I'm Sad

Seems like a time for saying less. Yesterday's moment of silence:

Obama's remarks from the day of the tragedy are worth a look.

If you haven't seen it yet, it's also worth watching the interview with Rep. Giffords herself from last year, in which she discusses violent rhetoric in politics.

Paul Krugman make a nice point in arguing that lack of "civility" is not the problem: "Politeness may be a virtue, but there’s a big difference between bad manners and calls, explicit or implicit, for violence; insults aren’t the same as incitement."

He's probably right about a lot of that, and he's probably right to worry for our future. I certainly feel worried right now.

George Packer made a similar case on the New Yorker site; now he's responding to commenters who disagree with him.

And thankfully Gail Collins addresses the other major issue--guys like this should not have access to semiautomatic weapons.

If you're in the Seattle area, there's a vigil Thursday evening at Westlake.