An e-mail:
While I agree most commentary on the Lakewood Police murders is premature, I would like to take issue with Huckabee’s use of the term “tragedy” to describe an horrific crime. The word “tragedy” implies that it was a random occurence, unavoidable bad luck or simple misfortune. It fails to capture the intent to harm behind the resulting deaths and minimizes the motivation, without which, no “tragedy” could have occured. I’ve heard it used too often in describing 9/11 and most recently the Fort Hood killings.
Hurricane Katrina was a tragedy. The tsunami of 2004 was a tragedy. The Space Shuttle Challenger was a tragedy.
9/11, Fort Hood and the assassination of the the Lakewood Police Officers were horrific acts of violence. They were not tragedies.