Wow, nearly 9,000 people have already signed our petition praying for peace and condemning the violence erupting in the wake of the health care debate.
We are making progress. Prominent leaders from both parties have stepped forward to say violence is never the answer. [1] But we have more work to do.
The threats and violence are expanding. Now members of both parties have been targeted. To make matters worse, a new poll shows almost half of Americans think the tactics used to pass the health care bill are to blame for the violence! [2]
This is unacceptable. No matter what you think about the health care debate, threats and violence are not the answer to our political problems.
As people of faith, we feel compelled to say: enough is enough.
We can't let this trend continue. Our faiths call us to work for peace, and in this country we settle our political disputes at the ballot box, not with violence and threats. It's time for our leaders to step up and enforce zero tolerance for violent words and deeds.
Specifically, we are calling on Reps. Michele Bachmann and Steve King to join our call. These Reps. gave speeches at a hostile rally the day before the House vote -- the same rally where Members of Congress were spit upon and called racist and anti-gay slurs, and protesters waved signs threatening gun violence. [3]
Bachmann and King took a good first step by saying they don't condone violence. However, their message is undercut by their other actions, such as saying they want voters to be "armed and dangerous," [4] and to "beat the other side to a pulp," [5] and slapping a photograph of Speaker Pelosi. [6]
In this increasingly volatile climate, we simply can't afford one unstable person taking them literally.
Bachmann and King should join the faith community and leaders of both parties in rejecting all forms of violent rhetoric - before somebody gets hurt.
Yesterday, Governor Quinn reinforced his commitment to the working families of Illinois by expressing his preference for Sheila Simon as his running mate. Today, the Democratic State Central Committee followed his lead, and overwhelmingly chose Sheila as the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor.
Sheila Simon is the product of a family with a long tradition of public service. Her father, Paul, was a long-serving U.S. Senator from Illinois, respected by members on both sides of the aisle for his integrity. Her mother, Jeanne, was a State Representative. Sheila has followed in her parents' footsteps by devoting her energies to advancing the public interest.
As an experienced and dedicated public servant, Simon served as one of the leaders of the Pat Quinn's Illinois Reform Commission. She led the fight for passage of major reforms to enhance government transparency, reform the contract procurement process, and enact the first limits on campaign contributions in Illinois history.
As a former prosecutor and law professor, Sheila knows the criminal justice issues and understands what needs to be done to protect victims of DUIs, domestic violence, and other violent crimes.
As a working mother, Sheila has firsthand experience with the day-to-day challenges that Illinois families face as she and her husband Perry raise their two children. The mother of two daughters, Sheila is inspired everyday to champion women's issues and ensure that government helps to strengthen the fabric of our communities.
That's why Pat Quinn is so pleased to have Sheila Simon join his fight against an extremist Republican and his 27-year-old running mate, who oppose the idea of a minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, the Family Medical Leave Act, and other basic protections critical to economic well-being of Illinois families.
And Sheila's no shrinking violet when it comes to political campaigns. Ever since she was young, she was a regular on the campaign trail for her father, and Sheila was a key early supporter in Barack Obama's 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate and then again in his historic run for the Presidency in 2008.
Join Pat Quinn and Sheila Simon when they visit with voters in six Illinois cities on Monday, March 29. If you can, please join us at the following locations and times (Doors open 30 minutes beforehand):
9:00 AM Signature Terminal at Midway International Airport, Chicago
10:15 AM Rockford International Airport, Rockford
11:45 AM Quad City International Airport, Moline
1:40 PM Student Union, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
3:25 PM St. Louis Downtown Airport, Cahokia
5:25 PM Shryock Auditorium, Southern Illinois University
For more information on these events, contact Kate Berner at 312.654.8888.
We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Mica Matsoff Communications Director Quinn for Illinois
TAKE ACTION
FOLLOW GOV. QUINN ON
Paid for by Taxpayers for Quinn A copy of our report, filed with the IL State Board of Elections is (or will be) available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, IL.
Since the historic vote on health care reform Sunday night, an outbreak of hateful speech and threats of violence directed at Members of Congress who stood up for health care reform has spread across the country.
Bricks thrown through office windows. Voicemail boxes filled with death threats. Someone even cut the gas line to the house of Rep. Tom Perriello's brother, who has four small children. [1]
As people of faith, we feel compelled to say: enough is enough.
Many of these violent actions are tied to extremists in the Tea Party movement, which has been applauded and encouraged by Members of Congress like Reps. Michele Bachmann, Steve King, and Mike Pence, who led a Tea Party rally last week. We're calling on these Reps. who stood with the Tea Partiers to stand up to the threats and violence. [2]
People of faith are leading by example. We are joining together as a community to reject violence and pray for peace, and we're calling on political leaders of all parties to join us.
Our leaders need to take a stand, and show that combating hate and violence is not a partisan issue.
Specifically, we are calling on Reps. Michele Bachmann, Steve King and Mike Pence to join us in calling for peace and condemning violence.
Bachmann, King and Pence all gave speeches at the Tea Party rally the day before the House vote -- the same rally where Members of Congress were spat upon and called racist and anti-gay slurs. [2]
We need to act now. Congress is about to go on recess Members are heading back to their home towns. Congress's recess last August was when disruption and nastiness broke out at health care town halls across the country.
The faith community is at its best when it demonstrates that love and hope are greater than fear and hate. Hope you can join us in speaking out.
Thanks for all you do,
Beth, Katie, Dan, Kristin and Jennifer
The Faithful America Team
PS: These threats and hate speech aren't just tied to health care reform. Last weekend a Latino Member of Congress was called a "wetback," and an anonymous caller told his family to "go back to Mexico." As immigration takes center stage, we can only expect this rhetoric to get worse. Please sign our petition today. The faith community and our leaders in Congress need to denounce violence, no matter the cause.
Late last night, led by Pat Quinn's political courage, we made significant progress in our fight to bring fiscal responsibility to Illinois.
Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly, with overwhelming bipartisan majorities, passed Governor Quinn's Pension Stabilization Plan, a fundamental reform that will drastically improve our state's fiscal health today and for the future. This plan will provide savings of more than $100 billion to the state over the next 35 years while still providing new state and local employees with respectable pension benefits.
For the past two years, Pat Quinn has led the fight for pension stabilization and reform to forge a pension system that will be sufficiently funded and properly managed for decades to come. He is committed to ensuring that our state uses its resources more responsibly while fulfilling its obligations to pensioners, vendors and schools. That's why last night's developments are so important to him.
Our state's unfunded pension liability has been out of control for decades. As far back as 1950, experts have been calling for the fundamental reform we saw today. What was different today after 60 years of the status quo? Governor Quinn exhibited the leadership to make hard choices and improve our state's fiscal prospects. Proposing and passing this bill required courage—something we need more of when faced with daunting challenges.
This step is significant, but it's only a part of what our state must do to get back on track. We know more hard work lies ahead of us.
Our campaign also has a long march toward November. That's why we need your help.
Thanks for your support,
Mica Matsoff Communications Director Quinn for Illinois
TAKE ACTION
FOLLOW GOV. QUINN ON
Paid for by Taxpayers for Quinn A copy of our report, filed with the IL State Board of Elections is (or will be) available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, IL.
Last week, news broke of Glenn Beck making outrageous claims about people of faith.
Beck linked social justice to communism and Nazism [1] and urged people to leave their congregations, saying "I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can." [2]
People of faith across the spectrum are fighting back against these outrageous smears, signing petitions and going on cable news to tell the truth about social justice, and now Beck has responded by ramping up his hateful rhetoric and threatening to bring down "the hammer" on those who challenge him. [3]
Beck and FOX News spend a lot of time cultivating a faith-friendly image, but airing smears against mainstream beliefs tells a different story.
Beck is becoming an increasingly fringe figure, using his platform at FOX to promote bizarre conspiracy theories and racially inflammatory comments about President Obama.
Now he's moved on to attacking those following the call of scripture:
And what does the LORD require of you? To do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
…and even God's own self!
I, the LORD, love justice. (Isaiah 61:8)
Beck's sponsors are leaving in droves, so why is FOX News still paying him to insult and attack our faith?
