Saturday, January 8, 2011

Absolutely Senseless. Business as Usual.

Twenty minues ago it was reported that Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (8th district) has been shot in the head at a Safeway store in Tucson where she was conducting a constituency meeting. Eighteen people were shot and six have been killed in the indiscriminate attack, one a federal judge, another one of Ms. Giffords' staff members. The most horrific fatality was that of a nine-year old girl.

Ms. Giffords has survived surgery and is in ICU at Northwest Medical Center in Tucson at this time, despite earlier reports that she had already died.

Gabrielle Giffords? What did she ever do to anyone except try to provide them health care? Or affordable housing? Or food stamps? Or unemployment benefits? Or a tax credit to trade in their old car, or another tax credit for buying your first home?

Whether or not this was a politically motivated shooting, that doesn't matter to Congresswoman Giffords or her family. It doesn't change the fact that this is symptomatic of another problem altogether, an infection in my chosen State. It isn't getting any better. It isn't going to change. It isn't going away.

I used to think it was just crazy here. Now I understand that it is, in fact, just an evil place. A beautiful, terrible place. And I want nothing more to do with it.

Bonam Fortunam, Gabrielle Giffords. You were cut down in the midst of doing the right thing, trying to make Arizona and the United States a place in which I could proudly say I live. I join so many others in praying for you and your loved ones.

Good bye, Arizona. I'm so done with you.

pH 1.o8.11