Bush & Company

Largely responsible for the shootings in Tucson as all the other such tragedies is the lack of sensible gun control fostered by the NRA to which rightists pander, with liberals too craven to counter.

Reckless and inflammatory language, publicly and repeatedly articulated, may or may not directly encourage the rancorous urges and plotted attacks of the hostile and unstable and may or may not rally those impressionable malcontents teetering on the edge of violence. What is real is the toxic climate such language spawns.

Will someone with power, courageous and strong, come forward and organize an expansive and effective campaign to prod the nation and the Congress to act against easy access to firearms and assault weapons? Until serious steps are taken---apart the undaunted activism of lawmakers like Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) whose legislative efforts, though successful, can only proceed slowly and piecemeal---the incidents will recur.