Placing Blame: Is it really needed?

Placing Blame: Is it really needed?
Al Ritter


I have to admit, I jumped into the political blame placing fray right after the shooting in Arizona of Rep. Gabby Giffords. I thought it was going to be an illegal immigrant that was against Gifford’s stance on sealing the border. Sheriff Dupnik was quick to jump the gun and blame the right wing anger in America. Even Gabby’s father blamed the Tea Party.

Who was to blame? Well when it really comes down to it Jared Loughner is to blame. It makes no sense whatsoever that his views more closely mirrored the left than the right. Everyone instantly viewed his rants on YouTube in a quest to answer the nagging question……”what made him snap?” Sometimes there is no answer…..or should I say, an answer only known to the shooter.

Where does this leave us as a society? Obviously Jared Loughner is mentally disturbed, but the question lies with privacy issues vs. the safety of the public. Many people in Jared’s case had informed him of his mental health status, but it never transferred into help. His parents say they never knew how mentally disturbed he was, although personally I think that was more denial than ignorance. So if the person refuses to do anything about his own mental status when notified, and the parents are in denial, what is left?

I think ANY level school should be able to report mental problems directly to the FBI. The sad part was that Loungner bought his gun just 6 weeks before the shooting. So we see that there is a problem related to the ability to purchase that gun. Now the next question is……would he have just bought a gun black market on the street if he couldn’t have purchased one legally? We can only deal with certainties and situations that we know for sure.

You can never defend against yourself against a person mentally disturbed enough that they are unafraid to die. Logic only pertains to the sane world, not to the lone gunman bent on destruction. The media wants to label a specific political group for this heinous crime, but in reality there is only one thing to blame, and that is Jared Loughner.

And to the Congress who now wants “protection”……….are you going to let one mentally deranged 22 yr old rule your lives? If you want protection then hire it from your salary, the American citizens can’t afford it for YOUR peace of mind………….if you don’t like that then retire tomorrow!