After the Storm

I received the following email last night from Move-On.  I pass it on to all of you, who, I am sure are also grieving deeply and praying for those who were the direct victims of these hideous violence, and who also are concerned for all who have been and continue to be impacted by the policies and mindsets that contribute to the environment in which such acts arise:

Dear MoveOn member,

This is a tragic day for America.

As you may have already heard, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 17 other people were shot today at an event near Tucson.

Right now, Rep. Giffords is in critical condition, and there are reports are that at least five people have been killed, including a young child of about nine years old and Justice John M. Roll, the chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. We’ve created a Facebook page where we can all post prayers and thoughts for Rep. Giffords, the other victims and their families. You can find it here:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205705&id=25753-1983776-0_o0QGx&t=1

Gabrielle Giffords is an up-and-coming, shining star in Congress. Anyone who’s been around her will tell you that she’s smart, passionate, and one of the hardest working members of Congress. Robert Reich, one of her mentors, once said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the first or second female president of the United States.”¹

Judge Roll started his legal career as a bailiff in the Pima County Superior Court and worked his way all the way to the federal bench. He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 and began serving as presiding judge in 2006.

This is such a terrible, confusing, awful thing. Please join us in sending your prayers and wishes to those who are suffering tonight. Here again is the link:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205705&id=25753-1983776-0_o0QGx&t=2

–Justin, Adam, Amy, Anna, Annie, Carrie, Christopher, Daniel, David, Duncan, Eli, Emily, Gail, Ian, Ilya, Ilyse, Kat, Laura, Lenore, Mariana, Marika, Matthew, Melanie, Michael, Milan, Nita, Peter, Robin, Ryan, Susannah, Stephen, Steven, and Tim

Almost none of the services provided by Planned Parenthood are abortions.  Rather, they provide much needed health care to women in underserved communities.  Please stand with Planned Parenthood today:

Dear Elizabeth, Minutes ago, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to bar Planned Parenthood from all federal funding for any purpose whatsoever. That means no funding to Planned Parenthood health centers for birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other essential care. By far, this is the most dangerous legislative assault on women’s health in our history, and it cannot go unanswered. We need you to stand united with us now. We need you to stand with Planned Parenthood and with the three million women, men, and teens we serve, who are now at risk of losing access to basic care. We’ve drafted an open letter to every single representative in the House who voted for this cruel, unconscionable, unthinkable bill, and to every senator who still has a chance to stop it. Will you sign it — and share it right now?

AN OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS To the members of the House of Representatives who voted for the Pence Amendment to H.R. 1: How could you? How could you betray millions of women — and men, and teens — who rely on Planned Parenthood for basic health care? How could you condemn countless women in this country to undiagnosed cancer, unintended pregnancies, and untreated illnesses? Your vote was not only against those who seek care at Planned Parenthood health centers, but against every one of us who has ever sought care there, and against every one of us who knows that when we are healthy, when we are in charge of our lives, we thrive. It was a vote against me. To every senator who will soon consider this legislation: I stand with Planned Parenthood to say to you: STOP THIS. I stand with Planned Parenthood and the hundreds of thousands of people from every walk of life and every corner of this country who join me in signing this letter to tell you that we will fight this bill and we expect you to do the same. I stand with and for the millions of women, men, and teens who rely on Planned Parenthood, and I expect you to do the same. To every member of Congress, know that we stand together today against this outrageous assault, and together we will not lose. Elizabeth, this fight will continue next week when our legislators return to their home districts, and when the vote heads to the U.S. Senate the following week. Your voice, your strength, and your unwavering support are absolutely critical, now and in the weeks ahead. I am so glad to know you are with us during this very challenging time. Sincerely, Cecile Richards, President Planned Parenthood Federation of America P.S. Thank you also for your patience as these ongoing threats to Planned Parenthood require us to communicate with you so frequently.