It looks like Gov. Deval Patrick is going to have a rough couple of days over an unfortunate (but not unfair) implication some critics are drawing from his 9/11 speech yesterday. I’ll get to that in a moment. But first I want to establish the context, so here’s the full text of his brief remarks (link now fixed; plus I’ve added paragraphing to make it easier to read):
We meet today to honor the lives and memories of the 206 sons and daughters of our Commonwealth who were lost six years ago in the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 and with them the thousands of others from across our nation and across the globe, who were lost in that tragedy as well.
Our tribute is for each of them and our condolences are with each of you and the families and survivors so touched by that day. Each of us felt the impact of the incidents of September 11th. But the mothers and fathers and sons and daughters, sisters and brothers and friends of those endured perhaps the most profound loss of all. This is your community and your community is with you today and everyday.
We have lived the last six years in the shadow of that tragedy. We carry the vivid reminders of the pain and the anger we felt. But we must also carry the vivid reminders of the compassion and generosity that was shown that day and the days and weeks that followed. The coming together that happened not only in communities that lost a loved one remember them, and not only in New York, Virginia or Pennsylvania and Washington DC or not only in the United States but all across the world.
That is the spirit in which we re-convene today, and that is what must last. Because among many other things, 9/11 was a failure of human understanding. It was mean and nasty and bitter attack on the United States. But it was also about the failure of human beings to understand each other, and to learn to love each other. And it seems to me that that lesson and that warning is something that we must carry with us everyday.
Fortunately, for human beings, the human heart is not designed to carry grief forever. Somehow we manage to move on and that might be in some ways our greatest strength. We live in a rare place, where our ideas, our shared goals, and our common humanity will and must be more powerful and must ultimately win out over intransigence and anger and violence and division.
Tempered by these losses, we will emerge a strong and better place. That is how we best serve the memories of those we love. We do that not in anger at the horror of their loss, but in honor of the beauty of their lives. We miss them not because they are gone, but because they were here.
The part that’s causing Patrick problems, obviously, is this: “Because among many other things, 9/11 was a failure of human understanding. It was mean and nasty and bitter attack on the United States. But it was also about the failure of human beings to understand each other, and to learn to love each other.”
A Boston Herald editorial today — headlined “Hearts, flowers just aren’t enough” — begins with this sarcastic observation: “If only Osama bin Laden had been hugged more as a child.” The editorial continues:
Unfortunately, the governor’s fuzzy recollection of that terrifying day seems to be in keeping with a certain “blame us” mentality that so many of his supporters embrace, along with a failure to acknowledge the continuing threat of evil that Americans face.
A little while ago, the Massachusetts Republican Party sent out a press release that quotes party chairman Peter Torkildsen as saying, “The only failure of understanding is Governor Patrick’s failure to understand the 9/11 attacks were a cowardly, unprovoked act of war aimed at destroying our democracy and our economy. Terrorists murdered 3,000 innocent people on 9/11, and they were attempting to murder many thousands more that day.” It continues in that vein for several more paragraphs. (So far, the release doesn’t appear to be available at the party’s Web site.)
Bloggers are beginning to react as well, as you can see from this Technorati search.
As you can see from Patrick’s speech, nearly all of it is exactly what you would expect an elected official to say on such occasion. I don’t think his remarks about the human failure to understand and love one another were taken out of context; but I do think they need to be seen within their full context, which was a speech clearly aimed at honoring the victims of 9/11.
As for the part that the Herald and the Republicans are upset with, I’d call it a sloppy bit of rhetoric. I’m all for peace, love and understanding, but Patrick’s words lend themselves too easily to being interpreted as meaning that the attacks came about, at least in part, because we failed to love our enemies.
Look for the inevitable clarification later this week — if not later today.
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Gee, I thought nasty little partisan attacks were on hiatus for 9/11. Glad to see the Republicans can be just as petty on that day as they can the other 364.Way to go, oh small men and women of the GOP!
Usual much ado about nothing. No good deed goes politically unpunished in this great state, er, commonwealth. Smoke and mirrors by those who have nothing more to offer than obfuscation.
You can watch him on video too. Google around for it.He said, But it was also about the failure of human beings to understand each other, and to learn to love each other.and I’m curious who he thinks failed to teach love and understanding here. Who’s he have in mind?
No wonder why the Democrat establishment didn’t want Jim Ogonowski there, he probably would have thrown a punch at Patrick after those disgusting comments.How meaningless to have Marty “Term Limits” Meehan bore the crowd as the keynote speaker.Ogonowski should immediately try to pin down Nikki Tsongas on how she feels about Patrick’s comments. The latest polls show Ogonowski within striking distance and this issue could be his big break.Before the onslaught of backlash, yes I know that Tsongas actually came out and said Ogonowski should be included in the ceremonies and I give her credit for that, but she should still disavow Patrick’s BS.
Bill: Actually, the video is also available just by following the link to the transcript that I provided. A podcast, too. Deval Patrick — triple threat!
thanks Dan…It’s interesting to watch the video and read the transcript.I was caught up in the solemnity of the moment on the video and didn’t listen much to what he said.Read it though, and have the time to pause and reread, and you started asking yourselve what in the world does the man mean here.If those car bombs had gone off in Germany a few days earlier, I’m certain Patrick would have been echoing Obama about how we’ve failed to march into (or maybe just plain nuke) Waziristan.None of this love and understanding stuff.
Most of this is obviously GOP political opportunism, but it also speaks to a common right wing smear: if someone expresses anything other than venomous hatred and violent retribution in regard to any facet of the complex issues of global terrorism, you’re a terrorist-loving whimp. I say ‘smear,’ but that sort of underestimates it – many of these people actually think this way. One of the reasons we’re stuck with the situation we’re in now is because the GOP effectively sold their simple rhetoric about a complex problem to the American people (that, and some crooked election chicanery). Simply put: we’re all for ‘going after terrorists,’ but more effectively working on the conditions that create an environment where terrorism festers makes more sense in the long run. You have to do both.The other thing is that Patrick’s statement strikes me as a very Christian thing to say on such an occasion. I’d say that’s ironic in the face of the right-wing criticism, but it unfortunately isn’t.
Come to think of it. . . The vehement criticism that Gov. Patrick is facing as a result of his speech results from the failure of human beings to understand each other, and to learn to love each other.
I have problems with this passage as well:”Tempered by these losses, we will emerge a strong and better place. That is how we best serve the memories of those we love. We do that not in anger at the horror of their loss, but in honor of the beauty of their lives. We miss them not because they are gone, but because they were here.”The anger and horror about what happened is just as legitimate a motivating factor for us as is the beauty of their lives. And that last line, “We miss them not because they are gone, but because they were here” – – that’s just a really clumsy attempt at being poetic or something. It’s just plain dumb.I can’t believe we finally got the Corner Office back, and our guy is a wet noodle.
mike p, I think that’s pretty weak. I’m about at pinko-commie bleeding heart liberal as they come, and proud of it. And I have no problem whatsoever admitting that I remain horrified and angered by the 9/11 attacks. And I didn’t even lose a loved one. How dare the governor stand there and tell people who lost family and friends not to be mad.It’s a terrible gaffe, at the very least, and worse if it reflects his actual views.
I would feel much better about the right’s concern about being soft on terrorism is GWB focused on Osama and not Saddam. The fact that killer is still around is attributable to Bush and the right taking their eyes off the prize.And oh yeah, there is a great lack of understanding in the world today. If you want to quibble with the facts on the ground, that’s your prerogative. But it also reflects the bankruptcy of the right that they are forced to nitpick words because their actions have failed miserably.
Wasn’t it obvious that he was saying the TERRORISTS were the ones who were failing to love.Nowhere does he blame us, or say we failed to love — that’s the spin the Howie Carrs seem to be putting on it.But it’s not what he said.And he’s not saying we should turn the other cheek, either.Just read the plain words that he spoke: the 9/11 attack, by the terrorists, was a failure of human love and understanding. That’s a bit obvious, but undoubtedly true.
Abe: No, it’s not obvious at all, although that may be what he meant.
Well said, mike p.It surprises me that for a country that wants to lead the world, we don’t listen much at all. Isn’t a TRY at understanding how others in the world perceive us cheaper in blood and fortune than the current policy of bomb and invade first, and think of the consequences later?And no, I’m not talking about foregoing justifiable retaliation like going after the Taliban and OBL for 9/11.
Deval is more interested in how he looks and how cute his speeches are than what happenend on 9-11Together we can, justify anything he says, lets face it, he is a smart boob!
Wasn’t it obvious that he was saying the TERRORISTS were the ones who were failing to love.If he delivered with Arabic and Pashto translations I’d agree.But he wasn’t talking to those folks.
He wasn’t talking to he victim’sfamilies standing twenty feet away from him, either. He was talking to his Moonbat constituency, and should be ashamed.
The link to the text is not working for me. It takes me to Mass.gov and says “File not found”. Has it been pulled?I am a Republican and saying that my outrage at those remarks is BS. I have plenty of friends who are Dems, after all it’s Massachusetts…..and they are disgusted too.
Link now fixed.
Dan, once again, as an aside – Simpsonized pics are so 3 months ago.
Oh, I know. I just don’t have anything I like.