Today, I step away from sports and into the world of politics, sort of. I won't make this political, but I do plan on making a statement, and a demand.
Last night, listening to the radio, I had the displeasure of hearing an interview of former Cubs boss Dallas Green's son, John, talk about waking up without his 9-year-old daughter Christina for the first time. Christina was shot and killed in Tuscon, Arizona, on Saturday along with five others. As a father of two young children, it brought me to tears. It's absolutely crushing to think of this ever happening.
First of all, we don't know why the lunatic did what he did. This is not meant to be a statement of blame or any other political finger pointing. What we do know, is he was very involved in his own political agenda. We don't know if it was right-wing or left-wing. We do know it was angry.
So, this angry lunatic, for whatever reason, thinks it's a good idea to go to a political gathering, seek out a state representative and federal judge and open fire. In the process, he kills and wounds innocent people who are just interested in being heard, just like he is. They, on the other hand, do it legally. He feels it's necessary to kill someone to get his point across.
Political assassinations are not new to this, or any other, country. They happen. I don't want to gloss over the death of the judge or the intense injury of the representative. It's horrible. They, though, know what they're getting into when they go into politics.
Christina-Taylor Green, on the other hand, was just interested in our political process as a young American. She was curious. Innocent. Not jaded. She didn't know what she was getting into. Yet, the gunman decided to take her life with the others.
What causes someone to do this? I don't think anyone knows. I'm sure he fits a profile and we will hear about why he did what he did. I'm afraid this is a symptom, however, of the overall political state of our country.
During Bill Clinton's presidency, the anger and rhetoric aimed at the American President was at an all-time high, at least in the open. It spewed from the radio waves and was repeated at the water coolers. It continued through the Bush years and is now at an all-time high in the Obama Presidency. In the past, people got their political messaging and information from friends and family as well as the newspaper. Now, the rhetoric is easily accessible via the radio waves, television and Internet. Unfortunately, the fringe elements dominate the discussion.
Both sides of the aisle need to cool the rhetoric. Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, etc. on the right and Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, etc. on the left, need to cool it. Disagreement is a part of our system. Violence is not supposed to be. The talking heads get angrier and angrier because it is good for ratings. Meanwhile, people are influenced, lunatics are inspired and tragedies happen.
I'm all for free speech. I'm also all for accountability. These people spew opinion as if it's fact. They are the muckrakers of our time, with a bigger audience and much more power. They have influence over the easily influenced. They are primarily on the AM radio stations, catering primarily to the uneducated and easily influenced segments of our society. They spew party-line language as if it's the only way to think.
The majority of the voters sit on the fence on most of the issues. The talking heads, on the other hand, have this "you're with me or your against me" mentality that has turned our country into a verbal, and obviously sometimes a literal, war zone. They carry a lot of the blame for the divide in this country. They support the candidates that are on the fringes, while the majority of the country sits in the middle. They have the influence, both verbally and financially, to control the candidates that get on the ballot.
So, what can we do about this? We, in the middle, need to get more active and educated in all things government. We need to realize that government serves a purpose in our lives, but if we let it, can take control of things we don't want it to control. We need to realize that if the fringe elements keep winning elections and making money spewing hateful diatribes, they will be able to take control of those things we don't want them to. Both sides have big government ideas. Both sides want control of our lives, whether it be financially or socially.
We need to let the fringe elements, whether it be on the right or left, know that we're not happy with the way things are going. We need to quit allowing the hateful, violent rhetoric into our homes, businesses and places of worship. We need to take back control of our country. We need to do it the right way. We need to elect people who are more like us.
How do we do that? I'm certainly not well enough versed in the ins and outs of politics to start the movement, but it needs to be started and continued WITHOUT intervention by political parties. I believe the Tea Party, whether you agree with what they stand for or not, was this sort of movement until the politicians saw it as an avenue of victory. Any movement needs to avoid party-line politics. It needs to be an independent movement.
Until then, please make every effort to talk peacefully. Please avoid the hateful diatribes. Please avoid the fringe talk shows. The best way to end them is to hit them in the pocketbooks. If they don't have listeners, they don't make money. If they don't make money, they'll realize people no longer want to hear what they're saying.
Christina Taylor-Green didn't deserve to die on Saturday. Her family deserves to have her home. We all need to take notice. It could be any of us. We are all to blame. Get involved. Peacefully.
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