I was going to make this post about my recent European travels, but a current event has superseded the need to write about myself.

From NPR, reported at 1:14 PM: "Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman at a public event in Tucson on Saturday."

I am frequently saddened by American politics and current events. Rarely, however, do they bring me to tears. This event did.

As an American in Europe, I find that often in my conversations with Europeans I end up defending American culture and politics, and explaining to them just why American culture and politics is the way it is. As trite as it sounds, being in Europe has led me to realize just how much I love the country I was born in. I am well aware of its flaws, but if you dig deeper you come to what I think is the core of American culture: our seemingly unshakable hope that life can always get better, our fierce independence and individualism, the American love for the land itself, from the Great Smokey Mountains to Death Valley to the Everglades. I feel a small surge of pride when I think about these things; today, however, that pride has been covered by frustration and deep disappointment.

Though it seems unlikely, I hope that this shooting was not politically motivated. Why? Because it would be proof that people actually listen to the violent rhetoric that is employed in current political campaigns. Case in point, from Sarah Palin's "Take Back the 20" campaign, to remove from office the 20 people that voted for the health care bill:


Gabrielle Giffords' name is fourth on the list, with her senate seat indicated by cross hairs. She, along with many other politicians across all parties, has received death threats on a sadly regular basis. When asked by the New York Post if she had any enemies, Gifford's father replied:

"Yeah. The whole Tea Party."

This act of violence was shocking, brutal, and incredibly wasteful. John Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" was overall lighthearted in tone, but with an incredibly important message at its core: that we, as a society, need to push for change in the way politics are handled in this country, and to move the plane of discourse from the ridiculous, the hateful, and the militant, back to one firmly grounded in sanity.


UPDATE: As of 3:50 pm, MSNBC is reporting that Rep. Giffords is responding to commands and is expected to pull through. Eighteen people were shot in total; six are reported dead, including an aide to the congresswoman.