Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas A Democratic congresswoman lies in a Tucson hospital struggling for her life. A half a dozen people including a nine year old girl are dead their lives snuffed out by a deranged gunman. A nation mourns. In the past such tragedies used to if only briefly at times unite the nation.
When the Kennedys or King were shot it was a time to set aside political differences lay aside prejudices and biases table for a moment personal agendas and collectively come together to grieve. September 11 2001 was one such time. We were not Democrats or Republicans on September 11. We were not liberals or conservatives left wing or right wing. We were Americans.
Over time we always revert back to our partisan squabbling but only after a healthy and respectful pause in the midst of a national tragedy in which we reflect upon the fragility of democracy of the inherent frailty of self-rule. Elected officials are after all selected from amongst us to represent us and when one of them is subjected to violence that violence is visited upon all of us. We the people means more than just us". It means all of them" too.
Those days it seems are gone. We can no longer be united by tragedy can no longer share a collective grief.
Our lack of leadership is stunning. When the Challenger shuttle blew up in January 1986 Ronald Reagan was moved to say Sometimes when we reach for the stars we fall short. But we must pick ourselves up again and press on despite the pain." Do we hear such words today?
We do not. Barack Obamas perfunctory statement on Saturday was embarrassing in its blandness as if he was perturbed that he had to interrupt a round of hoops to get in front of the teleprompters again.
Where was the soaring rhetoric about how we must not use this incident to divide us that we must seek ways to heal the discourse? Even John Boehner couldnt get it right. His self-centered statement that An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve" was an incredible insult to the other nineteen victims both wounded and dead of the rampage.
The blood had not yet dried on the pavement in Tucson when the exploitation of this terrible event began.
Left wing flamethrowers immediately began placing the blame on the politics of hate" even though no motive has yet to be attached to the crime. The execrable Paul Krugman cites A Climate of Hate". We are greeted with editorials headlines shrieking Blood is on Sarah Palins Hands" Right Wing Terrorism Promoted by Right Wing Political Groups" and Right Wing Death Threats Rise".
The Chicago Sun Times on Sunday printed an editorial stating without a shred of supportive evidence Overwhelmingly today the fear mongering and demonizing flow from the right." The vile anti-American professor Juan Cole feeds the fevered leftist minds by stating in an editorial on his blog Informed Comment speaking of the shooter the political themes of his instability were those of the American right."
Once upon a time we would use instances such as this tragedy to reflect upon ourselves the society we live in and our possible culpability. No more.
The left now eagerly exploits tragedy for political gain making up facts as they go along twisting narratives to suit their agenda feasting on the blood of innocents.
Meanwhile self-government teeters and the idea that people can rule themselves seems less appealing in a society where lies become truths facts have no meaning and agendas trump all. The left never really in favor of self-government anyway exploits catastrophe because it enables bigger government and hastens the dream of centralized control. Think Katrina.
The real lesson from Saturday one that does not denigrate the memory and sacrifice of the victims is that life is precious death is random and our obligation to the future and all those left behind is to press on.
We do not have a Ronald Reagan anymore to say the words that needed to be said on Saturday so it seems fitting to end this by letting him speak for us now as we pray for those who so sadly had a rendezvous with a mad man:
We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."
Adrian J. Murray is President of Painless Performance Products Fort Worth Texas
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas A Democratic congresswoman lies in a Tucson hospital struggling for her life. A half a dozen people including a nine year old girl are dead their lives snuffed out by a deranged gunman. A nation mourns. In the past such tragedies used to if only briefly at times unite the nation.
When the Kennedys or King were shot it was a time to set aside political differences lay aside prejudices and biases table for a moment personal agendas and collectively come together to grieve. September 11 2001 was one such time. We were not Democrats or Republicans on September 11. We were not liberals or conservatives left wing or right wing. We were Americans.
Over time we always revert back to our partisan squabbling but only after a healthy and respectful pause in the midst of a national tragedy in which we reflect upon the fragility of democracy of the inherent frailty of self-rule. Elected officials are after all selected from amongst us to represent us and when one of them is subjected to violence that violence is visited upon all of us. We the people means more than just us". It means all of them" too.
Those days it seems are gone. We can no longer be united by tragedy can no longer share a collective grief.
Our lack of leadership is stunning. When the Challenger shuttle blew up in January 1986 Ronald Reagan was moved to say Sometimes when we reach for the stars we fall short. But we must pick ourselves up again and press on despite the pain." Do we hear such words today?
We do not. Barack Obamas perfunctory statement on Saturday was embarrassing in its blandness as if he was perturbed that he had to interrupt a round of hoops to get in front of the teleprompters again.
Where was the soaring rhetoric about how we must not use this incident to divide us that we must seek ways to heal the discourse? Even John Boehner couldnt get it right. His self-centered statement that An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve" was an incredible insult to the other nineteen victims both wounded and dead of the rampage.
The blood had not yet dried on the pavement in Tucson when the exploitation of this terrible event began.
Left wing flamethrowers immediately began placing the blame on the politics of hate" even though no motive has yet to be attached to the crime. The execrable Paul Krugman cites A Climate of Hate". We are greeted with editorials headlines shrieking Blood is on Sarah Palins Hands" Right Wing Terrorism Promoted by Right Wing Political Groups" and Right Wing Death Threats Rise".
The Chicago Sun Times on Sunday printed an editorial stating without a shred of supportive evidence Overwhelmingly today the fear mongering and demonizing flow from the right." The vile anti-American professor Juan Cole feeds the fevered leftist minds by stating in an editorial on his blog Informed Comment speaking of the shooter the political themes of his instability were those of the American right."
Once upon a time we would use instances such as this tragedy to reflect upon ourselves the society we live in and our possible culpability. No more.
The left now eagerly exploits tragedy for political gain making up facts as they go along twisting narratives to suit their agenda feasting on the blood of innocents.
Meanwhile self-government teeters and the idea that people can rule themselves seems less appealing in a society where lies become truths facts have no meaning and agendas trump all. The left never really in favor of self-government anyway exploits catastrophe because it enables bigger government and hastens the dream of centralized control. Think Katrina.
The real lesson from Saturday one that does not denigrate the memory and sacrifice of the victims is that life is precious death is random and our obligation to the future and all those left behind is to press on.
We do not have a Ronald Reagan anymore to say the words that needed to be said on Saturday so it seems fitting to end this by letting him speak for us now as we pray for those who so sadly had a rendezvous with a mad man:
We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."
Adrian J. Murray is President of Painless Performance Products Fort Worth Texas
