Arizona -

OK, I know no one is shocked by the events of Saturday January 8, 2011. I mean I know we are all shocked - the tragedy of 8 individuals losing their lives, and another 10 people wounded - and another how many affected - people really hurt, our Country really hurt. I was watching television when the story broke - news channels should be more careful about what they say. If they don't know facts they should just say that. I'm OK waiting for the truth. The other thing though, what really gets me...how quickly politicians and pundits jumped in and started pointing fingers. Too many people were so quick to blame the actions of others - this was the act of a disturbed man who took a gun to a store with the intent of killing Giffords and himself. The worst part is he didn't get killed - cause you know, he has a family too. A family which lives in that area, and they have a son who is obviously disturbed, sick, and they must have known because he was kicked out of community college for behavior which was deemed dangerous to himself and to others - I know that language...Sane people don't do things like this. Sure we get mad, and we talk a lot, and maybe we vent and protest; Now Arizona is a gun state. You can carry a concealed handgun if you get a permit. It isn't that hard to do - How can anyone climb atop a soap box and use this tragic incident to point fingers at the "other side?" Goodness gracious what is the matter with us? How have we digressed into a country so divided people to the point no one even talked about the 9 year old girl who went to Safeway. The little Greene girl, who admired Gabby Giffords. A young baby, interested in politics and wanting to meet her idol. A little girl, who was growing up in a country where little girls can dream of becoming president - That rips my heart out.
Democrats and Republicans, Tea Party - talk show, radio show - anyone who makes a buck on disrespecting the "other side" they were all out - before we even knew anything - when it was breaking news and speculation and I was flipping from channel to channel just trying to get the information - goodness, Sarah Palin put out a map with bulls eyes on key Democratic Congresspeople, this incident is her fault - Limbaugh ramps up the anti-government sentiment, it is her fault - Arizona hunts Mexicans and has liberal gun laws so they should have expected such an incident - my goodness the blame was flying faster than I could change the channels - and I am a pretty good channel surfer. Then I started to cry, I cried with such sadness for my country, my idea of the United States of America and what it isn't anymore. I cried because making money and sensationalizing this incident was more important than a 9 year old girl who wanted to meet her idol. It was a Saturday morning, people were going to get groceries - and never will their lives be the same. Where are you? Where is my country? Where is the country I pledge allegiance to every morning? When I ask God, in my nightly prayers, to guide the judgement of our leaders, Oh do they not hear him.
I know separation of church and state, I believe in it and I don't. It conflicts me - I reckon I would rather my President have some spiritual guidance, I would rather he/she believe in higher power and that he/she ultimately has to answer to that higher power - when it is all said and done - Will we stop? Will the people who have the power to make it stop actually do it? Will we, the citizens, raise our voices - exercise our rights, take personal responsibility - On Saturday January 8, 2011 a disturbed young man changed the face of our country - I reckon we get to decide what the new face looks like - what are you willing to do? What am I willing to do? Can I just tell the pundits to shut up? Is that wrong? I don't like to say that, don't allow it in my classroom saying "shut-up" - goodness please be quiet - God please be with the families of those who lost their lives, with those who were injured, those who were witness, and those who affected - and God please bring us toward a place of unity - The United States of America - the greatest country in the world - Please, please - I don't know if you have faith, or spirituality, if you believe in a higher power - I don't know, it is sometimes such a hard thing to believe when something tragic happens...a disturbed young man committed horrific acts of violence - it was one young man - God be with him, for he is disturbed and needs help.Can anyone make sense of this? No, I know you can't. It doesn't make sense - never will. We can stop tossing our coins at people, companies, agencies - who capitalize on tragedy - and we can speak up for our rights as the government uses this tragedy as a reason to take away even more of our constitutional rights - it wasn't the gun, it was the boy with the gun. It wasn't people speaking their mind, it was a sick boy hearing something in his head - something no one said; perhaps the clues were missed, perhaps there were no clues - This boy changed our lives, each and every one of us, question is do we make this change something which ends up as positive or do we go down that lane of blame? Do we relinquish more rights? Do we point more fingers? Does this separate us, divide us, conquer us? It is divide and conquer, right? Do we let that happen? I can only do what I can do, and I will - what will you do? How much responsibility are you willing to take? How much is yours, mine, theirs? I don't know, don't have the answers - I know the answers are there, or actually, they are within each of us - are we willing to search? Are we willing to change? Are we willing to stand together? Are you?