There has been a lot of finger pointing since the Arizona shooting that took place on January 8, 2011.  Obviously most, if not all of the blame should be put on the man who pulled the trigger, killing 6 people and injuring 12.  Crazy people do crazy things, no question about it.

But should our political and media leaders be held partially accountable?  A lot of people have blamed Sarah Palin for the Arizona shooting because of the “Don’t Retreat, Reload” comments she made and her Facebook map with “crosshairs” on it. They’ve also blamed Rush Limbaugh for his angry rhetoric.

If we hold perpetrators of violence accountable for their atrocities, shouldn’t we also hold the media accountable for the part they play?  Maybe Palin or the angry political rhetoric did help prod the shooter along, but maybe he would never have known about Palin’s map with the “crosshairs” on it if it weren’t broadcast in the media repeatedly.

Yes, most if not all of the blame should be on the shooter, but we are a product of our environment. If someone in our midst is unstable something must have pushed him over the edge.  So whom else should we hold accountable? The media, politicians, political pundits or none of them?