Tucson Tragedy

In lieu of the Tuscon Tragedy, we all might do well to recommit ourselves to a civilized discourse that refrains from viciously attacking, bashing, maligning, even slandering people, real human beings, even if they espouse ideas we may disagree with.

My friends in Europe have often shaken their heads on how Americans seem to lack the ability to differentiate policies from people. They abhorred Bush era politics, policies and rhetoric, but would not confuse such in their relating to real live Americans. From where I stand Bush era rhetoric did much to accelerate a culture of violence in the last decade. We all remember the so unfortunate 'hunt-down-and-get-them-cowboy-mentality' of which Bush recently expressed a rare regret in having resorted to. Of course the US has been steeped in violence since it's very beginning with the taking of land from the red nations, the Ku Klux Klan, the shooting of the Kennedy's (check out Robert Kennedy Jr. moving essay) and King.

But I only need to look at on-line comment threads to be shocked at the mean-spiritedness of what are supposed to be discussions, but too often degenerate to uncivilized bashings. I am a 'child of the seventies.' I learned early on, still in my teens, in encounter groups, that expressing feelings is important, but attacking others is not o.k.. We learned to own our feelings and make i-statements. By and large we came from a repressed culture and learned the value of expression, not to be confused with 'acting out.' Self-expression counters the forces of self-repression and serves as a means to mine and know one's Self. We might argue for a wish of the shooter to have exercised more repression of his impulses to harm. Instead, in his isolation he acted out his rage. What we really would want is to  find means of therapeutic expression and increased relatedness.

The first image of this kid (and yes, I oddly have advanced to an age where everyone under 28 years of age, or before their Saturn Return is considered by me still a kid, green behind their ears, with a brain not yet fully formed as science confirmed) struck me with his almost sweet, angelic look so familiar from the sixties or my seventies. My impressions seem confirmed in reading that Kelsy Hawkes considered her high school sweetheart Jared sweet, caring and kind, with an interest in music, not alcohol or drugs. That was 6 years ago.

Consider Jared Lee Loughner born 9/10/88, 22 years old now, was only one day in to his 13th year when 9/11 happened.

Seems that Jared was rather apolitical, not surprising anti-government and in to conspiracy theories. A touching interview with his former friend Zach Olser suggests the Zeitgeist, a documentary that claims the US allowed 9/11 to happen, left a powerful impression. Zach also mentioned his excessive use of Salvia, a natural hallucinogen that made the news only very recently and seems on the rise in use among youth. Zach's tears and obvious regret in not having been more helpful to what used to be his friend are heart breaking to watch and will likely inform this young man's future.

Jaret may not have believed in politics or our social system, may not have read the news or watched TV, but he must have been influenced by the rhetoric, heated and ugly enough to raise concerns even in the Arizona Congress woman Gabrielle Giffords, the main target of his attack, now struggling to survive his bullet that seems to have gone straight through her skull. Oddly Congress woman Gabrielle Gifford, considered a Blue Dog Democrat, resisted gun control and in her charming manner supported the US citizen's right to bear arms.

While today is a day of mourning, tomorrow we will have to reconsider  some hotly defended and liberally funded policies. While guns do not shoot themselves, unhinged people given access to powerful weapons can do a whole lot more harm with then without. 14 wounded, 6 people dead, among them a precocious 9 year old girl born 9/11/01.

When one Walmart did not supply Loughner on demand, he simply got the ammunition for his weapon of choice, a semi-automatic Glock plastic pistol, from the next Walmart. The right to bear arms, I don't understand it, that desire to kill, even questionable in defense. What I do understand is that any right demands responsibility, but with an American culture obviously as immature, this scares me. In Switzerland every man owns a rifle, but resulting violence is unheard of.

We do not exist in a vacuum, trying to connect the dots and to seek understanding should not be labeled a blame game. We live in systems and are influenced by forces all around us. To deny so and put blame simplistically on the shooter alone is psychologically immature. It is a matter of learning to understand the various forces that contributed to this tragedy and then attempting to correct course. Mental illness and health care, or the lack of such, ought to be part of the equation.  We should not dismiss the impact of chart's, like Palin's, that make people and places their literal, visual targets. Palin should be shunned for defending rather then apologizing profusely in the spirit of Keith Olbermann's plea.

Today is a day of mourning. I can not adequately express my horror at this tragedy or my sympathy for the victims and their families who suffer the terrible consequences. The effect must be felt by all Americans jolted out of complacency in hopes that we as a people recognize that we are given an opportunity to reconsider and not take for granted random violence. My sympathy lies even with the kid, the perpetrator, whose days are likely numbered. No doubt they will go for the death penalty a whole other subject matter. But for now the well being of Gabrielle Gifford will be foremost in my mind. Let us hold hands symbolically and wish for nothing short but a miraculous recovery.

All images are of course from the news media.