Conservative Media Attacks This Beautiful Native American Blessing from Tucson Memorial Service

[ThirdChoice]

Run time: 08:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwfIDbmT-Vs   Posted on YouTube: January 13, 2011 By YouTube Member: ThirdChoiceVideos Views on YouTube: 1   Posted on DU: January 13, 2011 By DU Member: ThirdChoice Views on DU: 2415

 
Conservative Media Attack Native American Blessing At AZ Memorial Service

Following the memorial service for the victims of the tragic shooting in Tucson, several in the right-wing media attacked and mocked the inclusion of a Native American blessing as part of the invocation.

Speaker Carlos Gonzales Delivers Native American Blessing At AZ Memorial Service

During the January 12 memorial service held at the University of Arizona for the victims of the tragic Tucson shooting, Carlos Gonzales, who is an associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, delivered a traditional Native American blessing.
Right-Wing Media Attack "Rambling" Prayer As "Most Peculiar"

Hume: "While I'm Sure Has An Honorable Tradition With People, It Was Most Peculiar." After Fox News aired the Tucson memorial live on January 12, several Fox News anchors commented on the service. Brit Hume said he thought the "sobriety you might have expected was not to be found" at the service and attributed this "tone and atmosphere," in part, to the "opening blessing" by Gonzales, which he called "most peculiar."

HUME: I just wanted to add, I think that the president prepared this speech in the expectation this would be indeed a memorial service. I think it ended up being nothing of the kind. This was much more of a pep rally, and perhaps that is precisely what the people of Tucson and the people of this region needed.

BRET BAIER, HOST: And wanted.

HUME: And wanted. And it was really the case that the audience was really in control of the tone of this event. That the audience's reaction to the president and to the earlier speakers -- and may I say to some of the earlier speakers as well, set the tone for an event. The president had prepared his speech, I think, to have a certain kind of tone. I think he would have liked it not to go on for 36 minutes or whatever it did, but it was interrupted so repeatedly by applause, but he really couldn't help that. It was still longer than, as Chris pointed out, too, several of the other speeches on similar occasions that we remembered.

BAIER: It is on a college campus. It is in a stadium. But you covered President Clinton as he delivered that address in Oklahoma City.

HUME: It was a similar hall. It was just -- the whole tone and atmosphere was different. And I kept thinking this week, you know, that he was going out on Wednesday -- Wednesday, it's just a few, just a couple of days and yet it seems somehow longer to me. It almost seems as if this event is a little late. Certainly the mood in that auditorium suggested that the sense of mournfulness that you might have expected and sobriety you might have expected was not to be found tonight. And of course, I think, the whole thing is attributable in part to the remarkable opening blessing that was delivered by, what was his name, Carlos Gonzales, who by the time it was over with, he 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, with it was most peculiar.

MORE:
http://mediamatters.org/research/201101130011

[AlinPA]

1. Fox "news" is rotten.

[madmom]

2. They always criticize what they don't understand. How small minded these people are!

[bluestateguy]

3. That's pretty fucked up

But I do have to say that a few posters last night were pissing and moaning about Christian prayers at the service too.

[grasswire]

4. I have no problem with Christian prayers.

But I do think it's a little odd that sitting federal government officials read passages from the Bible.

What was missing, I think, was some planning by an experienced planner. This was a university event dominated by government officials.

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. I'm not surprised. I'm sure they find all brown people and their traditions quaint. n/m

[Mimosa]

6. I haven't watched conservative news outlets or any coverage on TV about this

I'm mostly native American on both sides. Maternal family from Cochise County AZ. Some family members still reside there. And I have Mexican blood too.

If that rambling mess was a traditional prayer I never heard such. People claim all sorts of 'traditions' previous generations never heard of. Humility, dignity and keeping our beliefs to ourselves is what we generally do. Not showmanship. Or preaching. That guy reminded me of Ward Churchill.

[lunasun]

7. Fuck you xenophobic FOX!!

[democracy1st]

8. they're just flat out racist bigots who only care about themselves!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. of course they did...did we really expect that they wouldn't...

The grand Old Party of Hate can't do otherwise

[jsmall]

10. Can we be honest and just say "Brit Hume attacks..."

This hardly merits an inflammatory heading of "Conservative media attacks..."
If only person has done it, just name them, this is ridiculous.

If Jon Stewart had said something dumb, we wouldn't want it pinned on all of liberal media.

[louis-t]

11. You know, whenever I see a quote from Hume

I just imagine it sounds like: "bpeh-bpeh-bpeh-bpeh-bpeh-bpeh-bpeh-bpeh-bpeh" Dumbass.

[EFerrari]

12. These people commenting on culture really is like a dog dancing. n/t

[AsahinaKimi]

13. The people at Fox are small minded

and won't bother with educating themselves on different cultures, be it at home or abroad. When you think you are superior to everyone, you roll that way...