Thursday, January 13, 2011

Politics Gone Crazy?

    


A gunman shot a semi-automatic weapon, during a public gathering for Representative Gabrielle Giffords, into the crowd. He shot her in the head and killed Arizona's chief federal judge and five other people. The shooting was aimed at Representative Giffords and left her in critical condition. Twelve other people were wounded including a 9 year-old girl and a U.S. District Judge. The 9 year-old was later pronounced dead in the hospital. People were angry because Giffords supported President Obama's health care plan. They expressed their anger by vandalizing her office in March and, at an earlier event, someone showed up at her rally with a gun. The suspected shooter was identified as Jared Loughner and his motive was not known. He as been described as mentally unstable and may have been acting with an accomplice. His former classmates described him as a pot smoking loner. At one point, he had tried to enlist in the army but was rejected for reasons not disclosed.
     What contributed to this tragic event? Was it all of the hostile political rhetoric that has become associated with the Tea Party and some Republicans? For example, Republican challenger Jesse Kelly urged his supporters to help remove Gifford from office by joining him to shoot an M-16 rifle. Also, Gifford was among 20 Democrats that were posted on Sarah Palin's facebook page with the cross-hairs of a gun scope over each of their districts. Did these events help some devoted supporters go over the edge and act out these threats?
     I feel that all of the threats have contributed to a very hostile political environment. Some of the things that have been said, like all of the racial slurs that were blurted out, anti-gay speech, and anti-semitism rhetoric, makes you wonder what exactly is the agenda of the "Tea Party." Since the Tea Party has gained some steam, more radical Republicans have even jumped on the band wagon. Democratic Congressmen and women had their offices windows smashed and have received threatening phone calls. Is it gonna get worse as the Presidential election is coming up? I thought that everybody claims that it is all for the people. How does further separation in Congress and this senseless violence help the people?

13 comments:

  1. What an unfortunate tragedy! I hate the direction that politics has gone in this country. Let's not get violent! We may have the right to carry guns but murder is flat out wrong. The actions of the tea party are devastating to our country. /the event of last week was fueled by the hated in politics of today.

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  2. Wow, you know I just posted on my wall the other day about the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords. We must end the violent rhetoric that has exploded in American politics! anti gay and racial slurs. What are some people thinking? I shy away from heated political debates for these very reasons. It's gotten awful.

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  3. Thanks for the comments and I agree with what you both had to say. It is good to hear what is on other people's minds.

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  4. All politicians are "crooks" to an extent...it seems as if the Right have taken a much more militant stand this go-round...The cross-hairs is one of the nicer things I've seen floating around the web...It's a shame that people are acting out.
    Jared Loughner seems unstable, however some of the things he has talked about are not that "crazy". It's the manner in which he made his statements that are unsettling.
    Or it's very possible he is just an impressionable youth who took it too far.

    My two cents...

    Also thank you for making up 33% of my Twitter following!

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  5. all the world has many problems with politics.
    we need peace every day only contains the demonstration.

    regard
    www.titoandthegunshow.com

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  6. I am greatly saddened by all these events. I can hardly believe that in this great country people have resorted to such measures

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  7. It was a horrible event. I think that whatever political view you hold, it comes down to your own actions. No matter what the guy was against, or felt, he can't blame anyone but himself for what he did. In the same way we shouldn't blame politics or anything else for what happened. I think as Americans we have become use to blaming our environment for our actions, we need to stand up and take the consequences for our decisions.

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  8. I hope that with this tragedy it will promote more accountability to our service leaders. For Sarah Palin to just brush asside her comments as if they did not have a DIRECT result to the shooter's actions is irresponsible.

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  9. Very nice blog. I rarely write comments on the blog, but here I am writing to you because your blog is very nice. Fixed write and I wait for the next post. Visit my blog too, there is an interesting info. Thanks and Best Regard's for you.

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  10. Once politics get to the level of bitter acrimony among themselves, it can never be for the people. Tell me how can the ordinary people benefit form such confusion?

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  11. Don't get me started on that #$%@ tea party. Our founding fathers have got to be rolling over in their graves by now...and not just because of the tea party. I don't pretend to have the answers but I do believe that all this arguing and fighting will accomplish nothing. I believe we need unity. Egos are big time in the way too.
    Hopped over from Java's Over 40!

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  12. It breaks your heart to see as to what level can politics actually do...God help everyone.Liked your blog.

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  13. Whatever happened to peaceful dialogue??? I know they tried but really is this their last resort??? Lives of people???

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