Just another bizarre incident at which he was present. But, no, I am not implying that he was responsible or involved.
I know he was there because he gave sound bites to the media. Actually, he’s a little quote-happy. Do a search on Parlock at the Hunting Herald-Dispatch, and he can be found being interviewed on everything from the 300 gallons of gas he bought before Y2K to the rescue of Jessica Lynch.
I do strongly suspect the incident with Sophia was, if not staged, spun. And even if weren’t, it still leaves a bad, bad taste in my mouth.
I wouldn’t fault Parlock for taking his children to any protest event, but when a “feeding frenzy” erupts, don’t give them fresh signs and order them to hold on! Get the kids out!
Fathers are supposed to make their children feel safe.
It’s not like a THREE YEAR OLD is old enough to actually have an opinion on the presidential election, beyond what dad has TOLD her to believe. I still say that DAD’S at fault here, more than anyone else. And if he’s so rabid about politics that he can’t see WHY it’s a bad thing that he did with/to Sophia, then he REALLY needs to step back and rethink his priorities.
I concur with these sentiments. I find it rather creepy for any parent to indoctrinate their children with their political beliefs. At this point in their life it’s pretty much brainwashing because they’re not old enough to form their own opinion. I would have deeply resented it if my parents had me hold up signs for them at that age, regardless of the merits of who I was holding the signs for.
That being said, however, it’s still not nice to rip signs from the hands of a three year old (assuming this event wasn’t a staged photo-op to make Democrats look meanspirited)
Trust me, no, Guin, they probably were not. Some of the coal guys in WV are engaging in some pretty nasty, dirty, underhanded schemes. Unless both of your great-grandfathers were thugs and criminals (and I don’t think you’d be boasting about them if they were) then no, they were coal union members and perhaps enthusiasts, but not “nutsos.”
As for Parlock, what he did was stupid. What the sign-ripper did was stupid. There is no lack of stupidity on any side here. I think all people with common sense can agree on that. But as for the claims that Parlock failed to “protect” his daughter, I imagine that he probably believed that the fact that she was a small child on her father’s shoulders was protection enough. Not many people are arrogant, obnoxious or foolish enough to get physical in any way with a small child in such a situation. That he needed to “protect” her further (and failed to do so) is less a testament, IMO, to Phil Parlock’s fathering skills than it is to the utter lack of civility in the current political realm.
[slight hijack]
Actually, Glenn Beck is independent, and has one of the best track records I’ve seen for consistency. He’s hammered Bush for immigration among other things, and made a great case against Schwarzenegger in CA. He’s conservative before he’s Republican, and he’s the only nationally broadcast conservative I can stand to listen to (Rush drives me nuts and don’t get me started on Hannity).
Plus he and his team are really funny.
[/slight hijack]
I wasn’t aware of that. However, since I had several relatives working in coal mines, one here in Pennsylvania spent a few years in prison back in the day for aiding in the plot to blow up the mine boss’s house. (Or something like that). Later on, he was pardoned by the governor.
Sorry, I assumed that Abbie was doing her usual right-wing spiel against unions or whatever.
If, by some miracle of laxity on the part of the FBI and Secret Service, someone managed to get a Kerry/Edwards sign within sight of Cheney, it wouldn’t be a union a**hole ripping the sign out of the three year olds hands. It would be the Secret Service, followed by an arrest.
I’m fascinated that someone on the board knows this Parlock guy – tell me, are my suppositions correct based upon what I’ve read about him this week:
Fundamentalist christian, kids home-schooled, rabidly right-wing and more than a little passive-aggressive? Always has a story about being the victim of some group or another? Good at dramatizing minor incidents to get attention?
Depends on how you define fundie. He used to be Catholic, now Orthodox, so shrug Kids are NOT homeschooled; they’re all in public schools. Passive aggressive? No way. There is nothing passive about Phil, right or wrong.
And yeah, he’s ran for the school board a few times. So what?
I don’t buy into the idea tha the dad was inadequately protecting his daughter so much as I think that he was exposing her to a pretty bad social situation unnecessarily.
Seriously, parents out there, would you take your kid somewhere where you were not welcome? I’m all for free speech and different opinions but that situation is simply not what you should bring a kid into.
It’s easy to get riled up based on the politics, but really, all politics aside, I think it was very, very bad parenting. And, yeah, he’s pulling that passive-aggressive thing, too. Regardless of politics, he should be very soundly bitch-slapped for that.
Seriously, parents out there, would you take your kid somewhere where you were not welcome? I’m all for free speech and different opinions but that situation is simply not what you should bring a kid into.
When Bush came to Huntington in 2000, I wasn’t welcome on the sidewalk because of a pack of Democrats who were harassing the rallygoers outside the riverfront. My daughter was an infant back then, so I didn’t have her with me. Had I taken her and something happened, I think the blame would have been squarely on the Democrats and not myself. There is simply NO EXCUSE for violence at things like these unless we are talking self-defense. Trying to spit on someone (as it was in 2000) because they support your guy’s political rival is outrageous, and so is grabbing anyone’s sign and ripping it up. You can tell who the partisans are in this situation, they’re the ones who are saying “well he shouldn’t have been there,” yet would scream bloody murder if a Democrat’s kid had a sign ripped up. (And lest you think I’m unfair, I’m well aware that the Republicans have their share of people who wouldn’t care at all if the situation were reversed.)
Given that this was, technically, not a rally for Kerry/Edwards, I’m not sure it’s fair to blame the victim and overlook the one(s) who acted like a jerk. I will also daresay that he probably wasn’t the only Bush supporter in the crowd. Some people go to these things just in case the other guy wins, so they can say “yeah, I saw Vice President Edwards when he was at the airport.” Heck, I saw Clinton the night before he was elected the first time. I didn’t like him back then, but it was kind of neat that I saw him on that particular day.
When it comes to political stuff, you’re NEVER going to be welcome by everyone; there will always be a group hanging around that hates you. To stay home because something “might” happen because opposition will be there is … um, letting the terrorists win or something
I’d rather stay home from a political event than expose my child to something they really don’t have anything to do with and could even potentially be harmful. Her dad either damn well knew what would happen and went anyway (which is the most likely scenario given his documented history) or he’s is pathologically stupid. It’s pretty goddamn stupid in th e first place to think you’re going to go to event like that and change anyone’s mind. He was grandstanding, and he involved an innocent child in a (regrettably) potentially harmful situation. That, IMHO, is unjustifiable, no matter what bizarro world you occupy.
Michelle Malkin blogged that she got a call from the union. They’ve identified the union member and are taking steps to discipline him.
I don’t know whether to be more disapointed in my fellow Dems or relieved that Parlock isn’t some sort of evil stage dad. I still think she should have been off his shoulders and in his arms at the first tear.
