Giffird and Palin. Who's to Blame?

Now the press is suggesting that the graphics used in a political strategy map on Palin's website might have inspired the attack on Ms. Gifford as she met with her constituents in a supermarket parking lot.

Think about it, sanely, for a moment.

"Set a target", "Hit the target", phrases commonly used in sales meetings, bankers meetings and children's hospital planning committees. Now picture what that phrase would look like graphically.


"Set your sights", Now picture what "your sights" looks like as a graphic.

"Attack the problems" now visualize an attack as an image.

"Walk softly and carry a big stick", the famous quote of the famous liberal, T. Roosevelt, as it was decided to change the name of the Progressive Party to the Bullmoose Party so as to obscure the socialist nature of the party as it was. Now imagine how the "big stick" could ever be used to an advantage. That's right. It only works when you club someone with it, using physical harm to force them to submit to your will.



Since ultimately, no law or government has any power beyond its ability to inflict physical harm through weaponry of some sort (even incarceration requires the use of weaponry to be successful), to speak in terms that reflect that truth, inherent in political rhetoric for a very long time (ask King George III about how that works out) should shock no one of any maturity or honest character that is willing and able to understand the very nature of political dominion:

Those that win set the rules for those that object.

It's called Democracy and those who live under one simply agree to abide by the rules. But every now and then, someone decides that the rules no longer apply to him. Some decide that they are above the rules; that the rules are for others to follow.
This has nothing to do with the rhetoric and everything to do with the character or mental state of the individual.



So we shouldn’t forfeit our own maturity while giving in to the easy and obvious reaction as to blame the weapon for the intention in the heart of the killer. Without the weapon and its imagery, there would be no rule of law. As one of the brilliant thinkers behind the intent of the Constitution noted,

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson