"I don't want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry. I'm angry!"
- President Barack Obama, 03/18/09
Image courtesy of Fox News
The tragic shooting rampage in Tucson has taken center stage this week. It's utterly horrific. It is unnecessary violence committed by a disturbed young man named Jared Lee Loughner. His motives are still a bit unknown. I am disgusted that our nation cannot focus on the fact that this madman has killed six innocent people and injured significantly more. Loughner alone committed this act of horror, but the media started mud-slinging from the outset blaming popular conservative/tea party voices, without any evidence of Loughner's affiliations whatsoever. I am a follower of the conservative grass movement...does that make me somewhat responsible? Absolutely not, even though the mainstream media wants people to believe that. I refuse to accept any responsibility for this troubled young man's act of violence. And I will not accept the destruction of free speech for conservative voices across the country as reparation for the damage Mr. Loughner has caused.
It's not just the political right who has used references to violence as a form of speech. It doesn't matter what ANYONE says. The person who acts violently is the guilty party.
But the media went crazy the moment the tragedy occurred...simply throwing accusations without any evidence or details.
"Nobel Price-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman blogged at 3:22pm ET Saturday: 'We don't have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was."
"Krugman's blog post on Saturday linked 'the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc.' to ' the violence I fear we're going to see in the months and years ahead,' and added: 'Violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate.' "
There is plenty of hate from the other side, Mr. Krugman. And I would say our President has fostered a lot of hate while in office. He is a divider, not a unifier. He said anger is good. He has also said, "When they bring a knife, we bring a gun."
Rush said it well today: "President Obama's a lifelong political agitator. What do political agitators do but get people angry? That's what a community organizer is."
So you tell me: Is this really something we can pinpoint on a group of people. NO. Yes, our President has said some things that can be called "violent" and so has almost every politician, political pundit, news commentator, etc. Just because someone says the word "target" does not make them responsible for every subsequent gun that goes off.
Mr. Loughner should carry this responsibility alone. He acted violently; no one is on the hot seat other than him. We should be spending our time huddled together in support of the families and friends affected by this tragedy. We should come together rather than be divided over whose words incited this act, because no words can ever be responsible for the actual perpetration of a violent act. EVER.
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