Let’s get one thing out of the way: If you blame the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson on the Tea Party, the Republican Party, talk radio, Fox News, Glock 9-millimeter pistols, extended magazines, the Second Amendment, inadequate gun control, insufficient mental-health-care funding, bad parenting, marijuana, irresponsible friends, detached teachers, lenient law enforcement, a scarcity of armed citizens, inadequate security at public events, or any of a thousand other red herrings that might flop out of the sea, I must respectfully disagree.
I believe that such horrible and inexplicable events cannot be simply finger-pointed or legislated away.
One look at Jared Lee Loughner’s profoundly disturbing mug shot—with that crazed twinkle in his eyes and that grotesquely misplaced smile—tells me that he, alone, must shoulder the blame for his actions, regardless of external influences or personal tribulations.
That being said, in no way do I mean to demonize the alleged perpetrator or dismiss the many important issues surrounding his case, including the need for a thorough investigation. People should discuss every aspect of this event, however tangential, and should keep talking about it far into the future. From the somewhat dubious likelihood that the troubled young man had a clear grasp of the moral gravity of his choices, to the various legislative and public-policy proscriptions that might or might not help to prevent such horrors in the future, this conversation should be vigorous, argumentative, passionate and brutally honest—for that is the only way our democratic society can survive.
But for that to work, we must arrest a disturbing trend: Too often lately, our public conversations are not based in fact and do not take place in the context of a common goal of making our society healthier. Instead, much of what passes for public debate consists of calculated lies spread by powerful and wealthy interests for the purpose of manipulating the masses, or hysterical nonsense posted anonymously on comment threads that have come to be dominated by fear-mongering trolls. Such tripe is passively absorbed and reflexively echoed by those who are too befuddled or too lazy to seek the truth and think for themselves. The end result is a shouting match that demonizes, stereotypes, distorts, divides—and ultimately solves nothing. It may not be the cause of mass shootings, but it threatens the integrity of our democratic society.
I first met Gabby Giffords 10 years ago, when I worked for the nonprofit Arizona League of Conservation Voters. We helped her get elected to the Arizona Legislature the old-fashioned way, by knocking on doors and talking to one person at a time about what a great candidate she was. Like so many others, I was immediately taken with her spirited and vibrant idealism. When she went away to Congress, I worried that the Beltway political swamp would douse that flame. At the national level, we’ve disagreed on some important issues, and we’ve had some tense meetings that ended in frustration. But when I see her around town, her smile and her warmth are undiminished. She really seems to have maintained her faith in people and in the system, despite the corruption and strife in our political culture. I truly hope that I get the chance to tell her what a tonic that is to an oft-discouraged curmudgeon like me.
Today, Jan. 20, marks the halfway point of President Barack Obama’s term. In the next two years, the forces of distortion and manipulation will spend billions of dollars in an effort to fool us into voting against the public interest and in favor of their narrow, self-serving agenda. And we’ll hear all sorts of hateful nonsense about Obama, Mexicans, Muslims and any other bogeymen who can effectively be deployed to distract us from an honest debate of the critical issues at hand.
We can best honor the victims of Jan. 8 by raising the voice of truth and compassion whenever we hear such hatred and lies. We mustn’t sacrifice the principles that make us whole in the face of threats and challenges. We must be citizens, rather than just consumers, and not let selfish materialism and irrational fears obscure the fact that we Americans live in a paradise compared to most people in this world. We must reject the sad and tragic path of Jared Loughner, who turned inward and lost himself in an artificially constructed reality that bore little resemblance to the world as it is.
Instead, we must do as Gabby has done: Engage, participate, see people as they really are, listen and question with a true heart and a noble purpose, and work hard to overcome the trouble in this world and elevate the common good. We are Americans. But, above all, we are human.
This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2011.
Amen. Most Americans would give anything to have a member of congress as decent and uncorrupted as Gabby Gifffords. The unprincipled bastards that reviled her during the campaign should now just keep their mouths shut and reflect upon the lack of integrity that festers within them.
AMEN & BRAVO – this is the best commentary I’ve seen since this whole tragedy occurred. Thank you for this beam of clarity.
“Too often lately, our public conversations are not based in fact and do not take place in the context of a common goal of making our society healthier. Instead, much of what passes for public debate consists of calculated lies spread by powerful and wealthy interests for the purpose of manipulating the masses, or hysterical nonsense posted anonymously on comment threads that have come to be dominated by fear-mongering trolls.”
two paragraphs later…….
“In the next two years, the forces of distortion and manipulation will spend billions of dollars in an effort to fool us into voting against the public interest and in favor of their narrow, self-serving agenda. And we’ll hear all sorts of hateful nonsense about Obama, Mexicans, Muslims and any other bogeymen who can effectively be deployed to distract us from an honest debate of the critical issues at hand.”
Is this an example of “fact-based” or “fear-mongering”?
Anyone who has lived on planet earth the last 10 years knows that the statement in question is fact based.
I would like to add to this commentary. I agree that the issues raised as possible causes for this tragedy are periperal at best, however, one issue, mental health is not listed, which in fact is a contributor in this case. The common enemy, if we want to call it that, is the lack of the understand of what mental illness is or isn’t. We need to quit ignoring the fact that mental illness does exist and that it can happen to anyone. The STIGMA surrounding mental illness is one of the most important and overlooked roadblock to minimizing the risk of future incidents such as this one. The surrounding dialog about the possible causes give pause for thought about how what we say and do effectively feeds the dark thoughts of those who are mentally unstable. The more we feed the dark thoughts in these individual the the more they believe their twisted thinking. We essentially indirectly validate it. So my suggesting is that we need to be mindful of this fact when we choose to put something out there for the public to digest. I guess you could say that all of us are a little bit quilty of being naive about the impact some of these choices can have. I for one believe that just because we are free to do something does not make it ethically or morally healthy. The best chance we have to minimize this happening again is to address the core issue which is mental illness. Mental illness like cancer can be treated and some folks go into remission and sometimes, like cancer, it is fatal. Dawn Harward, Director, Suicide Survivors.info
Let’s see. There’s the birthers and Christian deniers (Obama), there’s folks claiming headless bodies in the desert anchor babies (Mexicans), and the folks claiming a houses of worship for Muslims are terrorist training camps (Park 51, Murfreesboro, TN, Temecula Valley, CA, Sheboygan, Wis., Oshkosh, Wis.). Kinda fact based.
“Anyone who has lived on planet earth the last 10 years knows that the statement in question is fact based.”
Really! Why? Because YOU say it is fact-based or Serraglio presents it as such.
Political discussions have been, and always will be, OPINION-based and the “facts” will be those that fit into the banner of supporting the chosen position of the person or group making the argument of the day.
The fact is that this creep shot many and killed some. Now, in my opinion, he has forfeited his place in our society and should be given the death penalty as soon as possible. Just give him a lethal injection like how Timmothy McVey received and that is that. Do not waste our tax dollars trying to fix this creep’s demented mind. There is enough government waste already as it is, we should not waste money on this creep or any other mass murderers currently in jail. Period. I’m sorry if some of you Left-wing Libs might think that capital punishment is too harsh, but this creep deserves nothing less! Terminate him ASAP.
Bravo Elbeso! I’m of the opinion that its rather obvious the quote highlighted by NidanGoju is an example of “fact based”.
But since NidanGoju asks, perhaps knowledge is what he/she seeks.
NidanGoju please spend the time and watch this vid link and perhaps you can understand why many of us may view Randal’s comments as fact-based:
World Monetary History – http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5…
-also watch-
Food Fascism – http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5…
Or do as much reading as you can of the archives and documentation presented at the site below..
Precious Metals manipulation – http://www.gata.org
I’m of the opinion that there is a fine line between mongering of fear, and exposing of truth.
I’m also of the opinion that those who fear the prying eyes of truth & transparency will continue to milk the fear mongering teet for every ounce its worth.
The raw truth is what I seek, so please leave the mainstream media candy-coating at home.
Unfortunately, the emperor wears no clothes.
Thanks in large part to today’s information super highway – there no longer exists a good excuse to be ignorant of this phenomena.
“In the next two years……….
Serraglio is making a prediction!
…..in an effort to fool us into voting against the public interest and in favor of their narrow, self-serving agenda.”
vote against the “public Interest” based on whose standards, his, yours, mine? There is nothing fact-based at all in this statement. It is simply conjecture and opinion.
Though it is easy, as we see in some of the comments, to parse words and pick apart a reasoned argument that lasts more than one sentence, this is the most logical piece I have read on this tragedy. Perhaps our friends in the national media would do well to read Mr. Serraglio’s thoughts, and do a little self-examination regarding how they “cover” such events. It reminds me of Matt Lauer, of the Today Show, covering the death of Anna Nichole Smith for one solid week – two hours each day – and then on Friday posing this question of his viewers: “Why are Americans so obsessed with the personal lives of celebrities?” Why, indeed.