Horror: Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shot at Tucson event, 4 5 dead; Update: Reports that Giffords still alive, in surgery; President Obama, Speaker Boehner, Palin, Brewer react; shooter ID’d as Jared Loughner
Scroll for updates…Conflicting reports on Giffords’ status in post-shooting chaos…latest as of 2:39pm, Giffords still alive and in surgery…continued prayers…4:216pm Easter…shooter ID’s as Jared Loughner…
Terrible, terrible news today out of Tucson, where a gunman shot and killed Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) and at least 6 others. Several more were injured in the ambush.
Reuters rounds up breaking news:
Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona died after being shot in the head while meeting constituents at a grocery store in Tucson, NPR reported on Saturday.
Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat in her third term in Congress, was shot point blank by an unidentified gunman who fired indiscriminately into the crowd, NPR and other U.S. media said.
About a dozen others at the meeting were shot and the gunman was wrestled to the ground and taken into custody, Fox said, citing an eyewitness.
Giffords was married and the mother of two children. She had just returned from Washington after being sworn in for her third term.
NPR:
The 40-year-old Democrat, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting a “Congress on Your Corner” event at a Safeway in northwest Tucson when a gunman ran up and started shooting, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.
At least three other people, including members of her staff, were injured. Giffords was transported to University Medical Center in Tucson.
Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspect ran up and fired indiscriminately from about four feet away, Michaels said.
The suspect ran off and was tackled by a bystander. He was taken into custody. Witnesses described him as in his late teens or early 20s.
Prayers for all the victims and their families.
More as news develops…
***
Update 2:39pm Eastern: KOLD-TV in Arizona reports that Giffords is still alive and in surgery…
ccording to Darci Slaten, University Medical Center public affairs officer, Gifford’s death has not been confirmed.
“She is alive and in surgery right now,” Slaten said.
Earlier, CNN and Fox News had both confirmed Giffords’ death.
The third-term congresswoman was reportedly shot in the head, according to the “Tuscon Citizen.”The shooting happened just after 10 a.m. at the Safeway on Ina and Oracle, Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jason Ogan said.
The injured were taken to University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson.
Darci Slaten confirmed that five to seven patients have been admitted.
Slaten said there were four fatalities, but would not confirm the identities.
***
There is NO indication yet of the gunman’s identity, agenda, or motives, but my Twitter feed is already filled with Tea Party-bashing, Palin-bashing recriminations and accusations that I have “blood on my hands” for advocating border security and 2nd amendment rights.
***
While Republicans are being accused of murder, keep in mind that Giffords provoked the ire of Daily Kos liberals for refusing to vote for Pelosi for House Speaker earlier this week.
(Update: dKos has now yanked the post. Author felt bad about the post.)
***
Livestream of Tuscon Arizona TV station, KOLD here.
An aide to Giffords has reportedly died, pushing the death toll to 5.
On the tragedy in Arizona
by Sarah Palin on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 1:02pmMy sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today’s tragic shooting in Arizona.
On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.
- Sarah Palin
GOP House Speaker John Boehner:
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement condemning the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and members of her staff today in Tucson, AZ:
“I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff. An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country.”
***
Shameless lefties are making hay out of Sarah Palin’s political target map.
Verum Serum reminds that it’s a bipartisan graphic device:
The one below Palin’s is the target list of the DLC.
And then there’s this one from the left-wing Daily Kos, which “puts a bullseye” on moderate Democrats including…Gabrielle Giffords. So enough already.
Twitter and the left-wing blogs — and now a Fox-bashing Democrat congressman — have gone completely insane trying to politicize the shootings.
Best to tune that all out.
President Obama:
This morning, in an unspeakable tragedy, a number of Americans were shot in Tuscon, Arizona, at a constituent meeting with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. And while we are continuing to receive information, we know that some have passed away, and that Representative Giffords is gravely wounded.
We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers.
***
Update: 4:16pm ET…shooter ID’d by Capitol police as Jared Loughner, 21.
Via Gabriel Malor, screenshot of shooting suspect Loughner’s MySpace page:
***
Federal judge John Roll was among those killed, according to wire reports.
More from DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano:
“I am deeply saddened by reports that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Chief Judge John Roll and others were attacked this afternoon in Tucson, Arizona. There is no place in our society or discourse for such senseless and unconscionable acts of violence. Gabby is a steadfast representative for southern Arizona and both she and John are dedicated public servants.
“The Department of Homeland Security has offered all possible assistance to the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, who are leading the investigation. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and staff, and all those who were injured in this difficult time.”
A 9-year-old girl is also among the dead.
Good God.
***
Update 4:50pm Eastern President Obama addressed the nation live about the shooting. FBI director Robert Mueller is headed to Tucson. “We are going to get to this bottom of this,” says President Obama. He’s hopeful that Rep. Giffords will pull through.
As are we all.
***
Distraught Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer made a public statement, telling Arizona and the nation she is “heartbroken.” “Gabby is more than a colleague, she’s a friend.”
Arizona flags will be lowered to half-mast.
***
Update 7:08pm Eastern – In one of his YouTube videos, Loughner claimed to be a military recruit. Stars and Stripes reports the Army found no record of any enlistment contract with Loughner.
This is not left or right.
He was a nut:
The man linked to the shooting today of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others is 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, the Associated Press reported.
Police have surrounded a house at 7700 N. Soledad Ave., which is the address listed by a man with the same name on a variety of online accounts and in the volunteer registry for the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books. The home is near West Magee Road and North Thornydale Road on the northwest side, about five miles from the shooting scene.
A former classmate of Loughner at Pima Community College said he was “obviously very disturbed.”
“He disrupted class frequently with nonsensical outbursts,” said Lynda Sorenson, who took a math class with Loughner last summer at Pima Community College’s Northwest campus.
Sorenson doesn’t recall if he ever made any threats or uttered political statements but he was very disruptive, she said. He was asked to leave the pre-algebra class several times and eventually was barred from class, said Sorenson, a Tucson resident…
…The online accounts also contain bizarre discussions of a new currency and literacy, as well as threatening and despairing messages.
“WOW! I’m glad i didn’t kill myself. I’ll see you on National T.v.! This is foreshadow …. why doesn’t anyone talk to me?..” he posted on MySpace Dec. 14.
On Dec. 13, he wrote: “I don’t feel good: I’m ready to kill a police officer! I can say it.”
In a posting on YouTube, Loughner wrote repeatedly about a new currency.
“I’m thinking of creating a new currency,” he wrote. “Therefore, I’m thinking of a design for my new coins size, shape, color, material, and image to start a new money system.”
He also wrote repeatedly about literacy. In a written message on YouTube, Loughner said: “The majority of people, who reside in District-8 are illiterate — hilarious. I don’t control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure.”
In a message posted on his MySpace account, titled “Goodbye friends,” Loughner said: “Dear friends…please don’t be mad at me. The literacy rate is below 5%. I haven’t talked to one person who is literate.” It was unclear when it was posted.
In a MySpace profile, Loughner said “My favorite interest was reading, and I studied grammar. Conscience dreams were a great study in college.”
He lists among his favorite books “Mein Kampf” and “The Communist Manifesto”. But he also includes a broad variety of other titles, including: “Animal Farm,” “Brave New World,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.
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It’s beginning to look more and more like the idiot that did this was a left-wing loon.
I remember the JFK assassination too and it remains the most unforgettable day of my life. I wasn’t old enough to absorb the reporting of that time but cable stations do from time to time air a program featuring unedited real-time reporting from that time as facts were being uncovered. The wild speculation and emotional grandstanding was remarkable, even by today’s standards. Reporters were reporting speculation as facts without any evidence whatsoever.
Mainstream journalism has never been what it “used to be”. It has always been showbiz and careerism.
I think more just plain nuts than anything political based. Though false claims to some connection with the military is a common thread amongst stolen honor leftwing flakes, fakes & posers.
True Phil, I was a high school sophomore at the time, campaigning for Goldwater. But I felt as devastated as anyone else. We turned on the radio in Biology class and just listened. You couldn’t think of anything else (like 9/11). But immediately they said it was a single gunman and that it was likely Oswald. Then they just about took you on the entire chase to track him down.
BTW: Fox showed a bit of the vigil in Tucson, and the wing nut talking was blaming Palin. This is just reminding me too much of the ’60s. In fact the entire Obama administration brings me back to the ’60s, a time I never thought I would have to relive.
I will grant them a mitigating factor or two on that initial reporting of the JFK assassination, tho, Phil.
Communications in general were much slower, the technology not all that great (Cronkite could only do audio for the first 20 mins or so waiting for the cameras to be warmed up) and it was really the first non-stop TV news coverage (24hrs/3-4 days). It was a new & unique, seat-of-the-pants situation. It was a pretty amazing thing going on, as I recall.
But as you say, you’d think they’d have worked out those bugs nearly 50 years later.
I agree with the sheriff about the vitriol, but in my opinion it starts in the white house and extends to those calling those in Tea Parties, teabaggers.
Attributing rightist motives is no surprise from Fox’s “News” branch.
Shep was making a point about how they couldn’t repeat the name then being touted by other news organizations, but the suspected shooter had anti-immigrant (not anti-illegal) manifestos online (not anarchist as the rest of the screed disappeared down the rabbit hole)
They also didn’t know if Giffords was alive or dead, or how many actually died, or even just how many were shot (not until they absolutely know for certain and confirmed by authorities) but the suspect caught is an Iraqi or Afganistani veteran.
Shep is Fox’s lead “newsman” and should be relegated to opinion only so he can replace Alan Colmes. He might be feeling (ex-CNN) John Robert’s breath on his neck and wants to reinforce his progressive credentials.
The cops are now saying Loughner was never in the military.
Linda Lopez owes all Afghanistan veterans AND Tea Partiers an apology. Not that it will happen.
Where’s chap?
He’s gone strangely silent after his initial flurry of posts…
May God bless and comfort the families and victims of this senseless act of violence…giving his help to all making efforts to save the lives of the injured.
ya know chap with all your supposed eduction it amazes me how childish and immature you are in the vast majority of your post, which I generally over look anymore without paying attention. When I saw your 1st post I had to ask myself what the hell is the purpose of such an empty comment for. Then it dawned on me. you remind me of a baby sparrow always chirping. I’ll make appoint not to waste my time reading anymore of your chippings.
The ass-hat sheriff of Pima County just stuck his two-cents worth of liberal BS into the fray …
He just stated at the news conference that Arizona has become the “capitol of bigotry and vitriol” and that all the recent loud speech has created the attitude and speech which was what put this person over the top …
His comments were obviously aimed at placing blame on SB1070, the tea party, border enforcement, anti-illegal immigrant groups and everything else that disagrees with any of his other beloved liberal left ideologies …
Enjoy the strangeness, TM.
Just confirmed a 6th person has now died from their injuries in the shooting spree … 19 people all together were shot in the attack …
He’s a flag burner. Need any more data on his political leanings?
That Sheriff Lubnick is talking vitriolic nonsense. He has declared that Arizona is ground zero for hatred and bigotry. So this was triggered by bigotry? Someone put a muzzle on that nut.
If the leftist can’t control the nuts in their own tribe, how is this anyone else’s fault? That like blaming the 2996 who died on 9/11 for inciting the 19 Muslim terrorists.
#129 said:
But…isn’t Rep. Giffords strongly “pro-border control” for a Democrat??
Here is the cached link to the Daily Kook blog they took down – comments and all…
Agree completely. He has let the mask slip many times recently and is becoming so irritating I no longer watch the shows he’s on.
That douchebag sheriff was a DISGRACE.
Check out MSNBC they called in Keith Olbermman, guess who he has been blaming?
Eugene Robinson (Washington Post) on MSNBC right now saying, “today’s political violence belongs almost exclusively to the Right.”
Well, the Left certainly have their talking points established.
They continue to ignore “Unhinged” at their peril.
Keith Olbermann is making the whole incident about him…She was one of the Congress people I donated to her campaign…really cause she is considered a blue dog democrat.
If anyone doubted that MSNBC was anything but a cesspool tonight should have dispelled that notion that they are somehow legitimately reporting the news. Why did they call in Keith Olbermann “Opinion” instead of an anchor like Brian Williams?
The shooter sounds like he is very possibly schizophrenic. I remember reading that schizophrenia is famous for attacking the part of the brain that controls communication. If he was going on about everyone around him being illiterate, he probably really thought that they were when in fact he was the one babbling incoherently. It is also frightening when a schizo finds another to share in his out of reality world. That was unfortunate.
This will hopefully come out quickly. I do believe that the feds changed the rules and paranoid schizophrenia is the only mental condition that can be used for not guilty by insanity. Personally, I think he should be tried not only for murder, but treason as well. I also hope the blame game stops. All the people trying to blame people’s right to free speech for the actions of a man who is obviously touched in the brain, should be ignored and mocked. It is sick. I hope that the family and friends of those who were killed or hurt are able to find comfort somehow. This certainly is a dark day for the country.
Conscious dreaming = hallucinations
Drugs & alchohol = self-medicating
plus all the spelling errors, the repetitions, the delusions of being mind-controlled, along with his physical age – sounds like schizophrenia will be on the short list of possible diagnoses. I suspect he’s one of the few criminals that probably is indeed certifiably insane.
I’ll be praying for his family, too.
Remember when schizophrenics were institutionalized? Now they must be free to roam.
The great historian Paul Johnson had a quote recently about the anti-semite that might have bearing on the shooter (btw, I am relieved we have been spared the usual media barage of “allegeds”):
It appears the shooter fits that mold.
Cantor announced they are postponing the Obama-Care repeal vote because of this? Why? Are they all going to fly out to Arizona to investigate?
MisterP… they said I was acutely schizophrenic. They locked me up and forced me medication twice. Overall I was locked up and forced medication for months. The medication that they force doesn’t do anything good, all it does is cause irreversible damage to the brain. I have never shown any type of psychotic or strange behaviour.
I’ve been continually trying to protest against this. “Schizophrenia” is a made up disease. There’s nothing that could have been done here. He smoked weed all the time, that is why his brain went haywire.
Your comments about locking people up even more hurt me. They would call you or anyone else schizophrenic also if you saw them. They don’t care what you say, they are paid to force you medication. The psychiatric industry is a big money-making racquet.
We were just getting ready to sit down to dinner when I decided to check the news online, and saw the shocking chryon.
To say it was sobering and alarming is an understatement.
Grace instead turned into an appeal to our Almighty to bring comfort and solace to the families of those injured and killed, as well as the family of the gunman –clearly, a deeply conflicted individual.
When I looked up the history of Chief John Rolls online, I could not help but tear up when I realized his page had already been updated:
“Judge Roll’s judicial service was terminated on January 8th, 2011, due to death”.
http://judgepedia.org/index.php/John_Roll
Our heartfelt condolences to the Roll family, who had already dealt with death threats due to the Justice’s public service in 2009.
Our continued and fervent prayers for the life and healing of Rep. Giffords.
Ironically, Jared Loughner’s ramblings were more coherent than Keith Olbermann’s “Special Comment” tonight.
Is Ueberdork EVER coherent? Seriously, I think he is nuts every night…
I have been in and out of the leftist websites today. I have seen the blame for this shooting laid on: Jan Brewer, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, the Tea Party, conservatives as a group, GOP leadership, Republicans, and on and on. Surprisingly, the left has not named Ms. Malkin yet, unless you include her in the general group “conservatives”. But it is early yet, give them time.
No, he’s a complete and absolute fool. He’s an extremely vile and hateful man and he doesn’t even make sense. I feel sorry for him, he’s not in any way intelligent and doesn’t understand anything. Even if he were a conservative I would hate him, I’d say he had good views but was an embarrassment to his views. Good thing he’s on MSNBC which noone watches anyway. You can have complete tools on the left like Alyona and Rachel Maddow, but at least those people can be intelligent and not a rodeo clown like Olbmernan.
My prayers are with the victims, their families and friends.
All it takes is a liar to post a blog claiming he was inspired by Palin and the media will run with it. All without a shred of evidence. Here is one example:
http://www.chicagonewsreport.com/2011/01/az-shooter-jared-lee-loughner-charged.html
Shockingly, I was out with my wife on a Saturday night.
I’ll make sure to check in and out with you next time.
My heart just broke when I heard about the little girl. She was just elected to Student Council so a neighbor volunteered to take her to see Giffords.
My God.
You people are disgusting
chap, what did you mean when you said: “I guess we are now Pakistan.”
I wouldn’t want to act “stupidly” and jump to conclusions…
I am not a violent person; never have been.
I don’t care for guns or religion, but respect those who do.
However, if this nut had to kill someone, why the hell didn’t he go to MSNBC?
Yup, and I expected it. Keith Olbermann in particular was shameless in finding blindly partisan screeds to blame it all on the “violent right-wing rhetoric,” and pointed at some ignorant bile that some Tucson sheriff said about it.
You will see an increasing number of these vile leftists calling for the silencing of any opposition to the corruption and destruction of our country by these “progressives.” None of these “news reporters” have ANY idea about what motivated this maniac to kill and maim all of those people in Arizona, but you can sense the HOPE that it’s about “right-wing violent rhetoric” so that they can claim that vocal opposition to the left is a “crisis,” and thus needs to be “dealt with.”
You may have noticed one or two political assassinaions there too.
Yeah, right. We are Pakistan now…
It’s exactly the same to leftists…
Sorry if I ignore criticism from the person who thought a private company printing and marketing an edited version of a book for profit was reminicent to the Soviet Union.
chapoutier said:
Ah, you mean the recent killing where
religious fanaticsorthodox Muslims acting in conjunction with the Koran and the example of Muhammad killed a liberal politician for disagreeing with them?Were you trying to imply something about the present situation, even before the facts are known?
That’s Paah-kistan, you ignorant hick!
That sick little man was off his rocker. This is really a story of a guy losing it, but the LSDNBC folks will surely make much political hay out of this. And it won’t stop after today; it will continue for as long as they feel threatened by the rest of us.
I get the sick feeling that I woke up in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, today.
Only that certain elements there, as here apparently, think assassination is a proper medium for political expression.
Whatever other parrallels you choose to read into it are entirely your own.
Michelle Don’t forget this graphic.
what do people expect to happen when a Communist pasty has been indoctrinated to hate anyone that doesn’t agree when what they believe and who are encouraged to make soft targets hits on innocent men woman and children who are defenseless? Or when the President of the United States calls Republicans ‘the enemy’? or when the President calls for Communist Liberals to provoke a fight by getting in the face with those that don’t want Marxist Communism?
Do certain statements made by people on the right bear any responsibility for events like this? I know leftists like Olbermann and the Tuscon sheriff and the blogs are getting hammered for their assertions that talk radio contributes to actions like this, but do they have any merit? Isn’t this an example of a “2nd amendment remedy”, as prescribed by Sharron Angle? What else could that statement mean? Also, when Michelle Bachmann wanted people “armed and dangerous”. I’m not a leftist by any means, but what is one to make of the level of hate out there?
So very, very sad,
and so very, very Satanic.
Jesus said:
Heartbreaking, on so many levels:
“The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.”
Only this time, instead of Rod Serling’s invaders from outer space inducing hysteria by causing a few neighborhood devices to malfunction, it’s The Left concocting a Hate Fest in order to soothe the perpetual paranoiac ache of their vindictive, virulent, vitriolic viciousness.
Va-va-va-voom!
chapoutier said:
So how did you “know,” from early on, that this was akin to what happened recently in Pakistan – where a politician was specifically targeted for his political views?
This guy apparently shot a bunch of people. How did you know this shooting was motivated primarily by his political ideology? It could have been that he chose this target to get maximum publicity, who knows?
WeI still don’t know, but apparently you did “know.”If this guy turns out to be the fruitloop that reports say he is, is it really fair to compare it to what happened in Pakistan? Or were you trying to imply something about the nature of this shooter before getting the facts, like so many of your liberal buddies?
Yes. I wasn’t aware that being a fruitloop and being politically motivated were mutually exclusive.
And everything about this situation indicates this was politically motivated, the criminal’s mental state notwithstanding.
Olof Palme – I guess we are now Sweden.
(Just as frightening, but when Chap is on a hunt for false equivalencies no one is safe!)
Define “everything”.
Because from what I’m seeing, we know nothing of any real value about the alleged shooter — let alone his “motivation” — except some accounts of incidents of behavior that appeared to be irrational in the past — and incoherent youtube videos that we are assuming are his.
Local reports state he is being “uncooperative”.
chapoutier said:
chap, crazy person shooting people for crazy reasons is not the same as rational people shooting people for rational reasons. For people who believe Muhammad and the Koran, the killing in Pakistan was a rational act.
According to reports, this guy shot a lot of different people. And yet you jumped to the conclusion before the facts that this was a politically motivated assassination.
WeI still don’t know.Didn’t Obama’s acting stupidly teach you anything about jumping to conclusions? I know, stupid question.
I’d be mightily impressed if you could share the political motivation behind the violent murder of a nine year old girl, Chap.
Are you saying that it could ever be rational to shoot someone for political reasons?
Only one of which the killer could KNOW would be there.
It was hardly a jump to conclude a politician shot point blank in the head at a political event she is sponsoring was the target of a politically motivated attack. Does it mean it is 100% certain? No. But I’ll bet dollars to donuts he wasn’t a jilted lover.
Now, with your permission, I’d like to go to bed.
Don’t be obtuse.
Chap, you are the one who declared:
So what exactly was the “political motive” of killing a child in cold blood since everything was politically driven?
chapoutier said:
Yes. We do it all the time. It is called war. I know, I know, you don’t believe we should have fought, shot, and defeated the Nazis.
Of course, if you were a Muslim, and believed Islam was true, and that you would be rewarded in the afterlife for killing people who insulted Islam (as Muhammad explicitly endorsed), then it would be a perfectly rational choice for you to do so.
chapoutier said:
And this is where the liberal “genius” of chap shines through once again. Reports said this guy shot a bunch of different people at a public event, and you can declare with certainty that it was a political hit. I mean, after all, given your liberal prejudices, it couldn’t possibly be anything else.
After all, crazy people never snap and do mass shootings for publicity or anything…
chapoutier said:
A real possibility? Yes. But unlike you, not wanting to act stupidly, I’ll wait for the facts to come out before pointing fingers. But of course, like your buddy Obama, you can never admit you’re wrong. This is where I point everyone else to your error, since you will never acknowledge it was foolish to conclude with certainty without the facts.
chapoutier said:
Well now you’re just being too modest! Too bad you didn’t display any hesitancy earlier on. Can liberals indeed learn from their mistakes, even if they’ll never admit them?
purplepeep said:
purplepeep, if you were a liberal, you’d automatically assume every disaster, crime and injustice is due to right-wing haters, too. From their perspective, this is automatically true.
Global Warming? Republican’s fault.
Katrina? Bush’s fault.
etc.
I think I know where Pout is going with this one.
By all accounts, Rep Giffords is a genuinely lovely person, gracious, and a true moderate. She is married to someone on active duty serving our Nation.
And clearly not “progressive” enough for the ideologues of the Democratic party.
Marky over at Kos wrote that moderate Dems should be targeted ..
“but this vote certainly puts a
bulls eye on their district.”
Rep Giffords was one of the Democrats he “targeted”.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/25/1204/74882/511/541568
Another, I am assuming, “Progressive” posted on Daily Kos on Jan 6th that Rep Gifford was “dead” to him:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_A24UZctD–E/TSj7nXvGTwI/AAAAAAAACGU/sRybytNju30/s1600/Daily+Kos_+State+of+the+Nation+-+My+Congresswoman+is+Dead+to+Me.jpg
I think the point Pout is trying to make is that he believes the attack on Rep Gifford was “politically motivated” because she wasn’t far enough left for the Kos Kidlets.
I agree.
This demagoguery has got to stop.
YTZGal … FYI … Giffords husband not only is in the military he is a member of the Astronaut program …
YTZGal, don’t forget Democrat Joe Manchin ran a political ad where he shot a hole in the healthcare bill that was recently passed.
Strangely, MSNBC’s reporting hasn’t mentioned this obviously pertinent fact.
To be fair, I’ve seen my share of right-wing folks who have the same problem as the the left-wing that way; you just swap names/ideologies. It’s emotional thinking, not based on rationale or logic. Me being a fellow with a strong affection for logic, reasoning and rational explanations, I had hoped in posing a question to force Chap to recognize the incredibly obvious faulty reasoning of his claim. (And perhaps I did, judging by the huffy non-answer response!)
@Desert Lover:
I know. Just making the point that as a moderate, she stood against most of the Progressive agenda — which includes respect and support for our military.
She is also an advocate for gun rights.
There have been reports, but no link to a screen shot, of the alleged shooter’s Facebook page where he rails about the “racist Tea Party”.
As more info trickles out, it seems he is hardly what the Left is so desperately trying to make him into.
Don’t forget, the media breathlessly repeated the meme that the Beltway sniper was an angry, rightwing white male too. Valuable time was wasted because of this unfounded prejudice and bias.
It has to stop.
I am confident that if you follow the trail of the alleged shooter, you will find that it was Progressive legal thought and ideologies that allowed him to remain unreported, untreated and unmolested, free to walk among the population, unaware of the danger in their midst.
Latest reports indicate he may have had an accomplice: white male in his 50s.
Since we don’t need to wait for the facts, let’s say Al Gore was behind the shooting!
The media’s displicable knee-jerk reaction and accusation in this incident should not sloughed off and MUST be addressed, but that aside, it’s vital that this incident not make our reps go wobbly in the knees by drawing back from repealing ObamaCare in her honor (i.e. “Let’s Do It For Ted!”), especially now since there’ll be assertions that better psycho-medical recordkeeping under Obama could’ve tracked and monitored this nut.
James Greenidge
Queens NY
The 64 million dollar question is not whether he is nuts, he is, but whether he understands the difference between right and wrong. His last tweet shows that he does, because he advises his “friends” to take the 5th. He will fry for that tweet. GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD TRASH!
The little girl is the daughter of Dodger scout John Green.
Here is an interesting round-up (so far) of recent “violent” rhetoric, by Obama and other Leftists, that Left-leaning media types are choosing to ignore.
A very interesting comment in this link from an “Anonymous” testifies that, as of this morning, WCBS Radio in NYC is still highlighting Sarah Palin as the ONLY perpetrator of this “violence-inducing” language:
This is a typical Leftist tactic. I remember when Anita Hill came forward with unprovable allegations against Clarence Thomas…the national media was already prepared with a “National Dialogue” regarding sexual harassment, complete with non-stop commentary by every Liberal-feminist leader known to (wo)man.
The “National Dialogue” motif in 1991 was apparent cover for Hill’s lackluster testimony, as today’s focus on Sarah Palin is their futile attempt at making Jared Loughner some sort of a “Tea Party” disciple.
Predictable, Liberal dishonesty displayed in both cases.
Followup on my post #200
Just heard on “New York 1″ cable news here several comments that Obama’s plan for internet i.d.’s would’ve made it easier to spot and track “outlandish threats in the bud” and profiled him as a public threat. Our pols must NOT be sidetracked or weakened by this tragedy in their stands against internet police and “immigration reform” and repealing ObamaCare, but I can see it happening!
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Isn’t it just a bit of a Crazy Maker, that the only way the shooter can get a fair trial is for the People to pay lawyers and psychiatrists to make up obvious lies in an effort to prove legal “innocence”. You could spend a Billion dollars on this guy and not be able to actually prove that the Tea Party did it….though “legally” who knows…..
All roads lead to the loss of personal freedoms these days. It just doesn’t matter what happens. Freedom-loving, productive people are always blamed. They refuse to name the Muslim enemy that is threatening the world but never hesitate to falsely blame normal Americans for everything bad that happens without any evidence whatsoever.
We better suck it up because the walls are closing in and yet “our party” is still more preoccupied with “comity” and “what is doable” rather than doing what is necessary to preserve our freedom. Everyone is negotiating their way over the cliff, cutting deals, and taking us with them.
http://hillbuzz.org/2011/01/09/democrat-linda-lopez-owes-americans-an-apology-was-driving-force-behind-lefts-attempt-to-blame-tea-party-for-assassination-attempt-on-gabrielle-giffords/
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/journalists-urged-caution-after-ft-hood-now-race-blame-palin-afte
Fox News reporting about an apparent pissing-match going on right now between the Department of Homeland Security and some organization called “American Renaissance” in Tucson.
- DHS trying to pin Loughner to this “anti-illegal immigrant, anti-government, anti-Zionist” organization that believes in “Z.O.G.?” that was started by a Yale graduate.
- The Yale graduate, founder counters that none of the above applies: that membership and attendance rolls, going back 20 years, show no evidence of a “Jared Loughner”, and that DHS is up to no good and lying about his group.
Crazy and developing…
It will be interesting to see how this “American Renaissance” story plays out:
1. The group is described as “anti-Semitic.”
2. Rep. Giffords is Jewish.
3. Loughner’s incongruous rambling about “gold standards” could possibly be an ill-conceived notion about “Jewish-Bankers-World Dominance, etc.” that is popular amongst anti-Semites.
The above is purely conjecture on my part. But by using typical Leftist-logic, I blame Helen Thomas for possibly pushing this pot-head-kid over the edge.
Seeing as he was a reader of mine kampf and the communist manifesto and seeing as he was a pot smoking loner, I’m guessing Gibby *wasn’t* left wing enough for this kid. She didn’t vote for nancy pelosi as the minority leader. might have pushed mister crazy over the edge.
It’s demonstrable the guy is a total nut job and deeply disturbed. He also has a history of violent threats. This one is easy.
The question is how does someone with his background have access to any firearm. To me that is the key issue. Somone screwed up BIG TIME.
If we want to have our Second Amendment Rights then we need to show the comensurate responsibility that comes with the freedom. That means SECURING our weapons and frankly taking them away from people like this guy.
Now that some time has passed, I find it extremely disturbing that the left, namely DEMS, have all the answers… From the MORON sheriff in PINAL COUNTY, to all the DEMS I have seen interviewed on PHOENIX TV… It’s “HATEFUL RHETORIC”, it’s “VITRIOL”, it’s “BIGOTRY”… Funny that they have all the answers so soon… Now some fact!!! He was a registered DEM… He voted for OBAMA… One of his favorite books was “MEIN KAMPH”… He was ANTI-SEMITIC… He was anti GOVERNMENT… In one word he was a LIBERAL… How sad that all of the clips I have seen, from past DEM leaders to present DEM leaders all know the answers… Leave it to the LIBS to politicize a GREAT NATIONAL TRAGEDY, with their own form of “HATE SPEECH”!!!
I fully expect the ruling elites in Congress to gather together and use this as an excuse to implement more government to erode the rights of the citizens of this nation. As Boehner said, “an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.” Their loyalty is with the elite and not the constitution and not the citizens.
A congresswoman getting shot is no more or less a crime than the little girl getting shot…
I’m no legal eagle, but if the U.S. gov’t trusts FedEx enough to ship our packages and the Copyright office is okay with Writers Guilds “copywriting” one’s novels, why not satisfy the NRA’s concern by doling out gun ownership screening to them? Instead talking they’re doing. Once they feel the life and death heat of responsibility maybe they can tighten up what requirements of gun ownership are. If not, why don’t they run a clearance database of their own to backup the fed screening process as a legal monitor? Rather than fears of letting the fox run the henhouse, I doubt they’d be casual about who merits a firearm if it’s their watch.
James Greenidge
Queens NY
#218 said:
Let’s cut to the chase:
or in other words:
I fully anticipate, “let’s do this for Gabby” to be the opposition mantra in their attempts to shut down the process of House business in fulfilling what the majority of Americans voted for last November.
In order to reach this, Liberals need to paint Tucson as Oklahoma City, part II.
WarEagle’s fear that establishment Republicans will bend over backwards to aid in this process is a real one.
@War Eagle:
Or the loss of an elderly gentleman, who covered his wife’s body in an attempt to shield and protect her.
http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2011/01/breaking-news-church-member-killed-wife-wounded-in-arizona-shooting-rampage/
Total BS. You’re usually better than that.
Which brings up the mysterious 50 year old white male who is a person of interest and may have abetted this crime. Will they tell us if he turns out to be from Chicago? Just asking…
Nobody is doling out my 2nd Amendment rights to ANYBODY. The last time I checked, those rights derive from God and not the government! Those rights are inalienable and it is not to the government or the NRA or any other group to decide who has those rights.
Obama said, “never take a knife to a gun fight”, when he was campaigning. I haven’t seen anyone on CNN condemn that violent rhetoric.
#226 said:
Nor will you, from CNN, CBS, ABC and NBC News down to Chappy….because, in a nutshell, the political protection of Obama – hypocrisy and all – is vital to their specific interests.
One flaw in their logic is that the TEA Party and the right won last November. Winners do not go on shooting sprees.
The guy will is most likely turn out to be a schizophrenic neither a right wing or a left wing wacko. Political beliefs aside, he’s a very ill person.
Plenty of opportunity in typical colleges to push a sick person towards the left or to anarchy. Many of the professors espouse this crap.
You also don’t hear about the video Think Progress posted showing Mark Penn, a high level Democrat and political strategist, claiming Obama needed an “Oklahoma City”.
Shocking and twisted. And offensive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0Ixm21tn8&feature=player_embedded
I did not watch 100% of the coverage from one source or another, but I did watch most of it on Fox News, and it seemed like they focused on what REALLY WAS newsworthy–the act itself, the people who were effected by it, and the monster who perpetrated the act. The same cannot be said about CNN and especially MSNBC, who seemed focused upon bring up “what drove him to do it,” and their convoluted conclusion that “violent right-wing discourse had something to do with it” at every opportunity.
Keith Olbermann (perhaps the most poisoned-thinker on the face of the earth) asked to the effect (and I am paraphrasing)can anyone say that they are SURPRISED that this happened, given the atmosphere of violent political rhetoric today? Of course, he was talking about “the right,” and the people who he spoke with talked about “the right” throughout.
I don’t know about anyone else, but when I think about “violence” as some sort of pariah that is poisoning society, I think about television, films, “music,” and printed entertainment before I think about AM talk radio, or Sarah Palin, and if Olbermann had a single shred of honest sincerity in his being, he could have gone in some non-political direction in laying blame (as if that was even an appropriate thing to do at the time).
I am just utterly disgusted with every corner of the “news media” outside of Fox. Their detractors can call them “Faux News” all they want, but only THEY handled this tragedy with integrity and in its proper context. Everyone else used it as an opportunity to attack the opponents of the left, and to me that is unforgivable.
The latest rules as of now:
“Abortion is murder” = hateful incendiary rhetoric
“Conervatives are murderers” = speaking Truth to Power!
Any questions?
One of the most disgusting things I have read. This person needs to be identified and called as the scumbag, he or she really is.
We need to reject anyone who tries to get a political gain from this.
XTZGal said:
As well as an undisclosed, veteran Democrat operative, who according to Politico, just yesterday said:
Poisoning the intent of the latest ballot box with flat-out lies about the the opposition party is clearly the current Democrat strategy for the next Congress…and by their actions this weekend,they’re just getting started.
And check out this rancidly biased comment from that Politico article:
“Some Republicans have scrambled to portray alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner as an unbalanced loner”.
Huh? “Some” Republicans? “Scrambled” to “portray” him as such? No, he was an unbalanced loner. That is a fact, not a “portrayal”.
This kind of journalistic malpractice really needs to be called out more often.