Arizona congresswoman shot

OG_slinger wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:
sheared wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Sarah Palin stuff is kinda crazy. People keep retweeting "Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"" and the above image.

Jayhawker wrote:

I take back how much fun I was going to have watching the Tea Party disintegrate.

No sh*t.

Isn't it just assumption that it's Tea Partiers (or even right wing people) at this point, or is there some firm evidence of this?

Yes

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

All the evidence is pointing that he's an anarchist nut, he listens to anti-flag which isn't tea bagger music.

Dimmerswitch wrote:

I really don't want this to be politically motivated, but I'm having a hard time coming up with any other reasons right now.

Since the target was apparently a politician, the attack being politically motivated is very likely. Doesn't change the fact that it's wrong.

As an outside observer, I don't agree with the demonification of Palin or the Teaparty, it's getting a bit ridiculous and it doesn't help that much. Still, that Palin poster had the perfect combination of the wrong imagery with the wrong wording.

The guy made three text-only utterly crazy Youtube videos. They're on Huffington Post. Link:

Perhaps evidence will come out that he was some radical right-winger, but I think at this point the Tea Party stuff can be let go and we can focus on the fact that the guy was completely and utterly crazy.

Ulairi wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:
sheared wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Sarah Palin stuff is kinda crazy. People keep retweeting "Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"" and the above image.

Jayhawker wrote:

I take back how much fun I was going to have watching the Tea Party disintegrate.

No sh*t.

Isn't it just assumption that it's Tea Partiers (or even right wing people) at this point, or is there some firm evidence of this?

Yes

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

All the evidence is pointing that he's an anarchist nut, he listens to anti-flag which isn't tea bagger music.

What evidence? A Tweet from someone claiming to know him from high school?

According to Fox News, an online posting of the shooter:

...lists reading under interests, as well as "conscience dreams," and among his favorite books are "Mein Kampf," the "Communist Manifesto," "Animal Farm" and "Brave New World."

We'll know more about him soon, but this favorites list trends 'wacko.'

OG_slinger wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:
sheared wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Sarah Palin stuff is kinda crazy. People keep retweeting "Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"" and the above image.

Jayhawker wrote:

I take back how much fun I was going to have watching the Tea Party disintegrate.

No sh*t.

Isn't it just assumption that it's Tea Partiers (or even right wing people) at this point, or is there some firm evidence of this?

Yes

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

All the evidence is pointing that he's an anarchist nut, he listens to anti-flag which isn't tea bagger music.

What evidence? A Tweet from someone claiming to know him from high school?

his youtube profile and other online postings. what evidence is that he's a tea bagger? other than you don't like tea baggers.

I don't think this guy was a Tea Party operative. I think he is one of thousands of loons out there that have been whipped up by Sarah Palin and the rest of the Tea Party crowd.

Yeah, I wasn't making the assumption that the guy who did the shooting is part of the tea party, but this reflects pretty bad on a couple things about Palin.

His Youtube rants reek of schizophrenia, but his paranoia seems heavily laced with conservative buzz words; English language literacy, the corruption of the Constitution and a lack of a gold standard.

The potential lesson of this might be that Fox news is dangerous to the mentally ill.

Badferret wrote:

His Youtube rants reek of schizophrenia, but his paranoia seems heavily laced with conservative buzz words; English language literacy, the corruption of the Constitution and a lack of a gold standard.

The potential lesson of this might be that Fox news is dangerous to the mentally ill.

In switching around to the three news channels -- CNN, Fox and MSNBC, I've been most disappointed with MSNBC talking about Democratic representatives needing to take extra precautions now. The implied assumption being that it was some right-wing conspiracy. I've not gotten that from CNN or Fox (not that I would have though I would from Fox).

Funkenpants wrote:

According to Fox News, an online posting of the shooter:

...lists reading under interests, as well as "conscience dreams," and among his favorite books are "Mein Kampf," the "Communist Manifesto," "Animal Farm" and "Brave New World."

We'll know more about him soon, but this favorites list trends 'wacko.'

Hey...

I like Animal Farm and Brave New World.

HansomB1derful wrote:
Funkenpants wrote:

According to Fox News, an online posting of the shooter:

...lists reading under interests, as well as "conscience dreams," and among his favorite books are "Mein Kampf," the "Communist Manifesto," "Animal Farm" and "Brave New World."

We'll know more about him soon, but this favorites list trends 'wacko.'

Hey...

I like Animal Farm and Brave New World.

You're fine, just as long as you don't also like Catcher in the Rye, because...that would be the trifecta of crazy!

But seriously, those 3 books are about the best things I was forced to read in high school.

The guy looks like a crazy. I think the non-political comments to the effect that "rhetoric matters" and "how we make a point is important too" are more valuable than smearing political movements.

On that note, though, Sarah Palin just took a large cannonball through her sails. She's gonna have some 'splainin' to do, in public, and soon. Here's hoping she hasn't suddenly grown some political sense, along with an emergency brain...

Robear wrote:

The guy looks like a crazy. I think the non-political comments to the effect that "rhetoric matters" and "how we make a point is important too" are more valuable than smearing political movements.

I'd like to see this message clearly made by our party leaders and pundits in the next few days. I'm not hopeful, but I give the benefit of the doubt in the wake of a terrible tragedy.

“Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there are consequences to that action.” - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (3/25/2010)

Palin has been surprisingly quiet. Isn't she usually hard to get off the news channels?

Jayhawker wrote:

“Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there are consequences to that action.” - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (3/25/2010)

Link to that interview.

sheared wrote:

Palin has been surprisingly quiet. Isn't she usually hard to get off the news channels?

This is her written statement:

On the tragedy in Arizona

My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona.

On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.

- Sarah Palin

sheared wrote:

Palin has been surprisingly quiet. Isn't she usually hard to get off the news channels?

Unlike most of the politicians that have issued statements, she did not condemn the action.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., while traveling in Colombia:
"I am horrified by the violent attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and many other innocent people by a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion. I pray for Gabby and the other victims, and for the repose of the souls of the dead and comfort for their families. I beg our loving Creator to spare the lives of those who are still alive, heal them in body and spirit, and return them to their loved ones. 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."
Robear wrote:

The guy looks like a crazy. I think the non-political comments to the effect that "rhetoric matters" and "how we make a point is important too" are more valuable than smearing political movements.

On that note, though, Sarah Palin just took a large cannonball through her sails. She's gonna have some 'splainin' to do, in public, and soon. Here's hoping she hasn't suddenly grown some political sense, along with an emergency brain...

I hope you're right but I don't think that she'll have any explanation because she's a religious icon not a political one.

Ulairi wrote:
Robear wrote:

The guy looks like a crazy. I think the non-political comments to the effect that "rhetoric matters" and "how we make a point is important too" are more valuable than smearing political movements.

On that note, though, Sarah Palin just took a large cannonball through her sails. She's gonna have some 'splainin' to do, in public, and soon. Here's hoping she hasn't suddenly grown some political sense, along with an emergency brain...

I hope you're right but I don't think that she'll have any explanation because she's a religious icon not a political one.

Ulairi wrote:
Robear wrote:

The guy looks like a crazy. I think the non-political comments to the effect that "rhetoric matters" and "how we make a point is important too" are more valuable than smearing political movements.

On that note, though, Sarah Palin just took a large cannonball through her sails. She's gonna have some 'splainin' to do, in public, and soon. Here's hoping she hasn't suddenly grown some political sense, along with an emergency brain...

I hope you're right but I don't think that she'll have any explanation because she's a religious icon not a political one.

There is a regrettable lack of difference between the two for a sizable portion of the population.

sheared wrote:

Palin has been surprisingly quiet. Isn't she usually hard to get off the news channels?

I think her staff is too busy deleting her condemning Facebook and Twitter posts.

And Boehner's condemnation is what he should have done over a year ago when asked to comment on the "2nd amendment solutions" rhetoric of candidates in his party.

Robear wrote:

The guy looks like a crazy. I think the non-political comments to the effect that "rhetoric matters" and "how we make a point is important too" are more valuable than smearing political movements.

On that note, though, Sarah Palin just took a large cannonball through her sails. She's gonna have some 'splainin' to do, in public, and soon. Here's hoping she hasn't suddenly grown some political sense, along with an emergency brain...

On the former, I fully agree.

On the latter, I don't think she did, because by Monday afternoon, this will be "how DARE the left attempt to implicate me in this atrocity", et cetera. He's not a Tea Partier, and he's not "a liberal", as the Tea Party's mouthpieces have already labeled him. Both sides will be looking to pin him on the other.

But this is a tragedy, and this should make us re-think how we discuss politics in the public sphere, because it was coming.

Her husband and brother are astronauts. Said brother is on the ISS right now. Yikes.

NM, grumble, thought it was the other thread.

I'm sure all the Palins and Becks of the world that called for the tree of liberty to be refreshed are happy today. You incite hatred and violence and you get... hatred and violence.

Ulairi wrote:

his youtube profile and other online postings. what evidence is that he's a tea bagger? other than you don't like tea baggers.

He shot a Congresswoman singled out by Palin by crosshair icons, who also used the saying "don't retreat, reload".

From what I've read, Congresswoman is awake, recognizes her family and is talking.