Memorials, Civility and Don't Illinois Me Bro!

Last night I settled in by a roaring fire and a kitty purring on my lap and watched what I thought would be a solemn, moving memorial service for those killed in Tucson. What I saw looked more like a pep rally or at times a campaign rally. The President of the University of Arizona acted more like an MC than someone leading people in remembering the dead. The way he introduced each speaker was more like The Price is Right and the audience, many college students, whooped and hollered. When the president of the school introduced The President of the United States, it sounded like a campaign speech during the Iowa primaries. To blather on about how wonderful Obama is, was completely inappropriate given the circumstances. Janet Napolitano comes up and says "Thank you Tucson, thank you Arizona" as the crowd cheered her on like a rock star. The only person who struck the right tone was the current Governor, Jan Brewer. She spoke movingly and you could see her heart was heavy. Obama's speech itself was good and he said moving, lovely things about those who were killed. He could have made it clear when he got up that all the cheering, etc was inappropriate. He didn't know that was going to happen but he could have stopped it. The Native American "blessing" at the beginning made no sense and the guy spoke ad nauseum about himself. There were flyers, t-shirts, etc. What kind of memorial was that?

Obama Spoke of civility then said that incivility had nothing to do with what happened. So why are we still talking about this? If the suspect was not motivated by rhetoric from the right or the left, then why do we need to have a discussion or keep emphasizing the need to change the tone? Well, we don't, not in connection with this horrible tragedy. I think, at some point down the road, we should look at what is being said on both sides. Obama was right, it should live up to what a young girl, like Christina Green, dreams it can be.

We also accomplish nothing with heated rhetoric that deviates from the facts. Engaging in robust debate can lead to solving problems but I think we are past debate and need to acknowledge hard choices must be made. Debate is essential but unless it leads to action, we are still in the same place. We have states that are facing billion dollar deficits and a national debt topping $14 trillion. We see two answers. Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell,Govs of New Jersey and Virginia respectively, have cut taxes and spending, and Virginia is seeing pretty amazing job growth. Illinois just passed a 66% income tax increase and an increase in the corporate tax. People will be leaving Illinois in droves if they can. I don't think there is any doubt where these states will be in a year based on the decision their governors made.

A Tragedy In Arizona

We have all seen the footage of the horrible scene in Tuscon this past Saturday where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head and several others were wounded. 9 year old Christina Green, Giffords aid Gabe Zimmerman, and several other were senselessly gunned down. I first want to express my deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers to the victims and their families. I don't live in Arizona and therefore I am not represented by Ms. Giffords. I imagine she and I are far apart on many issues but from both sides of the aisle she has won much affection and respect and like they, I wish her a full recovery.

I am, however, sickened by some on the left to use this for political fodder to blame Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and others in the conservative movement. There is absolutely no evidence to date linking Jared Loughner, the suspect, to anything political on either side. He was a disturbed young man who needed help. Paul Krugman of the New York Times, couldn't wait to write, I imagine with much glee, attacks on Palin and Michelle Bachmann. Palin's now infamous electoral map with crosshairs on certain districts, one of them Giffords, has been held up as the worst kind of hate speech. Rep. Bachmann made comments about a revolution and being armed and dangerous to fight against the progressive, big government policies that the left wants to enact. So, I guess you could say Palin and Bachmann are in Krugman's crosshairs. He stated there is no talk of attacking public figures on MSNBC but there is on Fox News. I hate to burst the fairy tale Krugman is living but there is clip after clip of some of the most vile rhetoric coming from the likes of Olbermann, Matthews and others at what has become the Obama News Network. Even Patricia Maisch, one of the brave people who got the rest of the ammunition away from Loughner, went on tv and blamed Republicans. The Sheriff of Pima County did the same thing. This derangment syndrome once only affecting the liberal media has now infected ordinary citizens and law enforcement. Whether it's Bush, Palin or just Right Wing Derangement Syndrome, it is now being accepted by supposedly mainstream Americans. I applaud Ms. Maisch for her bravery and in the first hours afterwards anyone can make heated statements. But I hear it in my everyday life. The truth is, the world's problems can not be laid at the feet of George Bush, Sarah Palin or conservative talk radio. No one person has that power. Many people in power have made bad decisions and what we have to decide right now, is what good decisions can be made to strengthen our country and to quote Rep. Giffords "maintain our superiority over other countries". Maybe she and I aren't too far apart after all. God Bless us all and God Bless the United States of America.