The recent shooting in Tucson was a tragedy for the nation, but most especially for the 20 victims and their families. When the facts emerged, one did not have to be a lawyer to reach the conclusion that the sole cause of the shooting was the demons inside the head of a deranged young man.
In spite of facts, logic, rational thought, and those other aspects of fairness valued in our laws and our culture, many left wingers perpetrated the libel that the shooting was a direct result of conservative opposition to the Democrat agenda. All conservatives were blamed, but high-profile conservatives and organizations such as Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, the Tea Party, and Fox News, received the most attention. Ample evidence of “over-the-top” past rhetoric and hate speech by Democrats was conveniently ignored.
The progressive attack machine was aided and abetted by many mainstream media outlets. In times of great stress the emotions of fear and anger often hold the day. We look to our national media to sort out the facts, not fan the emotional fires, and we look to our leaders to tamp down these fires with accurate information and calm deliberation. To President Obama’s credit he finally started that process Tuesday by stating that political discourse “did not” cause the shooting. Unfortunately, the President’s statement was a full four days after the raging fires of left wing McCarthyism had burned all sense of fairness out of the air. Also, the President’s statement that we should not “use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other” misses the mark. Certain progressives (even in our local community) shamelessly used the tragedy to beat down conservative voices and mute any opposition to the progressive agenda. Conservatives have every right to defend themselves, and to continue to oppose polices with which they disagree.
