In the fallout of the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that resulted in six people killed and 13 wounded, many have begun to analyze the true influence of political rhetoric on the situation. Perhaps the suspect, Jared Loughner, had no influence from the propaganda spewed out by the likes of Fox News or Sarah Palin. Due to Loughner’s right as an American citizen to remain silent, we currently don’t know the answer. But what is clear is that his assassination attempt on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords resulted in the deaths of six innocent people.
During the last elections, Sarah Palin circulated a map of the United States, and Congressional seats that she wanted to win were marked with crosshairs. Now, that doesn’t mean that Loughner was directly motivated by that map.
There are some reports that indicate that Loughner had an existing problem with Giffords, but that cannot be proven. But in all honesty, how coincidental is it that Palin just happened to produce maps with a crosshair over Giffords? That may not have been Loughner’s primary influence, but it definitely may have played a role.
On Jan. 12, Palin finally spoke about the shooting, and accused commentators and journalists of “blood libel” in an attempt to blame intense political speech for the violence.
“Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own,” Sarah Palin said. “Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible,” Palin said in an article published in the New York Times.
Why is it necessary to use the term blood libel? It’s a tad bit ridiculous to criticize the media for perpetuating violence when your own campaign involves crosshairs over the names of members of Congress.
Miraculously, Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, is making large strides toward recovery.
“Everything is going forward without any setbacks,” Dr. Michael Lemole, head of neurosurgery at University Medical Center in Tucson, told the Tuscon Citizen. Giffords’ recovery is an amazing event in this story. Despite the heinous nature of this crime, moving forward is still an option.
Its all about personal accountability. Quit blaming others.
The shooter was a loon. Everyone knows it. He was no victim of circumstance, he was crazy. End of discussion.
"During the last elections, Sarah Palin circulated a map of the United States, and Congressional seats that she wanted to win were marked with crosshairs"
You mean like the one the Democrats used with targets and "behind enemy lines" war language? http://american-conservativevalues.com/blog/wp-co…
Like that?
Yes, it's sad.
I saw a news report of a robbery in a park, they blamed the city of course, It's the city's fault for having a park with maybe not enough police, maybe not enough light bulbs.