A Line Crossed--and No Way Back?

"I think the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business and what (we) see on TV and how our youngsters are being raised, that this has not become the nice United States of America that most of us grew up in. And I think it's time that we do the soul-searching," ~Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, Saturday, January 8, 2011, following the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford; the killing of U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63; 9 year old, Christina Greene; Dorwin Stoddard, 76, pastor at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ; Dorthy Murray, 76; Phyllis Scheck, 79; Gabe Zimmerman, 30, Giffords' director of community outreach; and twelve others wounded by gunshot from the Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol of Jared Lee Loughner.

On Sunday, today, the Sheriff also said, "When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government--the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous” He also added in response to a question, “And I think that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol."

I agree with him and I have been saying that for a long time now that the hate, bigotry, and inciteful political comments being made in recent time, including Palin's cross-hairs target, are dangerous. Actions like this massacre are likely the result of someone grabbing on to the too- common vitriolic rhetoric in our country, much of it by people in positions that used to generate respect, such as those in politics, those running for political office, such as Palin, or media personalities who most often distort truth. All it takes is for someone who may be angry or a little unstable to find a reason to commit murder.

Palin took her map down from her site, I understand. Maybe feeling a little guilty? And what about Giffords' opponent using this line: Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly and Palin backing him, "Getting on Target," and phrases like that. That is dangerous stuff, and intelligent people in the limelight of the political or media arena should know that.

The Bridge to Nowhere, McCain, Palin

I’ve been saying for some time now that John McCain was losing it and getting senile or something similar with his blunders and misjudgements. Now, I am convinced of that with this pick of a woman with little experience. Two years of leading a state like Alaska with a mere population of not even 700,000, and former mayor of a small town! Think about it, Los Angeles has a population of 3.8 million! Many cities have that much population or more, cities such as Austin, Boston, Milwaukee, Memphis. So how does a short term governor or mayor of a town of 6,000 or so, give her qualifications to head our national government, and international standing in the world? But oh, according to Russ Limbaugh (who had just come on my radio before my snooze alarm went off) he thinks the pick of her is fantastic because she "hunts moose." OH come on. But also her son is going to Iraq, and she has a Downs baby–mother of five. Russ, come on, your comments were as bad as what I then heard on the cable channels this morning–"This is very interesting;" "This race is getting interesting." They didn’t know what to say, either....she hunts, she belongs to the NRA. And she fished. So?

Although I am no longer a Republican, (thank goodness) I just don’t get it. Why did McCain pick her while having some good qualified people to pick from? This is so transparent, and so political–or crazy. If this was done to humiliate Hillary, or pick up Hillary votes, I don’t think it will do much. Most Hillary backers were for Hillary for other reasons than her sexual identity although her being a woman was frosting on the cake.

McCain was once my Senator and I liked him. But in these recent years that has changed when he made his move to kiss Bush’s butt and hang on his coattails. McCain just does not get it. He is so far away, so removed, from what this country needs to turn it around. I see an old man when I look at him, and a man that appears to be not in very good physical condition, and a man stuck in a military mindset. And he may be losing his mind, losing good judgement. We had a President not too many years ago who was having mental problems, do we now want to take a chance on that happening again? He’s 72 today. I do not believe he is clear headed as he once was. And that is scary.

And now, a heart-beat away from the Presidency stands a woman who we know little about, with little experience, and not at all qualified to become Vice President, let alone President. And this woman is under investigation over an incident involving her sister’s child custody. If this woman satisfies the Religious Right’s needs and desires to keep their "issues" protected, than they belong to the "stupid Bush mentality." People need to keep the religious attitudes (and racial bias) out of our pick for the best people to head our country at a time when leadership is of vital importance after our country and world standing has been seriously eroded in the last eight (almost eight) years. Do we want more of that downfall? If so, what will we have left of what our country used to be and what it should be again? Will it be able to come back?

This McCain ticket seems to be the "bridge to nowhere." Of course that is fine with me, as I want Obama to be our president and Biden to be our Vice President. And I can only hope that the majority of this country will agree. It would be a shame to have this McCain/Palin taking us further backward into deeper conflict and chaos.

No, as Obama said last night, "We cannot turn back." And I sure as hell don’t want to. And I hope enough others don’t.

~ Linda