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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2011 > January > 10 > Entry
Paul Leonard: Shooting brings back vivid memories of ’60s protests
This commentary was written by Paul R. Leonard, a former mayor of Dayton and Ohio lieutenant governor. He teaches political science at Wright State University.
It was in the fall of 1964 when I first witnessed violent protest aimed at a public official. In the aftermath of the assassination of John Kennedy, the mood of the country was ugly and getting uglier as America became more and more involved in an unpopular war.
At home, blacks were restless, waiting for overdue civil rights, and the women’s movement was just beginning to take shape.
On that fall day in 1964, I walked from my college dormitory to the train station in Athens, Ohio, to see Republican Barry Goldwater’s Ohio University appearance as part of his 1964 presidential campaign. Those were the days when political rallies weren’t scripted. Young people turned out in numbers without prompting, especially those of us who were nearing draft eligibility.
As soon as Goldwater started making his pitch, people starting throwing eggs and tomatoes. I was not a Goldwater supporter, but I was astounded at the anger. That was just a harbinger of the very violent and tumultuous period that was ahead.
The shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords brought back those vivid memories. I have the same uncomfortable feelings these days that I had ahead of the violent days of the 1960s.
Tea Party Republican Sharron Angle, in her 2010 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Nevada, talked about resorting to “Second Amendment remedies,” depending on how the election came out. Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida, referred, to his Republican adversaries as akin to the Taliban.
Sarah Palin had a “targeted list” of Democratic candidates who were portrayed on a map with their districts identified by the crosshairs of gun sight. Her battle cry was, “Don’t retreat, reload.”
Then there’s the venom being spewed on talk radio by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
In a recent debate between candidates for Republican national party chair, they were asked, “How many guns do you own?” When did owning guns become a badge of honor for people in high office?
A lot of people are out of work in this country and are bordering on desperate. Governors, facing serious budget problems, are taking an axe to social programs that help the disadvantaged and the mentally ill; many of the latter are now walking the streets when they should be in a medical facility or under supervision to insure that they take their medicine.
In this world of social media, the Internet and instant celebrity and communication, words matter. And they have consequences.
Both political parties and their leaders must begin distancing themselves from the vitriol. The John McCains of the world should denounce the “Palin bravado.” Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi should do the same with the Alan Graysons in Congress.
It is not inconceivable that we could see a repeat of the 1960s. To dismiss the Arizona congresswoman’s shooting as an aberration — nothing more than an isolated act of one deranged human being — would be a serious mistake.
The Arizona shootings can be the first shot of a new round of violence in America, or they can be a warning that there is a difference between people who have different points of view and those who feel the need to be mortal enemies.
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