Posted on 01/13/2011 5:26:33 AM PST by Red Badger
TUCSON, AZ -- Some conservatives are upset over t-shirts bearing the logo "Together We Thrive: Tucson & America" that were handed out to attendees at tonight's memorial service in the McKale Center on the campus of the University Of Arizona here.
The shirts, which bear the same logo that adorns other items from the event -- including press passes, signage and volunteer t-shirts -- were placed on many of the seats in the lower sections of the arena when tonight's capacity crowd walked in.
The University Of Arizona did not immediately respond to requests for more information on the shirts, which are drawing fire in the conservative twitter- and blogosphere tonight. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A person familiar with the event confirmed the university put the event together, and was responsible for t-shirts, tickets, fliers, etc.
"I'm having a physical reaction to the T-shirts," Amanda Carpenter, a speech writer for Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) tweeted tonight. "I'm tearing up. This feels wrong."
(The tweet has since been deleted.)
Other conservatives on Twitter shared in the sentiment. Some have already speculated the shirts were paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Michelle Malkin had earlier raised a rukus about the event's logo on her blog.
"Isn't the churning of the instant messaging machine a bit, well, unseemly?" she wrote. "Can't the Democrat political stage managers give it a break just once?"
Right-wing media star Tammy Bruce had some of the harshest attacks on the event and the crowd here in Tucson. She likened the event to the 2002 funeral for Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN), which conservatives at the time claimed was unfairly turned into a political rally by Wellstone's supporters.
"Massacre Rally Theatre is a complete abomination. Absolutely obscene," Bruce tweeted Wednesday. "Clinton should be happy, no longer will 'Wellstone' be the benchmark."
Additional reporting by Ryan J. Reilly.
This post has been updated since it was first published.
Yes it was shocking, yes it was disgraceful, yes we mourn the loss of the 6 people but this overkill is probably the most shocking thing of all.
This is NOT the Oklahoma City bombing. This is NOT the 3,000 people massacred at WTC. This was a single nut case who went on a shooting spree.
If the university provided the shirts, and it’s a public university, it would seem taxpayers did pay for them.
But doesn’t everybody hand out free t-shirts at memorial services? /sarc
Of course, if someone else paid for them, we need to know who it was. It’s certainly as important as finding out who put up the “Mission Accomplished” banner for Bush.
Nothing like a crisis to kick off a leftist marxist muslim’s campaign... Together we thrive ? how stupid is that?
The tone was set by the president and his advisers.
His laughing and joking on the rope line and his big lie during the rally about Giffords opening her eye(s) for the first time was ludicrous.
Pathetic that her husband went along with the lie.
Don’t know what to make of Dr. Rhee who had announced a couple of days earlier that Giffords had opened her eye.
http://www.coloheadstart.org/images/pdf/Together_We_Thrive_Conference_Exhibitor_Information.pdf
I smell the NEA wing of the DNC all over this one.
She opened her eyes after dunham left? Bwahahahahaha...sorta like his grandma “dying” the night before the election! This crap is pathetic.
Free T-shirts?
Mrs. L asked me if Obama was going to autograph a few on his way out.
Okay, I actually did Laugh Out Loud when I saw this.
January 12th was the day that we lost our first child 18 years ago, stillborn.
If somebody had tried to “comfort” me by an event like that I would have felt like I had been used and my pain mocked.
I extend my sympathy to the families involved, not only because of their huge loss, but also for the feelings they may have had to deal with as a result of that rally.
So far, in all this, the thing that was done that most expresses my respect for the precious lives lost and my deep wishes for the families’ healing is when the AZ state legislature unanimously passed and Gov Brewer signed into law an emergency measure to prevent picketing at funerals. It’s unfortunate that Gov Brewer and the families of the victims seemed forced to attend this political picketing at a “memorial service” anyway.
Unions?.....Community Organizers?......Political Action Committees?.......At a “Memorial” Service?................nah..........
From what I saw and read about Obama’s participation, he is to be commended. He did lay down the gauntlet to his own political party. Just wish he had done it 4 days ago. He seemed uneasy at the response of the crowd to his presence and he is not a good actor, so I do think he was embarrassed about it.
The venue was wrong, the political entourage was wrong, the tee shirts were wrong, the behavior of the students who were whooping it up was wrong.
Far to better to have had the service in a church and limited attendance to those who knew the families and a few politicos.
When people are in a huge gym, they’re accustomed to hooting and hollering. In churches, people are used to being quiet and reverent.
Big mistake on the part of the organizers to set up all the components to make this a pep rally. Wonder how many people tuned in and tuned out very quickly when they saw how tasteless it was. That’s what will be remembered.
This offended me as a human being, not as a conservative. Anyone with any decency at all should have been offended that these clowns turned a funeral into a pep rally.
Dang, Obama caught lying . . . again.
LOL.
I am embarrassed and saddened for the fallen and the families.
It must be on the back, like Rock Concert dates are.........
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.