Baring new information, the youtube videos associated with the Arizona shooter have the hallmark of someone who is simply mentally ill. It has become normal for conservatives to hint that they will take up arms if they don't get their way politically -- a violation of the cultural norm of respecting democratic outcomes that forms the basis for the stability of our political system. This is, I think, a serious problem. But it's also a problem that has nothing, or almost nothing, to do with the tragedy in Arizona. This was not a right-wing militia member taking apocalyptic right-wing rhetoric about watering the tree of liberty too seriously. It was a random act.
There may be legitimate reasons to pillory conservatives over their rhetoric. This isn't one of them. If you are willing to pillory conservatives for this reason you must also accept attacks on violent video games, music, and other popular culture that sometimes factors into the paranoid delusions of the mentally ill. I am not interested in living in a society that is rubber padded to be safe for people suffering from the most extreme mental illnesses. As gratifying as it must be to be presented with an opportunity to attack your political opponents, it is wrong to use this moment to do so. The Arizona Shooting Is Not A Product Of Right-Wing Rage | The New Republic | 
