The Arizona Shooting. I’ve been watching in disbelief as the reports continue to roll in. A congresswoman shot in the head, 13 wounded and six confirmed deaths, including a 9 year-old and a federal judge? What makes this even more disturbing is that this tragedy stemmed from recent heated political rhetoric around issues such as health care legislation and immigration.
Anyone who knows me knows - I’m always down for a good political debate. And I love discussing the issues with people who don’t agree with me. It’s both enlightening and reaffirming. I admit, sometimes it gets heated because I’m passionate about what I believe. Who isn’t?
I’m also passionate about writing. Super passionate about the First Amendment. This law is in place to protect and promote freedom of information, expression, and petition. The First Amendment = the blueprint for personal freedom. It's freedom of speech! Period. My motto is this: “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I’ll always support your right to say it.”
Sadly, people died in Arizona because one person didn’t agree with another person’s position on important issues. It makes me ask, is free speech really free? Not for the Arizona victims. They’ve paid the ultimate price for something most of us take for granted. Was it worth it?
Anyone who knows me knows - I’m always down for a good political debate. And I love discussing the issues with people who don’t agree with me. It’s both enlightening and reaffirming. I admit, sometimes it gets heated because I’m passionate about what I believe. Who isn’t?
I’m also passionate about writing. Super passionate about the First Amendment. This law is in place to protect and promote freedom of information, expression, and petition. The First Amendment = the blueprint for personal freedom. It's freedom of speech! Period. My motto is this: “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I’ll always support your right to say it.”
Sadly, people died in Arizona because one person didn’t agree with another person’s position on important issues. It makes me ask, is free speech really free? Not for the Arizona victims. They’ve paid the ultimate price for something most of us take for granted. Was it worth it?
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| 9 year-old victim Christina Taylor Green and her mom |
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ReplyDeleteNot sure how to approach this issue. However, many are leaning towards the rhetoric that political parties release on a daily basis and the sheer divide between political lines.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, by examining this boy’s history throughout college and high school he had the signs of a classic mental case. This to me dictates his confinement and some sort of monitoring. I would like to think that his actions were based on his lack of mental normalcy and sober logic, which lead him to commit this act. I just hope that the families can come to some sort of closure and peace. Especially in light of the senseless circumstances.
I couldn't agree more, Gemma. While the media continues to focus on political rhetoric, I would like to bring forth the issues surrounding mental illness. It's serious and it, in my opinion, all too often leads to massacres like the one in Arizona. A shooting occurs, the suspect's background check reveals a history of mental illness and people write him or her off as mentally unstable...never taking the time to solve the problem. How many people will be killed by those who need to be mentally cared for by a physician, counselor and the like? It bothers me that mental health is not the issue being debated.
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