Glenn Reynolds posted an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal about the mainstream media and Democrat political reaction to the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and the other victims. On a personal level, I must admit that I am concerned about the obsession that some of the media and many of the Democrats have with Sarah Palin. The woman does not currently hold public office, she is not currently running for anything, and the media and some Democrats credit her with incredible power. She seems like a nice, straight-forward lady who is very direct in voicing her opinions. Some of us find that attractive.
Anyway, back to the editorial. Mr. Reynolds points out:
"With only the barest outline of events available, pundits and reporters seemed to agree that the massacre had to be the fault of the tea party movement in general, and of Sarah Palin in particular. Why? Because they had created, in New York Times columnist Paul Krugman's words, a "climate of hate.""
Mr. Reynolds challenges those who themselves are blaming others for the character assassination they practice:
"To be clear, if you're using this event to criticize the "rhetoric" of Mrs. Palin or others with whom you disagree, then you're either: (a) asserting a connection between the "rhetoric" and the shooting, which based on evidence to date would be what we call a vicious lie; or (b) you're not, in which case you're just seizing on a tragedy to try to score unrelated political points, which is contemptible. Which is it?"
It is becoming very obvious from the news reports that the shooter in Tucson was a very disturbed individual. It is unfortunate that warning signs were observed, but they were such that no action was taken--you really can't arrest someone if they haven't done anything. I do wonder, however, if a teacher or other person in this young man's life could have recommended him for a mental evaluation of some sort. A perceptive mental health worker might have saved some lives.
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