Dealing with Mental Illness

Written : Jan. 18, 2011

The Jan. 8, 2011 shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona has prompted many of us to think about how to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Let’s assume that guns will not be outlawed, as two prominent liberals have done. I usually don’t agree with radio talk show host Ed Schultz, or with liberal TV pundit Dylan Ratigan, but they were both correct as each focused on mental illness during their shows last week. Their assumption about guns was based upon the strength of the gun lobby, but my argument is that guns don’t kill, people do. As New York Post columnist S.E. Cupp said, similar acts of violence primarily occur in gun-free zones, such as schools. When weapons are fired at a gun show, as S.E. says, the other side may have an argument worthy of consideration.

Accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner was allegedly face to face with Pima County deputies several times prior to the Jan. 8 episode at the Safeway shopping center. He was also turned away by his college and by the military. Why are people who exhibit signs of dangerous behavior before they commit crimes, able to purchase guns so easily? Could we value people’s personal rights over the safety of others? Is this something we should reconsider? We want a quicker diagnosis of people with mental illness, but should a person see a psychiatrist at the suggestion of someone he or she doesn’t know?

Would it be fair if someone accused you of mental imbalance, and as a result you were imprisoned or committed to an institution? We don’t want that to happen, but we might want to prevent someone rejected by the military to experience a delay in purchasing a firearm. Perhaps someone who confronted law enforcement in their past might need additional time added onto his or her waiting period.

Let’s not be silly here and accuse anyone for stoking violence with images of targets. Both sides have used military terminology to describe their struggle for votes. Let’s not stoke fears about guns for political gain. You may recall that Juan Williams was fired from NPR when he said that he’d be afraid on an airplane if he saw someone dressed in Muslim garb. Yet, last week Tom Brokaw, the former NBC News anchor, said that with the current Arizona gun laws, he’d be afraid to go into any bar in that state. No, he shouldn’t be fired, but do statements like his effectively deal with the mental health issues raised by the recent violence in Tucson?

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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Keywords: Conservatism, Conservative blog, politics, political, Mark Cohen, Mark A. Cohen, From The Left to the Right, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Tucson Tragedy, Mental Illness, S.E. Cupp, Jared Loughner, Ed Schultz, Dylan Ratigan

Keyword Phrases: "Conservatism", "Conservative", "blog", "politics", "political", "Mark Cohen", "Mark A. Cohen", "From The Left to the Right ", “Rep. Gabrielle Giffords”, “Tucson Tragedy”, “Mental Illness”, “S.E. Cupp”, “Jared Loughner”, “Ed Schultz”, “Dylan Ratigan"

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Tucson Tragedy – Jumping to Conclusions

Written : Jan. 11, 2011

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was the most famous of the victims of the shooting rampage, which occurred on Jan. 8, 2011 in Pima County, Arizona. I hope she – and all the other survivors - make a swift and complete recovery. My prayers go out to all those wounded, and I wish to convey my heart-felt condolences to the families of the murdered victims. This was a senseless tragedy, but not everyone thought so shortly after it occurred. It’s a shame that so many placed blame right away, adding fuel to the tense national political climate.

Markos Moulitsas, founder of the left-wing Daily Kos blog site, tweeted the following, just over two hours after the tragedy, "Mission accomplished, Sarah Palin." Liberal Paul Krugman blamed conservative rhetoric about three hours after Giffords had been shot. He posted, “We don’t have proof yet that this was political [implying a crazy conservative shot a liberal], but the odds are that it was.” But it turns out it wasn’t. The alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, was described later as a left-wing pothead. (Conservatives are not pointing fingers, by the way.) However, Pima County’s Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, a Democrat, prematurely implied that right-wing hate speech was to blame for this shooting. But it wasn’t. Loughner, it turns out, was a disturbed individual, someone not interested in politics. Why do liberals always jump to blame conservatives in similar matters? Why can’t they wait to see what motivates people?

For a long time politicians have used rhetoric and metaphor to enhance their chances in elections. Googling “target republicans” returns almost 16 thousand hits. Try “republicans in the crosshairs,” and you get 31,800 hits. Leave out the quotes and you get many more. Yet, Democrats have said (and mainstream media reporters have implied, and liberals Kathy Griffin and Jane Fonda have tweeted) that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) is responsible for the Tucson murders by creating a map of districts ‘targeted’ for Republican victory in the last election. Their problem is that images of cross-hairs appeared on her map. One of those districts belonged to Ms. Giffords. Palin did not mean that any Democrats were targets for assassination; they were merely important districts for Republicans to win. How ultra-sensitive we have become!

I wish my liberal friends would realize they are ratcheting up the rhetoric when they suggest that conservatives are to blame. In 2006, a debate over trying President Bush and Vice President Cheney for war crimes was big in the old media. At least one movie was made depicting Bush’s fictional assassination, and t-shirts were made with “Kill Bush” in prominent, bold letters. Protesters carried signs, which said, “Bush, the only dope worth shooting.” Posters were made showing his decapitated head with blood dripping from his neck. How do you think that made his supporters feel? Was that not too extreme? President Obama said, "If they [the Republicans] bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun," in 2008. He added fuel to the fire in 2010 by saying the Republicans were hostage takers and by telling Hispanic voters to vote against their ‘enemies.’ Although both sides are to blame, liberals have peddled this kind of rhetoric more than conservatives. Just listen to Randi Rhodes and Ed Schultz on progressive-talk radio!

Concerning the tragedy in Tucson, liberals will bring up the second amendment, the right to bear arms, and they’ll say something like, “This incident illustrates why we have to ban guns.” But it’s a smoke screen. The real issue is how we treat mental illness when we see it. How do we decide who is mentally ill, and when? Guns don’t kill people, people kill people and we need to formulate a method for identifying potential madmen. There’s a way to do it without making it into a Salem witch-hunt. This is something America will have to deal with, and soon.

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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Keywords: Conservatism, Conservative blog, politics, political, Mark Cohen, Mark A. Cohen, From The Left to the Right, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Tucson Tragedy, Markos Moulitsas, Jared Loughner, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, Sarah Palin, Randi Rhodes, Ed Schultz

Keyword Phrases: "Conservatism", "Conservative", "blog", "politics", "political", "Mark Cohen", "Mark A. Cohen", "From The Left to the Right ", “Rep. Gabrielle Giffords”, “Tucson Tragedy”, “Markos Moulitsas”, “Jared Loughner”, “Sheriff Clarence Dupnik”, “Sarah Palin”, “Randi Rhodes”, “Ed Schultz"

Conservative Blogs Central. Once on page 21, go to the bottom (scroll down), it shows and points back to this blog.