Sunday opinion. And our hearts go out to the families of the victims in the Arizona shooting.
Arizona Daily Star:
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords sent this guest opinion to the Star Friday outlining her priorities for the 112th Congress.
I took the congressional oath of office for a third time this week, and the most important of the 71 words in that oath was my vow to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
These words are especially critical and poignant this year as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our country.
NY Times:
The shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others at a neighborhood meeting in Arizona on Saturday set off what is likely to be a wrenching debate over anger and violence in American politics...
In the hours immediately after the shooting of Ms. Giffords, a Democrat, and others in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, members of both parties found rare unity in their sorrow. Top Republicans including Speaker John A. Boehner and Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona quickly condemned the violence.
"An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve," Mr. Boehner said in a statement. "Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society."
Amen to that.
Startribune.com
The motives of the shooter remained a mystery as this edition of Opinion Exchange went to press. Early speculation focused on the angry political environment that has plagued Arizona and much of the country, but history cautions that Americans should withhold judgment until all of the facts are in.
Amen to that, too.
NY Times:
The shootings raised questions about potential political motives, and Sheriff Dupnik blamed the toxic political environment in Arizona. There were immediate national reverberations as Democrats denounced the fierce partisan atmosphere in Ms. Gifford’s district and top Republicans quickly condemned the violence.
CNN:
The 22-year-old man under arrest in Saturday's massacre in Arizona railed against government "mind control" and illiteracy in online missives and had "kind of a troubled past," as the local sheriff put it.
"There's reason to believe this individual may have a mental issue," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told reporters Saturday night.
NPR:
The attack on Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and those who were with her might be the work of "a single nut," said Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, whose Arizona district shares Tucson with Giffords' district. But he said the nation must assess the fallout of "an atmosphere where the political discourse is about hate, anger and bitterness."
In Washington, lawmakers from both parties were deeply shaken and the House's newly installed Republican leaders postponed Wednesday's scheduled vote to repeal the new health care law. That divisive issue was at the center of the harshest criticisms of Giffords and many other Democrats for the past two years.
In other news:
Tom Jensen/Public Policy Polling:
In 9 of 12 states we've polled Palin's performance would be worst for GOP since 1964 or earlier: http://tinyurl.com/...
Tobin Harshaw on sorta reading the Constitution, with a birther outburst from the gallery.
"Bummer," was the reaction of the conservative blogger Jim Hoft. "After all of the resistance by democrats then this happened." He got little sympathy across the partisan divide, at least from Steve M. at No More Mr. Nice Blog: "So, look, Jim Hoft, I’m sorry you’re bummed, but you’re part of a political movement that welcomes and even embraces conspiracy-mongers .. who in turn embrace head cases like Theresa Cao. Too bad for you if you haven’t secured the asylum gates and a few of your lunatic fellow travelers show up where they’re not wanted."
Kathleen Parker argues to leave Twain alone:
While sorting through the perennial lip-pursing tempest about a certain word in Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - the "N-word," as we now say it - I turned for inspiration to the master himself.
"The difference between the almost-right word & the right word is . . . the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning," Twain wrote...
The issue here isn't whether the word is good or bad (I personally despise it), but whether one should rewrite another's literary work.
The simple answer is, no.
Now there's an issue we can all be true conservatives about. Don't touch Twain. Leave it the way it's been.
SF Chronicle:
Gov. Jerry Brown has told Californians to sit down, fasten their seat belts and brace themselves for the budget proposal he will unveil Monday to address a deficit that could top $28 billion. Last week, he said his proposal may be even more drastic than many anticipate.
A "heads up" for California.