MY KNEE-JERK reaction upon hearing of the horrendous event in Tucson was that I hoped the shooter wasn't an illegal immigrant or an African-American. In the culture that destroys human minds, it's easy to think that way to avoid almost certain further violence in rhetoric - or worse. Fortunately the color of the young man's skin matched that of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, the latter of whom once posted U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' congressional district in crosshairs on her Facebook. Palin's aides now say the crosshairs were "surveyor's symbols" and not targets even though she urged her readers to "reload."
Compare that to the poignant response of Arizona's Pima County Sheriff, Clarence
Dupnik, as he reacted in stunned sadness in the wake of the massacre. You've probably read it or watched it on TV, but some of it is worth repeating:
"When you look at the unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
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