As U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords fought for her life Sunday, aftera psychotic shot her point-blank in the head, Sheriff ClarenceDupnik reiterated his despair over the state of contemporarypolitical rhetoric. He described public vitriol in Arizona, where heworks in Tucson as Pima County sheriff, by people who are angry overGiffords' support of health care "and other things."
"Some of the vitriol got a lot of people agitated... but, you'retalking about irrational behavior here and there is no way you canrationalize irrational behavior," Dupnik said.
Dupnik, 75, has been in law enforcement for more than 50 yearsand fears that political anger on the radio, TV and the Internet aremaking the country violent.
"There's no doubt in my mind that when a number of people nightand day try to inflame the public, that there's going to be someconsequences to doing that and I think it's irresponsible to dothat," Dupnik said.
Dupnik insists that it used to be different in the United States."I grew up in a country that was totally different than the countrythat we have today. We didn't have this kind of nonsense going onand it used to be that politicians from different parties could sitdown, forget about their ideology, and work on the country'sproblems."
This is a country best known for political vitriol - a countrythat has battled over slavery, abortion, civil rights and taxes overthe course of 200 years. And the attempted assassination of Giffordswas not like something Dupnik never saw growing up. He has livedthrough the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Sen.Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., two attemptedassassinations of President Gerald Ford, the attemptedassassinations of President Ronald Reagan and Alabama Gov. GeorgeWallace - just to name a few.
The massacre in Tucson was, by most appearances, the work of aderanged person who snapped. There is little to suggest it wasinspired by Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck or anyone else in the businessof political pot stirring.
Vote in poll at right -->
But that doesn't mean the sheriff's words should be takenlightly. We have become a nation of political soreheads who toooften forget that maintaining a free republic is more important thanwinning debates or political turf wars.
Do not blame Saturday's carnage on mean-spirited and hostilepolitical rhetoric, coming from both halves of the politicalspectrum. Blame a deranged individual. But do take the opportunityto reflect on the fact that this great country is nothing more thanthe sum of the citizens who comprise it. When thinking of thistragedy, keep in mind 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green. She's thelittle girl who had been elected to student council and just wantedto meet the woman who represented her in Congress. Green was born onSept. 11, 2001 - the day evil foreign enemies attacked our country.
On the day Green was born, it was hard for most Americans to seeand acknowledge their differences. On that day, and for a few weeksto come, we were one nation under God. Let this tragic event restorepeace and civility to our discourse. Let it happen in the name ofChristina Green and the others killed in Tucson. - By WayneLaugesen, editorial page editor, for the editorial board
No comments:
Post a Comment