In the wake of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, which resulted in the murder of six innocent people, among them a nine year old girl, Americans across the country are rightfully mourning this horrible event, and are attempting to understand what exactly happened.
** (As a side note, President Obama offered a wonderful tribute to the victims and the survivors, once again calling all Americans to a larger vision, one that seeks to raise the overall level of public discourse. I believe it was his finest moment , and you can see it here: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/01/12/us/1248069557385/obama-calls-for-civility-in-politics.html)**
The corporate media, eager to seize the story and sell it for advertising dollars, has offered its stock answer when things like this happen, which is that the violence was a single act of a “crazed shooter” a young man named Jared Lee Loughner. This is standard operating procedure for the media which seeks to simplify all stories for general consumption, making the story easier to sell. And while there is truth to the fact that Loughner was a deeply troubled young man, and likely did commit the murder on his own, much to the media’s chagrin, a sub-story has begun to emerge which seems to indicate that Loughner may have been influenced by powerful political and media movements and personalities. This revelation came shortly after the shootings from an unlikely source, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. Below is an excerpt of some of Dupnik’s statements:
"The kind of rhetoric that flows from people like Rush Limbaugh, in my judgment he is irresponsible, uses partial information, sometimes wrong information," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said today. "[Limbaugh] attacks people, angers them against government, angers them against elected officials and that kind of behavior in my opinion is not without consequences."
"The vitriol affects the [unstable] personality that we are talking about," he said. "You can say, 'Oh no, it doesn't,' but my opinion is that it does."
**(source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-sheriff-blasts-rush-limbaugh-spewing-irresponsible-vitriol/story?id=12583285)**
It is clear what Dupnik is saying: certain members of the media are responsible for inciting a disturbed young man to commit a horrible crime. And by extension, of course, he is accusing those who support them politically, and benefit directly from their shows, for creating an atmosphere of anger towards the government which, in Dupnik’s own words, “has consequences.” The media began noticing that more and more people were resonating with Dupnik’s comments. They then began to further question whether organizations like the Tea Party movement, led by folks like Sarah Palin, were not also somehow responsible for the violence because of the rhetoric and tactics used by many of these groups during the mid-term elections. For example, Network and Cable news showed a picture from Palin’s website, which at the time directed supporters to key midterm elections areas by covering their location on a map of the United States using an icon shaped like a rifle scope sight. Unfortunately, Gabrielle Giffords district was one of the areas in one of these rifle sights. Of course, no one is accusing Palin of advocating direct violence against Giffords or anyone else, however they are questioning her use of symbols.
Here is a link to a copy of the image:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x137918
Palin, for her part, is now accusing people like Dupnik, and others in the media, of “blood libel.” It is interesting that Palin would use this racist charge, which was directed by Anti-Semites at European Jews for the ridiculous crime of being a “Christ Killer.” However, we all know that Ms. Palin is not always on top of what she says, so an analysis of her words can wait for another post.
Here is Palin's official response:
http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/pages/rrnews.html?feed=393046&article=8045494
I leave it for you to decide whether Dupnik is being fair in his criticism, and whether the media is guilty of blood libel against Palin and the Tea Party movement. What is clear, however, is that Jared Lee Loughner, if he is indeed guilty of the crime of which he is accused, was more than just a lone crazed nut. While not a member of the Tea Party Movement, it is evident by his online activity that he was sympathetic to many of the ideas espoused by the Tea Party and others who hold similar political views.
The following link explains what is known about Loughner, his beliefs, and online activity:
http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/pages/rrnews.html?feed=393046&article=8026668
What can we learn from this horrible event? That America is a deeply divided country, and those divisions are used and exploited by those who seek to gain power, money, and influence. However, ideas are powerful, and always lead to action. Jared Lee Loughner, and the innocent victims he killed or wounded, are calling us all to examine our ideas because they will determine what kind of a country our children will inherit. Will it be a country unified and strong, or one divided and violent? This tragedy presents an opportunity, if we can learn from it.
