Should a Shooting Kill Liberty?

I don’t know if you been hiding under a mound of snow this week. If not, then you’ve heard about the Congresswoman from Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, being shot in the head. Fortunately, doctors say she is doing well and will survive.  What you may not know is that 19 others were shot. At least 5 others are dead, including Federal Judge John Roll and a 9-yr-old girl. The shooter was 22-yr-old Jared Loughner, who has a history of mental instability.

It’s a tragic situation. It’s sad. It’s depressing.

What also bothers me is the reaction and use of this tragedy to make political gain. Many are assigning blame in order to further their own political agendas. It is truly tasteless and disgusting. Without any facts, the media, politicians and even the sheriff (in the county where it occurred) are blaming talk radio, the Tea Party folks, Sarah Palin, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, etc.

Really? Wow. With out any facts, motives are decided. Even the sheriff admitted this, which is shameful. He is supposed to be upholding the law. He is supposed to let the evidence speak for itself.

So is Senator John Kerry, and former presidential candidate, responsible because he said he (Kerry) should have shot the sitting president at the time, George Bush, while appearing on the Bill Maher Show?

Or is President Barack Obama responsible because he told his supporters (while on the campaign trail) to “bring a gun” to rhetorical knife fights with the political opponents? Or even recently saying in a radio interview that we (him and his supporters) need to “punish his enemies”–alluding to his political opponents?

I mean, have you ever been to a football, baseball, basketball (or any other major professional sport) game? Now there’s some heated rhetoric from the fans to the players. Now does that mean every team is filled with potential killers? Give me a break. Don’t you remember the old sayings from parent about, “Now, if your friend jumped off a bridge…” or “Sticks and stones may break my bones…”?

So who is responsible? The shooter is. Plain and simple.

He was a nut. Apparently his favorite books were the Communist Manifesto and Mien Kampf. He liked violent heavy metal and movies (according to tweets from acquaintances, from high school and community college). Clearly he was crazy.

What’s scary there are those in Congress who are already proposing legislation to limit 1st Amendment rights (freedom of speech and religion) and 2nd Amendment rights (right to bear arms). Somehow they managed to have hundreds of pages of law already done, only days after the shooting. In truth, they likely had these agendas sitting in a file cabinet somewhere just waiting for an opportunity to spin their agenda via a tragedy.

Even scarier (and more specifically), there are some senators want to ban incendiary speech and images.

What the heck does that mean and how the heck do you do that? Who decides that? I mean, how far can you take that?

Does that mean you can’t make movies with titles like “Saw” or name your band “Slipknot”? Or write a book entitled “10 Things I Hate About Christianity“? (that’s my book, by the way)

Even further, does that mean I cannot read the record of the crucifixion of Jesus to my children? Or wear a cross? Or have a tattoo of a crown of thorns, if I wanted? Or celebrate Good Friday? Easter? Or even Christmas, which is tied to the other holidays?

As terrible as this tragedy his, I believe it should lead to more freedoms, not less. And it is not a time to push ridiculous agendas based on zero facts that will never achieve the desired ends. And it is immoral to break the law (limit the rights of citizens as spelled out in the Constitution) because some loony has broken the law.

Let us simply help in any way we can and pray for those directly affected. Amen?

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