something must be done

today was like any other and all those come before it. a day of comedies. a day of tragedies. the sun rose and fell, like the metaphor for life, it is. all is ephemeral, passing from comedy to tragedy. today, tragedy befell a parking lot in tucson. in a despicable act of cowardice, a 22 year old gunman killed six and wounded twelve others including rep. gabrielle giffords. for good reason, the shooting has sparked outrage. and there has been a significant amount of outrage, concerning sarahpac, whose campaign painted a violent image of targeted districts, including rep. giffords', within literal cross-hairs. i have read the reaction across the internet. the sum of which is, "something must be done."


"something must be done." that is perhaps the most dangerous statement to the wellness of a free society. as horrible and inhumane as the campaign is, as unfortunate as the tragedy it has allegedly inspired as a consequence, it is freedom of speech. irresponsible, yes ... but freedom nonetheless. something must be done? what must be done? problem: the message of sarahpac has inspired bloodshed. reaction: something must be done. solution: legislation named after rep. giffords which perhaps, limits free speech. the result is, at first, satifactory, because "something" has been done. but is it the right thing? will such a solution be satisfactory, the day after tomorrow? consider the bloodshed, the lives lost in the name of instituting and protecting said freedoms. should not "something" be clearly defined, before it is exclaimed? elsewise, is it not irresponsible speech, the same as that which spurred the hegelian reaction? because "something" could mean anything.