Thom Hartmann: Television and Radio CEOs need to make a choice in the coming days - profits or patriotism....

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is still in critical condition in a Tucson hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the brain. The Congresswoman was the main target in a shooting rampage on Saturday morning as she met with constituents at a local Safeway grocery store. Also victimized - a federal judge - John Roll - who was killed along with 5 others - including a 9-year-old girl. 14 people were injured in the attack.

When a Member of Congress is targeted for assassination - it's a big deal. What separates America from more volatile countries in the world is the peaceful transition of power. When one side loses, it doesn't bring tanks or march troops on to Capitol Hill to reclaim power. Instead, the newly elected majority is granted legitimacy by the minority. But in the years following 2008, coinciding with the rise of the Tea Party, a dangerous notion was propagated within the Conservative community. That notion was that somehow President Obama and this Democratic majority were illegitimate and were a threat to the American way of life. And from that basis, some of the most vitriolic hate speech in decades was hurled across the radio and television. And when a government loses legitimacy, then political violence can seem like not only a rational, but a noble cause to the unbalanced and the obsessive. Sadly, when that notion is taken even further and popularized on a larger scale - it can also incite the sane of mind to violence as well. If things don't change - this could be where we are headed.

Saturday's political massacre is not a call for censorship - it's a renewed call for responsibility within our media. While stoking fear and broadcasting the sensational may be a recipe for high ratings and high profits for our corporate media outlets, it can also breed the violence our country witnessed in Tucson on Saturday. Television and Radio CEOs need to make a choice in the coming days - profits or patriotism. Our Democracy is at stake.

-Thom

(What do you think they will choose? Tell us here.)