Playing Politics With Tragedy

Playing politics with tragedy; that is what we are experiencing in the aftermath of a deranged murderer killing six and wounding 14 others at a Tucson political meet and greet.

Almost immediately after the shooting occurred, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik laid blame on the tea party, conservatives, right-wing vitriol, and Sarah Palin. After he had a chance to think about it a little longer he expanded his finger pointing to include Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, talk radio, and Sarah Palin.

That Dupnik had known of the shooter's derangement for some time is of no concern. That the sheriff's department had been to the shooter's home on more than one occasion to answer a complaint is of no merit. That the sheriff had personal knowledge of the shooter making previous death threats within the community also seems to be secondary to, you know, the right wing hate machine that there is absolutely no reason to believe the shooter had ever paid any attention to.

Details, schmetails.

His writings leave no reference to Sarah Palin. They do not refer to Limbaugh, the tea party, talk radio, Republicans, conservatives or anyone else that the left has tried to brand with the killings. In fact, the shooter's obsession with one of the victims, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is documented to have begun as early as 2007--long before Sarah Palin was a national figure, and before the tea party had even been formed or held one of its famous hate-filled rallies. (Incidentally, there is a record of his interests in atheism, anarchism, devil worship, communism, fascism, and nihilism--leanings which few conservatives would find any sympathy with, but seriously, who cares about any of that--there is blame to cast!)

And now Sarah Palin has committed perhaps the most heinous of acts--she has released a statement on the shooting. ABC is quick to point out that

Sarah Palin, once again, has found a way to become part of the story. And she may well face further criticism for the timing and scope of her remarks.

Palin should, it seems, be the good sort of vanquished political opponent that allows Democrats from coast to coast to virtually paint her as an accomplice to the murders. How dare she release a statement!

As the criticism goes, her defense of herself is merely political opportunism and "a way to become part of the story." How graphically stupid can some members of the media be?

The good news is that the Westboro Baptist Church has announced its decision not to picket at the funeral of 9 year old Christina Green. The bad news is that they are still only slightly more macabre than the ghoulish finger pointing leftist politicians and journalists who never want a tragedy to go to waste.