In the hours following the shooting in a grocery store outside of Tucson of Arizona U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, six people were announced as dead: U.S. District Judge John McCarthy Roll, 63; Christina-Taylor Greene, 9; Gabriel Zimmerman, 30; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; Dorthy Murray, 76; Phyllis Scheck, 79. Twelve additional people were wounded. (Source)
In the days following the shooting, we will hear many voices of concern. Sarah Palin's Facebook note still has a map of targeted districts with names; many have and will continue to blame this and other "vitriolic rhetoric" for the fatal shooting. Others will argue that the suspect (or suspects, if another is found) was mentally ill and a victim himself of lack of affordable health care. Right wingers will point to this as yet another blame game by liberals to defraud the second amendment. I myself have my own concerns, as I'm sure do you.
In the article of the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, the New York Times reports that he had been suspended from college, to conditionally return after seeking a mental health evaluation. The article authors opine that Jared may have had schizophrenia, judging by the content of his Youtube videos (for example) and the testimony of former college classmates. It is unknown whether he saw any mental health professionals, but Jared dropped out of college last fall.
At this point, Jared may or may not confess to the shooting. He will likely undergo an overdue mental evaluation, and from there we may gain a better understanding of his motivation. Unless Jared himself admits he was inspired by talk of liberal "targets" or other right wing propaganda, it is unfair to make such claims for him. The Safeway where the killings took place was close to Jared's home; it's possible that he did not know of the event taking place at the time and had in mind a random act of violence. However, his videos suggest he was politically informed, and he had met Representative Giffords in person at a previous event.
Consider the possibility that Jared had opened fire in a grocery store on a normal crowded Saturday morning. National headlines, certainly. Political news? Only insofar as gun control is concerned. This tragedy has eclipsed other recent and concurrent tragedies, such as the Omaha school shooting and the brutal murder of a Portuguese gay activist, and not without reason. Deadly threats to politicians should be more concerning because these are people we deem important and clever enough to make decisions for the country on our behalf. But let's not forget the lives that are lost every day to the hands of those who had the opportunity to seek help and did not.
I doubt that lack of "affordable health care" was the main factor in spurring this act of violence. Pima Community College offers counseling for students and those enrolled within the past three years; it is unlikely that they would refuse Jared service due to his suspension. I've seen comments on this issue that attack the quality of mental health services in the U.S., though this claim is unfounded. We do not necessarily have the best care in the world, but it is world class.
What I see as a problem is the reluctance of Jared and his family to take interest in treating what may be a serious mental illness. This happens to so many people across the country. Articles on war veterans hurting themselves or their families because of untreated substance abuse and PTSD proliferate newspapers and cable news, but despite recent efforts to allay these actions (such as recent commercials for mental health services for military enrollees and veterans), many refuse to seek help. Many mental illness sufferers are diagnosed, receive therapy and/or medication, but do not stick with it and relapse.
So many times when an act of violence shakes the nation, we treat the perpetrator as heinous and evil, without thinking about what we as a society could have done to prevent them. Rather than extreme vilifying of individuals, especially those who we see as guilty by association, let us carefully critique societal pressures that prevent people from getting the help they need. Affordable health care is one step in the right direction, but so is destigmatizing mental illness. Jared, please get help.
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