Bad things happen to good people. Why? The victims of Jared Lee Loughner's insanity

This is a question many people have asked. The more pious ones will reply that it is all but a part of God's will and/or that god works in mysterious ways. The more cynical ones will tell you that there is no reason, God is dead (and we have killed him), and that to believe anything else is sheer utter naivety. Ask a Buddhist and you'll hear of one of the Buddha's more famous teachings, one that goes something along the lines of 'Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.' There are as many different answers to that question as there are stars in the sky, I have listed but some of the more common ones I have heard.

I've been keeping updated on the developments of the Gabrielle Giffords and Jared Lee Loughner story as they've been released. Gabrielle Giffords' condition is hopeful at the moment, despite the bullet having gone through the side of her brain typically associated with communications and such, she is able to respond to basic communications so early after the tragedy. I personally believe that she will make a full recovery within time, mayhaps not soon enough to continue serving on this term, but I believe she will be able to make a return to politics, if she so chooses to, by the time the next election rolls around.

So at the very least, Giffords has not received the worst of the shooting. Alas, but would I could say that for the others. There have been 6 (about three table's worth of students in our classroom) deaths so far.

1. 9-year old Christina Taylor Green, who had recently been elected to president of the student council, had wanted to stop by and see a real politician. She had spoken earlier of planning on becoming a veterinarian but she also had an interest in politics. It is note-worthy that she was born on 9/11, and to quote her father from an interview he gave in a voice that often broke, "She was born on 9/11. So she came in on a tragedy and she went out on a tragedy. Those nine years in between were very special. We're all going to miss Christina. We were four people. Now we're three. All I can say is we're going to be strong for each other. And we're going to honor Christina because she was a beautiful strong little girl. And we're going to remember all the good things about her." She was the grand-daughter of the former manager, Dallas Green, of the Philadelphia Phillies.
2. Gabriel Zimmerman, 30 years old, was Gabrielle Gifford's long-time political aide. He was her community outreach director. Engaged to be married to a nurse, he also had a Master's degree in social science. He was one of the first ones to be shot by Jared Lee Loughner during the tragedy. Accounts report of how he was helping elderly citizens with their Social Security checks right before he was fatally shot. This was not an unusual past time for the man, who was much respected amongst the community. He was known to listen to people who came in for help, help as much as humanly possible, above and beyond any call of duty, and then give them money for a cab ride home. His life goal was nothing but to help people as much as he could.
3. Dorwin Stoddard, 76 years old, was a former construction worker who died protecting his wife, Mavanell, by pushing her down and shielding her with his body from the crazed gunman. She was shot in the leg, but she'll survive. Stoddard, however, took a fatal bullet to the head. He often volunteered as his church, offering his services and experiences as construction worker to do repairs and maintenance if ever needed to, without any hesitation. He also organized the church's benevolence committee, which was a group that helped those less fortunate then them. Instead of just writing checks and handing them off, they would go meet with them in person, and find out exactly how they could help. Dorwin and Mavanell were regulars at their church, and were avid travellers, leaving in April and returning in October. They had been to all 50 states as well as 28 countries.
4. US District Judge John McCarthy Roll, 63 years old, had stopped by to visit his old friend the congresswoman, on his way back from Church, on his way home to continue his weekly ritual of washing his floors when he became a part of that cruel statistic. He started his lifelong career in 1972 as a mere county bailiff, before becoming a county and the federal prosecutor, and finally a state judge in 1987. Four years later, Bush the father nominated him to the US District Court where he loyally and fairly served until his unfortunate death. He served the state and the country, not himself, as seen by his selfless decision to verify a controversial $32 million lawsuit made by a group of illegal immigrants against a rancher [he held them at gunpoint and threatened to turn his dog loose on them upon catching them crossing his property; they later sued him and the Judge Roll allowed the lawsuit to become a case, the rancher ended up having to pay them $77 grand], he received so many death threats that the US marshals had to put him under protection for several weeks.
5. Dorothy Morris, 76 years old, was with her husband visiting the woman they voted for when they were both shot. George Morris currently is in intensive care. They have two daughters who live in Las Vegas, and they moved to Arizona after George retired from a lucrative piloting career. The two have been together for their entire adult life, being high school sweethearts.
6. Phyllis Schneck, 79 years old, also perished just yesterday. She was not very politically active, but she mentioned to her daughters that she agreed with Gifford's stance on controlling the border, and her children guess borderline security is why she attended yesterday's lethal event. She was an avid reader, and actually collected and organized National Geographic magazines by the Dewey Decimal System in the comfort of her own home, so her children would have quick and easy access to research for school reports. Her cooking was a community legend, and she often contributed to church fundraisers with both cash and objects to sell. She had two daughters and a son, who collectively have seven children, one of which even has their very own child.

As you can see, each of those shot was a good and contributing member of society. They were fundamentally good people who did good things. And yet, this tragedy happened to them. Why? How could a kind and benevolent god let such things happen? Nay, we are taught that God is all-powerful. How could a kind and benevolent god do such a thing?