Monday, January 10, 2011

Rush to Judgement

I scanned the internet, the cable news networks, and the Sunday morning network talk shows for information and analysis of the shootings in Arizona.

20 people were shot Saturday.  Six died, including a nine year old girl.  Among the wounded is the presumed intended target-- Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

Giffords is a Democrat.  There was early speculation the gunman is someone on the right, the far right, who opposed Giffords' policies.

That's dangerous.

Not everyone on the right is a maniac, but it sure looked that way yesterday on tv.  Not everyone on the left is a killer in waiting, either.  This was one troubled young man who pulled the trigger.  One.

When the federal building in Oklahoma City blew up, there was an initial rush to judgement.  Remember all the fears about international terrorists?

America has seen some school shootings in recent years, including a deadly one last week.  The vast majority of U.S. schools are safe, although it soulds like teachers and students are putting their lives on the line every day.

You know what scares me?  The Arizona shootings will drive our public officials behind even more walls than now exist.   We need and deserve access, even if it has dangers.  Our democracy depends on that access.  Public service has often been called a "sacrifice."  Truer words have never been spoken.  If you're in the public eye, if you ask for people to send you to Washington, or the state capitol, or even the town hall down the corner, you have to give up some things in return, within reason.  Privacy and some element of safety are on the list.

And while the soap box is out, let's talk about privacy for a second.  What follows is not an original thought, but I'll pass it along anyway.  There is a different standard of privacy for people who are in the public.   With things like Facebook, because of what you put on line, we're all in the public.

Be careful, but act and think rationally.