The Shootings in Tuscon and Blame

It didn't take long after the shooting had stopped in Tuscon for the blame to start flowing. I made the mistake of reading the comments of the stories about the shooting on CNN and NPR and a couple of blogs. The hate and the vitriol flowed from both sides. For some, it was obvious that Sarah Palin was to blame and we need lots more gun control. For others, the crazy liberals were going to use this to crack down on free speech and take all the guns away. It didn't really change a couple of days later, as today, when I was listening to the radio, the focus was on who was to blame for all this. Even when information about the shooter came out and it appears that he may have paranoid delusions and schizophrenia, most of the blame has been laid at negative political rhetoric, with special mention of Sarah Palin's use cross hairs on a map of Democratic districts to target for the recent election. It is unconscionable, but hardly surprising that one would use this tragedy to score political points.

But that is what our political dialogue has been devolved into- anything to make the other side look bad. That is why we can't have a decent conversation about how to solve the problems of this country. You can't have a discussion with someone if they think you're Hitler or an anti-American radical. Until both sides stop the extreme rhetoric, we may not have more shootings (the US is actually relatively peaceful compared to so many other countries), but we will probably continue to have gridlock and further division.

As we've learned more about the shooter, it seems pretty clear that he was not driven by Sarah Palin or any other right winger. Nor does he seem to be a particular fan of the democrats, either. Contrary to some people's statements, mental illness is not exclusive to any political persuasion. However, I think this is time to look closely at how we do political dialogue in this country. Let me illustrate: if I go to a funeral for a person killed because of reckless driving. It would cause me to think about how I'm driving. Does that thinking mean that I caused to accident to begin with? Of course not. I would think about it because I realize that doing something stupid could have consequences down the line if I'm not careful.

This is an opportunity for everyone to stop and look at themselves and ask how we contribute to the problem. By problem, I'm not necessarily referring to shootings, but the hate filled rhetoric. For example, Sarah Palin should apologize for having cross hairs on individual districts (enough with saying it was surveyors mark. We aren't that stupid). Whoever on Huffington Post said that Giffords was "dead to me" for voting against Nancy Pelosi should apologize. I don't think apologizing would acknowledging blame, but rather signaling a change in how things would be done in the future. Whenever someone uses that kind of language, they should be pointed out and criticized vocally by both sides. Few Republicans have the courage to criticize Sarah Palin even if they disagreed with her and most of the people on Huffington Post probably agreed with the one who said she was dead to him. Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic for any kind of change.