Ashley Turton, Lobbyist and Wife of White House Aide, Found Dead: Already Her Death is Inspiring Disgusting Reactions

Ashley Turton, a lobbyist and the wife of Daniel A. Turton, the White House's deputy director of legislative affairs for the House of Representatives, has been found dead, according to "The Washington Post". Ashley Turton left behind three small children, but that isn't what internet commenters are concerned about.

Ashley Turton was found dead inside her SUV. The vehicle was still in the garage of her home, and the front end was very charred. Investigators believe that the vehicle crashed into the interior of the garage, where a fire quickly spread, engulfing the garage and the SUV. Her cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy, but no foul play is suspected at this point. It appears very possible that Ashley Turton might have suffered some sort of medical event, possibly one that left her unconscious and caused her to crash the vehicle. The crash then could have ignited flammable substances in the garage. This is all pure speculation, but, just as in the case of those that died at the hands of Jared Lee Loughner, the reason for her death is likely little comfort to her family.

And the timing of Ashley Turton's death could make things even harder for them. The assassination attempt on Gabrielle Giffords hasn't put an end to the politically-charged "vitriol" that has become all too common these days, and the ugliness is spilling over into comments on the death of this unfortunate woman, a mother of 4-year-old twin boys and a 2-year-old girl.

Reading the comments on a USA Today article about Ashley Turton's death is more than a little bit sickening. One commenter proclaims that "Tea baggers killing everybody", while others joke that the left might use this incident as a reason to outlaw our cars or worry that Sarah Palin will be blamed for Ashley Turton's death. And then there are many criticizing Barack Obama for hiring a man that's married to a lobbyist (with no words of sympathy whatsoever for Ashley Turton or her family!).

Comments like these that show just how horrible the "vitriol" has become in this country. A husband has lost his wife and three young kids have lost their mother, but instead of a story like this invoking sympathy, so many of the first thoughts it inspires in the minds of commenters are ugly and cold.

It's really saddening to see just how uncaring some people can be. Perhaps when we let politics get in the way of our humanity, we've let them become too much of a defining factor in who we are. Ashley Turton's children don't know what it means to be on the left or on the right, but they will soon know what it feels like to grow up without a mother. So if the first thing you think of in a situation like this is a sick and twisted joke about her political affiliation, then you are a heartless and cruel person not deserving of being considered a human being.

SOURCES:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006927.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-01-10-ashley-turton-found-dead_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip