I'm a Arizona native (I was born in Tucson and grew up in Flagstaff), so yesterday's horrific tragedy in northeast Tucson literally hit home for me. I'm shocked, saddened - and sick.
I'm also mad as hell.
The shootings that took place yesterday in front of a Safeway grocery store left six people dead - among them, a federal judge, a church pastor, and a nine-year-old girl - and fourteen wounded; as of this writing, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after neurosurgeons attempted to repair the damage that occurred when a bullet passed through her head.
One suspect, Jared Loughner, 22, is in custody, and authorities are searching for another man who may have played a role in yesterday's mass murder.
While the shootings don't appear to be politically motivated, I'm struck by the concerns that Congresswoman Giffords expressed several months ago when Sarah Palin decided to list Giffords' congressional seat as a "target" during the midterm elections.
"For example, we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action," Giffords said in an interview with MSNBC.
Consequences, indeed. ...
Sad and senseless. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives, and to those who were hurt during this terrible incident.
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