Arizona Congresswoman asassinated

[DavidMn]

This hust came across the news as I was watching.


Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot and killed while greeting constituents outside a grocery store in Tucson Arizona today. According to reports, a lone gunman described at this point as being in his late teens or early 20's ran up to the congresswoman as she was talking to a couple and without warning shot her in the head. This is all I know so far. Incredibly sad and disturbinbg news.:(



EDIT: Just found out the congresswoman is, according to reports, still alive in very critical conditon. My apologies

[LukeA]

Just heard. This is horrifying.

I suspect that very soon we're going to find out the name/motives behind the attacker.

[RickRobert]

EDIT: Just found out the congresswoman is, according to reports, still alive in very critical conditon. My apologies

Ugh... she's not gonna be able to live much of a life after being shot in the head. This is awful, unprevoked crimes scare me more than any others :distress:

[LukeA]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5336322495_c803bb1ca4_b.jpg

This was up on Sarah Palin's website until just this past hour. One of the three Arizona crosshairs stands for Giffords' Tucson district.

[BombaySapphire3]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5336322495_c803bb1ca4_b.jpg

This was up on Sarah Palin's website until just this past hour. One of the three Arizona crosshairs stands for Giffords' Tucson district.

Have always thought that alot of the tea party rhetoric encourages the lunatic fringe..

[elle]

scroll down a bit at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/08/sarah-palin-statement-shooting_n_806224.html

[LukeA]

Here's the f*ucktard's Youtube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/Classitup10

One of the clips...

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7uRjwPWaxiY?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7uRjwPWaxiY?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

[BombaySapphire3]

Wow the whack job Palin actually posted targets on the congressperson's names and locations.She is despicable.

[Silver Springs]

It terrifies me that people as right wing as Sarah Palin have so much power. Granted, left wingers don't have the "best" record either. How about a nice middle of the road leader who isn't out killing bears and outlawing anything that doesn't fit in with their skewed personal opinions? To be honest with you, I'd be concerned if she even served me a Veggie Burger at a Greasy Spoon Cafe...

[Lindsfan]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5336322495_c803bb1ca4_b.jpg

This was up on Sarah Palin's website until just this past hour. One of the three Arizona crosshairs stands for Giffords' Tucson district.

I don't feel like I live in America anymore. I feel sad, and I feel sick.

[Lindsfan]

Just heard. This is horrifying.

I suspect that very soon we're going to find out the name/motives behind the attacker.

I doubt the motives will be very surprising.

[DavidMn]

I believe this will definitely come back to haunt Sarah Palin as she pursues the presidency.

[DavidMn]

Wow the whack job Palin actually posted targets on the congressperson's names and locations.She is despicable.I know youre from the SF area. I think this might be the first time something like this has happened since that congressman from SF was killed in Jonestown in 1978. Not sure though.

[Lindsfan]

Her surgeon just confirmed that a child was killed...died at the hospital.

[Musicman408]

Supposedly the gunman was a far extreme leftist.... I don't know.

But that being said, Sarah Palin is a tard!

[iamnotafraid]

It's got nothing to do with leftist or right wing,
it's just some nut.

[nailatixela]

Supposedly the gunman was a far extreme leftist.... I don't know.


Who said that? He seems more on the right end of extremism. Based on what we know about the suspected gunman's youtube channel and myspace page though, he doesn't fit the tea party mold either. We don't even know if this was politically motivated. The congresswoman is a blue dog dem. But I agree with iamnotafraid, he is a nut, and this sort of thing shouldn't be encouraged in any way by the left or right in the media.

[bluefox4000]

I've been getting disillusioned With america for a long time now....Another nail in the coffin. This nation has fallen in my eyes. Palin's A despicable Woman. This guy probably just snapped, but still. Some of Palin's statements are nuts. She said something to the effect of if a problem arises, don't run away......RELOAD. what a blithering idiot

Mick

[Peestie]

Her surgeon just confirmed that a child was killed...died at the hospital.

I saw that on the front page of one of the UK newspaper websites. The whole thing is tragic but the death of a child is particularly horrifying. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/09/christina-taylor-green-symbolic-life

[tilthefirefades]

The strangest thing about all this, she is subscribed to him on Youtube, and he is subscribed to her. She only has 2 subscribers, and he was one of them...

The conspirator in me just has to ask, inside job?

[vermicious knid]

Weapon in rampage was banned under Clinton-era law (http://www.salon.com/news/gabrielle_giffords/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/01/09/giffords_shooting_assault_weapons_ban)

The high-capacity magazine of the semiautomatic pistol used in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and more than a dozen other people on Saturday would have been illegal to manufacture and difficult to purchase under the Clinton-era assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.
~~~~~~
Under the assault weapons ban, it was illegal to manufacture or sell new high-capacity magazines, defined as those that hold more than 10 rounds. The magazines used by Loughner had 31 rounds each, according to police.
~~~~~~
President Bush backed the ban, and an amendment to extend it passed in the Senate in 2004 but was never voted on by the House.






Who was in charge of the house of representatives? These two a-holes. Dennis Hastert and criminal Tom Delay
http://i55.tinypic.com/2chu7bb.jpghttp://i55.tinypic.com/2wpjvnp.jpg
I heard an interview with someone who said that he was tackled while trying to reload the gun. If it hadn't been for these two bastards, this guy might have been tackled after getting only 10 bullets out.

[DavidMn]

The strangest thing about all this, she is subscribed to him on Youtube, and he is subscribed to her. She only has 2 subscribers, and he was one of them...

The conspirator in me just has to ask, inside job?Couldnt that be fake accounts created by people after the fact?

[tilthefirefades]

Couldnt that be fake accounts created by people after the fact?

One would think so, but the videos were added before the shooting :shrug:

[Fleetwoodmark]

This will not do America's reputation any favours abroad. I'm from Scotland and this is getting so much coverage. If we don't like our politicians we lobby them. We don't go out to the supermarket and shoot them in the head.

A sad day for democracy.

[vivfox]

This will not do America's reputation any favours abroad. I'm from Scotland and this is getting so much coverage. If we don't like our politicians we lobby them. We don't go out to the supermarket and shoot them in the head.

A sad day for democracy.

America, IMO is still the best place in the world to live, despite the several thousand whack jobs roaming around.

[mezzoforte]

This will not do America's reputation any favours abroad. I'm from Scotland and this is getting so much coverage. If we don't like our politicians we lobby them. We don't go out to the supermarket and shoot them in the head.

A sad day for democracy.

It only takes one psychopath, and they exist everywhere in the world. Obviously, the majority of Americans don't go to the market and shoot people in the head either.
I guess I'm surprised that this would reflect on America--a deeply horrifying tragedy, but not, in my mind, particularly representative of our country.

[Fleetwoodmark]

It only takes one psychopath, and they exist everywhere in the world. Obviously, the majority of Americans don't go to the market and shoot people in the head either.
I guess I'm surprised that this would reflect on America--a deeply horrifying tragedy, but not, in my mind, particularly representative of our country.

Yeah, don't get me wrong It wasn't a dig :)

I suppose it's the amount of times it's happened in America that makes the difference.

[FMlex]

Wouldn't be the liberal media if they didn't come out during this time of tragedy and blame the conservatives and Republicans. Absolutely sickening.

[nailatixela]

Wouldn't be the liberal media if they didn't come out during this time of tragedy and blame the conservatives and Republicans. Absolutely sickening.

The Tea Party Nation group actually was the first to come out and emphasize the point that the blame needs to be put on the "liberal lunatics." I don't think it's appropriate to place much speculation or blame so early on. It's important to talk about why violence in our politics are wrong, that's for sure.

And there isn't such a thing as the liberal media outside of MSNBC. But I haven't seen the blame game going on there, either. Fox pushes everyone to the right. That includes their competition (ABC, CBS, CNN) and their viewers. Corporations own the news media, and corporations are conservative/republican by nature.

[vermicious knid]

Giffords shooter fired 31 rounds (http://www.salon.com/news/jared_loughner/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/01/10/loughner_fired_31_rounds)

That settles it. He was limited to the amount of bullets he could shoot without having to reload. Conceivably he could have bought a fifteen-year-old piece of equipment even if the 1994 law were still in effect, because it banned the sale of new magazines with greater than 10 rounds. But it seems very possible that if the law had been renewed in 2004, today there would not be 20 lives inalterably affected, and 20 families devastated.

[LukeA]

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_loughner_mug_110110_mn.jpg

Well, he looks pleased.

[KarmaContestant]

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_loughner_mug_110110_mn.jpg

Well, he looks pleased.

Whoa!

On the greater topic:
I think everyone both in and outside of the media, needs to be careful where they place the blame, since that only exhibits more symptoms of the greater problem. This guy had issues that transcend 'liberal versus conservative'. As a liberal myself, I do agree that political extremism or fanatasicm is at fault here; whether that fell to the right or left side of the spectrum really isn't important.

Violence is not the solution, but unfortunately our human culture reminds us everyday that it is often the first resort.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Something I'd like to mention - just a "random thought" that occurs to me -

The story should be,

"A nine-year-old girl was killed today in Arizona by a gunshot wound.
Sources say that they have no clues available as to why the girl was shot.
Also killed were Judge Roll from Arizona (etc.) There were also several
serious injuries, including a congresswoman from Arizona."

I'm not trying to minimize the tragedy of this person being shot -
But she's not the only victim and - in my opinion - the "political"
motivation is irrelevant, given what happened. It's a secondary
thing. The story shouldn't have a little blurb at the end saying
"oh by the way some nine-year-old girl was killed too."

Just something to consider a bit.

[KarmaContestant]

Something I'd like to mention - just a "random thought" that occurs to me -

The story should be,

"A nine-year-old girl was killed today in Arizona by a gunshot wound.
Sources say that they have no clues available as to why the girl was shot.
Also killed were Judge Roll from Arizona (etc.) There were also several
serious injuries, including a congresswoman from Arizona."

I'm not trying to minimize the tragedy of this person being shot -
But she's not the only victim and - in my opinion - the "political"
motivation is irrelevant, given what happened. It's a secondary
thing. The story shouldn't have a little blurb at the end saying
"oh by the way some nine-year-old girl was killed too."

Just something to consider a bit.

Except that he targeted the Congresswoman and her rally, specifically. :shrug:

[Ghost_Tracker]

Except that he targeted the Congresswoman and her rally, specifically. :shrug:


Sure, I totally understand that. I guess what I'm trying to convey
is that I feel this guy has lost all claims to a "motive" due to his
actions. Legally, he targeted the Congresswoman.
Morally, he shot and killed several people, including a nine-year-old
girl, a man who happens to work as a Judge, and a woman who
happens to work as a Congresswoman. I feel that the other victims
are getting "lost" in all the media attention, due to the (supposed)
motivation of asssassinating a Congresswoman. But like I said,
I feel that his claims to a motive carry no weight. He's a crazyperson
who went to a specific location and for no real reason shot more than
ten people, killing several of them.

Beyond what I've already said, let me phrase it like this:
He says his motive was to assassinate the Congresswoman.
He could also say the sky is blue on a sunny day.
Both of those statements, coming from him, carry no
weight with me and therefore are irrelevant, in my opinion.

Of course, innocent until proven guilty and all that.

One other thing I'd like to mention: How many people,
for example, were killed during the Kennedy Assassination?
The answer, of course, is one. The reason why, of course,
is that the motive of the killer or killers was to kill
President Kennedy.

This guy shot and killed six people and wounded several
others ; his claims about his motive mean nothing to me.

[nailatixela]

His internet presence from youtube and myspace has a political background. It isn't anything that really seems to make any logical sense though, however the congresswoman was specifically targeted. Are we not supposed to believe any killers when they say why they did what they did? The congresswoman is getting the most attention because in this country we reserve the term assassination/assassination attempt to very few people - and she is one of them. It was her event that the shooting took place. At this point, we can't say what he did was done for "no real reason." The congresswoman is also one of the victims who remains alive, but in the most critical condition.

And I don't think the other victims or their families even want publicity or attention. The last thing any grieving family member wants at a time like this is to be bombarded by the media. So it's good that their privacy has been respected. I'm not sure what media outlets you watch/listen/read, but in the past couple of days I've been satisfied by the amount of attention the others who have died have gotten....just some background information on them, and a small mention just to honor their life. But I don't want to know more, because the families just don't deserve the media on their backs at a time like this.

[tilthefirefades]

The last thing I want to hear about are the details of a 9 year old girl that was shot. I do understand where you are coming from, but I'm glad I don't have to be bombarded with news of the most tragic thing that could happen, even though it did.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Good points, all. I guess I had just felt a bit like the Congresswoman was inadvertently getting all the attention when it's at least equally as bad a tragedy for the other victims.
Truth be told the only news coverage of it that I've watched, for the most part, has been the cnn site, because that's "all that I could stand." Their focus (i.m.o.) has been almost completely on the Congresswoman.

Anyway the good news is that she seems to be making it through the "critical period" when the brain swelling puts her in serious danger. So I think maybe they're optimistic that she's going to survive.

[vivfox]

The last thing I want to hear about are the details of a 9 year old girl that was shot.


I respect your opinion as well as I respect you. However I think it's a good idea for all of us to talk of the deceased. This girl was born on September 11, 2001. She came into this world and out of this world on tragedy.