A Sad Day

I had an idea for this weeks column all ready to go, but with the news of the day I want to offer a few thoughts on the shooting of Rep. Giffords in Tucson. I have been reading the news accounts from around the web all evening. They pretty much all read the same and offer very little real information. What has been most saddening to me while reading these news accounts, other than the event itself, is the tone of the posters in the comments sections of various media sources.

With no evidence to support any conclusion either way most on these message boards are pointing at the supposed anger stirred up by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin. They have already reached the conclusion that some right wing nut job fueled by seeds of hatred planted by Palin, Limbaugh, and Beck took to the streets to attack the “enemy”. This very well may be true, but it is just as likely not. History has proven, even recent history, that liberals are just as likely to commit violence against the government as conservatives. Given recent history one might argue they are more likely, but I am going to stick with equally likely.

Comments made by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik undoubtedly fueled these online postings. His remarks to the press can only be characterized as irresponsible. While many may agree with his general sentiment that divisions within our country are running dangerously deep, to imply that that was a factor in this incident just adds to the divisions he is so concerned about. I would say to the same to all these posters on the message boards smearing Palin and friends. They decry the divisions they believe have been created by these national figures while they dig the trenches deeper with their bitter posts. The hypocrisy is absurd.

The snippets of information about the shooter that can be found online don’t support a conclusion either way, but they certainly don’t point to a conservative idealist. CNN lists his favorite books to include “The Communist Manifesto” and “Mein Kampf”. For those of you getting ready to point at Hitler and scream “see right wing nut” let’s not forget he was a pro worker socialist before he went completely insane. Other information released from his YouTube and Myspace account indicates he was just plain looney.

As a final thought I would like to say that no matter your party affiliation all should be able to agree that this is a tragedy for the victims, the families, and America. The politics of the shooter will never change that. In the end does it really matter what the politics of the shooter are? Is Sarah Palin and worse than Keith Olbermann? Each side has its instigators and if it turns out politics was the true motivation for this shooting than both sides need to look hard at their rhetoric. If it happens to be a conservative minded individual it means little. Liberals have proven themselves capable of violence in the past, and it could just as easily been one of theirs. We all need to bring political discourse back to more civilized discussion. Most likely we have been victimized by a true nut whose ideology will be difficult to decipher. It has sadly happened before and it will happen again.