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Business Selling Tucson Memorial ‘Together We Thrive’ Shirts For Charity Gets Hate Mail

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by Tommy Christopher | 7:46 pm, January 14th, 2011

» 64 comments

A focal point of the effort, by some, to cast Wednesday’s “Together We Thrive” memorial to the victims of the Tucson mass shooting in a negative light has been the t-shirts that were distributed to the crowd. Businessman Kevin Wright, owner of Florida-based Thundershirts, sees the shirts in a different light, though. He’s selling copies of the “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America” shirts in an attempt to raise money for the victims, and getting hate mail for his trouble.

When I first saw Wright’s listing on eBay, I had the same cynical thought that many others obviously did, that the “portion of the proceeds” was probably a token sum, donated simply as a pretext to capitalize on the tragedy. The fact that Wright’s politically-themed shirts have a decidedly conservative slant seemed to add irony to the mix, as some conservatives have twisted themselves in knots to manufacture controversy over the real t-shirts.

The truth, as is often the case, is another matter. I contacted Wright, and he told me that, until he’s able to recoup some of the costs of the campaign, he’s donating $10 from the sale of each shirt to benefit the victims of the shootings, and coordinating his effort with the United Way of Tucson. Once those costs are recouped, he hopes to increase the amount by three to five dollars per shirt.

While Thundershirts specializes in custom sportswear, they also feature an extensive line of Christian-themed items, which Wright says has its genesis in the Columbine tragedy.

“We used the same kind of fundraising technique to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the Columbine victims.” Wright says. “We’re working with the established groups on the ground. The United Way is the big organization for community largess, but if they say (for example) that the Lutheran Council is taking the lead in distributing the funds, then the check may not actually be made out to the United Way. We’re focused on getting the funds directly to the victims, rather than have it siphoned off by bureaucracy.”

The reception, thus far, hasn’t been warm, according to Wright. “To be honest, I don’t know if we’re going to raise any money, it’s just been so ugly. You should see, my email box has been filled up with people saying ‘You’re sick! It’s Blood money!”

He responds to the criticism by saying, “If you can think of a better way to raise money for these people, you go knock yourself out! We’re just people that are hurting with this tragedy, praying for these people, and doing the best we can to get them some help in real time.”

Wright says he was conscious of people’s feelings as he researched the concept for his campaign. “You come up with an idea like this, and you don’t want to be in a situation where you’re making people’s grief worse. I think the President showed exactly the right tone, in exactly the right way, and for us to be reproducing this shirt, and offering it to a wider audience so people can participate in this on a national, or international basis, I think is the right tack to take on this. I mean, we’re not putting victims’ pictures out there.”

He also says he’s not trying to get rich doing this. “We expect to pay our rent, we expect to pay our employees, I don’t know if ‘profit’ is the word you would use. We’re performing a community service here. Going back to our Columbine campaign, I don’t think our accountants were happy with the quote-unquote profit that was made at the end of the day. The employees were paid, the expenses of the shop were paid. We really just wanted to share with people who want to share the message of healing.”

Wright really seems stung by the criticism he’s received, and reiterates that his critics ought to put their money where their mouth is. “Again, if anyone out there has a better idea for how to raise money, I hope they do it. I would actually like to see a telethon.”

In fairness to those critics, his eBay listing is vague about the amount being donated, and the idea of reproducing the memorial shirts is certainly open to varying standards of taste. Much as is true with the original shirts themselves, though, you can question their tastefulness, but it seems unfair to question the intent behind them. If you’re not giving directly to a charity, maybe you ought to buy one of Wright’s shirts, and maybe one for Michelle Malkin, too.

The University of Arizona, meanwhile, has said that there are only a few of the original shirts left, which they will give to victims’ friends and families, and that there are no plans to make more.

Arizona Shooting Tragedy, Gabrielle Giffords, Kevin Wright, Michelle Malkin, t-shirts, Thundershirts, together we thrive, Tucson Memorial

SuperChuñdy

America F Yeah! Trumping up controversies to satisfy our hatred for our “opponents” since 1776.
The Tea Weasel

No good deed goes unpunished….
TfT

I wonder if Keith or Rachel will report on this story tonight and blame it on Sarah, then Tommy can post an article and tweet to Sarah and ask her to comment on it, and then MSNBC can continue it’s political assassination of Sarah.

Sorry, the the left took this story and made it something it never was, as a result, the emotions surrounding this incident will always have political undertones (overtones?). Thanks Sheriff Nifong and Team Obama and the liberal biased medial.
Big Eddie

Raise money directly for the victims . We’re a generous people , Tom . Put up an address .
Thelonious Funk

So we blame the criminal and not the gun; but blame the shirt and not the wearer?
kvon

TfT said:
I wonder if Keith or Rachel will report on this story tonight and blame it on Sarah, then Tommy can post an article and tweet to Sarah and ask her to comment on it, and then MSNBC can continue it’s political assassination of Sarah.

Sorry, the the left took this story and made it something it never was, as a result, the emotions surrounding this incident will always have political undertones (overtones?). Thanks Sheriff Nifong and Team Obama and the liberal biased medial.

…and with that TfT successfully made this Obama’s fault.
Pablo

Hey, I hear they’ve got some of those people buried now. Maybe he could make a few more bucks for charity by selling pictures of their graves!
The Tea Weasel

Wow Nifong was elected sheriff? Last I saw Mike he was packing up his guitar and leaving Durham forever. Now he is sheriff out in Tucson. Interesting……
Puter Boi

There is no subject too:

Small….Medium…Large….or Extra Large, that T.C. won’t cover.

Rest easy America…T.C. has a seat at the table.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTyTkD1Pz_E&feature=related
tatboy

Kinda like when Sean Hannity tried to raise money for injured troops and got hate mail for it. The Ed Show even called him “scum”. But I guess that wasn’t news.
tatboy

The Tea Weasel said:
Wow Nifong was elected sheriff? Last I saw Mike he was packing up his guitar and leaving Durham forever. Now he is sheriff out in Tucson. Interesting……

You couldn’t tell the difference… that’s for sure.
Harry Flashman

A business took an opportunity to make money, which is what businesses do, and to help people at the same time.

Who cares what the t-shirts said? This is a non-issue.

The far left and the far right both need to take a breath, take a break, hell, take a pill but for pete’s sake stop taking offense at the tiniest things. Both sides. Stop. Just….stop.

This has become a parody of itself and is more absurd every day.
Big Eddie

Noticed this guy is charging $22.90 per plus shipping .
A t-shirt blank is dirt cheap bought in bulk . Costs pennies to print .

This company is charging $7.95 for some other shirts .
Why fall for a scammer ?

If there’s a victim’s fund established at a bank in Tucson ,
Tom can give the address .

Nobody needs a souvenir for a charitible donation .
kvon

tatboy said:
Kinda like when Sean Hannity tried to raise money for injured troops and got hate mail for it. The Ed Show even called him “scum”. But I guess that wasn’t news.

Less than 7% of the proceeds from his “Freedom Concerts” went to charity…that’s NOT horrible?
SuperChuñdy

TfT said:
I wonder if Keith or Rachel will report on this story tonight and blame it on Sarah, then Tommy can post an article and tweet to Sarah and ask her to comment on it, and then MSNBC can continue it’s political assassination of Sarah.

Maybe she could sue them like Mark “I’m bald, fat, and angry” Levin.
tatboy

kvon said:
Less than 7% of the proceeds from his “Freedom Concerts” went to charity…that’s NOT horrible?

That was proven to not be true… Gee where might you have gotten that “fact”???
jjay7381

God, this is so stupid. If this gets any dumber, I’m going to have to put my computer away for a few days. I can’t believe how childish and tit for tat this has gotten. It makes me sad for our country.
SuperChuñdy

Big Eddie said:
Noticed this guy is charging $22.90 per plus shipping .
A t-shirt blank is dirt cheap bought in bulk . Costs pennies to print .

This company is charging $7.95 for some other shirts .
Why fall for a scammer ?

If there’s a victim’s fund established at a bank in Tucson ,
Tom can give the address .

Nobody needs a souvenir for a charitible donation .

How much have you given Big Ed? A lot, I hope. Otherwise, you’d just be accusing someones else of being a “scammer,” while you did nothing.

Here’s a list of places to donate folks
felixw

Why do I never seen an article with the headline “Sarah Palin Gets Hate Mail” or “Glenn Beck Gets Hate Mail” or “Bill O’Reilly Gets Hate Mail” etc.? But if some obscure blogger Pocatello, Idaho says something rude or unflattering about a liberal, it’s a HUGE story.

I’ll tell you why. The Left works to demonize and vilify leading conservatives. But the conservatives themselves want to focus on the issues — the deficit, the border, the economy, the war on terror, etc. You know, all those issues that don’t get discussed on MSNBC.
kvon

tatboy said:
That was proven to not be true… Gee where might you have gotten that “fact”???

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/20046/responding-to-schlussel-expose-charity-navigator-downgrades-hannity-charity-freedom-alliance-rating-now-only-2-stars-needs-improvement/

Super Lib Debbie Schlussel.
SuperChuñdy

tatboy said:
That was proven to not be true… Gee where might you have gotten that “fact”???

Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator, gave Freedom Alliance 2 out of 4 stars. Cue the sad trombone sound effect.

As Eddie said, why wouldn’t Hannity just raise money for veterans and not waste money on producing a series of concerts for limousine country stars and their fans.
SuperChuñdy

felixw said:
Why do I never seen an article with the headline “[Barrack Obama] Gets Hate Mail” or “[Rachel Maddow] Gets Hate Mail” or “[Keith Olbermann] Gets Hate Mail” etc.? But if some obscure blogger Pocatello, Idaho says something rude or unflattering about a [conservative], it’s a HUGE story.

I’ll tell you why. The [Right] works to demonize and vilify leading [liberals]. But the [liberals] themselves want to focus on the issues — the deficit, the border, the economy, the war on terror, etc. You know, all those issues that don’t get discussed on Fox News.

See what I did there? Is your though process really that one-sided or do you actually believe what you wrote?
SmartAlec

Regarding the hate mail – this goes for BOTH SIDES.
As the old saying goes – Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.

Until ironclad proof is provided, I will never believe anything either side says when it comes to crap like this. It is much too easy for a lefty to show up at a Tea Party rally with a racist sign or a righty to show up at a similar event with a sign to trying to make the left look bad.
“You’re sick and Blood Money” sound more like expressing displeasure that “hate”.
Keep throwing the word hate around so callously and it will become the new “racist”…used so often without merit that it loses meaning.
I am begining to “hate” reading articles by T.Christopher.
Nacho

Amazing, just amazing…
BeesBuzz

“Together We Thrive” logo from Obama’s website? http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/johnberry_iv/C94H

This whole shirt thing smells fishy to me.
TristramShandy

Gasp! A Tommy Christopher “EXCLUSIVE” … Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Gasket

Loving Conservatives.
Pablo

Big Eddie said:
Noticed this guy is charging $22.90 per plus shipping .
A t-shirt blank is dirt cheap bought in bulk . Costs pennies to print .

This company is charging $7.95 for some other shirts .
Why fall for a scammer ?

If there’s a victim’s fund established at a bank in Tucson ,
Tom can give the address .

Nobody needs a souvenir for a charitible donation .

And why would anybody want that T-shirt? If you want to help people, you write a check. If you want a T-shirt, you buy a T-shirt.

Oooh look! A big, evil corporation has established a fund for the victims! Good on ya, Safeway. If you’d like to send something, but don’t need a “Together We Thrive” T-shirt, and you don’t think Safeway will steal your money, here’s what you need to know:

Contributions may be made by mail to the Safeway Foundation, Safeway Arizona Division, 2750 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, Ariz., 85282. Checks should be made payable to the “Safeway Foundation Tucson Victims Fund.”
A man without a Country

Please, don’t accuse people of doing things with-out facts or evidence…..
Nacho

Big Eddie said:
Noticed this guy is charging $22.90 per plus shipping .
A t-shirt blank is dirt cheap bought in bulk . Costs pennies to print .

This company is charging $7.95 for some other shirts .
Why fall for a scammer ?

If there’s a victim’s fund established at a bank in Tucson ,
Tom can give the address .

Nobody needs a souvenir for a charitible donation .

I’m not making comparisons, simply using it as a reference.

If you go to glennbeck.com and purchase one of his new E t-shirts, with shipping and tax it comes to just over $37 a t-shirt.

$25 a shirt with $10 going to charity doesn’t seem that unreasonable. People wear these shirts for the same reason they wear 9/11 shirts, to bring people closer together. Surley you don’t think those people are silly.

I will not be purchasing a t-shirt, I may write a check to my local NPR station in honor of the victims.
Latin2

So where is the article about all the DEATH THREATS that Sarah Palin received after the incident?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BACY8OZ8nB0

I see the Liberal Media, including the writing staff of Mediaite, is very selective about their stories.

Since Palin was dragged into the debate when the crazy radical Leftist Liberal shot the congresswoman, why hasn’t Mediaite written about this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BACY8OZ8nB0

Death threats against Sarah Palin after the shooting. A shooting that she had no connection to.

Why not write about that? Oh, wait that doesn’t fit the Liberal narrative.

BUT ACCORDING TO THE POLLS, THE PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE YOU LIBERALS and LIBERAL MEDIA.
Latin2

Nacho said:
Amazing, just amazing…

What was amazing, and sickening, was when you wrote that Gov. Jan Brewer should’ve been assassinated.

That was sickening.
the real john t

Latin2 said:
Death threats against Sarah Palin after the shooting. A shooting that she had no connection to.
Why not write about that? Oh, wait that doesn’t fit the Liberal narrative.

Do you actually think the RWers are the only ones that get death threats? If you do you are amazingly ignorant. Why do you think Mediaite should bow down to your every wish? You want to talk about every death threat a person gets, then start your own fucking blog. You’re pathetic.
lonestar77

Give it up, Tommy. You and your cohorts embarrassed yourselves when you used this tragedy for political gain. You can try all you want to create some sort of controversy but it ain’t gonna work. A couple right-wing blogs pale in comparison to the entire MSM. Stop embarrassing yourself, buddy.
gjp

kvon said:
Less than 7% of the proceeds from his “Freedom Concerts” went to charity…that’s NOT horrible?

I’m sure there is no cost involved putting those concerts on.
Mr B

Irony.

The guy that made up the “Together we Thrive” slogan railed against maximizing profits. I wonder how he would feel about his slogan being used to maximize profits through T shirt sales.
david r

Tommy has definitely blown the lid off the t-shirt controversy. When Obama runs for re-election, he can run on DADT and free t-shirts.
Mr B

Nacho said:
I’m not making comparisons, simply using it as a reference.

If you go to glennbeck.com and purchase one of his new E t-shirts, with shipping and tax it comes to just over $37 a t-shirt.

$25 a shirt with $10 going to charity doesn’t seem that unreasonable. People wear these shirts for the same reason they wear 9/11 shirts, to bring people closer together. Surley you don’t think those people are silly.

I will not be purchasing a t-shirt, I may write a check to my local NPR station in honor of the victims.

Not to nitpick, but your example may be apples to oranges. T shirt guy doesn’t have a team of researchers and security to pay for; like Glenn Beck does. Those are real people holding real jobs. Some liberal mind you.

It’s strange to see liberals flip positions on profits in an attempt to selectively justify it. Just sayin…..
Mr B

jjay7381 said:
God, this is so stupid. If this gets any dumber, I’m going to have to put my computer away for a few days. I can’t believe how childish and tit for tat this has gotten. It makes me sad for our country.

The media has engaged in lies to destroy individuals and you are devastated by childish tit for tat on a tabloid style website? Seriously?
Nacho

Mr B said:
Not to nitpick, but your example may be apples to oranges. T shirt guy doesn’t have a team of researchers and security to pay for; like Glenn Beck does. Those are real people holding real jobs. Some liberal mind you.

It’s strange to see liberals flip positions on profits in an attempt to selectively justify it. Just sayin…..

I agree, one is doing it for charity and modest means, possibly just trying to get by and the other is doing it to subsidize his multimillion dollar empire at the expense of brainwashed rubes. Sure nice of him to throw some coin at libs though…

But again, I wasn’t trying to make a comparison, I was just using a reference point so people might be able to put it in perspective.
Probably NOT wrong

Of course this guy is going to make sure some of the take
on these shirts will go his stated pupose, the victims.
And of course a very “large” portion of the sales of these shirts will go into
his pockets. These shirts will cost 3 to 4 bucks to produce IF they are quality.
The guy is in the T Shirt business.
He saw an opportunity and jumped on it.
I am surprised more of you lefties are not jumping on him or demanding he pay more taxes on his profit.
The Lantern of Truth

KING in the T- Shirt Shop ! No . No . No . Never ! RRK in a ” t – shirt ” ! I prefer a simple blouse that drapes properly . These garments are for the bourgeoisie , such as the denizens of Wasilla . They will not do for those of us who dine on Beef Bourguignon . N’est – ce pas ?
mickeymat

The point of objections to the sale of these T shirts is based on the political nature of them, not the charitable aspect. The slogan on the shirt is from the Democratic National Committee’s latest and the flyers that accompanied them were also from Organizing for America, the fundraising arm of the Democratic National Committee. It was improper and appalling that the shirts were handed out at a so called memorial for victims as it was nothing of the sort. The university president began the “service” by campaigning for President Obama and the speakers who followed talked endlessly about themselves. A Native American prayer was most inappropriate given the victims were Christians and Jews. Mediaite continues to expose themselves also as operatives for the Democrats and the left as they style their stories to slam the right and to elevate the left, continuously leaving out facts that change the nature and importance of actual events-to their eternal shame BTW.
buzzyboop

SuperChuñdy said:
Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator, gave Freedom Alliance 2 out of 4 stars. Cue the sad trombone sound effect.

Gee, I wonder. Who evaluates the evaluators?

http://www.netsquared.org/blog/holden/ever-taken-good-look-charity-navigator

The bottom line is the bottom line. You take dollars to the bank, or the charity in this case. You don’t take percentages to the bank. If concerts make money for the organization that it wouldn’t have had otherwise, it’s a good deal.
AninTx

I am considering ordering one of these shirts using a very unique spelling of my name. I don’t want the shirt and will probably burn it when it arrives. But I am very curious to see what this Tshirt vendor does with his mailing list. I wonder, will I start getting Organizing For America campaign flyers in the mail (addressed to that unique name) in the coming months? Hmmmm…. Just might be worth the $23 to find out. Remember Obama’s re-election goal is to raise $1 billion. He’s gotta start somewhere.
Nacho

Oh boy…
Probably NOT wrong

AninTx said:
I am considering ordering one of these shirts using a very unique spelling of my name. I don’t want the shirt and will probably burn it when it arrives. But I am very curious to see what this Tshirt vendor does with his mailing list. I wonder, will I start getting Organizing For America campaign flyers in the mail (addressed to that unique name) in the coming months? Hmmmm…. Just might be worth the $23 to find out. Remember Obama’s re-election goal is to raise $1 billion. He’s gotta start somewhere.

I am going to do it. I can afford it. Will let you all know
in a month or so including the name and address I use.
I will throw the shirt deep deep in the landfill. Fantastic!!!
TrollJuice

Why is this not surprising? The right vilifies someone or something the zombies send out hate mail.
TrollJuice

Mr B says:
January 15, 2011 at 1:20 am Mr B(Quote)
Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0

jjay7381 said:
God, this is so stupid. If this gets any dumber, I’m going to have to put my computer away for a few days. I can’t believe how childish and tit for tat this has gotten. It makes me sad for our country.

The media has engaged in lies to destroy individuals and you are devastated by childish tit for tat on a tabloid style website? Seriously?
=======================

The media? There have been nothing but lies and distortion of President Obama since he started running for public office. Now it is the medias fault? The right wing radio and cable TV have promoted all of these lies. Now you people complain!
Seeing 2012 From My Window

“Together We Thrive” originated from violent political rhetoric; T-shirts contained “Rocking the Vote” DNC slogan

Did it seem odd to you that even the Fox all-star panel would have us believe that the President with the most micromanaged image in recent memory had no control or influence whatsoever over the preparation, format, and tenor etc. of the commercialized, pep rally memorial we witnessed this week, and that the White House can blame the embarrassment entirely on the University of Arizona? The entire event was about Captain Greek Columns – who gave a half hour speech – and his time to shine and show off his magical healing abilities.

“Togethere We Thrive” sure sounded a lot more campaign like than memorial like. Usually the themes for memorials – assuming they’re meant to feature those we’re supposedly remembering – are not about “thriving” or “prospering” or anything of that sort. It was a jarring oddity. Now we have an idea where it came from. Not only did the slogan for this Obama 2012 campaign kickoff, ”Together We Thrive,” originate from President Obama’s campaign organization Organizing for America, but it was the title of a post calling for revolution:

“For too long Americans have been set one against the other. It is a side affect of a free market society,” Berry IV posted. “How can profits be maximized, how can I get the work down for the lowest possible costs. This continually sets one group against the other, especially in the blue collar sectors of America. It has become part of the American Business model, whether it was indentured servants, slaves picking cotton, sharecroppers, the industrious people that built the railroads or today’s migrant workers. As long as we remain divided, fighting for the scraps that America has to offer it will be one group against the other.

“What I see in Obama is a chance for revolution. (Italics CFP’s). A chance for every group to be heard; A chance to live the American dream that has been denied to so many…

“In a previous career, I was the global leader of Diversity for a global fortune 500 corporation. I have studied the affects of diverse groups working together and the results can not be denied. Together we Thrive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Revolution was just a metaphor, you say, not a call for political violence? Doesn’t matter anymore, apparently.

But worst of all is that according to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press, at the bottom of the t-shirts is the DNC slogan “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote.”

Here’s what McLeod reports:

University of Arizona brass did not originate the “Together We Thrive” T-shirt. They merely recycled it for Obama—and recycled it in time for what should have been a dignified Memorial for the dead.

If you were a mourner who took home a “Together We Thrive” T-shirt have a look at the bottom of your shirt. “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote” is a common theme of the DNC, and it’s right there on your Memorial T-shirt memento.

Welcome to the era of Obama, where cheering and standing ovations, for the first time in history, became part of the Requiem for the Dead.

If that is true – and it should be easily verifiable as thousands of people now possess those shirts – I’m not sure how that will be explained; the University of Arizona distributed and reportedly purchased the shirts – but not without the knowledge or approval of the President’s team. They can’t simply be unused Obama campaign T-Shirts (though that would be bad enough) because they specifically say “Tucson and America” on them. I can’t wait to hear the explanation on this one, but at the very least, if it is true that those T-Shirts had that DNC “rocking the vote” slogan on them, don’t you dare try to blame this whole disgraceful event and the T-Shirts solely on the University.

My goodness.

http://bigjournalism.com/klarrey/2011/01/15/together-we-thrive-originated-from-violent-political-rhetoric-t-shirts-contained-rocking-the-vote-dnc-slogan/
TrollJuice

Kevin Wright is a republican from Florida. Do you people research anything?
CosmosDan

TfT said:
Sorry, the the left took this story and made it something it never was, as a result, the emotions surrounding this incident will always have political undertones (overtones?). Thanks Sheriff Nifong and Team Obama and the liberal biased medial.

How’s that personal responsibility promotion going? Holy crap man.

Some people are so busy and eager to blame “the left” , for the overreaction of a few people that they wind up exploiting the situation as much or maybe more than those few ever did.
CosmosDan

tatboy said:
Kinda like when Sean Hannity tried to raise money for injured troops and got hate mail for it. The Ed Show even called him “scum”. But I guess that wasn’t news.

Yes, we can excuse all blind partisan stupidity by pointing out the other side did it too.

Or maybe we can just admit that seeing every dam thing through a too partisan view is a bad idea.
CosmosDan

Harry Flashman said:
The far left and the far right both need to take a breath, take a break, hell, take a pill but for pete’s sake stop taking offense at the tiniest things. Both sides. Stop. Just….stop.

This has become a parody of itself and is more absurd every day.

You’re correct. It’s become a shameful example of how petty the political dialogue can become.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ilene-Kent/1118167119 Ilene Kent

So sad that those who are right of center see nothing wrong with such vile and violent speech. I would like to ask those against these t-shirts … how many “United We Stand” or other 9-11 merchandise did they buy? And how did this become a right/left issue anyway? oh yeah, the right got its back up because the thoughts expressed by many probably hit too close to home.
Jayson

Seeing 2012 From My Window said:
“Together We Thrive” originated from violent political rhetoric; T-shirts contained “Rocking the Vote” DNC slogan Did it seem odd to you that even the Fox all-star panel would have us believe that the President with the most micromanaged image in recent memory had no control or influence whatsoever over the preparation, format, and tenor etc. of the commercialized, pep rally memorial we witnessed this week, and that the White House can blame the embarrassment entirely on the University of Arizona? The entire event was about Captain Greek Columns – who gave a half hour speech – and his time to shine and show off his magical healing abilities. “Togethere We Thrive” sure sounded a lot more campaign like than memorial like. Usually the themes for memorials – assuming they’re meant to feature those we’re supposedly remembering – are not about “thriving” or “prospering” or anything of that sort. It was a jarring oddity. Now we have an idea where it came from. Not only did the slogan for this Obama 2012 campaign kickoff, ”Together We Thrive,” originate from President Obama’s campaign organization Organizing for America, but it was the title of a post calling for revolution: “For too long Americans have been set one against the other. It is a side affect of a free market society,” Berry IV posted. “How can profits be maximized, how can I get the work down for the lowest possible costs. This continually sets one group against the other, especially in the blue collar sectors of America. It has become part of the American Business model, whether it was indentured servants, slaves picking cotton, sharecroppers, the industrious people that built the railroads or today’s migrant workers. As long as we remain divided, fighting for the scraps that America has to offer it will be one group against the other. “What I see in Obama is a chance for revolution. (Italics CFP’s). A chance for every group to be heard; A chance to live the American dream that has been denied to so many… “In a previous career, I was the global leader of Diversity for a global fortune 500 corporation. I have studied the affects of diverse groups working together and the results can not be denied. Together we Thrive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Revolution was just a metaphor, you say, not a call for political violence? Doesn’t matter anymore, apparently. But worst of all is that according to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press, at the bottom of the t-shirts is the DNC slogan “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote.” Here’s what McLeod reports: University of Arizona brass did not originate the “Together We Thrive” T-shirt. They merely recycled it for Obama—and recycled it in time for what should have been a dignified Memorial for the dead. If you were a mourner who took home a “Together We Thrive” T-shirt have a look at the bottom of your shirt. “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote” is a common theme of the DNC, and it’s right there on your Memorial T-shirt memento. Welcome to the era of Obama, where cheering and standing ovations, for the first time in history, became part of the Requiem for the Dead. If that is true – and it should be easily verifiable as thousands of people now possess those shirts – I’m not sure how that will be explained; the University of Arizona distributed and reportedly purchased the shirts – but not without the knowledge or approval of the President’s team. They can’t simply be unused Obama campaign T-Shirts (though that would be bad enough) because they specifically say “Tucson and America” on them. I can’t wait to hear the explanation on this one, but at the very least, if it is true that those T-Shirts had that DNC “rocking the vote” slogan on them, don’t you dare try to blame this whole disgraceful event and the T-Shirts solely on the University. My goodness. http://bigjournalism.com/klarrey/2011/01/15/together-we-thrive-originated-from-violent-political-rhetoric-t-shirts-contained-rocking-the-vote-dnc-slogan/

You need to go back to the beginning of this thread and read Harry Flashmans comment a few dozen times. Is this how you pass you days? Finding every little thing you can to keep the hatred flames burning?
My god, give it a rest!
Joe Astroturf

Maybe this guy can have Obama have another pep rally for him. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but now we know. He knew about the applause what else could you expect from this community organizer.

http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/

If White House Was Surprised by Applause at Tucson Pep Rally… Why Did They Ask For It On Jumbotron?
Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, January 15, 2011, 10:40 AM

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that they were surprised by the applause at the memorial pep rally on Wednesday for the victims of the Tucson shootings.

I will say that I read the speech several times and thought that there wouldn’t be a lot of applause if any. I think many of us thought that. But I think there was a celebration, again, of the lives of those who had been impacted. Not just at that grocery store but throughout the country. And I think that, if that is part of the healing process, then that’s a good thing.
Nacho

Probably NOT wrong said:
I am going to do it. I can afford it. Will let you all know
in a month or so including the name and address I use.
I will throw the shirt deep deep in the landfill. Fantastic!!!

Dumb and dumber are on the case!
Tommy Christopher

Joe Astroturf said:
Maybe this guy can have Obama have another pep rally for him. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but now we know. He knew about the applause what else could you expect from this community organizer.

http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/

If White House Was Surprised by Applause at Tucson Pep Rally… Why Did They Ask For It On Jumbotron?
Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, January 15, 2011, 10:40 AM

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that they were surprised by the applause at the memorial pep rally on Wednesday for the victims of the Tucson shootings.

I will say that I read the speech several times and thought that there wouldn’t be a lot of applause if any. I think many of us thought that. But I think there was a celebration, again, of the lives of those who had been impacted. Not just at that grocery store but throughout the country. And I think that, if that is part of the healing process, then that’s a good thing.

I can’t believe you people continue to link to this dumb shit. Do you ever learn? Gateway Pundit is NOT CREDIBLE. The Jumbotron carried the video of the memorial, including closed captions. The (applause) was the closed captioning describing the applause, not asking for it. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Gasket

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2011/jan/14/did-white-house-brand-arizona-memorial-service-log/
X-3

“Together We Thrive” Sounds like a campaign slogan for 2012.
Truth

Joe Astroturf said:
Maybe this guy can have Obama have another pep rally for him. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but now we know. He knew about the applause what else could you expect from this community organizer. http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/ If White House Was Surprised by Applause at Tucson Pep Rally… Why Did They Ask For It On Jumbotron?Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, January 15, 2011, 10:40 AM On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that they were surprised by the applause at the memorial pep rally on Wednesday for the victims of the Tucson shootings. I will say that I read the speech several times and thought that there wouldn’t be a lot of applause if any. I think many of us thought that. But I think there was a celebration, again, of the lives of those who had been impacted. Not just at that grocery store but throughout the country. And I think that, if that is part of the healing process, then that’s a good thing.

I can do a lot with Photoshop to. If you believe the trash from this site I have a iceburg in Fairbanks I’ll sell you.
lane

I will not question his intentions, but I will question the t-shirt sales. Selling t-shirts from an event to memorialize murders is not morally acceptable. Death threats are also NOT morally acceptable. People are dead, and every day Christina’s parents will wake up and she won’t be there. Do you wear a t-shirt to celebrate that people move past that, because the family never will. Those parents will never see their daughter graduate from college, get married, have kids. So stop selling the stupid t-shirts, and learn your own lesson. Think of others not yourself.

These t-shirts seem like a pathetic attempt to pretend that this is a healing event. After 9-11 or Tucson, most of us get to move on and ‘thrive’. But, people at 9-11 have physical and emotional scars that don’t go away. The same with Tucson. It seems to make people feel better to pretend that it’s all better, but for those families it will never be. To pretend that it will is really insulting to those folks, God forbid they have to walk around and see the stupid t-shirts when they go to the store. It seems incredibly ignoring those in deep pain right now. Pray for them instead, God knows they’ll need that.
lane

The Tea Weasel said:
No good deed goes unpunished….

I’m just wondering, if you went to a funeral for a child, and someone was selling the same t-shirt, would you buy it or think it was ‘appropriate’. I’d be horrified, personally.