Dignity, Freedom, and Heroism

The heroes of Tucson are worth considering, if only because for one brief moment in a lifetime a light of the best in all of us showed through, the momentary gleam of brilliance as they put themselves in harms way - placing themselves at risk to protect others.

Daniel Hernandez, 20 years old, a certified nurses assistant, latino, and gay - doing a quick triage before focusing his efforts on Congresswoman Giffords as the most severely injured still breathing...rather than fleeing.

Patricia Maisch, a grandmotherly 61yo, hit the ground when shots rang out - but when someone called out "get the magazine, get the magazine" she rose to the occasion and ran towards danger, eventually wresting the magazine away from the armed lunatic, likely preventing an even higher body count.

William Badger, (U.S. Army Colonel, ret.), age 74, seized the assassins left arm even as another gentleman whacked the killer with a folding chair, subsequently seizing the loons right arm, and carrying him to the ground. A nearby holder of a CPL, carrying, leapt on the legs of the loon...unwilling to shoot, for fear of injuring innocents. And others, many still emerging or still to emerge.

These, and others, who ran TOWARDS the fire are highest examples of what an American hero looks like - willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save others.

So, too, the first responders - police, fire, and EMT - responding to a mass casualty with that strangest of all events...citizen takedown of the shooter. Not exactly trained around, from what I understand.

Sadly, as with any test, some will fail...miserably.

Yes, I mean you, Sheriff Dupnik - may you lose your next election catastrophically for your post-shooting dance in the blood of victims to push your political agenda of emasculating the citizens of Arizona and silencing those who would speak against the interests of the DNC.

And yes, "majority of mainstream media", I mean you as well - with your utter and complete failure to engage in journalism, in favor of vastly slanted sensationalism and yellow journalism of the no less scale than that of William Randolph Hearst...and his, and your, lack of shyness in being willing to create a story to your liking if you can't find one that already exists.

James Eric Fuller, all the other many many considerations aside, spewing death threats to political opponents days after you and others were shot by a nutjob at a political event...is not only tacky and hypocritical, it's illegal! And downright stupid.

Governor Palin - hire someone to *take the microphone away until the urge to strangle passes*. Probably best they keep the keyboard locked up, too. Really, it's better in the long run if you write the post or make the speech AFTER you have a little more calm.

And for those who would use this tragedy to silence those on the right, claiming folks on the right or in non-left media are somehow responsible - no, thank you. We aren't that dumb anymore.

And to those who would cry this tragedy is an occasion for a new bipartisanship? Sitting together for the State of the Union, holding hands? Back to the good old "Party of Evil" & "Party of Stupid" engaging in incestuous legislative perfidy to the benefit of themselves and the ruin of their consituents?

That's not what we hired you for, and it's not what we'll keep you on for. We voted you in as a vigorous, strident, opposition - and that's what we bloody well expect you to provide.

We've replaced a lot of congress critters at the ballot box recently. We can do it again.