Giffords, Guns, and Political Pandering

on January 11, 2011 at 9:33 AM

Jenny EriksonThe vitriol spewed by many ‘news’ sources after the mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, last Saturday has been pointless, political, and extremely uncalled for. A congresswoman was shot through the head and will probably never fully recover. Six people died, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl.

The Left came out swinging against their favorite target Sarah Palin, claiming that she has blood on her hands and that she caused the massacre. Apparently guns don’t kill people, metaphors do.

It wasn’t just Palin that the left accosted, but the Tea Party movement in general. Because, you know, Tea Partiers are so violent. That’s why there are always so many arrests at Tea Party rallies. (That was sarcasm, by the way. Tea Partiers may be crazy about Glenn Beck, but they’re not violent.)

Shooter Jared Lee Loughner was a cuckoo-crazy-pants individual who was not in any way associated with the Tea Party, much to the dismay of the mainstream media. Nor was he a proud Obama supporter, as others have claimed. He is a mentally ill young man, and there is simply no explanation for this untenable event other than ‘sometimes bad things happen.’

Right after the left vehemently and falsely blamed Palin and her cross hairs map, and the Tea Party and its violent rhetoric, it immediately called for stricter gun regulations. Never let a good crisis go to waste, after all. Instead of mourning the tragic death of six people by a madman, liberals were already politicizing the event for their own political agenda.

The father of Christina Green, the murdered 9-year-old, recognizes this for the tragedy that it is, and doesn’t want more gun restrictions. He told the Today show: "This shouldn't happen in this country, or anywhere else, but in a free society, we're going to be subject to people like this. I prefer this to the alternative."

Guns didn’t kill anybody in Tucson last Saturday -- Jared Lee Loughner did. Using this story to outlaw firearms is as ridiculous as outlawing Happy Meals to combat childhood obesity. When people, for whatever reason, decide to shamelessly disregard human life, no anti-gun law is going to stop them. No murderer has ever said to himself, “Well, I was going to kill a bunch of people today, but owning a gun is illegal, so there goes that plan.”

Lawmakers and the media should be ashamed of themselves for their atrocious behavior over this debacle. The memory of those who have died is stained with vile accusations of blame and political pandering, rather than the coming together of the American community that they deserved.

Filed Under: crime, death, media, politics, sarah palin, tea party

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Comments (19)

micheledo

on Jan 11, 2011 at 9:44 AM

Good article!

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Facebook comment from Katie Sasso

on Jan 11, 2011 at 9:55 AM

Both sides of the vitriolic political pandering are guilty. Conservatives were just as quick to try and lay blame, so don't make it sound so one sided

Nonmember comment from Anon

on Jan 11, 2011 at 9:59 AM

I agree. But I do think this event brings to light the issue of whether we could develop better policies for dealing with mental illness. Not to overreact to a single occurrance, but over time, this happens more than it should and it's almost always some dude who had mental issues that were noticed / documented in the past. Maybe we do need to look at, e.g., making sure that campus police report violent incidents to state / fed databases, making mental health evaluations a requirement after such incidents, and having this kind of info show up during the screening for a handgun registration. I hate to sound like a bleeding heart, but this guy was so gone, I almost can't be angry at him (or anyone else). But, lessons can be learned.

Slieurance

on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:07 AM

Amen!

Facebook comment from Robert Sewell

on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:12 AM

Well stated Jenny. The behavior of the media was indeed shameful. This is a time to mourn the loss of innocent victims of senseless violence and pray for those who are still recovering from their injuries. We should also pray that our nation will be healed of the malignancies that continuously attempt to erode our free society.

Nonmember comment from GoDogGo

on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:22 AM

If this situation was reversed, those on the political right would certainly shower the public with equally pointed comments. Remember "pull the plug on Grandma?" Remember Angle's "2nd Amendment remedies?" To expect no criticism when this unfortunate metaphor was used that paralleled this tragic event is unrealistic. What we need is a cessation of political rhetoric from both sides and return to reasonable discourse in politics. Yeah, that will be the day.

Nonmember comment from morris wise

on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:36 AM

News that Jared Loughner was a loner/outcast is not surprising, there are countless stories about hermits committing horrendous crimes. Mark David Chapman, Ted Bundy, and the legendary Jack The Ripper are famous loners. Social outcasts have one thing in common, they are compulsive masturbators. These sicko`s who hide behind closed doors should be spied upon and smoked out of their holes. It would turn loners into joiners who are forced to exhibit their sexual preferences in public.

Facebook comment from Peter Pottinger

on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:44 AM

funny how republicans want to be the only voice in america, and if you aren't not trouting their backwards 200yr old ideals, you need to shut up. NEWSFLASH jenny, we are more educated, wiser and have more critical thinking skills than the vast majority of rethugicans, we will NOT shut up, we will NOT back down on our ideals and our hope for a better world. You might as well face this fact and stop telling us to be quiet.

billsfan1104

on Jan 11, 2011 at 11:21 AM

Peter where did she say be quiet? It is the left trying silence people up when they don't agree with them. Even some commenters on another blog, blammed Jenny for this tragedy. Can you provide proof that the right is Trying to silence you?

hoticedcoffee

on Jan 11, 2011 at 6:44 PM

Oh, Peter. Sssssssigh.

The Left has been screaming and pointing fingers and blaming the Right since Sunday. And yes, since Sunday, the Right has been defending itself, equally loudly, asking for proof of affiliation with any conservative or Tea Party cause. Now that it's clear Loughner acted alone and no evidence can be found that he was policitcally affiliated or motivated, this story is not at all useful to the Left, so they're calling for silence from everyone.

It's too late to grasp at the straws of more educated, wiser, or even concerned with, let alone capable of critical thinking - after this last attempt to use the murders of innocent people to attack their opposition, they're rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.