Desert Messenger Clarification regarding "River of Tears" post

CLARIFICATION:

In light of recent events and correspondence from Mr. Doug Gilford, Desert Messenger felt it important to make this clarification regarding the “River of Tears” blog post on July 20, 2012 on http://www.desertmessenger.blogspot.com/2012/07/quartzsite-womans-emotional-expression.html.

The emotionally charged post was written last weekend by Hygeia Halfmoon shortly after hearing of the Aurora, Colorado theater shootings.

Halfmoon's post began, “Just weeks ago former and recalled mayor Ed Foster had the audacity to tell a reporter for all the world to see and hear him say that if our town government doesn’t seat him, then someone is gonna come into Town Hall with a gun and start shooting.”

Mr. Gilford's email to Desert Messenger focused on a paragraph naming certain individuals in the following question: "How dare you......exploit the media and claim your constitutional rights to harass our community…how DARE you make light of the serious nature of a killing spree!!!” 
Desert Messenger did not imply nor intend to imply that the named individuals made light of the Aurora shootings or any killing spree.

Desert Messenger reached out to Ms. Halfmoon for clarification. She said she did not write "the” killing spree and was not referring to the recent Aurora shootings. She was referring to Ed Foster’s statements in the first paragraph of the article.

In an email Ms. Halfmoon stated, “I wrote ‘a killing spree’ which would obviously be the natural byproduct of what Ed Foster has been telling reporters...that someone is gonna come into Town Hall with guns and start shooting.” 

Ms. Halfmoon told Desert Messenger that she felt it was obvious those named in the post are active outspoken supporters of Foster, referring to them as "the negative faction". 

In her opinion, “These regular and consistent comments on the part of Ed Foster do in fact ‘make light of the serious nature of a killing spree’”. She said she felt “anyone who supports Foster’s statements and does not take a stand against that type of behavior or violence is in sense harassing our community. I am one of their primary targets for the simple fact that I am a free-lance writer with a community website.”

According to Ms. Halfmoon, Mr. Gilford has not contacted her demanding a retraction of any of her statements.


This Clarification shall be posted in such ways only as the original posting was.