Letters to the Editor

By Ned Scarlet Cleveland

Editor,
The recent events in Arizona were horrible in their cruelty. I am not concerned with what motivations caused this crime, none can be legitimate. My only concern is for the victim’s welfare, and the killer is never able to hurt anyone again. Unfortunately, we must also endure watching this evil deed employed in an effort to further one political party’s power over another. This exploitation of a shared pain shows contempt of the lives lost that day. This selfishness detracts from the heroics of the people who stopped the killing and aided the survivors.
The tactic of using heinous acts to further political power is not new. It is as old as human nature. Bonding your rival with a reprehensible act makes your rival reprehensible. It enables the accuser to increase power while their opponent is forced to defend against illegitimate charges. As part of this strategy our inherent freedoms of speech and personal defense have also been threatened.
Fortunately these freedoms are strongly protected. Our constitution, which so ably recognized the weaknesses of man, will stop this assault on our God given freedoms.The demons of our nature will be held in check by the foresight of our founding fathers.
We must always remember the constitution will shield us only if we earn those protections by keeping it safe from those who would illegally change or discard it. We must elect leaders who understand this obligation and will not waver in their sworn duty to defend it.