country, but the causes to which he’s committed knows no geographical bounds. He’s not perfect, who is? But I am so proud of his work on behalf of Democrats, the
poor and working people I cannot explain the respect I have for the fights he’s waged. One of those includes standing up against Iraq preemption when nobody else did, with many in the Senate, including Senator Hillary Clinton, voting to give Bush power he didn’t deserve and should never had.
Seeing what
unfolded yesterday upon returning home got my Irish-Scots blood up. That you have such disrespect for the work we do here leaves me livid.
So let me make this clear. Anyone ever posting such hateful drivel again will
be banned. I don’t care if this blog goes down to 10 commenters, with 3 of them
being me, Scan and Grey, but I will not condone, support, tolerate or accept
comments attacking someone like Edward M. Kennedy when he’s lying in a hospital
bed facing serious health conditions. That I have to even say this is pathetic and illustrates the rancid level of partisanship to which many have stooped.
Senator Clinton deserved better from you than to take your partisan rath out on an American patriot lying in a hospital bed. If you’re not ashamed, well, I’m ashamed enough for all of us.
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