Right wing bloggers began their attempt to blame the left for the killings in Arizona just hours after the attack (http://www.dakotavoice.com/2011/01/left-writes-narrative-of-blame-in-blood-against-conservative-ene
mies/) but the real problem with all the media hype, blame of left and right, is the failure of America to analyze how our culture and our acts lead to violence. Just as after 9/11 there has been a black out of how our international policies might have created the conditions for the disaster, now we see the debate settling on the minute aspect of the atmosphere of political argument. There is a greater problem, the policies of the right, the anti-tax, anti-government propaganda has led to a breakdown in services that might have led to the killer in Arizona being treated and prevented the killings.
Second, the speech of Representative Michelle Bachman (http://coloradoindependent.com/36840/bachmann-slit-our-wrists-be-blood-brothers%E2%80%99-to-beat-he
alth-care-reform) and Tea Party candidates like Sharron Angle have called for violence. This is treason and it is the definition of calling for insurrection. The result has been the death of a member of Congress and both Bachman and Angle should be charged and Bachman stripped of her seat in Congress.
This kind of behavior can only lead to more violence and if we tolerate it we will see mass violence. We will descend into the kind of routine horror we see in other places.
The massacre in Arizona this weekend by a deranged man is partly the result of hate speech from the Republican right and partly a consequence of anti-tax, and anti-government propaganda. The main effect is we have a man who was mentally ill and had repeated contact with police and other officials but was allowed to walk the streets and buy a gun and kill and maim people. The central question is not gun laws, but the attitude and program of right wing politicians like Arizona's governor to cut services and lower taxes. This cannot maintain an orderly and healthy society. But this program leaves in its wake a ruined social fabric where we are all potential victims either of a lack of education, a lack of preventive care or a lack of security. To Adam Smith, the main requirement for a prosperous society is the feeling of producers that they can be safe in the enjoyment of the fruits of their labors. Without this we have the tyranny of fear. This links the assassination of Pakistan's Salman Taseer and the attempted assassination of American Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords as they are parallel examples of the continuing failure of governments and institutions to deal with rising groups that espouse violence and terror.
In both Pakistan and America governments have tolerated and in some cases supported the most vocal fanatics in hopes of gaining the support of their followers. In America in the past 3 decades we have seen three Republican administrations coddle violent paramilitary groups and ignore the murderous rhetoric of anti-tax, anti-abortion and animal rights radical groups. America is no stranger to political assassinations and the number of politically motivated acts of violence and terror have been increasing (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pubres/epi_of_violence.htm). Matthew White (1997, athttp://users.erols.com/mwhite28/usa-riot.htm) has shown that most of the major acts of violence in this century have taken place in the Midwest and South, but we cannot ignore two decades of talk show
hosts from the right urging people to violent acts, nor can we deny that calls for people to take up arms by a number of rightwing candidates in the last election (for example, Michelle Bachman and Sharon Angle) have had an effect on motivating people to acts of violence and disrespect for the rights of other citizens.
America cannot look down at other countries over the issue of political violence, nor can we lecture other countries about rights without establishing the safety and respect for the political rights of all our citizens. Our airways are filled with hate and political fanaticism, we need to reintroduce the Fairness Doctrine to instill
some degree of calm and reasonableness in our national debate.
Most important is the need to counter the anti-tax rhetoric that is increasingly creating an America where there are only rich and poor. Tax cheats are being raised to the level of heroes when they are simply criminals. Every person who does not pay their fair share increases the burden on others and undermines the basic fairness of our society. It also leaves us without the proper and necessary funds to maintain our infrastructure and care for our health. Arguments that we need to cut government are based on propaganda and not any assessment on what the people want or need. When societies shift tax to the poor and working classes as has happened in the past 3 decades they corrode and become more unequal in law and opportunity as I have shown in my book, War, Religion and Taxation (2009). The Clinton presidency saw a reduction of debt and an increase of efficiency of government by rational and demonstrated fact, the National Debt stood at under 5 trillion at the end of his presidency, but the increase of the National Debt since under Bush was due to tax cuts, the wars and most recently the bail out of the financial institutions. The government is the people who can vote and change its leaders, the corporations and the wealthy are not under any constraint to act democratically or justly.