Empowerment

57 percent of Americans according to a poll taken yesterday, do not blame political rhetoric for the tragedy in Arizona. I completely disagree with them and here is why. People who tend toward the extreme will never be derailed from their extremist actions and behaviors. They are sick deviants who belong in jails or mental institutions. Throughout our country, however, there are innocent, uninformed Americans that look to their leaders for guidance and direction. Some of these folks listen to their own elected officials rail against government without realizing that they are listening to the government, people they elected. Many people out there with good intentions claim government violates our Constitution without even reading or understanding the Constitution. There are people who find comfort in easy to understand slogans because detail is inconvenient or too difficult. There are people out there who are too busy to engage in political debate and spread their minds over the many differing perspectives and therefore do not make informed judgments. These folks, many millions of them, do not mean harm, but react to their environment and feel empowered to vote, or speak or act in ways that are encouraged by their elected officials who care only about their vote, not the truth. Even after the tragedy, we are hearing Limbaugh blaming an innocent sheriff who had the audacity to criticize hate speech. Beck is glorifying the idiocy of Sarah Palin and tea party leaders are raising money on the heels of the tragedy. People rely on their leaders to be responsible and will react based on the level of trust they have in their elected official or TV personality or radio hero. Free speech is a sacrosanct and cherished liberty, but hate speech can only be derailed with louder speech against it. Until and unless we empower people to be civil, to be honorable and to be smart, this continuous maelstrom of divisiveness and hate will continue. Our politicians must not run from their responsibility to unite us in practicing civil discourse while allowing our differences in opinion. If they encourage with innuendo and silence our hate and ignorance, we will travel down the path of idiocy that we are now on. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?