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Democratic congresswoman shot at point-blank range in Arizona

January 8, 2011

SECOND UPDATE: Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy issued the following statement Saturday afternoon in response to the Arizona shootings:

“The attacks on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, members of her staff, and others are absolutely appalling. This event is horrific and acts of such violence cannot be tolerated in our society. Judy and I will be praying for Gabrielle, her family, her staff, those who were injured and their families.”

Meanwhile, Arizona authorities are searching for “a person of interest” who might have been at the shopping center with alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner.

UPDATE: The shooter of  U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords has been identified as Jared Lee Loughner, 22, of Tucson.

Loughner was tackled by one of Giffords’ aides as he tried to flee the scene after the shooting.

Another one of Giffords’ aides is confirmed to be dead along with four others. The gunman shot 18 people.

A surgeon has been quoted as being “very optimistic” about Giffords’ chance for surviving.

ORIGINAL POST: Multiple media reports confirm that a Democratic congresswoman was shot in the head at point blank range Saturday morning while hosting a meet-the-public event in Tucson. [LA Times]

U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), 40, a three-term congresswoman, was airlifted to a local hospital shortly after the shooting at a Safeway market.

“She is currently in surgery. She’s alive,” University Medical Center spokeswoman Darci Slaten said. Slaten added that nine other shooting victims were being treated at the hospital.

Fox News reported that between 12 and 15 people were shot.

Giffords was hosting a “Congress on Your Corner” event — public gatherings to give her constituents a chance to talk directly with her — when attacked from about four feet  away, NPR said.

NPR initially reported that Giffords had died, but quickly retracted that information.

The report said the suspect tried to run away but was tackled by a bystander and was in police custody.

Giffords is married to astronaut Mark Kelly


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Can we please allow some time for a thorough investigation about the shooter before we start blaming Sarah Palin?


Congresswoman Gifford, though a Democrat, is hardly a “left-wing liberal”. Check out her website: giffords.house.gov. Apart from being pro-choice and pro-Obama healthcare plan, many of Gifford’s views are shared by her conservative colleagues, hence her standing as a “Bulldog Democrat.” She’s pro-military (her husband’s an astronaut), pro-close-the-border-now, fiscally conservative, etc. She recently proposed a 5% paycut for Congressmen! She’s just not in the same league as Obama or Pelosi in terms of left-wing political idealogy.


Some of the posts on this and other chatboards are ridiculous. Let’s hear some actual facts about the jerk who pulled the trigger. Ultimately, he’s responsible for his crimes.


Here’s hoping and praying for the full recovery of Gifford and the other victims and my condolences to those who were killed.


.


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Sara Palin is a snakeoil salesman who profits from the hatred she spews just like Limbaugh, Hannity and the like.


The crap they have spewed has finally had its effect … and unfortunately it also took the life of a 9 year-old innocent girl.


If there is a hell I suspect it will invite the like of Palin, Limbaugh, Hannity (and perhaps even our ol good ol Bill O’Rielly) with open arms.


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You seriously don’t see your own post as “spewing hatred”??? I wouldn’t want your karma.


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Seems ironic that your post criticizes the spewing forth of hatred yet ends with a wish for some to be cast into hell. Be careful you don’t join the ranks of those you despise by stooping down to their level.


Also I’m sure you’ve already read this but the gunman had listed his favorite books on MySpace. Among them–Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto. No, he didn’t list Palin, Limbaugh or Hannity among his favorite authors. No, he didn’t call himself a “Tea Partier”.


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he did mention gold standard and a new currency. Ron Paul anyone?


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The girl was born sept 11 2001


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You’re right. We should NOT be blaming Sarah Palin. She should be blaming HERSELF and quickly repenting for all the damage she has done to our nation. Do I blame her for this shooting? No. I just wish she would repent and quit playing the Devil’s hand and that we would all forgive her. She deserves love too. God knows she needs to feel it and live it.


I suppose, more or less, the above advice applies to all of us. We are all more closely united than our fear and rhetoric allows us to realize. Sarah Palin is our sister. A wayward sister who lost her way and leased her soul to the devil ego. We hope she comes back home some day, humble, loving and forgiven.


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You know that Sarah’s website put gun sight cross hairs on the victim’s congressional district right??


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also this little gem:Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: “Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!” Pls see my Facebook page. (Sarah Palin)


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Gifford is apparently Jewish, the shooter reads Adolph Hitlers book, Arizona has developed a reputation that is attractive to the Christian Identity movement(neo Nazi) and other right wing extremist groups

so we can’t blame any one directly. Sarah’s pac brought this unwelcome attention on themselves.


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I wish I could believe that the Becks, Hannitys, Limbaughs, Palins and Savages of the world would learn that rhetoric has consequences. All this violent imagery they offer by saying that Obama is out to kill the nation, or liberals want to destroy the country was bound to take an imbalanced person and push them over the edge. I will never support censorship but the demagogues need to take some of that personal responsibility they talk about and apply it to the kind of rhetoric they put out there


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I believe Obama is the worst President we’ve had in recent history; that being said, I do not think Beck/Hannity/Limbaugh/Palin/Savages of the world are responsible for this horrendous act of inhumanity…the shooter is responsible. HE pulled that trigger alone.


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You’ve been told that Obama is the worst president ever but you dont have any evidence to back that up.


I wouldnt expect you to ask for any personal responsibility from the people who serve the purpose of reaffirming your uninformed opinions of the world. When a conservative talks about personal responsibility what they are really telling you is where they think their responsibility ends


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I don’t need evidence to back up my feelings. It is my opinion that he is the worst President in recent history. If I had stated “he is the worst President in recent history” then your post would have been supported and I would have needed evidence. But as far as evidence goes, how is Obama care working for YOU? When is Gitmo going to be closed down? When will that $5 TRILLION deficit he alone added to our national debt be paid? Where are the jobs he promised? The “shovel ready ones”? I can go all day here.


This isn’t about my feelings of our President. This is about people who feel as I do do NOT go and get a gun and kill people, innocent or otherwise. The crime that occurred was beyond comprehension. The guy is a wack job and should be held to the highest punishments for his crime. Nuff said.


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“I don’t need evidence to back up my feelings.”


That statement says it all.


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If you actually asked for evidence, you would understand that the 5 trillion dollar deficit was left to us by Bush Administration policies if that wasnt a number made up out of whole cloth. W took the white house with a nearly 300 billion dollar budget surplus that was projected by the non partisan CBO (Congressional Budget Office) to increase over ten to 5.1 trillion. Instead of continuing the sound economic policies he recieved W decided to use all that money to create the largest tax cut for the richest americans and then saddle the rest of us with the debt of two public wars in Iraq and Afghanistan not to mention the rarely discussed wars we also fighting in Syria, Lebanon and Africa. Instead of the 5.1 trillion dollar surplus we were left with a nearly 2 trillion dollar deficit projected by the CBO to grow to an 8 trillion dollar deficit in the next ten years.


See if you asked for facts instead of depending on your uninformed gut, this country might be able to deal in reality.


Danika I do understand your frustration with the government. If the education system had failed me so profoundly I would also be left with a nagging feeling in my gut that things arent right. Your inability to think criticly leaves you at a deep disadvantage when it comes to ever understanding who it is thats screwing you. On the other hand I bet youre one hell of a consumer


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Here is the shooter’s Youtube video:


http://www.youtube.com/user/Classitup10


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For anyone who watches Dave’s link I offer this from TE Lawrence,


Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.


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What a freak. He calls for literacy and then writes garbage. I repeat my offer; anyone want to wager this deadbeat acted alone without encouragement from hate radio and the palinistas? Anyone?


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Sure. I believe that at the end of this is will be schizophrenia with no influence of the people you mention.


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I do seriously hope that the authorities comb through the suspects belongings and catalog any books by Michael Savage, Glen Beck, etc etc, and that they go through the history on his computer to see if he posted anything anywhere where he made claims about what he was going to do (and did). It is very possible that the man was just plain nuts, all on his own, BUT, if he made online claims to any site or group AND he spouted off that his motivation was by radio show X or talk show host Y or whomever, I really think the D.A. in that community needs to think long and hard about including that talk show host as some sort of accessory as being an “inspiration” for carrying out an act of violence like this. This is sad beyond belief, but unfortunately, very believable.


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Bob, I guess the John Birch Society sewing circle is all over our site, they flagged you like Wiseguy, and I’m sure they will hit me up posthaste. I wish they had the guts to talk, and maybe even take me up on my wager. I’ll bet anyone that this will be proven to have been inspired by some sort of hate from the right, NOT an individual action. Any takers? Anyone out there with the guts to either take my challenge or admit you are OK with right wing fanatics assassinating their opponents?


Didn’t think so, the cowards have scuttled back under their little rocks.


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Whenever people click the “dislike” button, but don’t bother to back it up with a posting of facts or rational contrary opinion, I figure they were primarily objecting to the publishing of TRUTH that they would rather the public not know of or not sufficiently understand. Some people simply have a hard time digesting the truth, especially when the truth suggest they would best change attitudes and behaviors that they’ve invested their ego and self-image upon for many years.


When a person has walked so far down the wrong path, so strongly identifying themselves by their opinions rather than their souls, they are naturally reluctant to turn around and trudge back to the point where they veered the wrong way. Some people insist on ignoring all warning signs and will continue all the way to the inevitable dead end. At that point some will finally turn around. Others will not give up, continually banging their heads into the wall that will never yield. They flatter themselves, feeling like they are continuing a noble battle, but the wall remains, impervious, uncaring, a simple fact, they don’t accept. Or they’re just too lazy to turn back. Some will die before ever accepting that they have gone the wrong way. Some will kill. Some will be killed. They serve as sad examples for the rest of us.


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HOW did Glenn Beck get involved in this tragedy???


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He regularly spouts off about the people we need to get rid of just like Hitler, every thing will be fine once we get rid off(insert race religion political party gender orientation of your choice)

ELIMINATIONIST


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Here are some videos from Glenn Beck that answer Danika’s question about Beck’s role in promoting hate, violence, racism and anti-government sentiment and action in America:



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AZ is one of three states that allows people to carry concealed weapons without a permit. One of her staff members said that she has been a target of the Tea Party and that they frequently attack her (verbally) and that it is quite possible that the person that did this was motivated by such attacks.


Sarah Palin: “Don’t retreat, reload’.


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Arizona is another world when it comes to guns:


A while back in Arizona, when I was there, so many people were openly carrying guns (legally) during a weekly boulevard automobile cruise night in one city, that city had to declare the weekly gathering an official “special event” as that was the only way for the authorities to legally prohibit guns from being brought. Prior to that it was common to see guys walking around on the sidewalk wearing western style holsters with pistols in them.


I attended a gun show at a woman’s club building in Bullhead City, AZ (right next to the California and Nevada borders) where any adult could buy just about any kind of firearm for cash without any kind of background check. With all these gun dealers sitting at their folding tables, my friend had brought an exotic modern Korean military semi-automatic rifle, openly slung over his shoulder as we walked from the parking lot to the woman’s club, to try to sell it to one of the dealers.


One dealer sitting behind his folding table spotted us, recognized the type of rifle my friend was carrying and beckoned us over. First he asked how much my friend was asking. I recall my friend said he wanted something like $250 for it. “How many do you have?”, the dealer then asked. My friend, a little surprised, replied: “Just this one.” The dealer replied, “Oh, never mind then” and he waved us off, like we mosquitos bothering him.


Since then, I’ve often wondered what kind of serious arms deals with criminals and warlords are conducted at events like that in Arizona.


I’ve got other eyebrow-raising gun stories from Arizona. Parts of that state can be like the Twilight Zone, believe me.


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There needs to be some commonsense when it comes to firearms. I don’t want to take everyones guns away but we should at least have cooling off periods and background checks. It should be harder to get a gun permit then to get a drivers license. Guns shows even in this state are out of control. BTW,,how did Jan Brewer ever get elected, she is probably the worst gov. in this country, a complete idiot.


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I think that there should be “…cooling off periods and background checks…” before anyone is allowed to speak in public, print anything, or practice their religion of choice. I mean, really, we can’t have people just exercise their fundamental individual rights. That would be simply awful.


The Supreme Court of the United States has found, in their Heller and McDonald decisions, that the 2nd Amendment is an fundamental individual civil right. They also found that the 2nd Amendment is incorporated against the states.


This is about civil rights. You are either pro civil rights or you are in favor of oppressing civil rights. Gun control has absolutely ZERO to do with guns; and everything to do with control.


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Based upon all the hateful, violent, fear-mongering anti-Congress rhetoric I’ve read on this site and other local blogs in San Luis Obispo County, and uncivil behavior at so many local public meetings, I’d say this could have just as easily happened to our honorable, hard-working and compassionate Congresswoman Lois Capps.


It’s a tragedy in the making that our local radio station KVEC continues stoking the flames of irrational violence by continuing to broadcast the hate filled rantings of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and a bunch of other lesser known fear and hate mongers that stink up the local airwaves week after week. .


When will our citizens step up and tell advertisers and broadcasting management that we do NOT want HATE RADIO broadcast every day in our community? Not soon enough!


With that being said, and the predictable results of violent rhetoric coming to fruition in Arizona and elsewhere, I will re-evaluate my own strident words and tone used on blogs and will consider to what extent MY words might also inspire anger that, among vulnerable people, might snowball toward unintended and tragic results.


If we want peace, we have to BE peace. To have love, we be love. But before that can happen, we have to let go of a lot of unhealthy, self-limiting attitudes and habits that we are addicted to. In other words, we have to be courageous.


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Sad commentary of our readers, whoever they are, that so far Wiseguy’s comments, full of wisdom and compassion, have attained a 4 to 1 negative score. I wonder who is out there. Go ahead trippers, flag me down but none of you have had the guts to meet my challenge.


And No, Cindy: the person who shouts “fire’ in a crowded theater is more responsible for trampling the child, not just the person who actually made contact.


Right wing hate radio, the palinistas, tea party nutbags and right wing neocons are responsible for all the hate and violence.

And Dave, I know you are reading this, just when will you get with it and SAY these truths on your show instead of defending these scumbags with the worn out ‘they are just entertainers’? The evil and hate mongering of these folks are moving the nation closer to the edge of the cliff.


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“Rush gas bad rantings”. Yup, Rush sure is a jerk. This isn’t cool but it’s important to remember that there are lots of crazies out there. The responsible party is the man that pulled the trigger.


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We all knew this was going to happen. Sooner or later, a liberal would be shot. It was just a question of who and when. We already know the why.


You have the birthers and the crazed Tea Party and that whole right-wing fringe. Palin, Beck, Hannity. Questioning Obama’s citizenship, suggesting he’s a Muslim, calling him a socialist and what a large threat he is our country. It’s all a sad reminder that words have consequences. May we all pray for this woman to survive, may we all pray for those others who were shot to survive, and may everyone in the media and in politics learn a sobering lesson from this tragedy.


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Sarah Palin’s PAC Puts Gun Sights On Democrats She’s Targeting In 2010


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I’ll put my money this was a crazed fool inspired by Tea Party and/or Rush gas bag rantings. Anyone want to bet?


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RWA


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You lose…


It was a LEFT wing nut job who reads Marx and Hitler.


Now, go donate your bet to the NRA’s political victory fund.


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Left wingers who read Hitler are rare as queer tom cats, this guy was just nuts and doesn’t fit neatly on the L/R political scale ..


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Enough with the Hitler.

It’s not helping.


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