I don't want to write about yesterday's mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona. I don't even want to think about it, really, but here I am, painfully aware of its significance.
We don't yet have all of the facts, but it appears that the shooter -- whose infamy I refuse to amplify by invoking his name -- may have been motivated by twisted political ideology that found fertile soil in a sick mind. He intended, presumably, to strike a blow for revolution.
He put his gun to the head of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and pulled the trigger. He assassinated federal Judge John Roll. He murdered a 30-year-old congressional aide, a 76-year-old pastor, two women in their 70s and a little girl who drew her first breath on September 11, 2001.
That's not revolutionary -- it's manifest evil.
In this political climate, and knowing the current balance of power, we can expect reflexive assaults on the First and Second Amendments. The misguided and politically correct will seek to constrain free expression (to muzzle conservative talk radio, that is) and further restrict our right to keep and bear arms.
That much we know. As defenders of Liberty, our response should be clear: Freedom has consequences.
The Constitution guarantees rights, not safety. We must remind our representatives that part of the price of freedom is allowing evil to exist, to speak and, sometimes in horrific fashion, to act.
To trade our liberties for safety, or even for the facade of comity, would be a far greater evil.
At the same time, as independent citizens we must be accountable for the consequences of the freedoms we cherish. From wingnut windbags to flame-throwing candidates to law-abiding gun-toters, we need to take a measure of responsibility -- but not blame -- for the liabilities of our liberties.
