Gabrielle Giffords
It’s been almost a year since I’ve gotten to busy to keep updating a blog, but I have to write something somewhere. I’m really upset about the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and the murder of six others (including a nine year old child). She seems like a very good, sincere person who loves her country and is trying to do what she feels is best. I don’t like it when people like that get shot in the head for no reason. I don’t like it when kids and innocent people get murdered for no reason. However, good people get shot every day and I don’t go blogging about it. What makes this stand out of course is the fact that she’s a congresswoman. An attack on her is an attack on our institutions. I always liked the fact that members of Congress don’t have special security and can be found walking the streets like anyone else. I liked the fact that only one member of Congress has been killed in the line of duty in our history and I wish that number were zero. I like that it’s a safe job to have. I wish the President could be so open, but that’s unfortunately unrealistic. I hope our representatives can remain as open as they have been and we never see anything like this again.
What makes this even more upsetting is the despicable attempt by some to blame Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, talk radio, the “culture of hate” promulgated by the right, etc. for the massacre. This is about the most hateful mean-spirited aspect of modern politics that I despise. Instead of focusing on the event itself, some sewer rats decide to use it to throw mud at people with whom they disagree, evidence be damned. It’s bad enough that we have to watch our representatives be ruthlessly attacked; now we have to fend off accusations that we’re responsible and it’s just a big pointless distraction. I guess I expected it, but it still appalls me.
Anyway, back to Mrs. Giffords, She’s in my prayers along with your husband and children. The same goes for the families of Judge John Roll, Dorthy Murray, Dorwin Stoddard, Christina Greene, Phyllis Scheck, and Gabriel Zimmerman.
