Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) shot

[lamar2006]

Wow this is terrible... RIP to her and I hope her family is doing ok..

she is not dead did you bother reading the posts or actually turning on your TV???

[GGGGG-Men]

No I get you. A lot of people will send condolenses, it's just she's a lightening rod of attention so you'll hear about her's first.

We as a forum have talked about this in the past, and Schmooze is the leader in the anti partisan. He's kind of said your statements before and it's true. It's like we need a tragedy to be able to look across the aisle, and hold our fellow man and say you know what we are alike we are Americans.

I wouldn't say it's random emotion, I would say it's raw emotion full of truth.

Yeah but its beyond "Americans". We are people and incapable of civil existence while the wildest of animals maintain stability amongst themselves.

The polarization that we see in this forum (the reason I disappear from the political debates here) is the foundation for events like this. It builds and builds and the people at the forefront of debate (Rush, Palin, Olbermann, politicians, etc.) instead of reaching out for common ground capitalize on the polarization and strengthen it to gain their own personal support and wealth and power.

All the talking heads and politicians that will now come out and condemn this whole event are the ones responsible. They are there to represent us all and bridge a gap, but instead just add fuel to the fire. Sometimes I'm hopeful, but then stuff like this happens and I just realize there's too much damage done to the social foundation of our world. Maybe everyone just needs to read Eckhart Tolle's New Earth ... Although instead of opening views it would probably just turn into another type of extremism with people blowing themselves up in the name of another book.

[cabernetluver]

This is a completely unfounded statement. If he is a tea partier then why is one of his favorite books The Communist Manifesto? A real tea partier wouldn't touch that book with a 10 foot pole.

Irrespective of his involvement or lack of involvement in the Tea Party, I am a Jew, I have read Mein Kampf. What he may or may not have read cannot be only defined by his self defined grouping. I assure you, my reading was to understand the evil that I saw to help avoid it in the future. Assuming he is a self defined Tea Party member, I think we can agree he might have a copy something to give him the same insight.

Now for the record, he seems to be criminally insane with a tie to the Patriot movement more than the Tea Party movement.

[SLY WILLIAMS]

I dont know what is true and what is not but this person claims they were friends in the past

caitieparker I can't manage all these media requests & @ replies. Too much too fast, can't keep up.
about 1 hour ago
caitieparker This is a circus. Good Morning America just called me.
about 3 hours ago
caitieparker @antderosa it's loughner just checked my year book.
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker @lakarune I haven't seen him since '07. Then, he was left wing.
about 3 hours ago in reply to lakarune
caitieparker @noboa more left. I haven't seen him since '07 though. He became very reclusive.
about 3 hours ago in reply to noboa
caitieparker @antderosa he had a lot of friends until he got alcohol poisoning in '06, & dropped out of school. Mainly loner very philosophical.
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker @antderosa As I knew him he was left wing, quite liberal. & oddly obsessed with the 2012 prophecy.
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker @antderosa he was a pot head & into rock like Hendrix,The Doors, Anti-Flag. I haven't seen him in person since '07 in a sign language class
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker @antderosa He was a political radical & met Giffords once before in '07, asked her a question & he told me she was "stupid & unintelligent"
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker @antderosa I can. That is him.
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker @antderosa I went to high school, college, & was in a band with the gunman. This tragedy has just turned to horrific.
about 3 hours ago in reply to antderosa
caitieparker Official I went to high school & college, & was in a band w/ the gunman. I can't even fathom this right now.
about 3 hours ago
caitieparker Saying Jared Laughner was the gunman. Really hoping that's not the same guy I went to HS with, really good friend. Freaking out right now!!!
about 4 hours ago

http://mobile.twitter.com/caitiepark...79901883682816

[North Country]

This woman has some f'n balls on her:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=485459383434


Not even a word of regret for having Giffords in her crosshairs? She needs to shut up and walk away at a time like this and really for the good and well-being of EVERYONE, she needs to take her limelight dollars and just go away.

This is what sending a vibe of aggression into the world brings you. Where are the Pataki republicans to bring some sanity back to conservatism?

Oops, sorry I may have influenced someone to go shoot you in the head. We'll be praying for you and your family. All better?

[dbroncos78087]

Sorry if I'm getting mad at the wrong people, but how the **** do you report someone died before you know if they're dead?


Anyway, at least reports seem to be encouraging.

The 24-7 media cycle demands it. If they dont post it then someone else will break it first. They are taking the 50-50 gamble and (sadly) hoping they are right in reporting her death. I have that little faith in the media that they will report one side and bank on being right, even if "being right" means that a woman died.

[redsox12]

They get there info from a "source" and they go with it but add that X news source can not confirm.

[Patsfan56]

Update:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us...s.html?_r=1&hp

She's in very critical condition, with the bullet going "through and through". 19people shot, six have died, including a 9 year old girl.

And its a little early for soap boxes fellas. Let's hear what the investigation turns out before we start in on the 10 millionth attack on Palin. I'm no fan of hers, but none of us knows what motivated this. So to start in already seems just a bit tasteless and lacking in substantiated facts.

[Gangreenseason]

This is Sad.

This guy is nuts and the heated political rhetoric in Arizona this past year likely pushed him over the edge. Just Sad.

[North Country]

Police are looking for a second person, supposedly in his 50's but they're not sure if he was involved or not. Loughner's not talking, he's pleaded the 5th and is expected to be in court tomorrow. He used a glock with a 30 round clip and apparently he didn't dispense the entire thing before he was tackled to the ground.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/...pt=T1&iref=BN1

[Labgrownmangoat]

Update:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us...s.html?_r=1&hp

She's in very critical condition, with the bullet going "through and through". 19people shot, six have died, including a 9 year old girl.

And its a little early for soap boxes fellas. Let's hear what the investigation turns out before we start in on the 10 millionth attack on Palin. I'm no fan of hers, but none of us knows what motivated this. So to start in already seems just a bit tasteless and lacking in substantiated facts.

If you're talking to me, I suggest you address your remarks to Rep. Giffords instead.

[North Country]

I watched this on the news with someone who has a few guns and they seemed rather offended by the whole story. When he heard it was a semi-automatic he said, "there's nothing illegal about that", then he said, "not to defend the guy but he kind of had a point about politicians being in it for their own currency". He joked about the husband being only a few days away from a life insurance policy, complained they'll probably put GPS tracking in the guns next, and said the news used the term "extended clip" to try to scare people about guns and he probably only had 12 rounds.

[GGGGG-Men]

Update:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us...s.html?_r=1&hp

She's in very critical condition, with the bullet going "through and through". 19people shot, six have died, including a 9 year old girl.

And its a little early for soap boxes fellas. Let's hear what the investigation turns out before we start in on the 10 millionth attack on Palin. I'm no fan of hers, but none of us knows what motivated this. So to start in already seems just a bit tasteless and lacking in substantiated facts.

I understand your point, but come on. She puts a map and hitlist on her website with crosshairs on politicians including Giffords, while Giffords warns of the dangers in doing this and is attacked for her healthcare bill stance in the past....whatever the motivation, sending out a shooting metaphor for opposition is just asking for trouble, especially when your base is mostly pro-gun/pro-war.

This B.S. violence and partisan attacks have to stop and it starts with us reaching out to each other for compromise and letting those dopes on tv and in D.C. know that there's a better way than red/blue to get things done.

We gotta learn sooner or later and if this thing turns out to be politically motivated (and I suspect they'd like to hush that if it is) then we gotta learn and come together before retaliation is made.

[Patsfan56]

I understand your point, but come on. She puts a map and hitlist on her website with crosshairs on politicians including Giffords, while Giffords warns of the dangers in doing this and is attacked for her healthcare bill stance in the past....whatever the motivation, sending out a shooting metaphor for opposition is just asking for trouble, especially when your base is mostly pro-gun/pro-war.

This B.S. violence and partisan attacks have to stop and it starts with us reaching out to each other for compromise and letting those dopes on tv and in D.C. know that there's a better way than red/blue to get things done.

We gotta learn sooner or later and if this thing turns out to be politically motivated (and I suspect they'd like to hush that if it is) then we gotta learn and come together before retaliation is made.

As I have said many times in this forum, I am no fan of Palin. Not at all. But all I am saying is that before we blame her for this, let's see what this young man was thinking.

And let's not assume for a second conservatives are the only folks capable of violence. I've lived near Seattle and seen first hand some liberal protests where all did not end well.

I agree with your larger point. People are elected to get things done for the good of the people, and even if meaningful compromise isn't achieved in debate, violence is not an answer to achieve political means in this country-period. I want to hear both parties acknowledge that. I don't expect Pelosi to compromise with hard line conservatives on everything, or vice versa. There are too many areas where their objectives are mutually exclusive. But when we lose, we need to move on from it and keep plugging, not hold or turn the other cheek when our parties hold violoent protests or advocate violence in any way. Both parties ahve been guilty of letting rhetoric get out of hand. And it needs to stop, on both sides.

[SmthBluCitrus]

Thread title should probably be changed.

This is tragic and senseless. I don't think I'm one to immediately jump on the bandwagon about an issue, but all of this "don't retreat... RELOAD!;" ""if Congress keeps it up, people may find themselves resorting to Second Amendment remedies;" "armed and dangerous;" etc... needs to stop.

We need to stop vilifying and demonizing political opposition, and threatening violence because they believe in a different way to run the country.