Newsweek Magazine - First Financial Bankruptcy and Now Moral Bankruptcy

In following President Obama's reactions and words to the tragic Tuscon shootings from this weekend, I was finally impressed with his display of leadership. I can honestly say it was the first time, in my opinion, that he was a leader rather than just another Chicago politician. His words seemed sincere, his desire to finally address the venomous political climate and dialog in this country, of which he is partly responsible, also seemed sincere. The words he delivered at the gathering yesterday seemed heartfelt and appeared well received  by everyone. Kudos for finally delivering some non-partisan leadership.

I can only hope that he follows through with the message of cooperation and respect he delivered this week. The only other time he came close to displaying this level of leadership was in his Cairo speech early in his Presidency where he promised hope and a different way of doing things in U.S. foreign policy. However, he was not able to deliver, resulting in crashed expectations in countries around the world. Let us hope he can deliver on the bipartisan message he has been talking about this week.

I will not be so kind when talking about Tuscon and Newsweek, specifically Newsweek writer, Jonathan Alter. As many of you may know, Newsweek has been having serious financial problems over the past few years and recently merged with another organization to try and stay afloat. Thus, the "financial bankruptcy" phrase above. However, in a January 10, 2011 Newsweek article by Jonathan Alter, "Can Obama Turn Tragedy into Triumph?" Newsweek, in my opinion, has entered the region of "moral bankruptcy" relative to the Tucson shootings.

Consider two direct quotes from Mr. Alter's article:

'"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." Rahm Emanuauel (formerly Obama's Chief of Staff) famously said in 2008. The same goes for a shooting spree that gravely wounds a beloved Congresswoman. Congress won't enact gun control, as it did in the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, but perhaps something positive (politically) can come of this.'

"Even if he (Obama) makes a good speech (State Of The Union), the President may find that the memory of the Tucson tragedy fades quickly. Sad to say, if Giffords had died, she would have been mourned and soon the conversation would have moved on. But Giffords lives, thank god, which offers other possibilities."

I have a lot of real problems with the whole article and these two quotes in particular:

1. The first problem is one of respect. Congresswoman Giffords has been shot through the head and obviously is in very critical condition, fighting for her life first and the quality of her life second. The least Alter could have done is given her a little respect in her time of need and sympathy and rather than just address her as "Giffords", maybe  "Congresswoman Giffords" would have showed a little more class and sympathy for her plight. For the most part throughout the article, he refers to the Federal judge who also died in the shootings as John Roll or Judge Roll. Why couldn't he extend that same level of respect to Congresswoman Giffords?
2. Second, I find it highly disrespectful that her tragedy is even mentioned in the same sentence with the Rahm Emanuel quote, as if her suffering can be used to leverage political action on any issue. Was there not enough suffering already by those who died or were wounded and their families in Tucson? For Mr. Alter to look for opportunities to leverage their suffering for more gun control, and gains on other issues, is at the very least premature; many of these Tucson folks are still grieving or fighting for their lives.
3. Third, why would Mr. Alter even hypothetically think about what would have happened if Congresswoman Giffords had died. She did not die, she is obviously a fighter and a hero to most of us for what she has gone through. Why in the world would you ever hypothesize what would have happened if the heroes around her that day had not done the right things or if the surgeons had not been as good as they are? Despicable to even talk about or contemplate the fatal alternative, which thankfully, will not come to fruition.

Since this past Saturday, I have made a vow to myself to not even waste my time, my breath, my eyes, and moments of my life with people that rant and rave and are obviously biased, whether they are politicians, bloggers, or Newsweek writers. Mr. Alter will be my first test to see if I can ignore him and others like Beck, Olberman, Hannity, Maddow, etc. who it has become clear contribute nothing to the world except possibly their TV ratings or magazine readership. I have too much respect for people like Congresswoman Giffords to think that her situation should be exploited for political good or to even think about what could have happened in the worst case.

In other words, I pledge to no longer have any patience with moral bankruptcy wherever and whenever I come across it.



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