The Blame Game

A tragedy occurred this weekend.

A disturbed individual shot nineteen people at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, AZ. Six are dead, including Judge John Roll and a nine-year-old girl, Christina Greene. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) (above) was shot in the head, and, if she survives, will likely suffer permanent brain injury.

What is truly horrifying, though, is the public reaction to this shooting.

Within minutes of the shooting, socialist attack dogs began sounding off on the internet. My Twitter feed was immediately filled with blame.

The initial target of the blame was Sarah Palin (and the Tea Party as a whole)- Rep. Giffords' district was one of Palin's "target districts" in the last election, and much ado was made about a photograph of Giffords with crosshairs superimposed. Enough crazies actually believe this, that several prominent news venues- including New York Daily News,  Politico, and The Telegraph (UK), have been forced to produce articles "recognizing" Palin's innocence.

Those liberals not willing to point the finger directly at Palin, nonetheless blamed "Republican hate-mongering" for creating an "environment of hate" which incited the shooter. Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA) announced, as the blood in Arizona was still drying, a proposal to punish "political hate speech".

And, of course, the blame game wouldn't be complete without blaming firearms. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) also introduced her own proposal, barely after the smoke had cleared, for a new federal gun grab.

Even before the identity of the shooter was known, the accusation was made that he must be "a right-wing nutcase". Jared Lee Loughner, as it turns out, is a Tea Party-hating, flag-burning, left-wing anarcho-communist, who posted videos on Youtube about mind control and dreaming. His liberal credentials established, leftists looked for other things to blame- possible drug use, social stigma, mental illness, anything to relieve Loughner of responsibility for his actions.

Little mention has been made of how the shooting came to an end. Two men, Roger Salzgeber and Bill Badger, tackled the shooter. Much more mention has been made of Patricia Maisch- who, after Loughner had been partially subdued, took his other magazine of ammunition. She has been lauded as a "hero", because she echoed the "right-wing" nonsense spewed by Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, and she has recieved much more press than the two men who actually subjected themselves to danger.

This entire tragedy has been overshadowed by left-wing posturing. Once again, sorrow has been used as a platform for curtailing civil liberties in the name of "public safety". The opportunists have revealed themselves yet again.