Federal judge dead, congresswoman among 12 wounded in shooting

[Sledgstone 8,672]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/arizona.shooting/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

(CNN) -- A federal judge was killed and a congresswoman gravely wounded Saturday in a shooting outside of a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store, according to police and government officials.

In all, six people died and 12 were wounded in the shooting, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, according to Rick Kastigar, bureau chief for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

President Barack Obama later said Chief Judge John Roll of the U.S. District Court for Arizona was among the dead.

Gabe Zimmerman, the director of community outreach in the congresswoman's Tuscon office, died in the attack, Giffords' press secretary C.J. Karamargin said, as did a 9-year-old girl, according to authorities.

The girl is one of four victims whose identity has not yet been released.

An Arizona law enforcement source and a federal law enforcement source identified the suspect as Jared Lee Loughner. Other law enforcement sources put his age at 22. U.S. Capitol Police said the suspect was in custody.

Police recovered a 9mm Glock Model 19 handgun, according to senior law enforcement sources. The weapon had a 30-round magazine, a federal law enforcement source briefed on the investigation said.

An Arizona law enforcement source told CNN that Loughner is not talking to investigators and has invoked his right against self-incrimination.

Dr. Peter Rhee of University Medical Center in Tucson, said Giffords, 40, had undergone surgery for a single gunshot to the head that passed through her brain. Giffords was among five patients listed in critical condition, Rhee said.

At least two victims with gunshot wounds were transported to another hospital, Northwest Medical Center, according to spokesman Richard Parker.

Kastigar declined to comment on a possible motive for the attack. Police have set a news conference to discuss developments in the case for 6 p.m. (8 p.m. ET).

The attack occurred after 10 a.m. (noon ET) outside a Safeway grocery store where Giffords was holding a previously scheduled constituent meeting.

Giffords staffer Mark Kimble told CNN affiliate KGUN that the congresswoman did not have any security with her Saturday morning, which was not unusual for her.

"She wants to be as accessible to the people who elected her as possible," Kimble said.

Karamargin said he was not aware of any call for Giffords to heighten her security measures because of recent threats.

Tucson police Chief Roberto Villasenor said his department had secured the homes and offices of some unnamed federal officials as a "precautionary measure."

Although U.S. Capitol Police said there was no evidence of a broader threat involving federal officials, the agency said it had advised other members of Congress to take "reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal safety and security," the agency said in a statement.

Obama said he had directed FBI Director Robert Mueller to travel to Arizona to support the investigation. An FBI spokesman said the agency was sending agents to the scene,

Rhee, in a brief news conference at the hospital, said that Giffords had been moved to intensive care from surgery and said he was "very optimistic" about her recovery.

"I'm about as optimistic as it can get in this situation," he said.

He said the next 24 hours will be key for determining the extent of her recovery.

Giffords, a Democrat, was first elected in 2006. She has served as chairwoman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee and also holds seats on the House Science and Technology and Armed Services committees.

She won her third term in a closely contested race against a Tea Party-sponsored candidate and was one of three Democratic legislators who reported vandalism at their offices following the March vote on health care reform.

She is married to Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, a NASA astronaut who is scheduled to lead a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station.

Roll was a 1991 Bush appointee to the federal bench. The chief judge for the U.S. District Court for Arizona, he was originally from Pennsylvania.

Colleagues and admirers of Giffords and Roll reacted quickly to the shooting.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the attack was committed by a "wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion."

"Whoever did this, whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law," he said.

Obama called the attack an "unspeakable tragedy."

"We do not yet have all the answers," he said. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society."

House Speaker John Boehner said he was "horrified" by the shooting.

"An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve," he said. "Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society."

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts issued a statement decrying the shootings and the loss of Roll, whom he called a "wise jurist who selflessly served Arizona and the nation with great distinction."

"Chief Judge Roll's death is a somber reminder of the rule of law and the sacrifices of those who work to secure it," Roberts said.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said an incident like this could have a chilling effect on the frequent weekend listening post sessions many members of Congress have with their constituents.

"It does give you pause," Pingree said.

Holy shit.

and:

Sarah Palin Criticized Over Gabrielle Giffords Presence on "Target List"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20027918-503544.html

I have a feeling everyone else on this list better increase their security measures. And of course, lets all thank Palin for inciting murder.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

And here is a pic of her tea bag party opponent Jesse Kelly that she beat in the election:

(same article from above:)

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20027918-503544.html

Jesse Kelly, meanwhile, doesn't seem to be bothered in the least by the Sarah Palin controversy earlier this year, when she released a list of targeted races in crosshairs, urging followers to "reload" and "aim" for Democrats. Critics said she was inciting violence.

He seems to be embracing his fellow tea partier's idea. Kelly's campaign event website has a stern-looking photo of the former Marine in military garb holding his weapon. It includes the headline: "Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."

wtf. Sick ass bastards wanting people dead and inciting murder.

And to top it all off, Giffords will probably have to be replaced.. and if thats the case, then the most likely outcome will be that the governor (a republican) will have to chose a replacement to fill her seat for the remainder of her term.. who will she pick? Probably the same nutter that she ran against. One of the people who wanted her dead so that they could rise into power.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Bill O'Riely got away with his Tiller the baby killer campaign that led to Dr Tiller being gunned down in church by a fox news fan

Sarah Palin will also get away with her target list and reload bullshit

[Myk JL 1,731]

If they continue to incite such violence I fear we will lose our 2nd Amendment.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

I don't think we'll lose our second amendment.. if anything, maybe these fanatic news commentators will have to take responsibility for their words.

FOX News cuts away from 'Giffords vigil' when Sarah Palin's name is mentioned

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/fox-news-cuts-away-giffords-vigil-when-

How quickly fox news covers her ass.. wow. This is probably the worst press Sarah Palin has ever been a part of. TLC cancels her show, and now her target list is thrown back in her face. Even if this guy is not a fox news or sarah palin fan, the fact that palin has her target list with gunsights and the comments she's made about 'reload'

http://visiontoamerica.org/story/jane-fonda-blames-giffords-shooting-on-sarah-palin-glenn-beck-and-the-tea-party.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

How fucked up... she even mentions Palin's target list in an interview and how something like that has consequences:

[ame]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36033690#36033690[/ame]

I'm sure fox news will cover this shit up somehow with their own story and highly denounce all these people that are claiming Palin had anything to do with the shooting.. and they'll never show her target list. yada yada yada. O'Reilly's no spin zone my ass. He'll be the one doing the spinning.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

No more shootings, no more hate

pol.moveon.orgIn the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, we must end the violent rhetoric that has exploded in American politics. Join me in calling on every member of Congress and the major TV news networks to debate, not hate.

LIBERAL And Proud Of It

Nine-year-old victim of deadly Tucson shooting rampage identified

www.kidk.comThe identity of the nine-year-old tragically killed in Saturday morning's shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona is Christina Taylor Green.

Tell Sarah Palin to stop inciting violence. | Change.org

www.change.orgRep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) & 11 others were gunned down in a senseless act of a violence. Giffords was on Palin's "target list" before the ...

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Was Jared Loughner's Act Political?

He didn't shoot Gabrielle Giffords randomly and it turned out she just happened to be a politician. He sought her out, targeted her and then tried to kill her based on the fact that she was a politician. He thought the government was the problem and it was unresponsive to his psychotic demands on grammar and currency. So, is Loughner a psycho? Obviously. And that's not just because he shot all of those innocent people, but also because it is abundantly clear from his writings and videos that he has significant mental issues.

But why does the act have to be either psychotic or political? It's obviously both. It was a psychotic act driven by his political beliefs. What's so hard to understand about that?

Then, the next question is whether both sides are equally at fault. Again, I'm confused by this question. What the hell did the Democrats or liberals do here? Nothing, except get shot. How can the media possibly attach false equivalency to this? Are the Democrats equally culpable for getting shot as the conservatives are for shooting them?

Loughner shot a Democrat. Gee, I wonder which side he was on? He hated the government and thought they were out to get us. Gee, I wonder which side he was on?

I thought conservatives said liberals love big government. But now some have the audacity to claim Loughner was a liberal . But if one thing is obvious from Loughner's political writings, it was that he hated the government. So, which one is it -- do liberals love or hate the government?

Come on, this is all a smoke screen to make sure people don't see what's going on here. In the last two years, there have been dozens of attacks and shootings aimed at government officials and political organizations. Every single one of them was directed at liberals, Democrats or the government. Now we're to believe that's the world's largest coincidence?

The conservative hate-mongers don't create psychos. We get that there will always be disturbed individuals out there. But the right-wing directs these lunatics to a source. They channel their fear, anger and paranoia -- and they point them toward the Democrats. They use them as hate seeking missiles.

They load them up them up with violent imagery, whether it's talk of cross-hairs or second amendment remedies or the tree of liberty being refreshed with blood. Then when they get a violent reaction they pretend to be surprised and outraged that anyone would suggest they were the least bit culpable. The reality is that it is a simple formula -- violence in, violence out. Violent imagery in, violent results out.

If pretending this isn't political or that somehow it is both-sided doesn't work (which they shouldn't worry about because so far it has

), then they say it's political exploitation to point out what they have done.

How the hell are we supposed to point out the problem if we can't mention the issue for fear of being charged with political exploitation? Would it be exploiting the tragedy of the BP oil spill to point out that maybe we should be a little careful about oil drilling? Or are we not supposed to make the most obvious points so that we don't offend the other political side's delicate sensibilities?

You know who exploited a tragedy for political gain? George W. Bush and the entire Republican Party. They used 9/11 as a gimmick to get re-elected. Then they exploited it to attack a random country that had nothing to do with 9/11. It is nearly impossible to exploit a tragedy anymore than they did with 9/11. And maybe that's why they level the charge against us now, because they know that's the first thing they'd do.

But pointing out that conservative commentators and politicians have been inciting their followers isn't done to get anyone elected. I don't even know whose election this would theoretically effect. This isn't done to press some policy agenda (again, outside of gun control, I can't even think of what agenda we are supposed to theoretically be pushing for). This is to point out an obvious fact that is getting people killed -- if you incite violence, you get violence.

To pretend that isn't happening all across the country everyday on talk radio, etc. is to be willfully blind to reality -- and to allow it to happen again. And trust me, next time they'll also say no one could have seen it coming and that whatever we do we mustn't talk about it. Preventing another tragedy like this would be such terrible exploitation. Better to be quiet and let them do it again.

Watch The Young Turks Here

Clarifications:

I didn't think these clarifications were necessary, but apparently they are for some. So, here it goes.

1. I am not saying all conservatives are responsible. I got an e-mail from a conservative saying I am blaming him for breathing. I am not blaming him at all (unless he had a national platform and talked about "targeting" liberals, Democrats, etc.), let alone for breathing.

2. I don't believe the proper remedy is limiting anyone's freedom of speech. I never suggested that. In fact, I am sure if anyone passed such a law, not only would it be unconstitutional, but it would be almost exclusively used against the left.

2A. Of course, I don't mind Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin attacking Democrats. That's their job. I am asking them to use some caution in how they frame their attacks and not to use violent imagery that eggs people on.

On the show, I was very specific on what kinds of language I was referring to (I also have a link in the story above to examples).

3. I don't think that Jared Loughner necessarily listened to an episode of the Glenn Beck show and then went and did this (although others, like Byron Williams did specifically do just that). I am saying that these conservative leaders are purposely creating an environment in which this type of violence festers.

4. Lastly, I am not saying that these conservative leaders celebrated this news or wanted this specific outcome. I assume they are still human. But they knew, or should have known, that they were creating the environment that led to this kind of violence -- and they didn't give a damn.

What did you think was going to happen when you kept telling people to grab their guns, the government was endangering their family and way of life and that they should defend themselves? This was going to happen. Don't pretend otherwise.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

The shooting in Tucson was not an anomaly. It was an inevitability.

Let's Get This Straight: There Is No Progressive Equivalent to the Right's Violent Rhetoric

[Myk JL 1,731]

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