We Now Live In A World Filled With Co-Incidents

Well, as the old saying goes, la-dee-dah:

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is not the first Congress member to face a violent attack. Some have even lost their lives.

The last to be killed was Rep. Leo Ryan of San Francisco. The Democrat was leading a delegation investigating an American religious cult in Jonestown, Guyana, when it was ambushed on Nov. 18, 1978. He and four others were killed.

Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat who now represents Ryan's district, was an aide on the trip and survived being shot five times. She called Giffords "a very talented, rising star in the Congress" who was "attacked while engaging in one of the most basic activities of public service."

Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, is battling for life after a deranged gunman shot her in the head Saturday.

As the Founders noticed, from the very beginning, at the intersection of politics and religion is a nightmare.

*Photo taken by Ann Althouse