As many of my colleagues and clients know, I have been speaking for months about the climate of violence here in Arizona. I was shocked at the tenor of personal attacks against Gabby during the election, enormously proud of her tenacity, integrity and vision of our region and our country. I know no other representative who has the insight she has into the complexity of our border region, where violence has become a daily companion. That Gabrielle Giffords was targeted by an unstable madman after being persistently targeted by political fanatics comes as no surprise to anyone who has lived within this region for the last two years. That Gabrielle is one of the leading voices against the rise of violence across the border from the drug cartels only makes the incident more poignant. Gabrielle has long been a finger of reason in the dike of intolerance. I pray by the moment for her speedy and full recovery.
In my other professional life, I am an attorney and John Roll was the Federal Court Judge who presided over the Tucson 6 case for which I was the case coordinator for the defense from 1992 - 1994. Meticulously prepared always, professionally courteous, he suffered fools poorly, and expected the very best of the lawyers who appeared in front of him. Like all of us, he had his own personal political views, but professionally, I found him to be an extraordinarily hardworking, uncompromisingly fair and dedicated jurist. His loss is an absurd and horrific waste of a regional and national resource.
As to the other victims and most particularly the child, Christina Green, my soul cannot yet even encompass these losses. I have known great loss, and my heart breaks for these families.
Photo by Dyan Bone
Maryna Ozuna (Ma-ree-nah O-zoo-nah), nee Sheryl Studley, is the owner and director of training for 
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