If there is any outrage, Hurst suggests it lies in Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's missing the point over the incident:
This week the Congresswoman asked us to return her to Congress. She has just been appointed to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. But it occurs to me that she has been so amped up with mock outrage that she never bothered to read the banner: "America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians. Stop Global Warming." I would feel a lot more comfortable giving her my vote if she showed as much passion and outrage about the problem of global climate change as she does about the Greenpeace trespassers [emphasis original; Sam Hurst, "Greenpeace Banner Challenges Congresswoman Herseth-Sandlin… 'Be a Leader, Not a Politician'. She Refuses," Dakota Day, 2009.07.09].
Hurst and I likely constitute a minority, likely to be heaped by our neighbors with scorn and calls to go back to Russia. One does not score political points in South Dakota by giving Greenpeace activists the time of day, let alone praising their message. But Hurst reminds us that the Greenpeace activists are making more than one point that many of South Dakota's politicians would rather we not pay attention to.
Well, one more in agreement with you.
ReplyDeleteHerseth-Sandlin should use some of her outrage for Bush War in Iraq, Bank Rippoff Charges, Credit "Reform" which serves bank ripoff charges, health insurance ripoffs and abuse of patients, inappropriate lobbying in effect using medicare payments to lobby congress, etc. etc.
Instead she expresses outrage at a minor prank that harmed no one despite the comments of Park Service and law enforcement.
As I indicated on NVB, the Park Service should have a First Amendment Freedom Wall somewhere near Rushmore for expressions of political opinion and graffiti.
If the so-called real press would cover real issues instead of Michael Jackson memorials, latest record releases of other whining twits, etc. etc. , Greenpeace and other groups concerned about boiling our planet or removing every living peace of bio diversity, etc. would get more coverage of ideas and would need less in the way of publicity stunts to get press coverage.