The shooting of Congresswoman Giffords by Jared Lee Loughner has sparked a rash of guessing about his motivations from a range of people from the informed to the quite loopy.
There is an amazing leap of credulity taking place in which people aligned with the Democrats are trying to blame Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement.
What is particularly disturbing is that the White House and Hilary Clinton have jumped on the band-wagon labelling Loughner an "extremist", putting him in the category of the 9/11 terrorists and other political and religious extremists.
The fact is that Loughner is a very psychologically disturbed person who makes no reference to politics in his on-line ramblings and who refers to both "Mein Kampf" and "The Communist Manifesto."
What has happened is yet another sign of America's deep social problems and all too lax gun controls.
Using this tragedy as another weapon in the on-going political war makes no sense and no progress towards fixing the problem.
That the name-calling goes to the highest levels of the Administration makes it clear that President Obama is as big a part of the problem as anybody else in the US political system.
It's true that while some people seem to just be born with emotional problems, I really think that many people become like that through poor parenting and lack of support and help from the schools and other places this young man may have frequented. Even if his parents dropped the ball when it came to his well being, I'm sure others around him were aware that things were not right. We are a selfish society indeed if no one did anything to help him. It isn't poitical, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI think the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric patients is a problem everywhere- usually lack of money for facilities and health care professionals. And that's probably because most mentally ill people don't vote or aren't seen to have an influential lobby group
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right, still, it would be nice if there was something Christians could do.OK - I have a situation - I found a girl on the side of the road and picked her up. I made friends with her and talk to her several times daily. She seems to have delusions about people harassing her, folowing her, hiring people to bother her. What can I do to help her aside from trying to break though and assure her that it's coincidnece that these things happen or that she is mistaken and praying for her.I doubt that she would ever be violent, but she must be horribly tormented inside.
ReplyDeleteI think being a friend praying for her and with her is probably a starting point. You may be able to get her to seek help but usually the health system is a part of the conspiracy that is out to get them. As you say, it must be terrible to be tormented like that. AS followers of Jesus we have to help them find the peace that He brings.
ReplyDeleteThank you Keith.
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