October 12, 2008
I’ve been reading about the shouts against Obama at McCain-Palin rallies. Shouts like “kill him,” and “terrorist,” and “treason.”
What’s happening to John McCain and Sarah Palin? They don’t speak out against this. They just accept these horrifying shouts.By their silence, they condone these poisonous attitudes.

That’s a sin of omission, just as bad as a sin of commission.
When you don’t speak against horrors, you are endorsing those horrors.
Are you not ashamed, Mr. McCain? Are you not ashamed Ms. Palin?
Are you not ashamed, Republican Party?
Are you not ashamed U.S. citizens?
These epithets don’t belong in a civilized society.These epithets don’t belong in the United States of America.
Why doesn’t all the media decry this behavior?
Why doesn’t the Republican Party speak out? And most importantly, what the hell are McCain and Palin doing, encouraging — yes encouraging! — this behavior?
There was a letter to the editor this weekend’sInternational Herald Tribune, the paper I read regularly while in France, where I am right now.
Judith Hendershott, a smart Londoner writes: “I was horrified to read…that someone at a Palin rally shouted ‘Kill him,’ presumably referring to Barack Obama. It is unclear whether this person was arrested, but here in Britain, Palin herself would have been arrested for inciting violence with her provocative remarks.”
I’m ashamed of my country, the United States of America. And don’t even get me started on the most recent U.S. export, the global financial crisis. I’m ashamed of the U.S. for that, too.

Filed under: Social Commentary

About Simone Joyaux

A consultant specializing in fund development, strategic planning, and board development, Simone P. Joyaux works with all types and sizes of nonprofits, speaks at conferences worldwide, and teaches in the graduate program for philanthropy at Saint Mary’s University, MN. Her books, Keep Your Donors and Strategic Fund Development, are standards in the field.

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