JACKSON — Most of the time, those of us in the thousand words business don’t have much use for the old adage that a picture is worth all those words.
But in the instance of the accused Arizona shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner, that adage is proven to have a strong basis in fact. Take a good look at Loughner’s Pima County, Ariz., Sheriff’s Office mug shot.
To have allegedly murdered six people — a federal judge, a little 9-year-old girl, a congressional staffer and three bystander senior citizens — as collateral damage in an apparent attempt to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Loughner’s expression is that of one happy, self-satisfied camper.
Loughner’s actions, his appearance, his track record and the impressions of his peers and acquaintances suggest nothing in terms of his motivation for the shooting other than a prolonged, significant mental and emotional imbalance.
Look at Loughner’s eyes. Look at the grin on his face. Is that the visage of a person motivated by partisan political fervor?
Or is it, sadly, the face of an unstable person severely impacted by whatever personal demons tormented or deluded him?
In the wake of the shootings — senseless, tragic and profoundly disturbing — we have heard the gamut of public reaction from calling for more restrictions on 1st Amendment and 2nd Amendment rights to outright accusations of blame leveled against entities and philosophies on both sides of the political spectrum.
Does anyone seriously believe an hour less nightly of Glenn Beck on Fox or Keith Olbermann on MSNBC would have led Loughner to rethink his murderous rampage?
Does anyone seriously buy into the notion that more stringent gun control laws would have impeded Loughner from his self-appointed rendezvous with destiny — an apparent hatred so deep that children and the elderly became invisible as he emptied the clip of his Glock 19 pistol (15 rounds of 9mm ammunition) into the crowd?
Beyond those misguided calls to overreact to the Giffords shooting with more gun control and less free speech are those voices who would make members of Congress even more unapproachable and distant by calling for additional security measures.
But there is one notion that has risen from this tragedy that is worthy of the public’s embrace. The tone and tenor of political rhetoric in this country is out of control.
Take a look at the comment section of online newspapers. Listen to talk radio. Read some of the e-mail blasts put out by various political groups — liberal or conservative.
Lost somewhere in the modern age of communications has been the ability to disagree agreeably — to engage in the exchange of ideas without devolving into shouting, cursing, name-calling and personal attacks.
But to suggest that such societal incivility must be cured by a further erosion of free speech misses the point entirely. There are matters of law and politics worthy of strident debate, and that debate must continue to occur.
But what must not be lost in that debate is the notion that we are all Americans — Democrat, Republican or none-of-the-above — and that our greater freedoms protect and provide the means with which we engage in spirited political debate.
Those who would seek to politicize this tragedy play into the hands of those, like the troubled young man in the photo, who have lost sight of what it truly means to be an American.
