Ross Douthat, a normally wonderful columnist for The New York Times, got it exactly wrong in his piece in the Op-Ed page today.
"When our politicians and media loudmouths act like fools and zealots, they should be held responsible for being fools and zealots. They shouldn’t be held responsible for the darkness that always waits to swallow up the unstable and the lost."
I couldn't agree less.
The tragedy that unfolded in Tucson over the weekend is a direct result of the poison that comes from the mouths of people like Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, Bachmann, Hannity and O'Reilly.
The young man who pulled the trigger couldn't help but be influenced, in this age of instant 24/7 news, by the noise from the Lunatic Right.
The loudmouth opportunists bear the responsibility for what happened, whether they want to accept it or not.
And one of the victims was only 9 years old! The heart breaks. These people have no shame. They might except for one important factor. Having shame requires having a heart. That, unfortunately, they don't have. And the Wizard of Oz wouldn't give them one either. The Tin Man deserved his. These blowards don't.
So...in repsonse, I think we, the population as a whole, should do something equally insane.
We should boycott Arizona. What happened over the weekend is far more serious that the immigration battle that prompted some, last summer, to propose eliminating Arizona from the list of trading partners and places to visit.
What happened over the weekend is a direct result of the way in which the political heirarchy of Arizona has dealt with every modern issue, from gun control to immigration. They don't seem to understand that when you talk hatefully you inspire hatred.
People should have the right to bear arms. They shouldn't have the right to shoot anybody they like.
People should follow the rules for entry into this country. They shouldn't be treated like animals when they don't.
Arizona is out of control and the Right Wing hatemongers of commercial radio and TV have helped to fuel the hatred that erupted over the weekend.
Just say NO!
Don't go to Arizona! Don't cheer for the D-Backs or The Cardinals or The Suns. Don't apply to ASU or the U of A. Don't visit Sedona or The Grand Canyon.
You can do all of that after Arizona comes to its' senses. Until then there ar 49 other states you can enjoy, not to mention Puerto Rico and Guam.
Go to Maine or California or South Carolina or Nebraska.
And if you just have to experience Arizona visit New Mexico instead. It's just as beautiful and not as crazy. (Hyperbolic generalization there, but it makes for a better blog. One has to be black and white sometimes to get one's point across. I know there are plenty of people in Arizona who are not crazy. I went to school there...in Tucson, in fact. Arizona has some lovely people, it really does. But the politicians and talk show hosts are ruining it for everybody else...)
JUST SAY NO...to hatred and discrimination and insanity and political polarization and, for the time being...Arizona.
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