Ideological rage run amok

The terrible shooting spree in Tucson today occurred at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D-AZ) first "Congress on Your Corner" event to meet and talk with her constituents. A federal judge, a 9 year old child, and one of Rep. Giffords' closest aides were killed, along with at least two others. A total of 18 were wounded, apparently by one man with one semi-automatic handgun.

Rep. Giffords herself is surviving after surgery for a through-and-through gunshot wound to her head; the bullet passed through her temple and out through her forehead, which gives her a better chance of survival than if it had involved the brain stem; but how it will affect cognitive function is not known at this time. Doctors are "optimistic."

Rep. Giffords was one of the Blue Dog Democrats whose late decision as a swing voter helped pass health care reform. The following day a glass panel in her Tucson office was shattered, and she received threats.

Another outcome was that she, along with 19 other Democrats, were "targeted" on Sarah Palin's Map -- a map of the U. S. on her PAC web site, with gunsight crosshairs targeting the districts of those who had narrowly won in areas that McCain/Palin had carried in 2008. They were "targeted" for defeat by a woman who trades on her prowess with a gun and who is urging people to take action against them. Giffords' name and House District are listed in a column along with the others who are targeted in these gunsights.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/24/sarah-palins-pac-puts-gun_n_511433.html

A 22 year old, obviously disturbed young man, who recently had to be barred from classes at a local college for unceasing disruptive behavior, has been taken into custody. His YouTube site is a hub of anti-government vitriol and paranoid-type obsessions.

I'm sure Sarah Palin didn’t mean someone should kill Giffords; the action she meant to incite was voting and working to defeat them at the ballot box — but did the nature of her use of the gunsight symbol add to the motivation of this crazy young man, who may not be able to distinguish between symbol and the real thing? It certainly didn’t help. Neither did all the other fear/hate-filled vitriol that fills the airwaves and internet these days.

The federal judge who was killed had in 2009 allowed a $23 million lawsuit brought by (reputedly) illegal residents against a local rancher to go forward. I know nothing about the merits of the case; but apparently the idea that illegal immigrants could sue a local land owner was just the latest proof that the government is against the "real Americans," to use Sarah Palin's 2008 campaign phrase. The decision created a backlash of outrage in Arizona. A local radio talk show host was urging audiences at the time to make threats to the judge and his family, such that they were placed under protection for a month.

It is not known whether the suspect had any connection with this case, but it's unlikely that he hadn't heard of it. The climate of ideological rage has run amok in this country, and nowhere worse than in Arizona -- fueled by their controversy over immigration control but fanned into white heat by politicians during the fall campaign.

The NRA didn't commit the murders. Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh didn't pull the triggers. All the local radio and internet bloggers who spew forth hatred and violence didn't kill these innocent people. But they contributed to the atmosphere.

Sick minds lead unstable people to commit awful atrocities. They don't need any encouragement. But our present climate of ideological rage run amok is encouragement.

Ralph