Put A Cork In It!

After yesterday's tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the expected is playing out. Unfortunately it took the murder of six people and the serious wounding of many more, including the Congresswoman, to bring it to a head.

We are an angry nation. There are unbalanced malcontents among us just itching for an excuse to vent their anger. The rest of us blog or jog. The trouble is, when times are bad, desperate people are often driven to desperate means. And too often it doesn't take much to push them over the edge. I think this is one reason for this tragedy.

Another reason is we have people with high public profiles, be they politicians or members of the media, who wittingly or unwittingly egg them on. Let's face it, there are a whole lot of us acting like children.

First the politicians and their partisan spats that bear no inkling of civility. No matter which side of the aisle, they all do it. For a person on the edge, this provides a perfect launching pad.

Then there is the media. The right is to blame. The left is to blame. Civility is non-existent.  Listen to Keith Olbermann. Then there are those with loose connections like Glenn Beck espousing his theories that people, looking for an excuse like the current shooter, take to heart. Neither contributes to civil discourse. It's by no means just these two, there are many from every side of the political spectrum. They know exactly what they're doing. Do enough of us see it?  Is there anything we can do to stop them?  Turn them off.  Maybe their ratings and advertisers might hear, though I doubt it.

Next will come the overreaction by the government. But for the prominence of some of the victims, this would just be another tragic shooting, would run it's cycle and fade into the archives.

But no. This was a Congresswoman and a Federal Judge. Already there is talk about more security for them. What will that entail? Will constituents have to be searched before meeting with their Representatives? Are the tax payers going to be expected to pay for 24/7 protection for every government official? If it comes to that two things will result. No one of substance will run for public office and we'll soon be living in a police state.

So let's go back to the politicians and their rhetoric. Put a cork in it. And to the on air voices who regale us 24/7 with their "wisdom", put a cork in it.  Who anointed them as all knowing anyway and why do we buy into it?

The sick will always be among us and tragedies will occur be it kids mad at their peers or teachers, or adults mad at their country. The rest of us hold a huge responsibility to not add to problems that are a part of life by enhancing our own egos.

If that's all you have to offer, truly, put a cork in it!