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| Yoda (Wookiepedia) |
"Fear Leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate...leads to suffering."
The alleged assailant, Jared Loughner, by all accounts seems to be a very troubled, very probably mentally ill individual. His online life, ostensibly his only solid outward connection to the world, is a patchwork of paranoid delusions and, yes, some off-kilter political ideology. He has been charged with attempted assassination of a member of Congress as the evidence shows that Giffords was the target. The last significant attack on an American political figure was John Hinckley's attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life in 1981. Hinckley's motives were not really at all political.
It is not everyday that the words of Yoda of Star Wars is quoted in the face of a national tragedy, but it seems that the George Lucas character may have said it best. Perhaps this quote would be better known had it not come from the better forgotten Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
As of this writing, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition. She is alive and at the direction of anesthesiologists, unconscious. Her brain function looks good, but it is still too early to tell. Swelling, which remains the most dangerous threat to her recovery now, is still possible for the next few days. Her long term prognosis may not be known for months. Six people, including the Chief Judge of the US District Court in Arizona, a 9 year-old girl, her 30 year-old community relations director, and three retirees are dead. A dozen or so were injured—some remain hospitalized. Others have been released.
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| Cong. Giffords (wikipedia) |
The focus of this posting is not the ease with which Loughner secured his weapon and ammunition. However, we will say that these events are not inconceivable or, as has been described "unimaginable." Gun violence, even public assaults like these, is quite common and yet we do little to stop it. The extended clip Loughner allegedly used had no purpose, but to as kill many people as possible. Police carry the same weapon and use the standard 12 round clip as opposed to the 33 round clips Loughner had purchased from a Wal-Mart. These extended clips had been banned under now expired Brady Bill provisions and are now readily available. While passage is unlikely, sooner or later, we have to seriously ask ourselves how much safer we are with these devices, which serve no purpose, but to kill. The issue is not banning guns wholesale, but whether their sheer preponderance in our society serves or undermines their stated purpose.
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| Jared Lougner (AZ Star) |
Although Loughner's motives are probably at best remotely political, it has brought much, if not all of the political apparatus—politicians, newsman, and commentators—into a moment of reflection. That reflection is needed and overdue. Congresswoman Giffords was the subject of innuendo and outright threats of violence in the past. A protester waving one of those misappropriated Gadsden flags dropped a gun that had been held in his armpit. Her office was vandalized following the health care vote, which she supported. Then there was Sarah Palin's "reload" campaign complete with cross hairs aimed at formerly Republican districts including Giffords'. Indeed the number of members of Congress receiving serious threats nearly tripled in 2010 from the year before. A man is currently incarcerated for threatening to kill Washington Sen. Patty Murray over her health care vote.
The right has responded stridently to the claims that it is to blame. Truly, they are not directly to blame for the shooting in Tucson, but the vitriol and vile language that they—and some voices on the left—have stirred up has not added to the national conversation and certainly has made a climate that has only aggravated the fear, distrust, and aggression in our society. Throw into the mix mentally ill or otherwise unbalanced people and you do have a recipe for disaster.
The tone in the national political discourse has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Sarah Palin's reload/target graphic is the least of it. Joyce Kaufman, a talk radio personality and Florida and nearly a freshman congressman's chief of staff, spoke about how if "ballots don't work, bullets will." Tea partiers relish Thomas Jefferson's statement that "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time withe blood of patriots & tyrants." In typical fashion, however, the statement is out of context. Jefferson was commenting on Shays Rebellion of all things. Among the many gripes of Shay and his ilk were that ineffectual nature of the Articles of Confederation, which was replaced by our present Constitution its strong central government.
This blog is not comfortable with the term hate speech, because it is too broad and lends itself to misinterpretation. Moreover, we do not gain anything by going to opposite extreme and purge our political discourse of passion and live in a cacophony of political correctness. However, we must tamp down the negativity and the demonizing of political opponents. As Congressman Richard Neal said at his press conference today those on the other side are our "opponents, not our enemies." In addition, Neal noted that many Congressmen need to remember that not every issue is "Armageddon."
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| Cong. Richard Neal (WMassP&I) |
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