We already knew that right-wing commentator Mark Steyn of the National Review enjoys belittling children's health problems and that right-wing bloggers attacked Graeme Frost's family when he spoke up for children's health insurance. But it seems that being mean to kids is becoming a kind of bizarre hobby of the right-wing media.
This weekend, 5,500 students from across the nation came to the nation's capitol for Powershift 2007, the first national youth summit on climate change -- and the solutions to it. Yesterday, upwards of 3,000 people packed into the offices of members of Congress to press them for action to stop climate change with clean energy development that'll create 5 million new green-collar jobs. More on that in a later post.
Representative Ed Markey invited five young people to testify before the House Select Committee on Global Warming and Energy Independence, one of which was 18-year-old Cheryl Charlee Lockwood, a Yup'ik Eskimo from the community of St. Michaels on the Bering Sea. (Footage available here.)
Here's what she told the committee:
Just through my lifetime, I have seen so many changes in our community that it just hurts to not be able to have our -- it's really scary to live -- lose our tradition, our culture, and we've been living here for thousands of years.
Rush Limbaugh played her testimony on his radio show yesterday and proceeded to mock her:
The Republicans are going to cut my school lunch money, too. I don't know what to do, Congressman Markey. Wah, wah, wah, wah.
So, things that don't particularly concern Rush Limbaugh: Tradition. Traditional culture. Community. Family. Homeland. Yep -- he is really making some strong arguments here. He's a parody of himself:
Nobody wants a child to cry. It's just an attempt here to tug at people's heartstrings. And, you know, to do whatever we can to make sure the child stops crying. And what do we gotta do? Well, we gotta stop global warming so the child's spiritual connection to her homeland and her communities and so forth doesn't melt away into the Arctic.
Some people might come to that conclusion, yes. But here's the most important thing: Limbaugh said all this to accuse the Democrats of "exploiting children" to further their agenda -- although Cheryl is an 18-year-old adult, not a child.
Cheryl was one of 3,000 young people who flooded Capitol Hill yesterday, none of whom were invited by the Democrats or anybody else. They drove hours in full buses and vans and slept on friends' couches this weekend to press for their own agenda: a Congress that will act to build a clean energy economy that lifts people out of poverty and solves climate change.
Cheryl traveled from remotest Alaska to Washington, D.C., to speak up for what she believes and tell the story of what her family is going through. She came to meet with her senators, Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski, and Representative Don Young. She was a citizen taking part in democracy, not a prop for political theater.
What I want to know is -- what do Stevens, Murkowski, and Young have to say about Rush Limbaugh attacking one of their young constituents for taking part in the democratic process? Is this what young people from Alaska should expect when they try to make a difference and take part in democracy? Yesterday, according to the Anchorage Daily News, Senator Stevens had "no comment."
What about today?
How to get involved in the fight against climate change
Write your members of Congress about climate change
13 badass greens
Comments View as Flat
Richard Romano Posted 2:28 am
07 Nov 2007
Just another day in the left-wing spin
Nice spin on this -- the fact that this young woman was taken advantage of matters little to you...as long as you can bash the right.
Think carefully about how much will be done in this case....nothing. Hence, her crying is for pure spectacle, and the Democrats will use it for fodder for this global warming scam.
As usual, all spin, all left, all the time.
Permalink
Doctor Zen Posted 3:35 am
07 Nov 2007
Doesn't Rush Get Dizzy Spinning Like That?
So, how is giving a voice to someone who's travelled from Alaska to Washington DC at her own expense to make her voice heard, taking advantage of her?
"People who don't care about anything will never understand people who do." ~Angel
Permalink
Elle1019 Posted 3:44 am
07 Nov 2007
Left-Wing Spin
They have a media outlet just for you - it's called Fox News. Have you seen it?
Permalink
GreenEngineer Posted 3:46 am
07 Nov 2007
Don't feed the troll...
Permalink
ikewasright Posted 4:03 am
07 Nov 2007
Following the slime trail of Limbaugh the Slug
...the fact that this young woman was taken advantage of matters little to you...
Richard Romano
Apparently, Richard Romano is one of the many Children Left Behind, because he has obviously not yet learned to read.
The column stated:
Cheryl was one of 3,000 young people who flooded Capitol Hill yesterday, none of whom were invited by the Democrats or anybody else. They drove hours in full buses and vans and slept on friends' couches this weekend to press for their own agenda: a Congress that will act to build a clean energy economy that lifts people out of poverty and solves climate change.
Cheryl traveled from remotest Alaska to Washington, D.C., to speak up for what she believes and tell the story of what her family is going through. She came to meet with her senators, Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski, and Representative Don Young. She was a citizen taking part in democracy, not a prop for political theater.
Now, I doubt Richard would walk across the street for anything other than a free year of FOX News, yet this young woman and her friends put it on the road to put it on the line for their culture, their past, and their future.
And as for Rush, I'm surprised he didn't ask for the young woman's phone number. Then again, his "vacations" in Thailand indicate that 18 might be a little too mature for his tastes.
ikewasright
Permalink
Senator Lisa Murkowski Posted 2:08 am
08 Nov 2007
Charlee Deserves Praise
I would like to commend Charlee for her courage and dedication to her people. She provided emotional testimony before Congress about the impacts of climate change to her culture and local community. In her testimony Charlee warned that her traditional way of life was threatened by further changes in the climate. Her motives for testifying were unfairly questioned.
I thank Charlee for her willingness to represent Alaska Natives and lend a voice to the climate change debate. Climate change impacts Alaskans more strongly than anywhere else in the nation - especially in rural communities that depend upon animal migration patterns and stable sea ice for subsistence activities. Charlee demonstrated her passion for her culture and I am proud to call her my constituent.
Charlee was among a group of Alaskan teens who traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in a youth summit on climate change. I had the opportunity to meet Charlee and the other teens to discuss climate change policy and solutions. I am always encouraged to see young Alaskans take an active interest in their government. I am hopeful that Charlee and the other teens that traveled to D.C. will help inspire others to become involved in the issues that are important to them.
Permalink
Ron Steenblik Posted 2:42 am
08 Nov 2007
What a nice reply, Senator
Reading the original story, and some of the other responses, I was starting to feel ill. Thank you so much for restoring our faith in humanity.
Permalink
caniscandida Posted 3:06 am
08 Nov 2007
native peoples of Alaska
Thanks to Senator Murkowski for making this statement in support of Cheryl Charlee Lockwood.
Whether she has gone far enough in criticizing those who "unfairly questioned" (really, denounced and discredited) Charlee's motives, may still be asked.
And whether Alaska's congressional delegation have always served the native peoples of Alaska well, in promoting their welfare, including the preservation of their traditions, such native Alaskans as the Gwich'in of Arctic Village, AK, might comment on.
Grist readers will remember that Sarah James of Arctic Village was a recent InterActivist. She has been involved for a number of years now in the work of presenting the great interest of her people, in preserving their traditional dependence on the Porcupine caribou herd, which migrate annually through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They have long been fiercely opposed to allowing drilling for oil in ANWR. It would be interesting to know what Sarah James thinks of how her people, her neighbors, are represented in DC.
One aspect of Yup'ik tradition that is well known in the art world is their mask-making. The Yup'ik, Charlee's people, are Inuit from western Alaska, including the lowermost valley of the Yukon River and the nearby coast. The distinctive masks that they make are amazing sculptures, and IMHO some of the greatest religious works of art from anywhere.
Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.
Permalink