Hypocritical thinking

The following column appeared in the Trojan Tribune last month.

American politics has been described as a contact sport. Aspiring statesmen worry about the effects entering public service will have on their families, because everyone knows that once you jump in, the consequences are immediate. If it’s too rough for you, then get off the field, they’ll tell you.
Candidates accept the fact that when they run for national office, every minuscule aspect of their lives will be investigated and published on the front page of the largest newspapers in the country. I guess politicians will have to accept that. But when it comes to the type of violence Arizona witnessed on Saturday, the reality that “politics is a contact sport” no longer suffices as an excuse.
On January 8, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, and 19 other innocent bystanders, were shot in Tucson by deranged gunman Jared Lee Loughner. Giffords survived the shooting, but the injury to her head put her in critical condition.
The tragic incident set off a firestorm of controversy among pundits over the motives of Loughner, and has started a heated discussion about the political climate of the country.
So far, two dangerous conclusions have been made by liberals since the shooting: the first is that the second amendment is to blame, and the second is that this horrifying outburst of hatred is endorsed by Tea Party Republicans. Saturday brought accusations that the Republican party is an evil institution that uses assassination and violence to reach its goals.
But when I looked over a story on Giffords on the New York Times website, the comments below it were not filled with hopes for goodwill in politics, nor were condolences given to Giffords’s family. The messages were shocking:
“For political gain, the Republican Party has encouraged this rhetoric. They deserved to be shunned.”
“We Democrats have been saying that for over a year that, if bulls-eyes, threats, gunslinging, and other calls to arms by (Sarah) Palin, (Michele) Bachman, (Rush) Limbaugh, (Glenn) Beck and others did not cease, somebody was going to get hurt.”
On assassinating Sarah Palin: “An attempt on Lincoln right at the end of a bloody war didn’t bring the republic down. I think it will be OK.”
“Is that Nazi (Dick) Cheney dead yet?”
“And lastly: why shouldn’t we be honest and admit that this is caused by right-wing extremism, an extremism mined for all it’s worth by Republicans for 30-odd years? How often in history have people been killed by Democrats? How often are Democrats killed? Why is it so hard for us to just admit this?”
If there is one vice that kills an argument, it’s hypocrisy. These comments by left-wing rabble-rousers are filled with not only factual inaccuracies, but brim with the very hatred that consumed Jared Lee Loughner.
We watched with devastation as an honest and talented congresswoman was shot in the head, and what do these people have to say? What is their solution? To ban Republicans from engaging in politics, as if this event was orchestrated by the GOP? To assassinate Sarah Palin in return? To call a former Vice President a Nazi? To label Republicans murderers, thugs and gun-toting hate-mongers? If Giffords could watch the news or read the comments under that New York Times story, she would be heart-broken.
It’s a dangerous thing when people try to turn a time of mourning into an opportunity for political gain and disgraceful retribution. We can’t allow our public officials to be the targets of such violence, and we mustn’t blame each other for the actions of one insane fanatic who begged the world to care that he existed.
When I turned on the TV on Sunday morning and heard about the catastrophe in Tucson, I was reminded of day in English class three years ago. We had been assigned to write and present a demonstration speech about anything our middle school minds could think of. Two students walked to the front of the room, cardboard pistols in their hands, and demonstrated how, if given the chance, they would assassinate President George W. Bush. I watched in horror. No one said a word of disapproval.
Hate exists in every political faction. Democrats and Republicans have their share of zealots, and we let these extremists win by refusing to look hatred in the eye and correct their incendiary statements.
For the sake of Gabrielle Giffords, let us argue with facts, and not ignorant fury.