Yesterday, University of Texas College Republicans embarrassed the whole Longhorn community with a "joke" on Twitter stating, "Y'all as tempting as it may be, don't shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we've EVER had! #2012." Yesterday Ben Sherman editorialized here on BOR about what a shameful statement that was for Pierce to make. Today, the University Democrats issued a statement to Burnt Orange Report condemning the statement by Pierce:
"It doesn't matter whether or not you agree with the President, saying anything related to shooting the President is tasteless, even if it was meant to be a joke. Although it was from her personal Twitter account, she is a leader at UT and in turn, it reflects negatively on our school. It's important to watch what you say on social media sites like Twitter because it is such a public arena where a 140-character statement carries a huge weight. As a leader, she has a duty to be careful with her statements because it not only reflects badly on her but those associated with her as well. She did apologize on Twitter, but that statement shouldn't have been made in the first place." -- Janette Martinez, UDEMS President
"For a UT student to joke about killing the president being 'tempting', is nothing short of disgraceful. What one individual might see as a joke, another may take as a challenge. Regardless of our politics, we, as Texans, have a responsibility to condemn these threats of violence. It is important to stress that our voices in this country are heard through the ballot and not the bullet." -- Cameron Miculka, UDEMS Vice President
"An attempted assassination of any citizen of the United States is not a joking matter--but when it is the president of the United States, an attempted assassination is not only meant to take the life of a person, but also to undo the will of the nation that elected him. The only right response for an American when they hear about an assassination attempt on the president is to condemn it, and then to thank God that it failed." -- Holly Heinrich, UDEMS PR Director
The statement of the UDEMS -- and, I would imagine, most of the UT undergraduate body -- shows that assassination jokes aren't what the University of Texas stands for. It's shameful that Pierce would bring such national embarrassment to UT. As the news story has been picked up around the world, it's sad to think of people confirming the negative stereotypes of our state that were perpetuated by George W. Bush and other Texas Republicans.
Pierce's "joke" is a disgusting comment at any time. Coming just days after the inspiring and painful 20/20 interview that aired with Rep. Gabby Giffords -- detailing her long, difficult recovery from a brain injury she received when a constituent shot her in the head at point-blank range -- the statement shows further how ignorant Pierce is to even joke about such violence. Sadly, this isn't the first example of such callous behavior from the UT College Republicans President, whose Facebook page for her Student Government campaign included a pledge to "kill the drag rats," i.e. the homeless kids who populate Guadalupe. Rhetoric like that of Pierce's -- and the cavalier attitude she displays towards human life -- is what leads to unhinged individuals bringing guns to Congressional district visits, wounding dozens, and killing their fellow citizens.
Pierce has embarrassed her campus, her organization, and her family. These are not UT values. These should not be Republican values, either. I am glad to see the University Democrats speak out against Pierce's wink-nudge comments that utterly fail to condemn actual political violence, and encourage other student and UT groups to do likewise.
Update, 1:57 p.m.: Apparently Pierce has been receiving death threats, which is pretty sick. That's only going to further our culture of violence. This young student obviously made a huge mistake and should seek help regarding her seeming history of violent rhetoric and outbursts on social media. However, death threats (or threats of violence) of any kind are never OK.
UDEMS President Janette Martinez released the following statement condemning these death threats:
"Although Lauren's comments were inappropriate, we do not believe that threats to her well-being were the right response. Threats of violence of any kind have no place in political dialogue, and University Democrats will move forward and continue to work for the issues most pertinent to students and progressive values, and most importantly, to create an environment that fosters fair, honest, and open political dialogue." |
