Filed under: News, Politics, President Obama
The petition was called "Sarah Palin: Violent Threats Have Consequences." Some are connecting the petition to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in an incident that left four people dead and 14 injured. Some critics are charging that the fiery rhetoric of Sarah Palin and other right-wing Republicans may have contributed to the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords.
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Credo stated the following in its petition against Palin:
Tell Sarah Palin: Renounce use of shooting images in political rhetoric immediately, and stop using your platform to promote and validate violent calls to action on the right.
What happened in Arizona yesterday was not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a long stream of threats and attacks, most in response to the congresswoman's support for healthcare reform. ...
Let us be clear. We do not know why the shooter targeted Rep. Giffords.
Sarah Palin did not arm him or pull the trigger. We do not know if the shooter admired, loathed or ignored Sarah Palin. We will eventually know, and that will be a different accounting.
But only Sarah Palin put 20 Democratic members of Congress in her crosshairs.
The company goes on to cite three other incidents that led up to the recent shooting:
In November of 2009, a staffer fearing for Rep. Giffords' safety called authorities after a visitor dropped a handgun during another "Congress on Your Corner" event at a local Safeway in her district.
And on March 22, 2010, just hours after Rep. Giffords cast her vote in favor of healthcare reform, a vandal jumped a gate and smashed the glass front door of her Arizona office. It was just days later that the now infamous map featuring Rep. Giffords' district in the crosshairs was posted by Sarah Palin's PAC.
Credo has engaged in other forms of political activism.
For example, the company has also issued a petition asking President Barack Obama to back out of a scheduled interview with Bill O'Reilly from Fox News set to air right before the Super Bowl. It also admonished AT&T for donating money to politicians connected to the Tea Party Movement.
Personally, I have a great deal of respect for the unconventional business model being used by Credo Mobile. Rather than making the dollar bill their primary focus, they are working to fulfill a double bottom line.
I've recommended the same to many companies and celebrities within the African American community who seem to have forgotten that there is a degree of social responsibility that comes with being rich and powerful.
The approach to business that Credo has taken can either increase their profits or hurt them, depending on how well they continue the implementation. On one hand, those who buy products from the company become far more loyal and committed than they would to other cell phone providers.
On the other hand, quite a few customers might feel alienated by their approach, which counters the apolitical disposition used by so many other companies in Credo's industry. As a person who taught in a business school that promotes the idea of avoiding controversy at all cost, I am impressed with any company that engages in forms of political courage to give it a mission that transcends the narrow-minded focus of traditional capitalism.
I might become a Credo customer myself.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.