Sherry Chandler

Every time I say to myself that I have cast my vote and I am through with this election, ready to step back and watch events develop, some new madness crops up and I feel as though I have to speak out.

I am, of course, referring to the “uproar,” largely manufactured by political partisans, over Hillary Clinton’s remarks about the Robert Kennedy primary campaign of 1968.

For the media and/or political partisans to accuse one candidate of calling for the physical assassination of another is not only character assassination but also very unwise. Such tactics are not just divisive, they are incendiary.

And the whole incident makes me very sad. I just want to weep for our country that it has come to this.

I will leave you with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr’s remarks:

I’ve heard her make that argument before,” Mr. Kennedy said, speaking on his cell phone as he drove to the family compound in Hyannis for the holiday weekend. “It sounds like she was invoking a familiar historical circumstance in support of her argument for continuing her campaign.” . . . [H]is support of Mrs. Clinton has not wavered.

…

I have heard her make this reference before, also citing her husband’s 1992 race, both of which were hard fought through June. I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense.”

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Updated May 25: Here’s an addendum from the ever wise Melissa McEwan (emphasis added):

Briefly, my opinion is that it was an ill-considered statement that warranted an apology, irrespective of intent. FWIW, I don’t think she intended to suggest anything nefarious, but it was not a particularly sensitive example to use to make her point, and careless in its disregard of the history of violence against black leaders. It was inevitable, and of course not unreasonable, that people would consider her competitor Obama within the frame she built, to upsetting results, even if she didn’t specifically mention him.

As I’ve said before, an apology after erring is not about the original intent; it’s about the result. It’s about making amends. When I step on someone’s foot unintentionally, I still say “I’m sorry.”

UPDATE: Also, I want to quickly note, when I step on someone’s foot unintentionally and say I’m sorry, that doesn’t give them license to premeditatedly punch me in the nose and claim I deserved it. Clearly, the usual suspects are seeking to deliberately misconstrue Clinton’s statement for maximum outrage-ginning, and I don’t guess I need to give you my opinion on that.

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Updating the Update: In response to Melissa McEwan, Six Degrees of Obama

So the new rule is Hillary (and Bill, her surrogates, etc.) cannot mention anything that someone might possibly, in some bizarre fashion, connect in some offensive way to Barack Obama within six degrees of separation?

…

The first player takes quote out of any statement by Hillary, Bill, or any Hillary staff member or prominent supporter, and the second player has to link a word from it to Barack Obama in an offensive way within six links.

Hillary says* “This is all a big kabuki dance”

Dance - racial sterotype of black people being good dancers - Obama is black - Obama danced with Ellen Degeneres on her show - Hillary is saying Obama is a good dancer because he’s black.

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Update to the update of the update: From the Argus Leader, where Hillary Clinton was being interviewed:

The Argus Leader’s Executive Editor Randell Beck issued the following statement today:

“The context of the question and answer with Sen. Clinton was whether her continued candidacy jeopardized party unity this close to the Democratic convention. Her reference to Mr. Kennedy’s assassination appeared to focus on the timeline of his primary candidacy and not the assassination itself.”

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One more: Commenter talex at TalkLeft:

What you won’t read on the blogs:

People are also ignoring the historical reference to Kennedy. Via Wikipedia:

“At the time of his death, [Bobby] Kennedy was significantly behind Vice President Hubert Humphrey in convention delegate support”

So you see, Bobby was still in the race in June even though he was running behind Humphrey in convention delegate support.

So the parallels with RFK are all Clinton’s: Senator from New York and underdog

I have only recently discovered that poets, and those poetically inclined, like to use Twitter. Because it limits posts to 140 characters, it provides a disciplinary framework for writing short, haiku-like postings and aphorisms.

Poets who use Twitter are as varied in their tastes as rosswhite, from Durham, North Carolina, who always begins his tweets with Attn:

Attn geese: When you congregate at roadside, it does nothing to assuage my fears that you are up to something.

and Judith12, who lives at the very north end of Long Island:

With a snap of flag, white caps march across the water. Outside the window, roof perched, crow spreads morning headlines. Good morning all!

Dave Bonta, who blogs at Via Negativa and tweets at Morning Porch hit upon the idea of using the favorites function at Twitter to collect a sort of anthology of poetic tweets.

Figuring that great poets steal, I’ve decided to do the same thing. My anthology of favorite tweets can be found here. I invite you to come check it out from time to time. It will continue to grow. Watch Dave’s, too.

Some examples.

nancyghandi an American living in Chennai, India:

Someone sent a basket of mangoes from their trees. We cut two of them, and their sweet scent has spread all over the house.

Raqhun, from the Woods of Waldeck (WVA? Minnesota?):

I’ve been trying to explain that WILD raccoons hunt for food in the creek. They hear me out with politely disguised disbelief.

InvisibleTerry from Spokane:

Coffee, cranberry candle, and the expected value of a discrete random variable. It’s going to be a long day.

Dave Bonta, himself, from the mountains of Plummer’s Hollow, Pennsylvania:

At first light, the silhouette of a hawk in a dead tree above the corner of the field. A small rabbit grazes in the yard, ears twitching.

And even heartbreakers like this from the relief organization AmeriCares:

Hours of holding onto trees so as not to be swept away by rushing water has left people with lacerated arms and chests