ankle deep

I have just decided to for the most part stay above all the ruckus and mud-slinging post Arizona shootings. Yes, I posted the f-bomb on my facebook page the day of the shooting... but come on, anger, confusion, sadness, shock, I get a pass on that one.
The President and First Lady went to Tucson for the memorial service last night, and I think his speech was lovely, and IF you were dry eyed when President Obama told the world that Congresswoman Giffords had opened her eyes, and Michelle gave her astronaut husband that big warm, genuine hug.... then, really, check on your own humanity. The much deserved praise from the MOST humble the future first openly gay Governor of Arizona, Daniel Hernandez was great to see. So much poise from such a young man  .....Sure, the usual vile harangue from the usual suspects, jumping on the "tone" of event... blah, blah, blah.....

I did not know what the phrase blood libel meant........a two second google later, and it is as toxic a phrase as exists in our language, odd choice from an odd , and increasingly irrelevant woman, just am going to waste no more emotion on guns , guts and glory Palin.....

ankle deep

So, the event is over with, a little long, college kids being college kids - there was hootin and hollar-ing where there really should not have been.... who am I to choose how you decide to morn? We watched on msnbc ( shock ) and Rachel came on and was doing a perfectly good re-cap, as she should have. I wanted to see if the fox set could eke out the slightest bit of praise for the President, so one click down, and the chosen panel of whoever really was doing their very best " give-Great-Aunt-Matilda-a-kiss "  post speech coverage, and then....

Well no, lets back up ,  just a second. The entire service started off with a professor from the University of Arizona medical school, (and also an Md) Dr. Carlos Gonzales, giving a Native American blessing to the event. Dr. Gonzales said in his tradition the " blessor " introduced himself pre- blessing, and told us, he was from the Tuscon area as anyone could be, of Mexican heritage on his mothers side, and local Native American people on his fathers.... he looked very much this, a nice looking handsome, Native American guy. It was a lovely , a little strange to my VERY untrained ear, but lovely prayer. Had it been a Hindu, Shinto, Sikh or Rastafarian blessing it would have seemed different to a person not of that religion - being all PC here and all. AND it's the South West! Lots and lots of Native Americans, I am sure to the people of Tucson, this was as normal as cactus pie. 

So now back to the fox news round up of old white guys. George Will wanna be Britt Hume goes OFF on Dr. Gonzales! Huh? From huffpo : " Hume continued that the opening Native American blessing, which was given by Carlos Gonzalez, a professor at the university, was "remarkable." By the time it was over, he said, Gonzalez had "blessed the reptiles of the sea and he had prayed to the four doors of the building and while I'm sure that all has an honorable tradition with his people, it was most peculiar."  
Huh? What? .... 2011, I don't think we get to go with , " damn them Jews move a lot while praying " Mr. Hume. It just seemed so out of place, out of time, to call another religions ceremonies peculiar.... on national tv. Just one more strike against the all white, all mainstream Christian Fox News.... I should not be shocked at all this late in the game, but when they serve up their xenophobia on a silver platter for the whole world to see, it can still rate a quick k+b rant....

UPDATE : Media Matters reads the k+b : READ HERE