How many will give serious second thought to whether life in the public domain is worth it; to whether a life in the very bull’s-eye is worth the price Gabby Giffords is now paying and Christina Green has already paid?
In Tuscon, nothing could dampen the soaring spirits of a country in need of a big, rhetorical hug from President Barack Obama.
The Tucson shooting bears a number of weighty implications for immigration issues both in Arizona and across the nation.
Threats posed by an unfettered political climate of hate and violent rhetoric is not, as Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin have claimed, the figment of the “left’s” imagination. Indeed, three Arizona Republicans have now resigned office in light of threats to them from within their own party and the Tea Party and out of fear of their own and their families’ safety.
Calls by some for collective reflection and responsibility for a political climate riven with violent language and analogies have been met with scorn by those who’ve rejected suggestions the issue should even be on the table.
Ms. Palin, if you are among those who believe that political change can come about non-violently, without hate, violence, or the threat of violence, now would be an excellent time to say so.
A lone gunman killed six and injured 14 in Arizona, but tacit encouragement and responsibility for such violence rests with others. Will they accept–or deflect–their share of blame?
