John Boehner to lead congressional delegation to Charleston for funeral

[ProgressiveEconomist]

Source: Politico

Speaker John Boehner will lead the congressional delegation to South Carolina to attend the funeral of the slain leader of the Emanuel AME Church.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will also be in attendance, meaning the top three officials in the U.S. government will attend Rev. Clementa Pinckney’s funeral in Charleston. Obama will deliver the eulogy.

“On Friday, members of Congress will travel to Charleston to pay our respects to the families of the victims and express the condolences of the American people,” Boehner said in a statement to POLITICO. “The people’s House continues to keep the people of Charleston in our prayers as they mourn such senseless loss.”

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will also attend the service

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/john-boehner-congress-south-carolina-charleston-funeral-shooting-119338.html

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Does Boehner now become "hypocrite of the week"? In 2009, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tried to issue a report to nationwide law enforcement warning that domestic right-wing terrorism of the kind seen last week in Charleston was the biggest threat to US security.

Boehner said then, ‘The Secretary of Homeland Security owes the American
people an explanation for why she has abandoned using the term ‘terrorist’ to describe those, such as al Qaeda, who are plotting overseas to kill innocent Americans, while her own Department is using the same term to describe American citizens who disagree with the direction Washington Democrats are taking our nation.’

… Sec. Janet Napolitano ended up withdrawing the report and apologizing
…”

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/08/07/645421/right-wingextremism/

If DHS had been able to take action then, do you think Charleston's very sympathetic mayor might have directed his police to better protect a church that had been burned to the ground by racist terrorists twice in the past?

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

[onehandle]

1. Orange is the new black? nt

[heaven05]

2. He needs to keep his ass in D.C.

the fox in charge of the chicken coop pretending to mourn over the missing chickens just doesn't sit well with me. I hope someone can whisper into his ear what a huge hypocritical POS he is and any other rethug/DINO, state or national, that attends this sad affair.

[jwirr]

9. Not with any of us. I heard last night that several Democrats are going to propose a new voters

rights bill to replace the old one. He needs to put his stamp of approval on this and only then will I even begin to think he is anywhere near to being sincere.

[olegramps]

11. He is the Congress' "Town Drunk"

[sarge43]

3. If I had any say in who attends the service,

I'd tell Bonehead and his lackeys to go pound sand.

"You weren't here when we needed you. Much too late now. Go away."

[rury]

4. He has no business there. Absolutely no business at all.

[mountain grammy]

5. What next? Acceptance of science?

I know they are hypocrites, I despise them all. But if they are getting a clue about their involvement in this, I'm glad. A major political party has allowed itself to be hijacked by the NRA, fox, Israel, hate radio, etc, etc, etc. Are they waiting for full blown civil war to understand?

[Calista241]

6. I wonder if Frank Underwood will be there? n/t

[ProgressiveEconomist]

41. No, but maybe Kevin Spacey will

[Travis_0004]

7. How would the police have better protected this church

They can't keep a police officer there 24/7.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

8. Security takes many forms, for example, the "panic buttons"

directly to Police HQ that are hiding in several locations at most banks and that are prominent fixtures at many urban college campuses.

[Travis_0004]

10. I doubt there would have been one in the basement, in easy reach

Even so, I doubt it would have prevented anything.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

12. Suppression of the 2009 report very likely prevented DHS training

of Emanual ushers and greeters of the kind now taking place in other places. See, for example, this story about Newark, NJ AME Church security:

"ushers and greeters will undergo training from the DHS, which will also be made available to all church members".
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/06/newark_ame_parishioners_una

Napolitano's officers could have done this training at Emanuel years ago, had her report not been vilified by Boehner and Fox "News".

Compare this tactical approach to anti-terrorism with the first broadcast picture of Roof, capturing him freely opening the huge front doors of Emanuel. His distinctive haircut was the main thing that led a whistleblowing Shelby NC florist to call the police 12 hours after the massacre. Had he had a decent haircut, Roof likely still would be on the loose.

[Travis_0004]

16. What training is going to help an unarmed person fight a man with a gun?

I have 10 years boxing experience, and I can't fight back against somebody with a gun. Do you really think a weekend training class 5 years ago would have helped.

It would be easy for Dylan to know that there would be no guns in the church. State law prohibits it. And until that is changed, I'm not sure how any DHS training would have helped.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

17. Now I think I see where you're coming from (n/t)

[Travis_0004]

18. YOu didn't answer my question

What is taught at a weekend seminar that would have prevented this?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

19. The confessed mass murderer waited an hour

before pulling out his handgun. Someone trained by DHS very likely would have taken my cell phone to the restroom and called the police to come take a look at a suspicious new visitor, just to be on the safe side. DHS very likely would have taught the congregation to be suspicious of strangers from outside the community and, "If you see something, say something."

[Travis_0004]

20. Becasue a white guy is in church?

The idea behind most churches is to be welcoming to outsiders. I don't know how he acted the hour he was there. He may have been suspicious, he may have not been. I doubt many people would have called the police, since the goal of a church is to make people feel welcome and help them out.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

37. "Trust, but verify"

What's wrong with that?

[Travis_0004]

38. Churches try to be a welcoming environment

If they called the cops on me, I would leave as soon as the cops finished questioning me and never go back.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

39. Better security or any other change in the status quo

always has costs as well as benefits.

Which is greater in the case of greater security at a historic church that has been burned to the ground by white racists twice in the past: costs you've identified, or benefits in the form of churchmembers' lives saved?

[CatWoman]

13. that settles it

why don't we ALL just give the fuck up???

[ProgressiveEconomist]

15. What I want to see is whether any of the media ask Boehner

hard questions about his suppression of the 2009 Napolitano report that foresaw and predicted the kind of "lone wolf" right-wing racist domestic terrorism we saw last week.

Certainly Boehner is not taking the trouble to go to Charleston unless he thinks he's going to get a favorable "photo op" for the very forces who have exploited lethal racism in the South since 1968.

[CatWoman]

24. agreed

[douggg]

14. Top three?

For security reasons, I would think it a bad idea for all three to be together.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

40. Who would be next in the line of Presidential

succession if God forbid something happened?

[geek tragedy]

21. I see this as appropriate and the proper thing to do on his part. nt

[WhoWoodaKnew]

25. Me too

[ProgressiveEconomist]

26. I see Boehner and Scalise as publicity hounds hypocritically

seeking favorable photo-ops at the funeral. Boehner went far to suppress a 2009 DHS report that might have led Charleston law enforcement to beef up security at Emanuel. See the end of the OP and posts #s 12 and 19.

I think Boehner and Scalise are working directly from Newt Gingrich’s GOPAC playbook, following his advice on how to hide dogwhistle racism. This wink-wink racism has been and remains at the heart of Republican domination of Southern politics since Nixon’s 1968 election victory.

It was only 3 months ago that the 50th anniversary of the Selma march gave Scalise some really bad publicity connected to his having gone after the David Duke vote in Louisiana. See the post #23 and this snippet from the Gingrich playbook:

From http://fair.org/extra-online-articles/language:-a-key-mechanism-of-control/ :

“Another skill he has taught to Republican candidates through his political organization, GOPAC, is how to create a “shield issue” to deflect criticism:

“A shield issue is just, you know, your opponent is going to attack you as lacking compassion,” a GOPAC training tape advises. “You better find a good compassion issue where, you know, you show up in the local paper holding a baby in the neonatal center, and all you’re trying to do is shield yourself from the inevitable attack.”

[krepitch]

22. Steve Scalise is going?!

That'll go over real well. :|

[ProgressiveEconomist]

23. Great catch! How quickly we forget the David Duke/KKK

voters Scalise has pursued in Louisiana.

From http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/06/scalise_will_attend_funeral_fo.html :
"In March, Scalise was criticized by some for not attending events in Selma, Ala., to make the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday Civil Rights march. It was an issue because earlier in the year it was reported Scalise spoke before members of a white supremacist group in 2002. Scalise had apologized for the 2002 speech, and said he would attend the 2016 observance of the Selma civil rights march, which ended with protesters marching for voting rights being bloodied by police."

See also http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/us/politics/much-of-david-dukes-91-campaign-is-now-in-louisiana-mainstream.html?_r=0

[Xyzse]

27. Don't like him, but good on him to do. It can also be considered, dare I say it... brave.

See, I thought G.W.Shrub was a coward for avoiding the NAACP the vast majority of his tenure as President.

That Boehner will go, considering that he would be mocked, looked at as if he were a hypocrite, and most likely even castigated by his allies, I think that is a good thing for him to do.

It is the classy thing to do, especially if he keeps his mouth in check. So, I'll commend him on this event, even if I do consider him a failure of a human being. Although, I must say, I don't think he should lead a Congressional delegation, but rather just go, with as little fanfare as possible.

[AlinPA]

30. Hypocrisy is always ugly.

[apnu]

28. Boy its amusing to see all the Republicans who suddenly care about black people.

I'm blown away by their concern.

...

...

...

...

...

... not!

[AlinPA]

29. What a joke! Sickening to see that hypocritical racist slime going there.

[Daniel537]

31. Obscene.

The very same Party that has blocked any type of gun control that would have helped save lives and has more than happily whipped up racist animosity in the last six years(and beyond) now pretends to offer sympathy and condolences. Sickening.

[6000eliot]

32. Interesting that none of them could make it to Selma for the 50th anniversary of the March.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

33. Not enough media coverage in Selma

would be my first explanation. Even broadcast networks may carry the President's eulogy live.

Second, the hushed silence of a funeral will ward off most reporters until they can sprint to their limos. They need photo-ops, not embarrassing questions.

[6000eliot]

35. +1,000,000!

[bearssoapbox]

34. He's not going because it's the right thing to do.

He's hoping that there will be an open bar somewhere after the services.

Because it isn't, suddenly, a concern for black people.

His, and the GOP's past, speak for itself.

[awoke_in_2003]

36. He needs to keep his ass in DC...

nobody in Charleston want his ass there.