Originally Posted by Theresa 1967

Also Representative Leo Ryan, leading up to the Jonestown Massacre. So that would have been...77? 78? and Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone were murdered in 1979.

Both Milk and Ryan were killed in November of 1978.

As for today's shooting, it does not surprise me. Since 2009, the climate has been good for an event like this. I hope the congresswoman survives.

Originally Posted by Justin '77

From what people who know the shooter are saying, he's more of a leftist. For whatever difference (none) that makes.

I don't believe her, she is a RWer and so has reasons to lie.

I'm afraid we're going to see "loonies" of both sides trying to spin this to their benefit. The guy was a crazy, regardless of political affiliation. His YouTube speaks volumes.

Originally Posted by Justin '77

From what people who know the shooter are saying, he's more of a leftist. For whatever difference (none) that makes.

The shooter's political orientation makes no difference. In this political environment --largely created by the American right-wing-- anyone inclined to violence feels free to act.

C-Span is airing a community vigil right now. Palin has been repeatedly mentioned by name. One of the speakers asked her to step up and take personal responsibility for this disaster. She won't, of course.

Apparently this guy is a Right-Libertarian "Gold Standard" nut with mental issues, possibly Schizophrenia based on the incoherence of his rantings on the internet.

From what I can see, including quotes from his youtube posts, he is neither right nor left but a complete nutcase. It will be interesting to see how he acquired his weapon.

Yeah, reading from this after the fact, the best one can picture the man is that he is simply insane. To try to nudge him to either side is just grasping for an answer to satisfy. Sometimes the simple and disturbing one is the better case.

On the other hand, it is worth revisiting the environment created these past few years that has led to rather heated rhetoric and talk of violence. There is a sickness in the national psyche that needs to be treated.

The Washington Post has tied the AZ shooter to Sarah Palin, keenly noting in it's in-depth report that Giffords "had been singled out by Sarah Palin's SarahPac."

More damning to the Republicans is New York Times investigation that finds "the odds are that it was [a political assassination]," noting that "that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we're going to see in the months and years ahead."

So there you have it, folks, from two of the most authoritative unbiased sources in America. A conservative federal Judge is murdered and Sarah Palin and the Republicans are responsible for it.

The sheriff is saying they have another suspect, a 50-something white male.

he's also ripping the media hate-mongers.

Originally Posted by Odin

The sheriff is saying they have another suspect, a 50-something white male.

he's also ripping the media hate-mongers.

Keith Olbermann is looking into this ‎50 yr old who was part of the shooting.

The Sheriff said: "Arizona has become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry"

Let's just keep it to this; the 21-year-old was a sick-MF.

Congress Woman Giffords talks about her fear of violence. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...33690#36033690

Originally Posted by Odin

The sheriff is saying they have another suspect, a 50-something white male.

he's also ripping the media hate-mongers.

Hmm, maybe he's this guy, eh?



Funny thing, the DailyKos people have airbrushed that post off their website. Hmm, I wonder if Kieth O. is gonna look into that, eh?

Originally Posted by Odin

The Sheriff said: "Arizona has become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry"

And, people are making money out of the vitriol and hate speeches. Unfortunately there are consequences, even if it is freedom of speech.

Originally Posted by Odin

I don't believe her, she is a RWer and so has reasons to lie.

???

(plus the add'l characters to get to the 10 minumum)

Suspicous package at Rep. Giffords's office, area evacuated

January 8, 2011

Breaking: Rep. Giffords office, surrounding area in Tucson, evacuated after suspicious package found - KGUN --Suspicious package found at Giffords's office 08 Jan 2011 Police have confirmed that a suspicious package has been found outside Gabrielle Giffords' office [located at 1661 N. Swan], and a bomb squad is being called in to investigate. People holding a vigil outside the office have been pushed well away from the area, while the investigation determines the nature of this package, and what threat it may cause.

Richard Cohen: Op-Ed printed in The Washington Post:

"Sticks and stones may break bones, but words -- that singsong rebuttal notwithstanding -- can kill. We lose presidents to words and civil rights leaders to words -- homosexuals and immigrants and abortion providers, too. Richard Nixon is named in the song because he was the president at the time and because his words were ugly. He was enthralled by toughness, violence."

Originally Posted by Deb C

Breaking: Rep. Giffords office, surrounding area in Tucson, evacuated after suspicious package found - KGUN --Suspicious package found at Giffords's office 08 Jan 2011 Police have confirmed that a suspicious package has been found outside Gabrielle Giffords' office [located at 1661 N. Swan], and a bomb squad is being called in to investigate. People holding a vigil outside the office have been pushed well away from the area, while the investigation determines the nature of this package, and what threat it may cause.

Oh yeah. Gotta watch out for those suspicious packages.

More data from news reports:

Giffords has drawn the ire of the right in the last year, especially from politicians like Sarah Palin over her support of the health care bill. It's still not clear if the gunman had the health care debate in mind or was focused on his own unique set of political beliefs as witnessed in the Internet videos.

Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill, and Giffords was among the targets.

Giffords' Tucson office was vandalized a few hours after the House voted to approve the health care law in March, with someone either kicking or shooting out a glass door and window. More recently, the sheriff also said that someone in a "very angry audience" at a Giffords event dropped a weapon out of their pants.

In an interview after the vandalism, Giffords referred to the animosity against her by conservatives. Palin listed Giffords' seat as one of the top "targets" in the midterm elections because of the lawmakers' support for the health care law.

"For example, we're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action," Giffords said in an interview with MSNBC.

In the hours after the shooting, Palin issued a statement in which she expressed her "sincere condolences" to the family of Giffords and the other victims.

The sheriff used the word "vitriol" several times to express his disgust with the political climate in the country and in Arizona, a heavily conservative state that put itself at the center of the national debate on immigration last year with a contentious crackdown on illegal immigrants. Residents and politicians here have also vocally opposed Obama and Democrats on health care.

There is also talk of a 50-year old accomplice from reputable sources but nothing definite.

Originally Posted by Justin '77

???

(plus the add'l characters to get to the 10 minumum)

There is a lot of spin going around in the RW blogosphere trying to convince people Loughner is a left-winger.

The Corporate Media is going full power on the "both sides are guilty" BS!!!

I think the saddest part is that I should be shocked by this, but I'm not. I figured it was bound to happen sooner or later. And I agree with the sheriff that Arizona does seem to hot bed of political controversy and extreme anger lately. So the fact that it happened there is not really all that surprising either.

Naturally I do feel bad for the victims and their families. I'm especially saddened for the family of the little nine year old girl. That is just extremely tragic. However, all that being said, I heard on the news that several other members of congress were now worried about the safety for themselves and questioning whether they would be safe to go out in public and meet with constituents and hold town hall meetings. I'm not trying to be cold hearted here, but my first thought when I heard those comments was...Great, just another reason to keep them even more disconnected from the people they are suppose to be representing. At this rate, why even bother having representatives in the first place?

Originally Posted by Justin '77

???

(plus the add'l characters to get to the 10 minumum)

Too expand, this woman's description of him sounds way too much like a RW stereotype of "liberals". The Movement Conservative Right also tends to throw the label "liberal" at anyone who has a different belief than they.

Wait for the Patriot Act (originally aimed at Muslim terrorists and foreigners) now to crack down on white non-Muslim American citizens (i.e. the ordinary person) who is pissed off with the government based on domestic issues. And so the streams of the Crisis start to converge...

At least the chances of Palin making a 2012 run are dead now.