The Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords

[Jonathan Scott]

I'm watching Meet the Press right now.  It's a bunch of Congressmen sitting around a table speaking of how the political discourse in our nation needs to become less harsh.  Everyone seems to believe that our arguing about politics is what lead to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Everyone seems to be missing an extremely important point.  We aren't arguing because we love to argue.  We are arguing because the differences between the right and left are exactly and repugnantly at odds.  For example:

Since 1973 there have been about 1 billion abortions worldwide and about 50 million abortions domestically.

I was going to include a longer list of topics where the Democrat viewpoint and way of life exactly contradicts the Republican one.  Honestly speaking though, the above one alone is plenty for the Republicans.  I'm certain the Democrats have one or two they would like to talk to us about as well.

The thing that the Congressmen on Meet the Press failed to see was that toning down the rhetoric isn't going to fix the problem.  People aren't mad so much because of what other people are saying, although there is probably some of that.  They feel though that whatever anger they have is justified because of what other people are doing.

We can speak as sweetly as we want and maybe that will pacify some of the wackos.  Fundamental philosophic differences though...especially those that lead to the death of innocents...  How could speaking about this sweetly and nicely pacify all of the extremists?  I don't think it can.

The Congressmen on Meet the Press, all of them, were barking up the wrong tree.