The news that Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords was one of 14 people shot and 6 people murdered at a public meeting on Saturday January 8, 2011 emphasizes the reality that civility in everyday behavior has been lost. Hearing such vitriolic words we knew it was only time before a vicious attack of this nature was going to occur. Unfortunately, we all have a part in this atrocity. We did not speak out clearly that the vitriolic rhetoric consuming our country is wrong. It was inevitable that it would lead to violence. We are all partially to blame because we did not speak out against the violence in the language used by the media and talking heads.
We have all failed the people injured or killed and their families by not stating clearly, ‘vitriolic language has no place in a free society’s media.’
We conscript young adults into the military because they can be easily swayed by vitriolic voices to commit horrendous acts of violence. (Look at the useless wars being fought in the Middle East for an example. Our young adults in our military are doing the violence in our name.) It was only time before the same kind of vitriolic language used by those opposing health care for all people was used by someone as a reason to murder. It is a sad time for all people in the United States.
I hope this does not continue and that we can regain the civility we so desperately need in discussions of national policy. We need to have civility in discussions brought back into the everyday conversation from political leaders, media talking heads, and all civilized people. I call on all people to make a pledge of civility in political discussion so this type of violence stops right now.
How many more must die?
PEACE,
Posts
