Giffords Tragedy Underscores Risk
By Bradley Blakeman
NewsMax.com
On a weekend in America when families
should have been preoccupied with family and
church, our nation was rocked by a senseless
act of violence that left U.S. District
Judge John Roll dead and Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords seriously wounded.
The victims also included a 9-year-old girl
who was killed and numerous others killed or
injured.
At this time of national tragedy we must
first and foremost honor the memories of the
dead and pray for those ailing for a full
and complete recovery as soon as possible.
We also at this time must not let the evil
acts of one change the goodness and openness
of our democracy and American way of life.
The people who gathered in front of the
Safeway in Tucson did so to hear from their
elected representative at a typical
town-hall style meeting. This was not a
political gathering; this was a governmental
meeting where constituents met to listen to
and interact with Rep. Giffords.
This type of meeting is as old as our
nation. In an age of cell phones, Internet,
BlackBerrys, and tweets, nothing can or
should substitute for face-to-face
interaction with our elected officials.
Our government must be open and our
officials accessible. We cannot allow a few
criminals to change the way we do things to
the point that officials become too distant
from the people they serve.
Elected officials must undertake reasonable
risks to serve, just as the police, firemen
and soldiers do. I learned this sacrifice
first hand after service as a member of the
White House senior staff and losing my
nephew on 9/11. Tommy Jurgens was a
first responder hero.
After that tragic day it became more
apparent than ever to me that government
service comes with danger and
responsibility. For me it was a risk worth
taking.
Our history is replete with acts of
selflessness for the good of the Republic.
Gen. George Washington, facing a death
sentence from Britain, did not merely direct
his troops, he led them to victory and gave
birth to the greatest nation the world has
ever known.
President Lincoln, in an effort to preserve
the Union and abolish slavery, did not
merely oversee a Civil War, he went to the
battlefields and led his troops.
Robert Kennedy did not retreat from public
service when his brother President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated; he instead sought
to lead this country by running for
president himself.
Martin Luther King did not merely direct the
civil rights movement he led the civil
rights movement at great personal risk and
sacrifice.
President Ronald Reagan, after being shot
within the first few months of his
presidency, did not retreat behind the walls
of the White House for the remainder of his
presidency, he served openly and accessibly
and ran for re-election.
Gabrielle Giffords did not hide from her
constituents; she regularly engaged with
them, openly and face to face, not from the
comfort and security of her office, but from
the town square where the people are.
Those who choose to serve the public do so
at some level of personal risk and
sacrifice. We all must honor and respect
that service regardless of party
affiliation.
Those who choose to serve the public as
elected or appointed officials, must do so
openly and accessibly to those they serve.
Reasonable and necessary precautions must be
taken commensurate with the actual or
perceived threats to their service.
What happened in Tucson is not a reflection
of America. We know who and what we are, and
what we stand for as a nation.
Let¹s redouble our efforts at this time of
tragedy to rededicate ourselves to the
principles, values, aspirations, and actions
which represents all that is good with
America.
Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy
assistant to President George W. Bush from
2001-04. He is currently a professor of
politics and public policy at Georgetown
University.
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