Vitriole

    I am, like many Americans, wondering why it had to happen. What led a young man to open fire on a group of fellow human beings, fellow Americans? Was Jared Loughner angry at a single individual, the government, the country or was he trying to get noticed, become famous, make a statement of some kind? What was the motive to take so many lives and what can we blame this on?

    It seems that there are many people out there already pointing the finger before all the facts are in. Fingers are being pointed at gun makers, sporting goods stores, peoples political views and statements all in an attempt to explain this tragedy. What amazes me is the lack of reason or logic that some statements or conclusions have within them. I want to believe that there is serious critical thinking happening around me and yet, once again, I am disappointed by what I have seen and heard in the media.

    One of the first ideas I heard was that it was the fault of Sarah Palin. I know that people either love or hate her but lets get serious for a moment. Political rhetoric has been around since the beginning of politics, as has the love/hate relationship we have with most politicians. The using of metaphors and imagery is nothing new in politics and certainly not new within the last twenty years. I have heard a few say that rhetoric has been very toxic as of late. These people obviously were asleep during the Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush II years. Political speech has always been full of inflammatory language and will continue to be so. Can we blame the Sarah Palin's of the world. I don't believe so...lets continue to look for our answer elsewhere.

    Gun makers. Once again the finger is pointed at gun makers and gun owners. Calls will be made for new gun laws and possible bans on ownership of hand guns. I challenge one and all to take a look and see how many laws we currently have on the books, both state and federal. It will amaze you. Gun makers did NOT send this Mr. Loughner a letter inviting him to come into a nearby store and purchase a Glock. He made the choice to go to a store and purchase the weapon. Had he been declined after the MANDATORY background check are we to believe that he would have just shrugged his shoulders and abandoned his plan? Most likely not. Chances are that he would have tried to obtain the weapon thru other means or use a different weapon, such as a knife or possibly a home made bomb, to accomplish his plan. Can we blame the gun makers? No, we can not. It is a cliche but it is true. A gun is an inanimate object until someone picks it up and decides to use it. The gun did not kill, the person holding it did.

    If we eliminate these two arguments, the picture becomes clearer and more understandable. Now lets look at what we do know as fact. Jared Loughners' writings were most definitely on the unusual side. He had been suspended by his school for unusual behavior  and asked to get a mental evaluation in order to determine whether he was a risk to the schools faculty or students. Students at the school had complained of his inappropriate behavior and usually avoided him. His friends have said that he had become different as of late and they also avoided him more. He posted remarks on facebook that some thought unusual even for him. Some of these remarks were of the anti government and conspiracy type. If you add all this up do you come to the conclusion that he was mentally unstable or , at the very least, in need of help?

    If you consider the proximity of his house to that Safeway, the fact that Rep. Giffords would be there as a Representative of a government that he railed against, that there would be little to no security and that the act would bring a light onto his thoughts and his world view, then it is easy to see why this all happened. It could have been any Senator, Representative or other high ranking government official, Republican or Democrat. This was not personal. It was a statement. It is not Sarah Palins fault, not the gun makers and not Rep. Giffords fault either. It is no ones fault other than the man who pulled the trigger.

    It is Jared Loughners fault and no one else. So lets stop playing the blame game ( especially if your trying to make political hay ), as it cheapens the loss of life and their memory, and place the blame where it squarely belongs. Upon the shoulders of the man who committed this crime... Jared Loughner.