The city of Tucson, in the southwest U.S. state
of Arizona, is still reeling from the shooting
Saturday that took the lives of six people,
including a federal judge, and left several others
badly wounded, including U.S. Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords, who is being treated for a
head wound at a local hospital. Some have
used the incident to engage in politics, but most
people are taking it as a time for reflection and
mutual support.
The shooting that took place outside a grocery
store Saturday has shaken Tucson to its core.
Many people wonder how such a thing could
have happened in this middle-class
neighborhood in a city that is normally known
more for its tranquility and its laid-back (relaxed)
way of life.
For the most part, people here are taking time
to reflect and to support those who were
wounded or who lost loved ones.
There are vigils by day and by night, the most
visited being the one outside the hospital where
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is being
treated and the one outside her local office. But
there have also been religious services and
memorials for those who died, including a
federal judge and a nine-year-old girl who was
interested in politics, having recently been
elected to her student council.
This tragedy has brought people together here
looking to each other for solace and support.
Local clergy and mental health workers have
established venues and phone lines where
people troubled by the shooting can seek
counseling.
University of Arizona Government and Public
Policy Professor Barbara Norrander says most
people are putting politics aside for the moment.
"A lot of people volunteering, a lot of people
going to the vigils, a lot of people just talking to
one another about how, even if they did not
vote for Giffords or did not like her positions,
that they were very shocked and concerned
about the shooting," said Barbara Norrander.
Politics have not been left totally to the side,
however. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, of Pima
County where Tucson is located, blamed caustic
political rhetoric for the shooting.
"The hate, the bigotry that goes on in this
country is getting to be outrageous," said Sheriff
Dupnik.
But other politicians have condemned the sheriff
for trying to stifle rhetoric from people with
whom he may disagree.
Many Arizonans have also spoken out against
beginning such a political debate at this time of
mourning.
An editorial in the Arizona Republic newspaper
criticized Sheriff Dupnik for failing to control his
emotions at a time when he should be
dispassionately investigating the crime, noting
there is no evidence that the accused shooter,
Jared Loughner was influenced by political
rhetoric.
National political commentators have also
weighed into the issue. Liberal columnist Paul
Krugman, who writes for The New York Times,
says conservative politicians created a climate of
anger that might have influenced a mentally
unstable person like Loughner to act violently.
But conservative columnist George Will rejects
that contention as political opportunism "devoid
of intellectual content" unsupported by data.
Barbara Norrander, who has followed Arizona
politics for 20 years, says last year's midterm
election did produce some vitriolic rhetoric from
all sides.
"There were a lot of campaign ads that ran last
year that were, perhaps, a little over the top in
terms of their language and describing their
opponents," she said.
But she says political analysts who complain
about excessive rhetoric are being disingenuous.
"They used to talk about apathetic Americans
and that people did not care about politics and
were not paying attention and were not voting
and now they are saying that people are too
passionate," said Norrander.
At some point, Arizonans may focus anew on
such issues as heated political rhetoric, gun
rights and the need for programs to help the
mentally ill. But most people here say such
discussions can wait until after their grief has
subsided.
Source: Http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Tucson-Arizona-in-Shock-and-Sorrow-Following-Mass-Shooting-113320379.html
of Arizona, is still reeling from the shooting
Saturday that took the lives of six people,
including a federal judge, and left several others
badly wounded, including U.S. Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords, who is being treated for a
head wound at a local hospital. Some have
used the incident to engage in politics, but most
people are taking it as a time for reflection and
mutual support.
The shooting that took place outside a grocery
store Saturday has shaken Tucson to its core.
Many people wonder how such a thing could
have happened in this middle-class
neighborhood in a city that is normally known
more for its tranquility and its laid-back (relaxed)
way of life.
For the most part, people here are taking time
to reflect and to support those who were
wounded or who lost loved ones.
There are vigils by day and by night, the most
visited being the one outside the hospital where
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is being
treated and the one outside her local office. But
there have also been religious services and
memorials for those who died, including a
federal judge and a nine-year-old girl who was
interested in politics, having recently been
elected to her student council.
This tragedy has brought people together here
looking to each other for solace and support.
Local clergy and mental health workers have
established venues and phone lines where
people troubled by the shooting can seek
counseling.
University of Arizona Government and Public
Policy Professor Barbara Norrander says most
people are putting politics aside for the moment.
"A lot of people volunteering, a lot of people
going to the vigils, a lot of people just talking to
one another about how, even if they did not
vote for Giffords or did not like her positions,
that they were very shocked and concerned
about the shooting," said Barbara Norrander.
Politics have not been left totally to the side,
however. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, of Pima
County where Tucson is located, blamed caustic
political rhetoric for the shooting.
"The hate, the bigotry that goes on in this
country is getting to be outrageous," said Sheriff
Dupnik.
But other politicians have condemned the sheriff
for trying to stifle rhetoric from people with
whom he may disagree.
Many Arizonans have also spoken out against
beginning such a political debate at this time of
mourning.
An editorial in the Arizona Republic newspaper
criticized Sheriff Dupnik for failing to control his
emotions at a time when he should be
dispassionately investigating the crime, noting
there is no evidence that the accused shooter,
Jared Loughner was influenced by political
rhetoric.
National political commentators have also
weighed into the issue. Liberal columnist Paul
Krugman, who writes for The New York Times,
says conservative politicians created a climate of
anger that might have influenced a mentally
unstable person like Loughner to act violently.
But conservative columnist George Will rejects
that contention as political opportunism "devoid
of intellectual content" unsupported by data.
Barbara Norrander, who has followed Arizona
politics for 20 years, says last year's midterm
election did produce some vitriolic rhetoric from
all sides.
"There were a lot of campaign ads that ran last
year that were, perhaps, a little over the top in
terms of their language and describing their
opponents," she said.
But she says political analysts who complain
about excessive rhetoric are being disingenuous.
"They used to talk about apathetic Americans
and that people did not care about politics and
were not paying attention and were not voting
and now they are saying that people are too
passionate," said Norrander.
At some point, Arizonans may focus anew on
such issues as heated political rhetoric, gun
rights and the need for programs to help the
mentally ill. But most people here say such
discussions can wait until after their grief has
subsided.
Source: Http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Tucson-Arizona-in-Shock-and-Sorrow-Following-Mass-Shooting-113320379.html
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