008: Sanity

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during an event in her Arizona congressional district this morning. Giffords is in critical condition; six others, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, were killed. In all, nineteen people were shot. While he didn't confirm a political motive for the shooting, the Pima County Sheriff had this to say:

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry. There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.”

So I just want to take a moment to use my insignificant corner of the internet to advocate for sanity and civility in the way we talk about politics, especially when talking to those with whom we disagree. From what I've seen, very little gets done and accord is rarely reached by screaming at each other. My thought is this: a little common sense is never a bad thing.

All hopes and wishes for recovery to Rep. Giffords and the others injured today, and condolences to the families of those killed.