Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona, several dead

[Autumnlicious]

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman at a public event in Tucson on Saturday. There are conflicting reports about whether she was killed.

The Pima County, Ariz., sheriff's office told member station KJZZ the 40-year-old Democrat was killed. A hospital spokeswoman said Giffords was in critical condition and undergoing surgery.

At least eight other people, including members of her staff, were injured. There also were conflicting reports on the number of deaths at the scene, but President Obama, in a statement, said "we know that some have passed away" and that Giffords was "gravely wounded."

REF: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/08/132764367/...1001&sc=nd

She was one of the targets in "Sarah Palin's Cross hairs" for voting on health care reform.

The Pima County Sheriff's office said that five others had died and a total of 18 people were injured.

REF: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...id=topnews

And Michael Yaki, former aide of Pelosi, had this to say:

Perhaps it is because I can still remember watching Bobby Kennedy dying in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, reading about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., watching the replays of Hinckley gunning down Reagan, and, of course, our own City's legacy with George Moscone and Harvey Milk, but I have always had a rather vigilante attitude towards attacks on public officials, real and perceived. Just minutes ago, the shooting spree that targeted Rep. Gabrielle Giffords just brought those horrible memories to the fore yet again.
... more in article...

REF: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/yaki...y_id=80606

Gunman ID'ed. In other news reports, he is an "Afghanistan war veteran".

WASHINGTON (AP) — People familiar with the investigation tell The Associated Press that the gunman held in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and others has been identified as Jared Laughner.

Little information is known immediately about Laughner — such as his background or a possible motive in the attack.

U.S. officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release it publicly.

REF: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...fe74929591


Courtesy of : facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin

Profile of gunman:

Jared Laughner, the man who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), was described by eyewitnesses as a young white man who looked like a "fringe character."

Laughner shot Giffords and 12 others at a public event at a Safeway grocery store in Tucscon. He reportedly shot the congresswoman "point blank" in the head and may have come from inside the store. After shooting Giffords, he allegedly fired 20-30 rounds and hit "a number of people," including a child. He attempted to flee after running out of ammunition and was tackled by one of Giffords' staffers.

Eyewitnesses have described Laughner as "young, mid-to-late 20s, white, clean-shaven with short hair and wearing dark clothing."

He was arrested upon arrival of the sheriff's department.

REF: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/08...06229.html

4:03 PM ET Surgeon 'Very Optimistic' About Giffords, One Dead, Five Critical

A surgeon is "very optimistic" about Rep. Giffords. He adds that she was shot in the head "through and through."

"We cannot tell what kind of recovery but I'm about as optimistic as it can get in this situation."

He also says that there are 10 patients from the shooting, one has died, five are in critical condition. The dead patient was a child -- the only one that came to the hospital.

REF: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/08...e-critical

A U.S. Marshal told the AP that a federal judge was fatally shot, and a hospital official said a 9-year-old child died in the attack.

---

Giffords tweeted shortly before the shooting, saying: “My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later.”

---

Giffords was first elected to Congress amid a wave of Democratic victories in the 2006 election, and she won a narrow victory against a Republican backed by the ultraconservative tea party movement in the 2010 election.

REF: http://www.suntimes.com/3216039-417/giff...woman.html

---

Gunman's youtube videos:
[youtube]nHoaZaLbqB4[/youtube]
REF: http://www.youtube.com/user/Classitup10#...HoaZaLbqB4

Rationale why this is his page:
states his name, age and references his MySpace page, which is now removed.

Analysis:
If this is true, the gunman appears to subscribe to the Tea Party, and is against paper currency, stating:

No, I won't pay debt with a currency that isn't backed by gold and silver.

No, I won't trust in God

The latter part "Trust in God", I believe, is a reference to US dollars having "In God We Trust" on it. This fits in with the video discussing the constitution, federalism and currency.

Hoo boy, anyone want to take bets on when someone takes the "Trust in God" part and runs with it?

[AtheistPhil]

It's a sad day for America
Hopefully, it seems Ms. Giffords is probably going to survive her injury.

From his videos on youtube, one can definitely say the shooter is completely paranoid...

[Minimalist]

Way too many psychos walking around with guns out here....and the republicans in the legislature keep looking for more and more places to allow them.

Again, as last term, one shitwit wants to allow guns on college campuses.

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

Clearly this guy and the time cube guy need to get together along with the birthers and the crazier teabaggers to start their own nation.

[Shell B]

What a world.

I hope she gets better, though I doubt she'll be returning to work anytime soon. Being shot right through the head is never good. She is extraordinarily lucky to be alive, if that is truly the case.

On a side note, I can't believe that fucker hit a kid. I would like to think no one would aim at a child, but one has to assume that he knew how to aim his firearm, if he really is a vet. Makes me want to blurt out a string of obscenities.

[Ashendant]

Clearly this guy and the time cube guy need to get together along with the birthers and the crazier teabaggers to start their own nation.

Hopefully in some place without a breathable atmosphere

[Rev. Rye]

Well, if the worst does happen, I think it's very likely that the incident will backfire spectacularly, because that guy will have created a martyr. Even if she survives, I'm almost certain that, like Charles Sumner a century and a half before her, this would steel her resolve against the right-wing, and it's likely that would rub off on others.

[Minimalist]

What a world.

I hope she gets better, though I doubt she'll be returning to work anytime soon. Being shot right through the head is never good. She is extraordinarily lucky to be alive, if that is truly the case.

On a side note, I can't believe that fucker hit a kid. I would like to think no one would aim at a child, but one has to assume that he knew how to aim his firearm, if he really is a vet. Makes me want to blurt out a string of obscenities.

Go ahead....I've probably heard most of them before.

[Autumnlicious]

On a side note, I can't believe that fucker hit a kid. I would like to think no one would aim at a child, but one has to assume that he knew how to aim his firearm, if he really is a vet. Makes me want to blurt out a string of obscenities.

Those killed today: Christina Greene, 9, Gabe Zimmerman, 30, John Roll, 63, Dorthy Murray, 76, Dorwin Stoddard, 76, Phyllis Scheck, 79

REF: http://twitter.com/KOLD_news13/status/23956618349645824

Also, US Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have massacred entire families. One nice gem: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_killings

Monsters are far more prevalent among us.

Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine would do much to hamstring the vitriolic mass spewed by too many "pundits" and "commentators" who happen to make a lot of money while adding to the crazy.

Honestly, if your campaign involves slinging violent rhetoric, with incitement to violence such as murder, threats, et al., it's time to stop it.

Insane!? The universe is insane enough already. Anything else would be superfluous!

[Jaysyn]

An interesting editorial article I found on Google News.

The Wrath of Fools: An Open Letter to the Far Right