The Arizona Shooting

[MoMoNoMo]

The Arizona shooting is just horrific. When will people on the wacko far-right fringe understand that words have consequences? A right-wing radio show had egged its listeners to make threats against the federal judge who is now dead; Sarah Palin had marked "targeted" Democrats (targeted for electoral defeat, that is) with crosshairs on her Facebook page before the election. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was one of the "targets." She is now fighting for her life.
I hear the right-wing radio all the time (my mother-in-law, who lives with us, listens to it 24/7), and all I hear is hate-filled, contemptuous language that makes all Democrats and liberals out to be "the enemy." Don't people understand that that will have an impact on some of the weaker minds listening to it?
May the victims rest in peace, and may we, as a nation, take a sobering lesson from this.

[jaygray]

Horrific, yes, but it's too common to be shocking. I can't think when it ceased to be. Too many incidents. Wartime. Can somebody please say that we're at war? There isn't going to be a "next time" because it's already allthetime, as you say, 24/7. How can you let that filth infect your house? What is more newsworthy is its opposite, since it's rarer. The fact that there was a congresswoman involved changes only one thing, the media coverage. Otherwise it's just another snapped individual having a spree.

Don't think for one minute talk/Fox will change their tune or message. Oh, Palin scrambled to clean up her website, but it's only temporary given what's at stake -- the ravings drive the ratings which drive revenue.

A leader would say: I'm going to campaign *with* my opponents from now on, or: I'm going to turn my TV off -- how 'bout you?, or: let's legalize most drugs (this is part of the war we're in) and focus on methadone and treatment and take the air out of the Mexican drug cartels, or: preventative mental health care is really really important, especially for veterans, or (to borrow and paraphrase from Zat): I'm full of **** and I'm not going to dish it any more, or: whether or not you are pro-this or that, terminating pregnancies are a tragedy, life is precious, let's try together to reduce abortions in this country; and so on.

No such luck, no such leader(s). Sameness, monoculture, a bland, nihilistic, money-driven spree.

[lasseviren]

Originally Posted by MoMoNoMo

I hear the right-wing radio all the time (my mother-in-law, who lives with us, listens to it 24/7), and all I hear is hate-filled, contemptuous language that makes all Democrats and liberals out to be "the enemy." Don't people understand that that will have an impact on some of the weaker minds listening to it?

i listen to liberal talk radio occasionally (AM 620 KPOJ in portland) and i hear the same thing. maybe i only tune in when they're on their hate rants?

AZ shooting is a tragedy. praying and hoping for a speedy recovery for all affected.

[wineturtle]

To reuse an old Earthday quote from Walt Kelly (POGO)

[MoMoNoMo]

Originally Posted by lasseviren

i listen to liberal talk radio occasionally (AM 620 KPOJ in portland) and i hear the same thing. maybe i only tune in when they're on their hate rants?

AZ shooting is a tragedy. praying and hoping for a speedy recovery for all affected.

Granted, the right has no monopoly on negativity. But the left rarely makes reference to gun lingo (Palin: "lock and load"; Angle: "Second Amendment remedies"... among others). When liberals go postal, they just throw a bagel at their TV screen.

That's a very big difference.

[jaygray]

Since yesterday:

2 dead, four hurt in Baltimore shooting
3 killed in San Jose Nightclub

tick, tick, tick

[KKreme15]

Originally Posted by jaygray

Since yesterday:

2 dead, four hurt in Baltimore shooting
3 killed in San Jose Nightclub

tick, tick, tick

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7081VM20110109

One of those dead was shot by the police officer, and the police officer was possibly shot by another police officer. This doesn't compare to what happened in Tucson.

[MoMoNoMo]

Yeah, but jaygray's point is that gun violence has become such a daily fixture of American life that it takes a truly mass-casualty incident to get our attention for more than a minute or two.

[wayne b]

Or a high level of gruesomeness (the recent NY murder in a hotel of a Portuguese? journalist in which he was mutilated) or a high profile victim (if only Giffords had been shot, this would have still been a big national story) or involving a high profile person (the death of Augustus Busch IV?'s girlfriend).

It's also looking like there were clear signs that Loughner was unstable, but he managed to buy a gun after this was apparent. (see http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/us...er.html?ref=us )

[wineturtle]

Originally Posted by jaygray

Since yesterday:

2 dead, four hurt in Baltimore shooting
3 killed in San Jose Nightclub

tick, tick, tick

John your post brought a scene from the TV show West Wing to mind

the set up- Pres Bartlet and two others have been shot (after a speech at daughter Zoey's college) . We learn that the target was Charlie- a young man who works in the West Wing- he is black and is dating Zoey who is white- The WhiteHouse Press Secy CJ Cregg quoted below during a press conference about the shooting.

C.J.: This is our 5th press briefing since midnight. Obviously, there's one story that's going to dominate news around the world for the next few days, and it would be easy to think that President Bartlet, Joshua Lyman, and Stephanie Abbott were the only victims of a gun crime last night. They weren't. Mark Davis and Sheila Evans of Philadelphia were killed by a gun last night. He was a Biology Teacher and she was a Nursing student. Tina Bishop and Linda Larkin were killed with a gun last night. They were 12. There were 36 homicides last night. 480 sexual assaults, 3,411 robberies, 3,685 aggravated assaults, all at gunpoint... I'd only remind you that the President of the United States was shot last night while surrounded by the best trained armed guards in the history of the world. Back to the briefing.

Our country is crumbling around us because a vocal subset of citizens focus on our differences and no one is vocal about the commonalities that bond us.
My youth was filled with social anthems of inclusion, love and tolerance.




If you heard the songs we sang,
You must understand
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command
C'mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
Right now
Right now!



This comment is not about political parties it is about common sense.
It is my firm belief that a nation that could get so disconnected with the real issues it faces it served up Sarah Palin as a potential leader of our country better ask- and answer---
Why am I in this handbasket and where are we going!!!