Useful Idiots Get All the Attention...

Within, it seemed like, seconds after the horror in Tucson, AZ on Saturday, the left credited Sarah Palin, conservatives and the ever-reliable Tea Party as the motivation for the man who brought death and destruction to a grocery store parking lot, nearly killing Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), and bringing the life of a nine year old girl to an end.

Of course, the focus of a lot of the endless news coverage since Saturday has been about the role political rhetoric (supposedly) played in pushing the shooter to act. It's not worth discussing what sort of violent political hyperbole Keith Olbermann, Paul Krugman and too many others to count come up with on a daily basis in their avoidance of thoughtfully and honestly discussing the issues. Hypocrites one and all.

Pretty funny, huh?

Enemy lines? Targets? Political hate speech? Ask the Democrats who published it.

But blaming the violence in Arizona on conservatives in melodramatic soundbites is a perfect way to get useful idiots on board with one's agenda. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) are planning on introducing new gun control bills, Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA) wants to ban threatening language or symbols and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) believes this is a perfect opportunity to limit free speech by reinstating the Fairness Doctrine (more here). Vultures, one and all.

I'm choosing to believe more people will discount manipulative soundbites and, instead, listen to the words of John Green, the father of nine year old Christina, who speaks from a place of incomprehensible loss. He asks that no further restrictions be placed on our freedoms in reaction to the violence that killed his daughter on Saturday. Mr. Green believes his daughter would not have wanted that.




Grace and courage.

And there's this: