Tragedy Strikes in Tucson, Arizona

On Saturday morning, the peace of beautiful Tucson, Arizona was violently broken with the sound of gun fire as a maddened man who deserves no further mention took out his apparent rage on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and a crowd who had gathered for a meeting with their congresswoman. There were six killed in the attack and numerous others injured. Congresswoman Giffords, the target of the attack, remains in critical condition.

Among those killed was a precious nine year old little girl, who had come to learn about our country's government. It is absolutely heart breaking to hear this. This little girl was so innocent (as were all of the victims) and it is unimaginable that someone would want to hurt such a precious thing as a beautiful little girl.

Also killed was a pastor, a man who gave his life to the service of our Lord. What a shame. One can only assume that he is now enjoying his eternal reward. Lord, rest his soul.

Another of the fatalities was that of United States District Judge John McCarthy Roll. Judge Roll was by all accounts a wonderful man. He was a conservative judge who has devoted his life to the service of his fellow man through his devotion to justice. I know that Judge Roll was a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, meaning he was Catholic and devoted to the pricnipals of Life and family. It saddens me greatly that we have lost such a wonderful man. There are too few like him and he will be missed greatly by many, many people.

I pray that Representative Giffords recovers from her injuries and is able to return to her service in our nation's capital. It has been reported by many of her colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, that she is a devoted public servant who spends countless hours working to meet the needs of her constituents and has a unique ability to work productively with all of her colleagues, regardless of party affiliation. I pray for her speedy recovery.

Considering the extent of her injuries, I am amazed and inspired at how well she appears to be doing according to the reports being released through the University of Arizona Medical Center. I was most impressed by Dr. Rhee and the Medical Staff at the University Medical Center yesterday with thier handling of the number of cases they had, particularly considering the severity of many of them. They have been perfectly professional in the handling of the situation, and the work they have performed on Congresswoman Giffords has resulted in a (however early) recovery that is nothing short of miraculous. God is capable of anything and sometimes he uses people to do His work. In this case I believe beyond any doubt that He has guided these doctors and granted them the healing touch that they needed to save Gabrielle Giffords.

In closing I will say that it saddenes me greatly to see violence in our streets, anytime, particularly so when it involves circumstances such as this. Our nation was founded by some of the bravest men in the history of mankind. They stood up to tyranny so that we could enjoy peace and prosperity. They were wise enough to bequeath to us a beautifully crafted system of government which, given the willingness and the interest of the People, there need not ever be another day of civil unrest on this country's soil. Violence is not the answer. It achieves nothing. Love, faith and mutual respect are the answer.

Yes, we must fight to protect our freedoms and regain those we have lost. At the same time, we must repudiate disgusting acts of violence such as the one we witnessed this weekend. Our founding fathers laid down thier lives for our freedom, to ensure that given the wherewithall we need never see another day of bloodshed in this great nation. For us to not be involved in our government is to not be appreciative of that sacrifice which they so magnanamously made for us.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the greatest among them is remembered as saying:

"The greatest threat to our viable republic is a disinterested citizenry."

Not that this quote needs any interpretation, but in other words: If our nation is to survive in its intended form, we, the people, must be involved in our government. It is not someone else's responsibility. It is yours and it is mine.

That is why I ran for office. That is why you should consider running for office. It takes US. It is not some unattainable class of ruling elite, who should be running our nation's government. It is everyday people like you and me.

That is what saddens me most about the tragedy that took place on Saturday morning in Tucson, Arizona. The lives which were ended and those that were affected were people just like us. They were also people who cared enough about thier country to get involved in its government. They were people who got up on Saturday morning to go meet thier Congresswoman. They were people who had devoted thier lives to the service of others. And worse yet, some were people whose lives had barely even gotten started yet.

It is a tragedy. I pray the People of The United States will truly begin to take an active interest in our government. If that happens, mutual respect will begin to blossom and we will see a shift in policy away from the stalemate of partisan politcs and towards productive conservative legislation.

The United States at its core is a conservative nation founded on Judeo-Christain values. If we, The People, take back our government, through peaceful means, by simply being involved in it; these values will be reflected in the policies established.

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Lord, rest the souls of the faithfully departed and give comfort and healing to the injured and the families of all involved.

JDD