This Falls on All of Us

After reading some of Loughner's writings, it seems apparent that he's a mad man.  But his madness is wide-spread, perhaps pandemic in our society.  This tragedy does not fall at Sarah Palin's feet, it falls on all of us as we have allowed the political divide to create an "Us and Them" mindset in what should be a "United" States.  We have allowed vile, violent and dishonest rhetoric to flourish in our media and far too few of us have called for a return to polite discourse and honest sharing of differences.

Perhaps this great tragedy should give us a pause to remember that we are one country and if we do not find a way to explore our differences and take actions for the good of all, we may descend into the Loughner madness of violence and mayhem.

Perhaps we should start by praying for the victims and their families and for a miraculous recovery for Gabrielle Giffords.  We will need all the leaders we can get if we're going to put this hate and violence behind us.  And, may each one of us refrain from passing along hate.