Congresswoman Giffords' condition was upgraded over the weekend from critical to serious. Unfortunately - the community that experienced the shooting is still critically wounded. At a town hall event in Tucson on Saturday - one of the victims of the shooting rampage - Eric Fuller was arrested for disorderly conduct and making a threat. The incident occurred after local Tea Party leader Trent Humphries suggested there should be no debate about gun control until after all the victims were buried. Fuller - who was shot twice by Loughner - was unpleased with the remarks and reportedly stood up and said, "Your dead!" to Humphries. After the town hall - Fuller was arrested and involuntarily committed to undergo a psychiatric evaluation by the police for making the threat. The target of Fuller's threat - Trent Humphries said last week that Congresswoman Giffords is to blame for her own shooting since she chose not to have any security present at the event.
Congress is likely to side with Humphries on the gun control debate as Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer pointed out yesterday that there are simply not enough votes to pass gun control legislation on Capitol Hill. So it looks like our nation will once again NOT learn the appropriate lesson after another tragic act of violence. Maybe we should spend this day reflecting the message of another American hero who died by way of a gun. Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy and dream of non-violence and inclusion. A message that has been lost in America in recent years - culminating in the horrific events of last Saturday in Tucson. As plagued as our politics are today - and as futile as reform seems in the future - King reminds us that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. A particularly poignant message during these dark American days.
-Thom
(How are you celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy ? Tell us here.)
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