DEATH IN TUSCON---Murders in Tuscon at a supermarket eight days ago by a deranged 22-year old has intensely captured media attention since the horrible event. Details of the slaughter have been over taken by a search for what caused the male shooter , J. Loughner, to kill 6 people and wound 13 others. What is surprisingly obvious are the frenzied efforts by different elements to proclaim, IT IS NOT MY FAULT.

Those entities that appear; most sensitive to criticism are: The Mainstream Media, The Gun Lobby, Sarah Palin and Right Wing Talk Radio. President Obama made an effort at the memorial service for the victims in Arizona to diffuse efforts to blame anyone person or group.

He invoked sympathy for the dead and wounded, and called for a civil discourse over the events.Almost to a person leading gun-crazy Conservatives complemented him on the speech; they were apparently relieved the president did not turn the doleful event into cheap political shot at the gun lobby or advocate for more gun control. On the other hand, the left wing gritted its teeth and wondered why he did not use the event for such purpose.

The media reported initially that congresswoman.Rep G. Grifford, had been killed by the gunman ,but had to revise the storey to she had been seriously wounded by a head shot. The storey evolved into discourses on brain surgery;heroic actions of individuals at the shooting; high school antics of the killer--even to the extent a girl friend from six years ago was interviewed .

By Sunday, eight days later , the storey morphed into full-throat psycho babble over the killers mental health with a parade of psychiatrists and those who had experience with mentally disturbed persons .The press is now directed toward anguish over the condition of mental health institutions in the USA.

The trial will probably end up in an OJ Simpson circus before it is over. The chance that this will happen becomes greater as California is the leading candidate for change of venue.

In the same week two US soldiers were killed by an Iraqi while training him; a virulent anti American leader el Sadr returned to Iraq as Maliki's king maker after 4 years in Iran; Tunisia turned revolutionary making it unstable. These events were almost ignored by the media as it wallowed in especially issues it subsequently developed in Tuscon.

The left wing took aim at" pistol packing Palin "whom it accused creating an environment that fostered the attempt on the congress women's life--it cited Palin's frequent gun metaphors and the fact that Palin's website graphically put a gun sight on the congresswoman's district. No evidence produced that linked Palin with the shooter. Unlike Obama's conciliatory, statesman' remarks . Palin flew into self defense mode blasting the media and accusing her critics of" blood libel",an anti semitic slur most Jews would prefer to remain lost in history. Many Jews cringed over the reference. The wounded congresswomen is a Jewess, so Palin's reference is politically awkward at best or just plain stupid.

Many of the Tea Party leaders came to Palin's. defense; more importantly still other Republican leaders smugly let her twist in the wind. These Republicans finally dumped RNC Chairman Steele this week--Palin's recent ineptitude undermined her further as a contender in 2012 and that is okay with those fiscal Republicans who stand apart from the fervid Religious Right.

The US gun lobby is a mighty thing to behold--it never loses for long. There are 90 guns per hundred people in the US.' Yemen with about 60 guns per 100 people comes the closest with all other countries far behind. The Gun Lobby's immediate problem is to preserve the extended magazine GW Bush permitted to be reinstated at the end of his term. The Tuscon killer used the extended magazine--it gave him 33 shots in his 9mm Glock pistol-20 of the 33 bullets hit human flesh--the killer was taken down as he was trying to insert a fresh magazine.

As far as carrying a gun for self protection, it was reported that two of the attendees at the Safeway meeting were carrying , but could not determine the shooter and drew on each other. We almost had a Mexican standoff or Russian mob Razborka.

Reference the 'running dog 'Right Wing talk shows, they will do and say what the Gun Lobby talking points dictate. What do you think is the function of propaganda ?

America is a violent place. That our films,music and video games grow more violent is probably linked to our permanent wars with big time killing. Sometimes a demented person, with low self esteem, is swept away in this environment and uses a gun as an equalizer.

Congressman Gomer from Texas wants to introduce guns into the House--I say BRAVO; Maybe the congressmen would scare the hell out of each other and behave with more civility; however, this is dumb, despite what convicted felon Tom Delay says
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One thing for sure, if I lived in Texas I would wear a ten gallon hat and string tie,snake or lizard skin cowboy boots and carry a Glock with an extended clip as it is all apparently the dress code..

All I can say with certainty, is really THAT IT WAS NOT MY FAULT. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.