Is This Righteous Fury or just Plain Anger?

I can't tell. All I can tell is that ever since the story broke about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords being shot by an unhinged gunman in Arizona yesterday, I've seen both the best and the worst humanity has to offer. I've seen vitriol on Twitter from the likes of none other than Hanoi Jane Fonda. I've also seen some of the most heartfelt well wishes come out of the internet that I've seen in quite a while. I've also had to deal with those on both sides who blame either the left or the right for this insane act of violence that claimed the lives of almost 20 people, including that of a nine year old girl.

THIS MUST STOP! We cannot point the finger at each other and try to shift blame simply because we believe we're right and the other side is wrong! This is not the time to blame either Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Paul Krugman, or anyone else! The only one responsible for those deaths and injuries as happened in Arizona is the one who pulled the trigger. Plain and simple, end of story. Now there are plenty who will disagree. There are those who will continue to whine and moan about one or the other side or whether or not we should repeal the second amendment because of this, or even that the shooter did us a favor by taking her out.

I will not be one of those people. I will not be drawn into the "left vs. right" issues. I will not use this to further the cause of conservatism or liberalism because, frankly, that is an insult to the memories of those who died, as well as to the work the congresswoman did before this terrible incident. I've already posted on this, trying to find good news amidst all the chaos and disorder this incident has caused, but I've found precious little. At least they know that she has a good chance of retaining the majority of her brain functions because the bullet actually missed the geometric center of her brain.

To make a long rant short, please people, do not fall into the trap of arguing right v. left over this! It's not about that! Whatever the Congresswoman's politics, whatever the shooter's politics, the fact remains that people were hurt yesterday. Not just those that the gunman targeted, either. The families of those who died and were injured in the attack are no doubt going through horrendous amounts of grief and rage at having been violated in such a fashion. What needs to happen now is that people need to come together and do what they can to help those people, even if it's just a few kind words on Facebook or in a letter. If that is what is done instead of constantly trying to point the finger, the family will be much better for it and will find it much easier to navigate the storm of grief that they are now forced to endure.

As of this writing, the Congresswoman is expected to recover. Can we not focus on that instead of the negatives?