Forty Eight Hours Later

I am not a liberal.

I am not a conservative.

I am not a Democrat.

I am not a Republican.

Yes, I am defining myself by what I am not.

I am an American.

I get goosebumps and my eyes tear up when I hear the Star Spangled Banner, but I hate when I hear God Bless America and I have an appropriate physical reaction to that as well.

In the past forty eight hours, I have listened to and read a lot of opinions about what should be done as a result of the assassination attempt on Rep. Gifford.

Some of them have been unhelpful.

These include many of the calls to criminalize speech. Yes, SarahPAC's map of the United States, especially in the light of this tragedy, was ill advised, and the vitriolic nature of the attacks (by both sides) on those who disagree with political beliefs often pushes the boundaries of decorum, good taste and decency. However, there is a huge difference between a spirited disagreement (even using harsh language) and a mentally unstable young man shooting someone in the head.

While we do need to have a conversation about the demonetization of political "enemies" and the lack of decorum that has been part and parcel of American politics since the inception of the Republic, that is not what Saturday was about.

Saturday was about two things: handgun control and mental illness.

On Saturday evening, FAU and I had a spirited discussion about handgun ownership and what it meant in the wake of twenty people being shot by someone imbalanced with a Glock. We did not end up agreeing, but...maybe that was the point. We couldn't come to a consensus because that was not the issue...well...not the primary issue.

The primary issue was someone who was mentally ill was able to legally purchase a handgun and the underlying question is why?

I have read reports from various sources about how teachers were afraid of this person. That he displayed behavior that showed his unbalance.

And...

They asked him to be removed from the classroom.

That's what happened. This person who so scared his instructor that he had to be removed from class was removed from the classroom.

What should have happened?

Joe Scarborough commented this morning that if the alleged shooter had been drunk in class he would have received different services.

Why shouldn't an obviously "crazy" student have been offered services? Could this have been prevented if we as a society didn't stigmatize mental illness?

If he had access to services, would he have been able to buy the handgun? If he had access to services, would he have felt compelled to shoot twenty other human beings over a perceived slight by Rep. Giffords?

Or would he have received help?

So, while we have necessary conversations about political rhetoric, violent imagery, handgun control, and the security of our elected officials, can we please have a conversation about prioritizing mental health services?

Irrational people are always going to act irrationally, and occasionally, they are going to engage in violent acts, but...while the conversation is going to continue about how to prevent events like this in the future, is the conversation going to start regarding helping those who need help.

It isn't about being liberal, or conservative...it is about being human, American, and making an attempt to prevent actions like these from happening by preventing the root causes from coming to a head...in a hail of bullets in a Safeway parking lot, between the flags of Arizona and the United States of America.