Connecticut state representative DebraLee Hovey, whose district includes Newtown, the site of last month’s school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, was in Florida last week when some troubling news came to her attention: an out-of-state politico was looking to encroach on her territory, making a media showing of visiting the townsfolk she represents, taking advantage of the tragedy! Now, she couldn’t stand for that, and took to her personal Facebook page to make it clear that the visitor wasn’t welcome.
The only problem is, the person she was throwing shade was Gabrielle Giffords, who isn’t really a politician anymore—and hasn’t been since stepping down from her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives last year to work towards her own recovery after surviving an assassination attempt two years ago today.
She went further in the status’s comment thread, making her reasoning clear:
Eventually, Hovey appeared to have a moment of clarity (maybe she learned that Connecticut’s U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, accompanied Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly—or maybe she just had someone tell her that she done f—ked up): she deleted the post, made her Facebook private and released this semi-apologetic statement (from the Atlantic Wire):
The remarks I made regarding Congresswoman Gifford’s visit were insensitive and if I offended anyone I truly apologize … My comments were meant to be protective of the privacy of the families and our community as we work to move on, and were in no way intended as an insult to Congresswoman Giffords personally. Our community has struggled greatly through this tragedy, and we are all very sensitive to the potential for this event to be exploited for political purposes. This is what I wish to avoid.
Considering that Giffords is a victim of a similarly terrible mass shooting, and considering that she met with the families privately and didn’t offer the names of those she visited, it’s safe to say that Hovey did offend people; including, I’m willing to bet, a fair number of Tucsonans who may or may not wish for her to ‘stay out’ of our city.
Now, I’m not saying that folks should let her know that she’s not welcome in our cozy little corner of the desert — but if they were so inclined, I would point them to either her contact page, where they can find her office’s mailing address and phone numbers (toll-free: 800-842-1423), or her personal Facebook.
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2013.
Thats right– hate what Gabby went through but the GUN did not do the deed
Back off Gabby and Barber you WILL NOT get my gun!
Watch out Lisa the boggeyman is coming to take your little precious. Correct me if I am wrong dumbass but I am fairly certain that the bullets that ended the lives of those killed that day and that tore through the brain of Gabby were fired from a gun. Stupid, stupid, stupid comment.
Really Mr Mendez?
Isn’t it inappropriate to encourage people to contact this congresswoman for the purpose of perpetrating the same verbal attacks that you are criticizing her for doing to Gabby?
Maybe we can be the better community and invite this congressperson here! Let’s not be immature about this, we can either stoop to her level or reach out and help lift her up to Gabby’s. This is an opportunity to either build something or break it down further, unfortunately your post encourages the latter.
Please edit your post, change the tone and do some good with your blog rather than trying to create controversy or drama. Come on David, fix your blog, delete my post and we can just walk in the right direction side by side hopefully towards a better world. 🙂
Thanks!
Me thinks Lisa Andrews needs to either start taking, increase or change her medication. Count me in for a ditto of Lingo Head’s comment.
Lingo head you might want to think again before calling someone a name. Yes bullets came out of a gun BUT they would not have come out of that gun if a nut job wasn’t holding it pulling the trigger. AZ/DC you might want to give things a thought before you start agreeing to them….sort of makes you look stupid too.
Okay, so you’re telling me that the Safeway incident could’ve been done the EXACT same way with any other type of weaponry? If we cannot manage mental health in this country better than we do now, then we need to manage the firearms that these “nut jobs” (in trainmanswife’s words) can so easily obtain.
Not that I feel the need to defend my comment, but I will clarify it. I do not necessarily agree with the name calling, what I fully agree with though is the fact that Lingo Head referred to the comment as “stupid, stupid, stupid.” The article in question didn’t even mention anything about “Gabby and Barber” wanting to take anyone’s firearms.
Also, if you’re curious, I’m not really concerned about how stupid I may appear to be to the type of person who advocates doing nothing about a situation that can easily be taken care of if more “gun nuts” (in my own words) exercised just a smidgen of common sense. I’m not the one who appears stupid when I support a movement that could possibly save a lot of lives. Some of these lives possibly saved could end up being the loved ones of either one of us, try to view it from that perspective.
“There was pure political motives” – looks like Hovey could use some grammar lessons as well as manners training. She is an embarrassment to her district.
Instead of taking guns away from law abiding citizens that purchase them legally try figuring out a way to take them from the criminals. Years ago they used to do things to try to help mentally unstable people now they just ignore them until they do something drastic. If I had a person in my household that had problems I would remove all firearms but I really don’t think that would stop them from doing harm to others. There are other things that can be used (knives, clubs of any kind and even bricks) to name a few. There is always a way for them to do harm. I myself don’t care to be a victim if I can help it.
HumanBean, I’m all for civility. But what gets to me is the sorry, half-assed “if I offended anyone” quasi-apology that Hovey threw out there.
She represents that area, sure. But she’s not the sheriff, and Newtown, Connecticut isn’t the Old West. She doesn’t get to say who is allowed to come and speak to whom.
I respect your position—under most circumstances, I’d be on your side. But by publicly calling out a person who understands the toll that a mass shooting takes in ways that many of us will (hopefully) never know, Hovey acted like a fool. I’m okay with illuminating avenues for people to remind her of her foolishness.
I just read that in Aurora there were 30 shots fired in 27 seconds. They were fired from a gun. Any person that does not understand this is a dumbass in my opinion. And I will state my opinion if I feel so inspired. I guess I could have said that any person that does not realize that bullets come from guns is somewhat lacking in intelligence but I felt that dumbass was more appropriate in this instance. Sometimes you just have to call a dumbass a dumbass. I am getting a little tired of people forgetting about the deaths and injuries caused by a gun that day and the other mass causality shootings since. Dance around it all you want. Get upset over name calling instead of dead children all you want but the fact remains, all these dead bodies were made so buy guns.
Guns do not fire by themselves. The bullets came out of guns held be mentally unstable people pulling the trigger.
Oh, I just knew there would be an R after her name. Sure enough. What other political party has so many members who lack good sense and empathy?
Gabbies visit was pure political gandering, I agree she should stay out.
and yes she will NOT get my gun either. Considering she was gone from our state 95% of the time she was in office and she gave us obamacare, I have no attachment to her.
Because truth be told, they want to go after the evil gun, not the real problem, mentally unstable people, that are the real problem. Tell them to fight for free mental healthcare for them along with facilities to house them. Then I will support Gabby.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/…
Steward nailed it on this one!
What a putz! Does this boob even know that Gabby is an EX member of Congress or, that any citizen can go to “her towns”. Now we know why Congress is dysfunctional.
Just thinking: Perhaps the Honarble Ms Hovey is paranoid…I’m sure that Gabby Giffords and her entourage, including the US Senator from Conn, were not making a political move in her territory..what has happened to civility in this country anyway… and why is it always a Republican Congressperson that goes over “the cliff” with their rhetoric.. and then comes back with a half baked apology?
Why is that anyway?
Why can’t a democrat do something stupid like that, and get some free publicity?
AZPaul, how can any elected Congressman NOT be absent from the state 95% of the time? Last time I checked, the seat of government in this country is in Washington DC for the federal part of it. When they only show up 2-3 days a week, nothing can get done. And for the western states, constant absence is the price we pay for geography.
Ms. Hovey (a Republican) is afraid. Gabby is there to comfort the survivors of the victims. When is our nation and the ATF going to enforce the gun laws and close the loopholes at gun shows? Gun Shows is where most of these deranged people get their weapons in the first place.
Trainmanswife. Please stop spreading the lie. There is no move to ban all gun ownership. Even if there were, it would never happen. It’s been put out to incite people into fighting any effort to seek sensible solutions to gun related homocides.
And AZPaul, Gabby Giffords is now a private citizen. She is not running for any office and does not need your support.
To AZPaul: “Tell them to fight for free mental healthcare for them along with facilities to house them”. Doesn’t Obamacare help more “mentally unstable people” get the care they need?
I agree by the way with your first sentence about the need for mental healthcare, but why vilify obamacare, when at least it attempts to remove some of the roadblocks to getting care?
Your logic is twisted.
I’m surprised nobody mentioned how disgusted many Tucsonans were with the loud (cheering) political rally Obama held in our town after the shootings. It was attended by young Obamabots, some of whom got out of class for the day, and other unemployed supporters who stood in line for hours …. not to memorialize the victims, but to see and cheer for their hero Obama. Many of them probably didn’t even know who Giffords was before the shooting, and the political event was totally inappropriate for the occasion.
The Party of stupid has spoken !