Arizona Congresswoman Shot

[DevoTheStrange]

Looks like things just went south in Arizona... wonder what the motive is

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-giffords-20110109,0,2644556.story

 

[Plotinus]

She was named on an infamous Sarah Palin PAC ad that drew gun sights on districts (including hers) that voted in favor of health care reform. Her opponent in last year's election held gun-shooting fundraisers to "target" her. And Sharron Angle, running for senate in that state in the same year, famously said she supported "2nd amendment solutions" when elections didn't go her way. So you tell me.

 

[lwien]

Looks like things just went south in Arizona... wonder what the motive is

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-giffords-20110109,0,2644556.story

They got the shooter and he is uninjured. Guess we'll find out the motive soon.

Ya know, I know that what I'm about to say is a real wild assumption but I'm just relaying the first thing that popped in my head, and that was.......Glen Beck. Being that she was a Democrat, I can't help but wonder if one of Beck's looney fan base actually took action to "save his country".

Every time I hear that asshole and the fear that he propagates, I'm just like waiting to hear of someone getting killed. Fanning the flames of fear can have dire consequences.

Granted, this may not have anything to do with this, but I can't help but wonder.

Heartfelt thoughts to her family and friends.

 

[Brother Brigham]

Every time I hear that asshole and the fear that he propagates, I'm just like waiting to hear of someone getting killed. Fanning the flames of fear can have dire consequences.

Sure, blame the Mormon. Oh wait, Beck is a Mormon...damn.

 

[wilf789]

I agree this is a wholly shocking event to happen to someone in the US, it would be even more so if it happened here, and I wish the best to everyone affected.

However - Also in the news today was a story about 15 decapitated bodies all being found together in Acapulco, bringing the total body-count since 2006 to nearly 30,000 people dead.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12143227

Like I said the shooting today was a dreadful event, but in perspective to what's going on in Mexico...

 

[lwien]

Yeah, but there is a difference between drug cartels going after one another versus an innocent Congresswoman being shot in the head along with the killing of a 9 year old girl and a federal district judge.

 

[tireless]

Looks like things just went south in Arizona... wonder what the motive is

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-giffords-20110109,0,2644556.story

They got the shooter and he is uninjured. Guess we'll find out the motive soon.

Ya know, I know that what I'm about to say is a real wild assumption but I'm just relaying the first thing that popped in my head, and that was.......Glen Beck. Being that she was a Democrat, I can't help but wonder if one of Beck's looney fan base actually took action to "save his country".

Every time I hear that asshole and the fear that he propagates, I'm just like waiting to hear of someone getting killed. Fanning the flames of fear can have dire consequences.

Granted, this may not have anything to do with this, but I can't help but wonder.

Heartfelt thoughts to her family and friends.

Glenn Beck is an obnoxiouos doomsayer, I'm one of the gun toting, God fearing Americans our President spoke about and I won't listen to his drivel.

There are individuals on this planet and in this country who are just looking for a reason, percieved or otherwise to shoot someone. There are some who don't value life and there are others who just want to be famous any way they can, it's sad but true.

I can not fathom how any sane person could justify such an action.

Prayers for the dead, the wounded and their family and friends, jw

 

[Purple-Days]

Here is the news from Arizona. All very sad.

She has survived the shooting, the bullet went in and out of her brain and skull from point blank. She was the first person shot per reports. Surgery over, and 24 hours will tell, she was responding to comands before the operation. After surgery the doctor's rep was positive. The Federal Judge is dead, along with a 9 year old girl, there with her parents to see the Representative. The little girl was a school council person... It was under the porch of the Safeway in Tuscon. The Judge was a friend of the Congresswoman and lived nearby and was there to say hi and lend support.

The Congresswoman was a middle of the road, newly re-elected 3rd term Democrat who was known to work with both sides, compromise.... she was holding a 'Congressman On The Corner' event at the Safeway.

The local news got the the name and scoop of the shooter and have read his ramblings on you tube, my space, facebook etc. and I have heard them. He is a rambling nut case. Insane? I'm not qualified to judge and don't have all the evidence, but at first flush this guy is a lonely looney. His ramblins include stuff about creating a new currency, about gold and silver, about Congress controlling minds through grammar (yes, grammar), Tje illiteracy of the area peo about the invalid US Constitution, about conscience dreaming, and dream worlds etc. it goes on... and on and isn't stable. In the end he says he will show people, and says goodbye to the pitiful folks who can't understand him. This is all my best recollection of it.

The parent of the little girl escaped unharmed and are devistated, the uncle spoke to one reporter for the family. Typical 9 year old girl... Sad...

The judge had been in public service 40 years.

18 injured, 11 to the big trauma center, one (the girl) died in hospital, 5 in critical and 5 in further surgery condition to be determined. Other injured taken to other facilities, presumably not as badly injured or wounded.

Not sure of the weapon other than a pistol with an extended clip. The shooter emptied one clip and had secured another and started firing when he was over-powered.

This is all from early afternoon radio, I missed the 6 O'clock news conference and just didn't want to hear more.

 

[lwien]

An interesting side note.

This story is all over the news channels, but you know what news station is giving the MOST coverage to this? FoxNews..........by a long shot. So much so, that it almost seems like they are trying to alleviate any feelings of blame that could come their way over this.

 

[Gunky]

I feel very sad after reading about the shooting rampage in Tucson. Of course there are people (Fox News, for ex) now saying just one crazy guy, nothing to do with politics... I cannot see how anyone can fail to apprehend the danger inherent in the constant repetition of messages which suggest that the 'real Americans' need to take back the country from some alien impostors who are going to change everything and take away all our rights.

 

[lwien]

I feel very sad after reading about the shooting rampage in Tucson. Of course there are people (Fox News, for ex) now saying just one crazy guy, nothing to do with politics... I cannot see how anyone can fail to apprehend the danger inherent in the constant repetition of messages which suggest that the 'real Americans' need to take back the country from some alien impostors who are going to change everything and take away all our rights.

Well, it very well may be that this particular shooting had nothing to do with politics, but it definitely shines the light on those that use the airways to preach fear and hate and if there is anything good that can come out of this, it would be a self-realization that along with reporting the news comes the responsibility of being aware that what they say can have a very powerful influence on the actions of others.

Sarah Palins site just took off those crosshairs on the map that she put up awhile ago so it's apparent that there is some self moderation that is going on here regardless if it is coming from a sense of responsibility or a sense of possible public outcry.

 

[momofthegoons]

I have stated in the past that the media feeds us way too much and this is another shining example. So irresponsible. But, in another light, they have given us this, which somewhat rekindled my belief in mankind again:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theti...tern-who-likely-saved-gabrielle-giffords-life

It's all on what and how it's reported.

 

[Gunky]

Matt Bai has a good article about this int the NYT today. An excerpt:

It wasn't clear Saturday whether the alleged shooter in Tucson was motivated by any real political philosophy or by voices in his head, or perhaps by both. But it's hard not to think he was at least partly influenced by a debate that often seems to conflate philosophical disagreement with some kind of political Armageddon.

The problem here doesn't lie with the activists like most of those who populate the Tea Parties, ordinary citizens who are doing what citizens are supposed to do engaging in a conversation about the direction of the country. Rather, the problem would seem to rest with the political leaders who pander to the margins of the margins, employing whatever words seem likely to win them contributions or TV time, with little regard for the consequences.

Consider the comments of Sharron Angle, the Tea Party favorite who unsuccessfully ran against Harry Reid for the Senate in Nevada last year. She talked about "domestic enemies" in the Congress and said, "I hope we're not getting to Second Amendment remedies." Then there's Rick Barber, a Republican who lost his primary in a Congressional race in Alabama, but not before airing an ad in which someone dressed as George Washington listened to an attack on the Obama agenda and gravely proclaimed, "Gather your armies."

In fact, much of the message among Republicans last year, as they sought to exploit the Tea Party phenomenon, centered like the Tea Party moniker itself on this imagery of armed revolution. Popular spokespeople like Ms. Palin routinely drop words like "tyranny" and "socialism" when describing the president and his allies, as if blind to the idea that Americans legitimately faced with either enemy would almost certainly take up arms.

It's not that such leaders are necessarily trying to incite violence or hysteria; in fact, they're not. It's more that they are so caught up in a culture of hyperbole, so amused with their own verbal flourishes and the ensuing applause, that like the bloggers and TV hosts to which they cater they seem to lose their hold on the power of words.

 

[lwien]

^^ VERY well said.

I have stated in the past that the media feeds us way too much and this is another shining example. So irresponsible. But, in another light, they have given us this, which somewhat rekindled my belief in mankind again:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theti...tern-who-likely-saved-gabrielle-giffords-life

It's all on what and how it's reported.

Yeah. This quote from the link above: ""'Just grab my hand to let me know that you're okay,'" he recalls telling the injured lawmaker. According to Hernandez, she squeezed his hand, and he didn't let go...."
brought a bit of a tear to my eye along with the pic of that beaming 9yr old girl who just happened to be born on 9-11.

 

[Gunky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tTDiZZYCAs

 

[rayski]

This story is all over the news channels, but you know what news station is giving the MOST coverage to this? FoxNews..........by a long shot. So much so, that it almost seems like they are trying to alleviate any feelings of blame that could come their way over this.

But Fox is the only outlet not showing the clip of Rep. Giffords talking about Palin's crosshairs.

 

[Pappy]

I looked at his YouTube stuff. Schizo MF, but educated. The sick rantings of a pathetic loon. You won't hear me quote him too often but in this case I agree...

"An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve".
John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)

I hope they water-board him!

 

[Gunky]

From Weigel at Slate:

Patrick Beck, president of the Mohave County Tea Party, was at a Republican Party meeting this morning when the news of the shooting in Tuscon got out. Ron Gould, a state senator at the meeting, started to talk about Gabrielle Giffords -- who, for a short time, had been reported dead. This had happened at the other end of the state, but everyone there had opposed Giffords, a rising star who'd voted for health care reform and narrowly been re-elected in 2010.

"Senator Gould said that he sat next to Giffords, and he disagreed with her at times, but she was a kind and wonderful person," remembered Beck. "And it really brought home that none of this should be personal. When we talk about Barack Obama, we've got to be clear, it's not personal. When we say he's destroying this country we are not saying he's doing it out malicious intent and a desire to cripple us. He has good intentions and he's wrong. I worry when that gets lost."

Apparently these guys don't understand that when you constantly, and publicly repeat the mantra 'Obama is destroying our country', there are plenty of crazies who are willing to take it seriously and turn the thought into action. Patrick Beck's quote above reminds me of an interview with a Saudi shortly after 911 in which the fellow said something to the effect that sure we want to kill all you Americans but that doesn't mean we hate you.

 

[Purple-Days]

OK, folks... I'm sitting right here hearing news that isn't filtered by National issues.

Looking over the back wall at this fellows house, there is a 'cultish' shrine of sorts with an urn and a plastic skull and candles. Add that to his very strange ramblings, I don't know if you have heard them. And the interviews with folks who saw his behavior at the community college, where he caused enough trouble that the removed him from class several times before banning him altogether.

This fellow was a whacko-jacko . He was very disturbed and fixated on this one local Representative. Kicked out of school. Refused entry into the Military. He was delusional and paranoid and was rejected. Sound like a recipe for a mass murder? Politics was just part of it.

 

[Gunky]

Clearly the guy is nuts. But crazies like that don't exist in a vacuum.

From the NYT:

Ms. Giffords' district office is the same that had been vandalized a window broken, perhaps with a pellet gun, the police said late last March, after the national health care bill passed with support from Ms. Giffords, who was known as "Gabby" to her constituents.

After that, during her re-election campaign, protesters gathered on most Saturdays on the same corner shouting and holding signs that said things like "Gabby, You're Gone."

"On a typical Saturday this corner is filled with Tea Party protesters," said Brenda Tyler, who was with her husband, Lyndon. "I've seen signs saying things like 'It's time to reload' and 'One way or another, you're gone."' A real estate agency in the neighborhood had a sign out front that said "Goodbye Gabby" and showed the silhouette of a witch on a broom," she said. It had been taken down on Saturday.

Last summer, Ms. Giffords's Republican opponent, Jesse Kelly, had a campaign event in which voters were invited to "shoot a fully automatic M-16" with him to symbolize his assault on her campaign.

After what happened, can anyone say the M-16 episode was a good idea?
That was not national news - it's local Tucson news.

edit: corrected spelling of Tucson

 

[TanzRemix]

Apparently these guys don't understand that when you constantly, and publicly repeat the mantra 'Obama is destroying our country', there are plenty of crazies who are willing to take it seriously and turn the thought into action. Patrick Beck's quote above reminds me of an interview with a Saudi shortly after 911 in which the fellow said something to the effect that sure we want to kill all you Americans but that doesn't mean we hate you.

I don't see how this is unique to the current situation. During the Bush years the vitriol espoused by his detractors was as strong or stronger as anything going on today. However, this really isn't a political act. As other posters have said, this guy was just sick in the head and was ready to snap, the target wasn't the important part.

The part where her office has been vandalized in the past or is the site of constant protests is also somewhat meaningless. This is America and we have been home to impassioned political dialogue since the beginning. When I was in college in Tucson (left town June '09) the corners around the school were home to weekly anti-war, pro-immigration protests, did this mean the Armed forces recruiting centers in the area should have been fearful of violence?

 

[Gunky]

Apparently these guys don't understand that when you constantly, and publicly repeat the mantra 'Obama is destroying our country', there are plenty of crazies who are willing to take it seriously and turn the thought into action. Patrick Beck's quote above reminds me of an interview with a Saudi shortly after 911 in which the fellow said something to the effect that sure we want to kill all you Americans but that doesn't mean we hate you.

I don't see how this is unique to the current situation. During the Bush years the vitriol espoused by his detractors was as strong or stronger as anything going on today. However, this really isn't a political act. As other posters have said, this guy was just sick in the head and was ready to snap, the target wasn't the important part.

The part where her office has been vandalized in the past or is the site of constant protests is also somewhat meaningless. This is America and we have been home to impassioned political dialogue since the beginning. When I was in college in Tucson (left town June '09) the corners around the school were home to weekly anti-war, pro-immigration protests, did this mean the Armed forces recruiting centers in the area should have been fearful of violence?

So you think the M-16 business and the threats to get rid of her one way or another are no problem, and nothing there to condemn?

 

[lwien]

It will be interesting to see how Beck and Hannity handle this today. I think I'm gonna be like >>>

 

[aesthyrian]

This is sick and fucked. First the whole Tides Foundation incident, and now this. I am sorry for all the families that have lost someone and hope justice is truly served.

And I too can't wait to hear Beck and others blame the "loon left" on this... ughhh

 

[TanzRemix]

So you think the M-16 business and the threats to get rid of her one way or another are no problem, and nothing there to condemn?

She is a pro-gun congresswoman in a pro-gun, shall-issue state. I'm not sure how you see the link between people who shoot an m-16 at a range as part of a campaign event and people assassinating politicians. Thats akin to saying someone is going to start with vaporizing herb and move right into black tar as a matter of course. Obviously this is not the case.