By dawn’s early light

ONE never knows what the dawn will bring. In Tucson, and here in Phoenix, Saturday brought calm, sunny weather and promised to unfold like any other. For Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the morning routine meant meeting constituents outside a local supermarket where the rising Sonoran sun competed with the warmth of her beaming smile. Normality ended when shots were fired, abruptly changing the course of her life and perhaps history. As of this writing, there are at least 12 casualties and six dead, including a federal judge. Giffords, shot in the head at point blank range, is in critical condition. She may or may not live.

The tragedy appears to be the work of a lone gunman, the bane of our democracy. We do not know whether his actions were politically motivated. But they easily could be. Giffords was one of the Democratic incumbents targeted by the notorious “crosshairs” ad promoted by Sarah Palin’s PAC on the heels of her “Don’t retreat — reload!” admonition. It’s telling that rightwing groups abruptly removed the ad and scrubbed their websites of other incendiary rhetoric today. Tomorrow will bring a new dawn. Will we use its early light to fully recognize that words matter in political discourse – and that their misuse can cost lives?