I’d suggest that those who are looking to blame someone other than Jared Loughner for the senseless events in Tucson this weekend should apply their standards to two other possible inspirations.
The first is Harper Lee, whose work To Kill A Mockingbird appears on Loughner’s list of favorite works. Surely this work, which is inflicted, sometimes on multiple occasions, on every American schoolchild, should now be banned.
Second, given that the proximate cause of Loughner’s grudge against Rep. Giffords was her offhand reaction to his question, “How do you know words mean anything?”, we should point a finger of blame unquestioningly at A.J. Ayer.
[/satire] – in case anyone is stupid enough to take this literally.