The Shootings in Tucson

In many ways, this feels like the aftermath of 9/11. I can't quite explain why, but there are parallels in the emotions that I'm feeling; emotions that I have to force myself to hold back. There's a part of me that wants to kick, scream and shout. Then a moment later it all falls back and it's sadness. It's the same mix of feelings I had while standing on Lexington Avenue the night of 9/11. Without a car in sight, I looked down the long avenue and saw but one woman, sitting on the curb, sobbing. It's that same helpless and confused feeling I felt while riding the subway back to Brooklyn early in the morning of September 12th. Strangely, almost exactly the same.

No, I don't know if this psychopath was at all influenced by the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Palin, but honestly, I'm not sure it even matters. Just like the Taliban and Al Qaeda, many of these folks use religion and fear of progress to back their hate, insecurity and thirst to destroy the enemy, at seemingly any cost. They use the name of their "God" to force-feed policies that contradict all that is faith, hope and justice. And in a great country with wide-ranging freedoms, they get away with it.

As evidenced by this opening, I'm very much at a loss on this one. I can't seem to put cohesive thoughts together and that's mostly because I simply can't understand this. I can't comprehend how a large portion of our country is so angry. And what are they angry at? Expanded health care that will help millions of Americans? How is siding with the people over insurance behemoths bad for America? How is greater coverage for our populace a bad thing? How is keeping certain weapons off the streets bad for this country? Why does helping the less fortunate breed such venom?

I just don't get it.

Well maybe I'm only dreamin' and maybe I'm just a fool

But I don't remember learnin' how to hate in Sunday school

-Steve Earle "Jerusalem"