"American Tragedy"

I usually plan my blogs a few days in advance in order to make sure my facts are straight and I can give an accurate account of what I'm writing about. If one jumps into any subject without as much information as possible, he is doing a disservice to his readers and himself. When an event of great magnitude takes place, there is often a flood of information released about the participants in these events. Some news people and pundits immediately begin to draw conclusions about the cause of these incidents. We are a curious people, and that's a good thing. Americans want information and they want it quickly. Fast is good, yet accurate is better.

I remember the Kennedy assassination when I was in high school. The school buzzed with information for the first hour or so until the tragic news of our fallen President was confirmed. Even back then, talk of conspiracy started almost instantly. History has proven that a single shooter was responsible. Oswald was a prisoner of his own disturbed thinking when he fired those fatal shots in Dallas; no conspiracy was ever discovered. John Wilkes Booth was consumed by his own failure in the shadow of his brother Edwin: he needed something to blame for his shortcomings and he choose the President. Deranged thinking, once again, causes national tragedy.

Saturday in Arizona, Representative Gabrielle Giffords was the victim of an attempted assassination. Along with Rep. Giffords, six people lost their lives and several others were wounded. The news of this incident spread like wildfire; everything else on the news stations came to a halt. Several scenarios were put forth from several individuals as to the reason for this attack. Thus far, we have some ideas as to the actions of the alleged perpetrator. His name is Jared Loughner. These stories that have surfaced over the last day reveal a young, disturbed individual with the signs of mental problems that went unchecked throughout his life. His inane ramblings were reported on the news. They ranged from his belief that the government was spying on him to the lack of proper grammar by the population. It seems to be senseless rubbish from a confused mind. Mr. Loughner's sketchy biography seems to reflect a young person who was a loner with little achievement and much anger. He was rejected for military service for not passing a drug screening, and also had a failed attempt at college. Oddly, no one around him spoke out too vigorously about his unusual behavior; he seemed to be a bomb waiting to go off.

I'm sure we will see investigations launched very quickly about this tragedy. I sincerely hope we will find out why this young man acted out so violently. I also hope none of those investigating will use this incident to achieve a political goal. This act is a trauma to all Americans. No American, regardless of political affiliation, would advocate this violent act. Neither the left, nor the right should be showcased in this matter. Like Oswald and Booth, Loughner is a disturbed individual with perverse thoughts; he needs to be put away. Don't allow this incident to become another division for the American people; it is a tragedy for all of us.