Assassination as an American Political Statement
Jan 09, 2011
The header refers, of course, to the shooting, the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords. All those affected, and there are many, have my deepest condolences.
Make no mistake: assassination is not an acceptable approach to the governance of this country. It is neither appropriate nor desirable that America becomes more like Pakistan where Benazir Bhutto was assassinated because she opposed the ruling military junta, the same junta that still, mostly openly, supports the Taliban and, indirectly, Al Qaeda.
The only arguable good about the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Giffords is that the assassin is demonstrably insane, thus completely non-representative of the body politic.
It was appropriate that Capitol Hill largely shut itself down for the next few days in respect for the tragedies that have befallen so many families in what should have been a wholly peaceful political context.
Never is too soon for another assassination or assassination attempt.
