Was that a memorial service a or a pep rally?
Doug Lucas
Well, the cult members were out in full force tonight in Arizona. I was ashamed and disgusted by the spectacle that was called a memorial service.
President Obama's speech was fine, as always. He read the teleprompter with eloquence and did a fine chin in the air impersonation of Che Guevara, as usual. His words were appropriate for the most part and he rose above the political fray by making a point of chiding people that were playing the blame game.
My beef is not with Obama this time. It is his mindless minions in the crowd that draws my ire. Apparently the crowd was mainly composed of university students and from what I could gather they had already started tapping kegs for the wake.
This was more like an Arsenio Hall show than a memorial service. Catcalls, standing ovations, whistling and the whoop, whoop, whoop of the crowd dominated the night. What should have been a somber occasion for reflection turned into another Obama pep rally. It was as if these students had their guy up on stage and by God they weren't about to let a national tragedy get in the way of them having a good time and cheering on their messiah.
If these kids are our future then we are well and truly screwed.
Contributor Patricia McCarthy adds:
I've just watched the "memorial" service for those killed and wounded in Tucson. How are we to explain the lack of decorum and reverence displayed by that audience? Did those students forget that the families of the dead and wounded were in the room? Do they not understand the meaning of the word "murdered"? Is not everyone who watched horrified by the whistling, hooting cheerfulness of that crowd?
The audience turned what was to be a memorial into something between a campaign rally and a rock concert. They should all be ashamed of themselves. The event called for honor and quiet respect, not hooting and hollering for a celebrity. Perhaps it was the free t-shirts that set the tone. Read More
