Despite the victory, the Right's "victimhood" continued to seethe. So, as a signal that the Tea Party was the true defender of the Founders' vision, the new Republican leadership in the House insisted that the Constitution be read on the first day of business (albeit an abridged version that left out references to slavery and other points that might cast the Founders in a negative light.)
The underlining message was clear, however. The Democrats and "lib-rhuls" were haters of the Constitution, just as they were haters of the American flag and baby Jesus. It was finally time for the long-suffering victims of this anti-American and anti-Christian agenda to strike back.
That was the climate of anger and victimhood that Rep. Giffords returned to in Tucson on Saturday. As she was holding an outreach meeting with constituents at a supermarket, a gunman " identified as 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner " opened fire. His bullets struck the congresswoman and 18 others, including six who died.
Among the dead were U.S. District Court Judge John M. Roll, who had angered the Right by allowing a case to proceed against a rancher who had assaulted 16 Mexicans as they crossed his land, and a 9-year-old girl, Christina Green.
Loughner reportedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, but authorities reported that evidence found in Loughner's home indicated that he had targeted Giffords, a supporter of the new health-care law. One of the bullets had gone directly through the left side of Giffords' brain, leaving her in critical condition.
Though it was clear from initial reports that Loughner was a troubled young man, it was less clear what exactly set him off. FBI Director Robert Mueller noted how threats and hate speech have proliferated in recent years especially over the Internet, and how that anger can lead to "lone wolves or lone offenders undertaking attacks."
Another common thread in the recent history of political violence in America is how often the attackers are motivated by what they view as their "victimhood."
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