What is freedom?

TUCSON, Ariz. – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head Saturday when an assailant opened fire outside a grocery store during a meeting with constituents, killing at least five people and wounding several others in a rampage that rattled the nation.

Giffords was among at least 10 people wounded, and the hospital said her outlook was "optimistic" and that she was responding to commands from doctors. The hospital said a 9-year-old child was among the killed, and a U.S. Marshal said a federal judge was also fatally shot in the attack.

At first, I was shocked and dismayed at the story. That was, until I read down to the bottom of the article and saw this little blurb from our Commander in Chief.

The shooting prompted an outpouring of sympathy from politicians and people around the country. President Barack Obama called the shooting "an unspeakable tragedy" and that such "a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society."

OK, so it has no place in a free society? Pardon me while I examine the Constitution [wait ... tic ... tic ... tic...] The Constitution that has that second amendment about the right to bear arms that the gun nuts keep throwing in our faces? That Constitution? That "free society?"

If we're free, as a society, then that society has to be free in a multitude of ways, not the least of which is the freedom of will. If you are going to give people the freedom to carry guns around, you're going to have to be willing to accept the consequences of those actions.

Either you're free or you're not. If you are truly free, then you have entrusted your people with the responsibility of being free, which includes (but is not limited to) not shooting people in the head. If you don't want to be free, then take the (fucking) guns off the streets and keep things like this from happening.

You can't have it both ways. Either you're free and you accept the consequences or you're not. Make a choice.

Shooting people in the head is not acceptable whether you're a "free society" or not, and it's about time that our [quote] leaders [end quote] stop making excuses for it by being surprised every time it happens.

C'mon, man.