Death, taxes, and...

Pundits of all political stripes will never cease to amaze me with their ability to use a mind-blowingly awful tragedy as an opportunity to defame their political opponents. Why did Jared Lee Loughner shoot all those people? Was it Glenn Beck who made him do it? Sarah Palin? Sean Hannity? Keith Olbermann? The Hamburglar?

In some instances, the perpetrator of crimes like this has a clearly delineated motive and a clear goal in mind. My amateur speculation tells me this was not the case with Loughner, that he was just an emotionally unstable individual who simply came unhinged.

In some ways, that scenario is even scarier than the terrorist who has a clear, political motive for his or her actions. You can't plan for this kind of tragedy, and you can't predict it. All you can predict is the typical reactionary bullshit from both sides of the aisle afterward. I say that only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Rush Limbaugh's eagerness to blame a tragedy of epic proportions on the Democrats. (Dems, don't think you get off scot-free, either!)

Ultimately, I think Jon Stewart had the best take on it.

On a more serious note, Mother Jones has done some very excellent reporting on Loughner, and I would encourage anyone interested in learning more to check out the following articles.

Exclusive: Loughner Friend Explains Alleged Gunman's Grudge Against Giffords

Jared Lee Loughner's Currency Obsession

Explained: Jared Loughner's Grammar Obsession

Should Mental Health Be a Public Safety Issue?

"White privilege doesn't exist, so shut up about it already!"

On the heels of SB 1070 (Sorry, guys - I'm not opening that can of worms here), AZ Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law a bill prohibiting classes "that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group."

Specifically, the bill targets the African-American, Mexican-American, and Native-American studies classes offered by the Tucson Unified School District.

From the link:

State schools chief Tom Horne, who has pushed the bill for years, said he believes the Tucson school district's Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people.

Public schools should not be encouraging students to resent a particular race, he said.

Yeah, because it's totally a class in school that teaches minority students to resent white people.

He went on to say, "It's just like the old South, and it's long past time that we prohibited it."

If you don't understand what is wrong with that statement, then I suggest you brush up on your American history, specifically, your antebellum American history.