As everyone not living under a rock knows by now, Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and several others were shot in Tucson, Arizona, yesterday. Six of the victims have died, and Rep. Giffords remains in critical condition. There has been much speculation that the shooting was politically motivated, based on evidence that the shooter targeted Rep. Giffords, his history of anti-government hate, and other information not yet released to the public.

According to Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik:

When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government, the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this county is getting to be outrageous.

and

People tend to pooh-pooh this business about the vitriol that inflames American public opinion by the people who make a living off of that. That may be free speech but it's not without consequences.

Does being a Democrat now carry a death sentence in the U.S.? Judging by the flurry of activity I saw on Twitter last night, the question is not as absurd as it might initially seem. During Sheriff Dupnik's press conference in Tucson, one man tweeted that murder was perfectly justified when the target voted for "unconstitutional laws." Another insisted that the shooter was obviously someone who watched MSNBC, citing early reports that the shooter owned a copy of the Communist Manifesto as evidence. Sadly, these men were far from alone in their opinions.

What Do We Do Now?

It is natural to call for action after a tragedy like this, even before all the facts are in. But what do we do? No matter what happens, the U.S. does not have the will to pass meaningful gun control laws. Is it time to take Glenn Beck off the air, or will just asking people to tone down their rhetoric actually make a difference? If the shooter proves to be mentally ill, we will now commit to funding mental health care like we should?

One thing is certain: there are many good questions we should be asking ourselves and discussing but few easy answers.

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