Myriad Emotions

Not since the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil 9/11/2001 have I been more glued to the television in the aftermath of a tragic event than I was yesterday.

Granted, the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and approximately 17 others in Tucson, AZ yesterday was on a much smaller scale than 9/11 in terms of fatalities (as I write this, six have died). Nevertheless, the senselessness of this horrific act is what had many Americans shaken to their core.

Within an hour after a lone gunman (later identified as 22-year old Jared Loughner) was apprehended, talking heads on the various TV news outlets began to speculate as to the shooter's motive. Since it was an elected official who was amongst those critically wounded, the media's inclination was to pore over Rep. Giffords' voting record in an effort to surmise an answer. Some folks on Twitter strenuously objected to such reporting, preferring that law enforcement be left to perform their due diligence and thus ascertain Loughner's motive. I recall making the remark that at least some in the mainstream media were actually going so far as to examine Rep. Giffords' voting record as opposed to their usual knee-jerk reaction in blaming the Tea Party movement.

Ah, but I wasn't on Twitter for more than an hour when I saw posts from political leftists indicating that they had become even more unhinged than usual. We'll get back to that.

My initial reaction was utter shock upon hearing an elected official had been shot at a Tucson grocery store. I wondered if it was simply a case of Rep. Giffords running some personal weekend errands and thus was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Turns out, she regularly made herself available to constituents in venues she liked to call "Congress on Your Corner." In fact, just moments prior to her being shot, Rep. Giffords sent out a "tweet" promoting the event.

As reports surfaced that some of the shooting victims had suffered fatal wounds, my emotions turned to sorrow. I began to grieve (then subsequently pray) for the six families who lost a loved one so suddenly and unexpectedly. Not the least of which was the family of 9-year old Christina-Taylor Green, who was actually born on 9/11/2001. Somehow, Christina-Taylor's mother Roxanna was able to compose herself long enough to graciously conduct an interview on Fox News less than 24 hours after her little girl's shocking death.



By the time late afternoon/early evening rolled around, I found myself quite angry at how soulless some people appear to be during such a tragic event. While I'm not suggesting that a gag order be placed on those who choose to assign blame for this horrific act then ask questions later (if at all), I was hoping for a little dignity and decorum while answers were sought by the appropriate authorities. Alas, when one is dealing with a fair amount (not ALL, but A FAIR AMOUNT) of those who align themselves with the political left, one's expectation of the left having the ability to show restraint is far too optimistic.

As is standard fare with many leftists, the likes of Sarah Palin and those associated with the Tea Party become the favorite target to be scapegoated when a violent incident occurs (see: Times Square Bomber and Bill Sparkman). It's almost as if Jared Loughner bares no responsibility in his firing several rounds of ammunition into a crowd, resulting in the deaths of six people and wounding 12 others. No, it's the ever available "climate of hate" created by the likes of Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. That triumvirate are the true culprits.

I could literally (and I do mean literally) post hundred of "tweets" from leftists showing the utter sick and twisted rationale for Loughner doing what he did as well as who should be held most accountable.

To wit, someone named Scott Weinberg insinuated that the shooting of Rep. Giffords isn't totally without a serendipity.

This murder will probably destroy Palin's insipid political career, thereby saving thousands of lives. Which makes Ms. Giffords a martyr.

Yes, I'm sure that would be modicum of solace to Ms. Giffords' family, if she indeed passes on. I wonder if Mr. Weinberg works for Hallmark greeting cards. He's a natural at providing sympathy.

How about a blast from the past with perhaps America's favorite 1960's high profile activist. Yes, Jane Fonda (aka "Hanoi Jane") came out of hiding to join the slander festivities. How about this little gem:

(Sarah Palin) holds responsibility. As does the violence-provoking rhetoric of the Tea Party

Say, didn't Jane convert to Christianity about 10 years ago? Seems to me that if a conservative Christian made such a slanderous remark towards a liberal, Bill Maher and his anti-Christian ilk would be vehemently finger-wagging at this point, joined by outcries of "HYPOCRISY." I guess Jane gets a pass as long as she walks the leftist demagoguery line.

I digress.

And if that's not enough lunacy for you, merely check out the Twitter feed of conservative talking head Andrew Breitbart over the past 30+ hours. He attracts leftist nutbags by the cargo load.

Not be outdone (and never one to waste a good crisis), the perpetually deranged Keith Olbermann decided to air a special episode of his program Countdown on Saturday evening. He merely continued with the leftist drumbeat of blaming Palin et al, declaring they're "Slightly less madmen" than Loughner himself.

As the day wore on, we began to learn more about Jared Loughner the individual. While a former college classmate of his described Loughner as "left wing, quite liberal", his own You Tube page indicated a strange obsession with grammar and the currency system. It appeared to be ramblings of someone who is mentally ill more than anything. Not to mention his preference for such light reading as The Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf.

Once again, it would be wayyyy too optimistic of me to have expected any retractions from the political lefties who were so quick to assign blame with little to no facts about the incident. For those who live in Minnesota, this would be eerily reminiscent of the commentary given shortly after the I-35W bridge collapse in August 2007. Local lefty media hacks like WCCO-TV's Don Shelby and Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman were quick to point out that Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of a gasoline tax left little funding for infrastructure repair. As a result, the bridge collapsed due to lack of repair and maintenance. Lest we forget, these observations were made literally within hours after the incident. Within the week, leftist talking heads and politicians blamed President Bush and his war in Iraq for sucking up all our money, once again leaving nothing for highway repairs. So when Federal bridge inspectors later determined a "design flaw" was the main reason for the bridge collapse, I heard nary a retraction from the likes of Shelby, Coleman and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

I'd like to think I'm not naive in believing that our citizenry can be unified as a compassionate group when some of our fellow Americans are senselessly harmed. I saw firsthand how that was the case within hours of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Sadly, as I witnessed yesterday, the separation of the "wheat and the chaff" has become that much more apparent in recent years.

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