WaPo: Arizona state of mind

[marmar]

Arizona state of mind

By Amy Silverman
Sunday, January 16, 2011


IN PHOENIX Last Saturday, Jan. 8, began sunny and crisp in a tangle of leotards and tights, as I hustled my little girls across town and into the dance studio - as always, just a few moments late.

I collapsed in a chair near another ballet mom. We agreed we were ready to get back into a routine after the Christmas break. And she was more than ready, this mom said, to be rid of 2010. We'd talked politics before, and I knew how frustrated she was with the mood here in Arizona. She'd sampled a liberal Coffee Party meeting not long ago and wondered if that was the answer. Or maybe it was enough to simply start fresh with a new year, the national spotlight off our tongue-tied governor, our anti-immigration law, all the hate in this state.

"You know, I just want this year to be . . ." At a loss for words, she swept her hand through the air - the universal sign for smooth sailing.

I nodded. Then, as if on cue, my phone rang.

As the day unfolded and the details of the Tucson shootings came together and the horror set in, I vacuumed up every scrap of information about the tragedy. My obsession went beyond the odd coincidences - I'm Jewish, a Democrat and a Scripps College graduate, like Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and years ago, I worked on Capitol Hill. And I have a 9-year-old daughter. This hit home in a different way. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/14/AR2011011404518.html