The shooting deaths in Arizona on January 8 are a tragedy, a terrible consequence of the bitter, reactionary rhetoric used by political leaders choosing vicious temporary gains over long-term civil engagement. In acting out of their fears of economic, political, and/or social loss, they have nurtured hate in the hearts of their followers.

People are capable of such beauty and grace, but we can also become our own worst enemies. And so Jared Lee Loughner failed himself on Saturday, and his political leaders failed him too by broadcasting too much heat and too little light. Is it any wonder that he caught fire and burned those around him?

In Buddhism, “right speech” is seen as the first principle of ethical conduct. The rancor of the last election and the health care reform debate can therefore be seen as an ethical failure on political leaders. One with very real and lasting impact on Representative Giffords, Judge Roll, Christina-Taylor Green, Phyllis Schneck, and all the other victims of the shooting.

Words have their consequences, and once uttered or written, they live a life outside of the person who first gave them life. Every writer knows this (or should). Every politician or political leader should know this (and frequently doesn’t).