In his speech commemorating the victims of the mass murderer Jared Loughner in Tucson, Arizona, Barack Obama turned to the Bible. At a memorial service titled “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America,” the president told mourners how “Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding.” Quoting from the Book of Job, the president informed his fellow Americans that “Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations afterward. None of us can know what triggered the attack or what could have been done to prevent it.” He repudiated progressives who point to the role of right-wing ideology in inspiring the Tucson massacre. He called for “a good dose of humility, rather than pointing fingers and assigning blame.” He counseled Americans to “sharpen our instincts for empathy,” to show greater “kindness and compassion,” and to ask “whether our priorities are in order.” …It doesn’t get much more vapid than that…read further
