This morning, the Representative of the 8th District of my state, Arizona, in the House of Representatives, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot outside a Tucson supermarket, along with at least 5 other victims--including 5 dead as of writing: a District Judge, an aide to the Congresswoman, and a 9-year old child. I mourn each of them, and hope their families know that today, the nation is with them in this tragedy.
Representative Giffords was prematurely reported as being fatally shot, but she had undergone surgery and doctors report they are 'optimistic' for her recovery. For that, I am thankful. As more and more of her colleagues express admiration and praise for her work, it is clear that Ms. Giffords, as with the other victims of the shooting, would be a terrible loss for this nation to take.
What I was driven to write about however, pertains more than just the solemnity of the moment. More than the grief which casts another pall over this afflicted state, and nation.
Often, these events are used as good moments for heartfelt photo opportunities, but as details come to light about the man responsible for this senseless attack, something becomes clear: this is a warning shot, ladies and gentlemen.
We have operated at the brink, so to speak, for too long. Both sides are guilty of this game--liberals and conservatives each have their loudspeakers who proclaim with gusto that the other side is all but a dictatorship. That their plans will lead to financial ruin. That their tactics are dastardly and flout the very spirit of the nation's freedoms and values. And that following the other side will mean nothing short but future oblivion.
Congressman Giffords is clearly a woman who stayed above that rancor for many years. A Democrat, she managed to hold her seat in a previous Republican stronghold, and even more impressively in an election year which saw a wave of incumbent losses. She was only able to manage this by remaining centrist, appealing to the needs of all the constituents in her district. Of course she would clash with opponents---this is politics, not a Peace Pipe meeting---but she did so in a manner that, if her colleagues' comments are any indicator, put her a cut above the rest.
What that means is this: a shot against her is a warning that the years of fear and stark division in our politics, without progress, are coming back to haunt us. That a congresswoman this capable of balancing between Right and Left and serving her people can be struck down by a gunman--that should worry every citizen of this nation, regardless of ideology.
So today, I ask not only for a moment of silence across the nation to mourn the victims of this tragedy, but a moment of clarity, to wake up from the conditions that produced the heinous event in the first place.
Do not let this opportunity slip. I am not so blind as to assume disagreements will stop or that the heated arguments will subside. But I do expect that we can learn. Let us not be so heavy-handed. Let us not deceive ourselves and one another. Let us not create a climate of fear when we must create a climate of national revival. In the name of Congressman Giffords, and each victim of today's shooting, and in the name of the nation they belong to, let us---average citizen and policymaker alike--learn to have our disagreements without producing casualties.
Let us move forward and renew the cause of the nation, starting with the creed of Lincoln in his first Inaugural, vowing: "In doing this there needs to be no bloodshed or violence; and there shall be none".
No comments:
Post a Comment