Does the reaction of U.S. lawmakers to the shooting in Tucson bode ill for some kind of healing process? Columnist Patrick Etschmayer of Switzerland’s News worries that the political gamesmanship that has already begun offers little hope that the rhetoric in the United States – or in Europe for that matter – are likely to be tamped down anytime soon.
For News, Patrick Etschmayer writes in part:
For many who knew her, Christina Greene was a little vessel of hope. The girl, a little over 9 years old, was already interested in politics, was a good, dedicated student and a volunteer charity worker. An exceptional child, in other words. Her birthday, September 11, 2001, made her even more precious.
Speculation circulates about the attacker. The 22 year-old Loughner was an outsider and loner, who already attracted attention during his school years because of his unusual views and who was described in a variety of ways: Descriptions range from left-wing extremist and liberal (which also means “leftist” in the US) to anarchist. He was kicked out of college for frequent disruptive behavior.
Nowhere, however, is there any mention of ties to the Tea Party and Sarah Palin, an assumption that was made all too quickly. Yes, Palin did have a distasteful image with congressional districts in the cross hairs on her Facebook page, which in some respects was just as paranoid as Loughner’s insane scribbling. Loughner, it seems, felt that he belonged nowhere. But this doesn’t mean that he acted in a vacuum.
When in the end such dramatic events serve only to provide ammunition for political battles rather than bringing about political dialogue and an understanding that it’s not about being right but finding the right way – together, then we must really assume that any hope of healing the American political system is shot. And anyone who observes how low the level of discourse in Europe – and Switzerland – sinks more and more frequently (and then remains there), can now also give up on the political culture here at home and send all those little vessels of hope on their way, with the message that even if they give their lives for democracy, those who poison the politics on the right and left wouldn’t care one whit.
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