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“Yet beneath that public sense of comity was a subtle round of jockeying — on cable news, blogs, Twitter and even Ms. Palin’s Facebook page — as both sides sought to gain the high ground and deal with the risks and challenges presented by the shootings.”
The Boston Globe quotes Clarence Dupnik, the sheriff of Arizona’s Pima County saying, “When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government -- the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous,” said Dupnik, noting that Arizona, roiled by the illegal immigration debate, has “become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”
The Globe’s editorial adds, “This may be true about Arizona, but the shootings could have happened almost anywhere in the United States, given how thoroughly both ‘lock and load’-style gun metaphors and the demonization of opponents have saturated the nation’s politics… [T]he red-meat rhetoric -- the declarations of revolution, the casual depictions of people as unpatriotic, the brandishing of guns as a symbol of political resistance -- should be renounced across the political spectrum… No political leader or movement should be held responsible for crimes that appear to be Loughner’s alone, and all Americans would benefit from a culture less conducive to the fantasies of unstable minds. Liberals are justified in expressing alarm over the coarsening of the political dialogue. But those who have rushed to blame conservative causes or leaders for the killings should pause and consider whether they, too, are waving a bloody shirt and feeding a culture of denunciation. The responsibility for maintaining a civil dialogue starts in every home and with every individual.”
The Hill: “Reaction on the blogosphere was swift Saturday to the mass shooting in Arizona that killed at least six and critically wounded Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But expressions of shock and sympathy for the victims of the shooting quickly gave way to a left-right battle over what may have motivated the gunman.”
Roll Call’s Bellantoni: “The stunning Tucson, Ariz., ambush during the most basic act of democracy — a Congresswoman meeting with constituents back home — has illuminated an ugly breakdown in American political discourse.” Here’s former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE): "Sarah Palin needs to apologize for putting gun sights on her website,” but added, "Wait a minute, I don't want to say that. Those of us who are appalled by it, those of us who are angered by it, we need to stop it." More: “The examples of inflammatory discourse abound, from gas lines being cut at the home of then-Rep. Tom Perriello's (D-Va.) brother when his address was posted on the Internet, to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) asking her supporters to get ‘armed and dangerous.’ Republican Sharron Angle referred to ‘Second Amendment remedies’ as she campaigned to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) in Nevada.” And: Giffords' 2010 rival held an event offering supporters a chance to shoot an M16 and ‘help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office.’”
And… Defeated Virginia Rep. Tom “Perriello told Roll Call he has less of a problem with Palin's target list (he was on it) than with the subtle "dehumanization" of political enemies that can spark violence. ‘To a crazed mind or a mind that might be prone to violence,’ name-calling can feed vitriol more than any campaign flier using cross hairs, he said.”
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You are the smartest, most handsome, the biggest, and surely the strongest man in the world. But a little nine-year-old girl will melt you with a smile and a, "Hi Daddy."
She will have a magnificent role in the school play, and she will be a star pupil. She will graduate from high school and go to college. You will meet and suspiciously eye her first date. You will dance with her at her wedding and shed tears as you learn the meaning of the word "bittersweet". None of that will happen. She will be shot dead at the age of nine.
More than 80 people are shot dead in this country - each and every day. More than half are suicides, many are accidental, but too many are cold, calculated murders.
Banning guns, taking them away from citizens, forbidding ownership is not the answer. However, as surely as our founders spoke of a more perfect union, we must look for a "more perfect" answer to gun deaths. We must!
Regardless of the seeming differences between those who advocate for a ban on firearms and those who advocate for gun ownership like the N.R.A., we must recognize neither view advocates gun violence, murder, and massacres. There is a common ground, and indeed it is the moral high ground.
Crosshairs! Second Amendment solutions! Bullets over ballots! Drive-by shootings! Only the most demented among us can see some sort of logic in this. There is a place for intolerance and hatred. Yes, Damn it, there is and this it! What is wrong with us that we allow these monsters to take control of this debate? This is not about liberals or conservatives. This is about the heart and soul of America.
This is about a dead nine-year-old girl who will never again say, "Hi, Daddy."
It is interesting, as a consumer of news, to notice how media reports interact with one's initial reactions.
When I first saw the report on the TV, I immediately felt sadness and grief, especially when I saw the picture of the nine year old girl. But this felt like a "different kind" of grief, compared to all the other reports of gun violence and tragedies we have seen over the last few years. Perhaps because this violence dovetails with my own experience of grappling with politics, trying to make sense of the issues, trying to understand the political conflicts I read about. One of my initial reactions was to think " This is the end of Sarah Palin's career." I then had the crazy reaction of feeling Ms Giffords took a bullet aimed at President Obama. When I saw Sheriff Clarence Dupnik speak, it resonated with me, as I imagine it must with his fellow Arizonians, who have seen their state become a political battleground. I watched Meet the Press and was impressed by David Gregory's handling of the crisis. I appreciated his professionalism. By the time the story had continued into the Sunday night news, I'd had enough, and I wanted them to stop talking abut it. I think we all know it comes down to a) we need to do more to prevent mentally ill people from getting powerful guns and b) the metaphors of "lock and load" have no place in political dialogue and c) anti-government rhetoric needs to be challenged by moderate Republicans whenever it comes up.
This is America. We are driven by narratives that are founded in anger and cynicism by a media that does little to inform the citizens and instead focuses on spreading sensationalism.
The Republican strategy is to manipulate the public by paying all the media outlets to carry their grotesque mantras far and wide. Propaganda begets cynicism and sensationalism, sensationalism sells ad space. The media loves the “opposition orientation”. What happens when two kids start fighting at a school? Everyone comes to watch it, and scream, “Fight” at the top of their lungs. This is the mentality that the MSM generally embraces.
And people wonder why our country is screwed!?
No wonder our youth are so angry and confused. Look at the examples all around them! How about easing up and wanting the best for the USA, instead of passing along rabid anger? Do you really want all the young people of today immersed in all this anger and hatred, then running the country one day?
Over and over again the media carried worthless narratives, such as “death panels” and pushed huge amounts of misinformation and angry rhetoric into the American psyche. It’s a pay to play media and Republicans have more money.
Republicans and the media have turned out to be torture for our great country...The American media takes responsibility for nothing, especially News Corp (Fox News).
We are a nation of excuses. We reap what we sow.
"It's the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business." Clarence Dupnik
There are people who vote for people that call themselves conservatives but really what you get is a bunch of theocrats who try to consolidate money and power to an elite group of ideological zealots who are willing to commit intense acts of hypocrisy simply to feel as if they have "won", like it's all some kind of game.
These toe tapping tools will stop at nothing to force your children learn myth in science classrooms such as ID or that the Earth was made 6000 years ago. These fake so called Republicans will vow that gays should not be able to live as non-gays do in our country, while simultaneously being gay in the closet. These people like to hate things. Fighting is what feels normal. These people are angry and angry people are easily exploited.
If all you care about is making people vote against their own interests, then all you need to do is proliferate anger, falsehoods and confusion.
Republicans don't actually have to stand for anything and no one asks them to.
Violence isn't the answer.
What are we becoming?
This is the type of thing that happens in other countries all the time. You don't agree with your political leader, so you try to get him/her killed.
Its common practice in many 3rd world countries and is happening in Iraq even now. Normally, we Americasn look down our noses when these kinds of political killings/assassination attempts occur, and then boast about our constitution and our "freedom of speech" because this kind of stuff would NEVER happen here in the States! We are above such things. Aren't we ?
I expect our political leaders and all their followers to observe a 'cease-fire' due to the tragedy and then as Ms. Palin puts it, we'll all "reload" and be at each others throats next week.
We are all so caught up in our constitutional rights that we forget to be civil and human.
I think we need to rethink how we treat each other in our society, as the political arena is merely a reflection of he society itself. There is a need to "win" and to "beat down" the other side, and the desire for compromise is hardly a thought to most people.
Civil debate and discourse would solve many of our society's problems by actually bringing issues to the forefront. However, the fact that we have a professional politician uber class in our society, whose main goal is perpetuating their roles rather than serving the people. This is not a liberal or a conservative issue, it is a problem across the political spectrum. The political rhetoric, hate speech and demonization of the other side distracts us from the fact that neither political party is doing the work of "all the people".
While there is no clear line of blame, beyond the shooter himself, in this tragedy, it should e a wake up call to all of us, to remember the golden rule and treat each other as we wish to be treated in politics and in life.
I am hopeful of a thorough, fair investigation of the facts of the case, a speedy trial (as guaranteed by the Constitution) and if found guilty punishment with the full force of the federal statutes on assassination of federal officials and attempted assassination of a member of Congress. I believe in the death penalty and few cases warrant the imposition of the death penalty more than this one. I am sure that there will be a flock of headline seeking lawyers and organizations that assist in this killer's defense and I welcome that so that when he is executed he will have received the best defense possible in our country.
We need to not blame the other side, but rather resolve together to eliminate this type of inflamatory rhetoric from our lives.
There are people on this blog claiming that the terrorist assasin was a registered democrat. Here is proof he was a Registered Republican
While no one besides the shooter is totally at fault, there still is an obvious, likely contributing, irresponsibility (and distasteful style) at play. It seems very apparent that two comments noticed made very accurate and insightful statements:1.) That if any student put up a map like Sarah Palin's, with cross hairs over students/teachers, they would quickly be investigated and even arrested.2.) That as Sarah Palin took credit for her comments and actions that supported candidates and attacked others when her choice won, then it is only logical and reasonable that she be credited some responsibility and guilt for her distasteful and negative actions here.Trying to rationalize otherwise is ridiculous.
For any rational, objective and responsible person Sarah Palin defined herself long ago. Like with the response and position she is now taking and as she has consistently demonstrated, she will say/do anything that she feels will benefit her. She is simply a classic, textbook example of a severe sociopathic personality, which not only means that she is totally self-focused but also that she is completely without conscience - that she experiences no guilt, will do whatever, can impressively fake most anything and is totally focused on herself. Cute and entertaining but literally sick and a liability to any who would support her just because she professes consistency with their interests.