Gun Violence

Violence in America

by Max Johnson

I thought that it was interesting that the right wing is extremely nervous about this shooting in Arizona. They seem to be going out of their way to deflect blame. They have gone out of their way to point out that the alleged killer was left wing and that there is no evidence he listened to radio or watched television. It does not matter to me that this man in Arizona was liberal or conservative. He was violent, and he had easy access to a weapon. There is so much violence in our society, and we see it everyday in the rhetoric used by many of the hardcore in the United States.

This alleged killer was at his core anti-government, which is extremely popular at this time. The video of this young man walking around Pima Community College declaring it "illegal under the Constitution" and "fascist." There are so many who condemn government every day and sometimes in the most hostile and violent manner. I do not understand this thinking. The government is us. "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility...do ordain and establish this Constitution." It was with these words that a new form of government was adopted and survived for the past 230 years. These rants against government are hostile to "we the people." They feed the deranged and those seeking fame. The extreme rhetoric embolden the misguided to fixate on public officials. While this leads to short term electoral gains, it harms the soul of the country. It does cause many of our best and brightest to leave public service. We the people are weakened because of this drum beat of anti government rhetoric. It prays on the fears and anger and resentment within our society, while ignoring the great things that we the people do.

The attack on government ignores the cure of polio and the extending life to those stricken with HIV/AIDS. We the people were able to land on the moon, and slip the bounds of surly bonds of earth with the space shuttle program. The United States government explores the oceans and other uncharted portions of our earth. They administer the beautiful national parks service and the national weather service which most of the time can warn people of impending disaster. The prevention of a second Great Depression in 2008 and the ability to manufacture cars with two competing car companies within the United States must be credited to the government of the United States. The defense against evil that had swept into the ruins of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and across Europe in the 1930s are all US government led operations. Ohio State, Michigan, Rutgers, UCLA, and the University of Washington are all government institutions that are the breeding ground for major advancements in science, literature, and engineering. Our libraries, schools, and even our roads are all part of government acting in concert with the people. The ability travel by car, bus, airplane and boat with some sense that you will not die are in a large part thanks to government. I could go on for hours demonstrating the value of our government.

The point is that ratcheting down the rhetoric or acting civil is not the only answer. We need to condemn attacks on our government with violent revolutionary language. This should not be tolerated by media, government officials, or the public.