Ann Althouse
1/13/2011
…So yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.
That’s what Obama said just before the passage I highlighted in last night. He goes on to push back those who’ve used the massacre as an occasion to make partisan political arguments — something he’s strongly correct about. All right, then. What are we supposed to examine? We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future. Does he mean old assumptions about the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill? Does he mean gun control? Does he mean limits on free speech? Now, there are some details we need to hear about and debate. If freedom of speech is the “old assumption” we should be “willing to challenge,” I’m going to fight.
Read the entire article at Althouse.com
