Timing is everything

Update: Just now, about 50 minutes after I submitted the original post below, I checked around some of the major news websites to see which, if any, were reporting this story prominently. Of the ones I checked, admittedly not an exhaustive list, two had elevated this headline to the top: NBC News (formerly MSNBC) and Huffington Post. Not surprising. Expect this to be milked for all it's worth. Original post follows.   

On the same day that former Representative Gabrielle Giffords made her opening statement before the Senate hearing on gun violence comes the news that Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl who performed at the presidential inauguration last week was shot and killed yesterday in Obama's home city of Chicago.

It's a heartbreaking story, and my sympathy goes out to this young girl's family and friends who are grieving over her untimely death. It's a tragedy, in every sense of the word.

It's also damned interesting that this happened when it did and to whom. I also find it interesting that, at least so far, I haven't heard of any suspect being identified, let alone in custody.

Now, I know what the response will be, that I'm a conspiracy nut and that I need to take off my tinfoil hat and return to the mothership. Yet you must admit the timing of this event, and especially the timing of the reporting of this event, to coincide with the start of the Senate hearing, is awfully convenient for those who want to restrict or eliminate our Second Amendment rights.

I wish things in this country were such that any thoughts along those lines would be ridiculous even to contemplate, but they aren't. When I first heard about Hadiya, it was the first thing that came into my mind. It was so sudden and so shocking I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath before I continued that train of thought. I felt a wave of despair as I reflected further and concluded that I wasn't crazy and this scenario, while unlikely, was not implausible.

Until and unless I am presented with evidence to the contrary, I must assume that this was another random, senseless act of violence and that the identity of the victim and the timing of the shooting are coincidence. But I know I'm not the only one considering the possibility that it isn't, and I sure as hell wouldn't put it past certain, shall we say, interests to have orchestrated this terrible deed. I'll be keeping an eye on this story and how it develops.