However, what has been just as shocking in recent days as the rampage itself, has been the heated and highly charged political fight that has erupted from many who seem to believe the shooting had a deeper political objective from some on the fringe of the conservative movement.
If there is anything America knows how to do, it is to come together and unite in trying times - this has been proven time and time again in the wake of numerous national tragedies. It is alarming then that some, like Paul Krugman of the New York Times, would try to paint this terrible event as an act of terror on behalf of the Tea Party or a larger political movement within the United States.
While it is true that Giffords, who won her district in November by only about 1.5%, has been under criticism by those who disagree with her support of the controversial health care bill, she still remains a "Blue Dog" Democrat holding many conservative views. It is questionable then that Loughner, a 22-year-old college dropout, would act in response to her personal political views which remain quite moderate. Perhaps instead of categorizing himself with the interests of any specific political group, the motivation for Loughner's crime was driven by an anarchist and psychotic mentality which has been suggested from personal posts on his Myspace page.
It has been suggested in the media that perhaps rhetoric like Sarah Palin’s “crosshairs” graphic featured on her website for the 2010 midterm election (including Giffords’ district) has provoked this tragedy. This claim is left with little evidence that Loughner himself ever saw the graphic or even involved himself in the political atmosphere of his region. It should be noted, though, that imagery like Palin’s “crosshairs” map is common in political campaigns. In 2004, Democrats featured a bull’s-eye “target” map highlighting key Republican districts in hopes of a political shift in those areas. It’s a peculiar political strategy, but not one atypical of national campaigns from both ends of the political spectrum.
Pointing fingers and calling blame on a broad group only diverts attention from the real catastrophe and is certainly not a productive way to grieve and mourn the loss of innocent life which includes the deaths of nine innocent people. The victims included a 9-year-old girl and John Roll, a federal judge nominated by President George H.W. Bush.
It is important that Americans come together and do everything in their power to avoid politicizing this event. The families of those affected deserve the grace and respect of every American regardless of political identification. Just as President Obama and the First Lady led the nation in a moment of silence today, so should every American take example from them and remain patriots to their country – patriots who know no boundaries when it comes to revering their own.
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| 2010 Republican "Victory Map" |
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| 2004 Democrat "Victory Map" |
This tragedy was perpetrated by a nut case. We are all in agreement with that. Gifford was a 'Blue Dog'Democrat and had many conservative views. Agreed. A sane man would have looked at her 'Blue Dogness' but how much does it take to push a nut job over the edge? Mighty Little!
ReplyDeleteEveryday you run across rational thinking people who listen to Hot Gas Talk Jock's hateful rant. It completely transforms a rational person into a highly polarized hateful whacko. Now would it be a stretch to say that a nut job like Loughner could have been motivated by the 'Rushian Hate Tirade'into perpetrating this henious crime? It is entirely possible. A dumb bull attacks a red piece of cloth.
This brings us to the next question - crosshair maps or not, why should we condone rousing hate-speech by fat talk jocks as freedom of expression. All they are doing is shouting 'fire' in a crowded room! They make people dig into political positions and refuse to negotiate or even entertain an alternate viewpoint. They polarize the electorate and poison the minds or otherwise rational thinking men. In case of nut jobs - who knows how much prodding a nut case like Loughner would need to go do what he did!