Congresswoman Shot

Saya · 01-08-2011, 11:38 AM

Quote:

U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and at least six others have died after a gunman sprayed bullets into a public meeting on Saturday, Pima County sheriff's office in Arizona confirmed to National Public Radio.
A gunman ran up to Giffords, 40, and shot her in the head as she addressed supporters outside a Safeway grocery store, according to media reports.
The gunman was in custody.
Giffords, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner" event at the store in northwest Tucson, NPR reported.
Giffords, 40, a Democrat, is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. She took office in January 2007, emphasizing issues such as immigration reform, embryonic stem-cell research, alternative energy sources and a higher minimum wage.
The Arizona politician's office had been vandalized last March just hours after the House vote overhauling the health care system, The New York Times reported.

Earlier events in Tucson, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Sierra Vista, and Douglas had attracted a crowd of 150, according to a statement announcing the event.
This is a breaking news story, check back for details.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40978517/ns/politics/

I don't have any commentary, except "Holy shit."

Renatus · 01-08-2011, 12:05 PM

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/08/co...ec1_lnk5|35380
This one is reporting that 5 other people were killed and 6 were wounded. I knew people in Arizona weren't exactly fond of the government, but this is too much. I wonder if the mail fire bomber also lives in Arizona.

Saya · 01-08-2011, 12:27 PM

Yeah, it seems that she's still alive but in critical condition. There's going to be a press conferance in an hour.

JCC · 01-08-2011, 12:39 PM

Crazy. Maybe this will encourage her to change her conservative views on gun control.

Saya · 01-08-2011, 01:17 PM

I think after being shot in the head she'll be lucky to have the ability to have political opinions.

JCC · 01-08-2011, 02:21 PM

You never seen the World Is Not Enough? She will still have political opinions, she will just also try and destroy an oil route in a nuclear explosion.

KontanKarite · 01-08-2011, 05:15 PM

...God fucking damn it.

HumanePain · 01-08-2011, 08:51 PM

Republicans now using drug cartel approach to democratic debate:
Sarah Palin uses crosshairs on Arizona representative and the target is "neutralized".

Republican violence and war talk is working:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-wa..._b_806248.html

Following Giffords Shooting, Sarah Palin's Crosshairs Website Quickly Scrubbed From Internet

In the minutes following the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and members of her staff, the website operated by Sarah Palin that illustrated Gifford's 8th district with gun crosshairs drawn on a map was scrubbed from the internet.
The site, TakeBackThe20.com, was operating normally at 1:07 CST when I connected to obtain an image of the crosshairs map:

When I connected approximately one hour later at 2:10 PM, the site had been replaced with a webserver error, meaning that the webserver was answering but that the content upon it an hour earlier was not being served

Later, at approximately 2:45 PM, the server could no longer be reached at all. Clicks to it met with a DNS error, meaning that any clicks to TakeBackThe20.com would not find an underlying IP address.

While material on the site including the aformementioned map can be found elsewhere on Facebook and Twitter and other web sites, at press time, no image of the site was found in The Internet Archive at archive.org.

Here is another link to the same image as I fully expect the cowards to dodge accountability by pulling the picture form their website very soon if not already:

Despanan · 01-08-2011, 08:55 PM

Guy killed a 9 year old girl...

And Sarah Palin had Crosshairs on her district?

...

Wow...just...wow.

KontanKarite · 01-08-2011, 09:30 PM

They really need to blow the lid off this shit.

Hydrodyssodia · 01-08-2011, 10:21 PM

Apparently the guy listed Mein Kampf and the Comunist Manifesto as his favourite books. Wait what?

Despanan · 01-08-2011, 10:31 PM

Dude's politics could easily be summed up as incomprehensible.

PortraitOfSanity · 01-08-2011, 10:48 PM

The unfortunate thing about modern American left-wing politics is that we've lost all the militants who might be willing to stand up to this kind of bullshit to the whack-jobs who support it.

KontanKarite · 01-08-2011, 11:47 PM

This just happened virtually a handful of hours ago. We will most likely have to see how the conservatives are going to react to this.

Honestly... I don't know what to think about this. Part of me wonders if it actually was an assassination attempt and the guy afterwards stated some obviously incomprehensible shit to paint himself out to be nothing but a fallguy. I want to think it was just some crazy redneck who was a complete nut and that the whole thing was a coincidence with the parallels between the rep and Palin's website.

Renatus · 01-09-2011, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Despanan

Dude's politics could easily be summed up as incomprehensible.

I wouldn't call it incomprehensible, just plain stupid due to what sounds like hes not getting enough blood flow to the brain. I say that for numerous reasons. He describes himself as "conscious dreaming" or something like that. His logic reminds me a bit of the logic I experience sometimes when I'm either just about to fall asleep, or when my brain's blood flow is reduced when I am pursuing more... pleasurable endeavors. Everything seems to make perfect sense, but when blood flow is restored I am left wondering what the hell was I thinking. Then there is also the fact that the music in his intro video, is the sort of music that makes one very sleepy.

What if he has some sort of condition that leaves him in such a state the majority of the time, to the extent that, his flawed logic dominates his mind. It could be simply that his paranoia has lead to insomnia which would have obvious results that would make sense as an explanation for this horrible action.

I would explain further, but I am rather tired at the moment, and if my theory is correct, then I'd rather not put myself in a situation that would promote such a state.

Still Jack · 01-09-2011, 01:15 AM

I am so glad I don't live in the US. Really Arizona?

CptSternn · 01-09-2011, 01:16 AM

AZ shooting targets US congresswoman, kills 6

http://tinyurl.com/35qpv5x

Ye can read the whole article yerselves, but here are a few quotes I thought were worth posting...

Quote:

Dupnik said Giffords was among 13 people wounded in the melee that killed six people — including 9-year-old Christina Greene, 30-year-old Gifford aide Gabe Zimmerman, and U.S. District Judge John Roll. The 63-year-old judge had just stopped by to see his friend Giffords after attending Mass. Dupnik said the rampage ended only after two people tackled the gunman. Also killed were 76-year-old Dorthy Murray, 76-year-old Dorwin Stoddard, and 79-year-old Phyllis Scheck, investigators said.

...

Greg Segalini, an uncle of Christina, the 9-year-old victim, told the Arizona Republic that a neighbor was going to the event and invited her along because she had just been elected to the student council and was interested in government.

Christina, who was born on Sept. 11, 2001, was involved in many activities, from ballet to baseball. She had just received her first Holy Communion at St. Odilia's Catholic Church on in Tucson, Catholic Diocese of Tucson officials told The Arizona Daily Star.

...

The sheriff blamed the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country, much of it occurring in Arizona.

"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," he said. "And unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."

Giffords expressed similar concern, even before the shooting. In an interview after her office was vandalized, she referred to the animosity against her by conservatives, including Sarah Palin's decision to list Giffords' seat as one of the top "targets" in the midterm elections.

"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.

During his campaign effort to unseat Giffords in November, Republican challenger Jesse Kelly held fundraisers where he urged supporters to help remove Giffords from office by joining him to shoot a fully loaded M-16 rifle. Kelly is a former Marine who served in Iraq and was pictured on his website in military gear holding his automatic weapon and promoting the event.

"I don't see the connection," between the fundraisers featuring weapons and Saturday's shooting, said John Ellinwood, Kelly's spokesman. "I don't know this person, we cannot find any records that he was associated with the campaign in any way. I just don't see the connection.

You have to love the Palins and Kelly, the tea bagger who Palin supported and encouraged people to bring guns to his opponets rallies says 'I don't see the connection'.

Who would have though posting political rhetoric like don't retreat - reload, posting gun sights on her in adverts, and encouraging their supporters to show up with loaded weapons to her rallies would lead to this sort of behavior?

HumanePain · 01-10-2011, 09:36 AM

Her Republican opponent Jesse Kelly published this call for arms at her office last June 2010:

BlackBlood · 01-11-2011, 03:50 AM

blah.. when will you americans learn that gun-control is a pretty good idea??
Sweden is MUCH better. Not..

Despanan · 01-13-2011, 08:02 PM

According to wikipedia he was more into Zeitgiest than Sarah Palin.

This might put him somewhat into the Glenn Beck camp, because of the conspiracy theories. Zeitgiest worships Lou Dobbs and endorses Ron and Rand Paul.

Given this information, and the fact that he seems to have had it out for Gabrielle since 2007, I find the charge that it was the right wing's violent rhetoric to be unlikely, though once again, the conspiracy stuff DOES link him to Beck, at least indirectly.

One COULD make a Tea Party connection there, though without more information, that would be pretty thin.

CptSternn · 01-14-2011, 04:28 AM

It's safe to say he wasn't a democrat.

Underwater Ophelia · 01-14-2011, 06:21 AM

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin. I am not a supporter of Sarah Palin.

But she is being fucking scapegoated. If Sarah Palin putting crosshairs on a map is to blame for a person being shot, so is music, TV, and videogames.

Blame the fucking person, don't blame everything going on around him.

Not only that, but it really seems that some people are implying that the republicans are the only ones using violent rhetoric. How about when Obama said those who oppose him are "enemies" who "will be punished?" How about when he said "if they bring a knife, we bring a gun?"

If Palin is to blame for using crosshair imagery, Obama is to blame FOR ACTUALLY SAYING TO USE A GUN.

HumanePain · 01-14-2011, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin. I am not a supporter of Sarah Palin.

But she is being fucking scapegoated. If Sarah Palin putting crosshairs on a map is to blame for a person being shot, so is music, TV, and videogames.

Blame the fucking person, don't blame everything going on around him.

Not only that, but it really seems that some people are implying that the republicans are the only ones using violent rhetoric. How about when Obama said those who oppose him are "enemies" who "will be punished?" How about when he said "if they bring a knife, we bring a gun?"

If Palin is to blame for using crosshair imagery, Obama is to blame FOR ACTUALLY SAYING TO USE A GUN.

True that. Here are some equally appaling Democratic quotes and their sources:
-Chris Matthews fantasizing on air about seeing Rush Limbaugh shot in the head. http://hotair.com/archives/2009/10/1...rush-limbaugh/

-Sandra Bernhard: Sarah Palin should be GANG ***** if she comes to New York. http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/20...warning-2.html

-The Craig Kilborn Show superimposing the words "Snipers Wanted" over the face of President George W. Bush. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documen...-target-bush-0

-Nobel "Peace Prize" winner Betty Williams publicly stating her desire to murder President George W. Bush. http://hotair.com/archives/2006/07/2...rder-a-chance/

-British film makers Gabriel Range and Simon Finch making a 2006 movie fantasizing about assassinating President George W. Bush. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853096/

-Alec Baldwin urging the murder of Henry Hyde, his family, and ALL Congressional Republicans and their families on national television..... http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ess.html?cat=9

-David Guy McKay and Bradley Neil Crowder, two America-hating left-wing terrorists, were arrested by the FBI after conspiring to firebomb Republicans at the 2008 GOP Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The American Media refused to report the story. http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-194812.html

-NPR commentator and ABC News reporter Nina Totenberg wishes death by AIDS on Senator Jesse Helms and/or his grandchildren. http://www.mrc.org/notablequotables/...comeaward6.asp

-Julianne Malveaux publicly wishes death on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. http://www.holeinthehull.com/2010/07...homas-dead.htm

-Obama supporter bites off finger of Tea Party supporter. http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.co...red-his-story/

-Last but certainly not least, then-candidate Barack Hussein Obama promised to bring a gun to a knife fight. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/0...e-bring-a-gun/ Later, as President of the United States, BHO told Democrats to "punch back twice as hard", and later making the statement "Republicans are the enemy". http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/a...on-thugs-.html

KontanKarite · 01-14-2011, 08:28 AM

Actually... I'd have to say that if anything was an inspiration to this cat, it'd probably be the political climate that we're in right now, especially in Arizona.

I think it's safe to say that we all harbor violent ideas, weather it's from our own constructs or from the media. Where you'd have to draw the line on those is who acts upon them wantonly and who has the intellectual filter to keep their ideas in their head.

I mean, I WANT to blame the violent rhetoric on the right for this as the inspiration for the crime. But I'd rather the democrat party win their votes and support honestly and fairly even more so.

And I've said that plenty of times before but not on here. That your political opponent doesn't need lies and slander to look bad and win you support. You can just observe them for what they are. Their own actions and words are bad enough.

Palin's speech bothered the shit out of me though. Her language sounded very... selective when it came to the victims and her use of the word "blood libel".

Saya · 01-14-2011, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KontanKarite

Palin's speech bothered the shit out of me though. Her language sounded very... selective when it came to the victims and her use of the word "blood libel".

I had no idea Palin killed Christian children for matzos!

She's so stupid it hurts, but she's not to blame. I do think the political climate certainly doesn't help, and she does contribute to it, but she's not the only one.

This isn't the only political shooting that happened, and there were ones that were clearly linked to pundit's rhetorics (Like the 2008 Unitarian Church shooting). I kinda hate that we're only starting to care because politicians were attacked.