Video: Gabby Giffords Back On House Floor For Debt Vote

Not only did congressional leaders finally agree to a debt deal to raise the ceiling, which was written about and reacted to yesterday but during the House vote, Gabrielle Giffords, after a gunshot to the head and rehabilitation afterward, was present for the House vote to raise the ceiling.

Video below:



The Daily Caller:

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a gunshot wound to the head during an horrific assassination attempt earlier this year, received a standing ovation in Congress as she surprised members by showing up to vote in favor of raising the federal debt ceiling.

“Gabrielle has returned to Washington to support a bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis,” her Twitter account announced shortly before the vote. Her Tweet instructed viewers to turn on C-SPAN to watch.

It was her first vote in Congress since the Jan. 8 attack that shocked the nation. Giffords was injured when a gunman opened fire in Tuscon at a constituent meeting she was holding.

Six people were killed and 13 people were injured. Jared Lee Loughner has been charged.

More at The Caucus and The Hill

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Gabby Giffords Vs Anthony Weiner Photos

TMZ has photos of Anthony Weiner, using the congressional gym as a back drop to show towel photos, naked photos and just a pictorial on a man who thinks he is "all that."

Go there to see them but I am not putting them in this post because there is a special picture that makes me actually smile and feel good and I am hoping it makes you feel good too.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, smiling.



More on her recovery at The Christian Science Monitor.

Giffords Facebook page has more.

Given a choice between showing more Weiner bod-shots and Giffords smiling, Giffords wins hands down.

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This Is BS- Giffords' Shooter Ruled Incompetent To Stand Trial

I call bullshit.

The man accused of wounding U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killing six is mentally incompetent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday after U.S. Marshals dragged the man out of the courtroom because of an angry outburst.

People died that day. Lives were completely destroyed. Families are mourning and Jared Lee Loughner planned and executed his plan, making it premeditated and he throws a hissy in court, babbles to some shrinks incoherently and the judges rules him incompetent to stand trial?

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Shooting Victim, James Eric Fuller, Apologizes For Death Threat Citing 'Misplaced Outrage'

James Eric Fuller was involuntarily committed after losing it and making a death threat against Tea Party leader Trent Humphries at a town hall style meeting last Saturday.

CNN reports Fuller's apology:

Arizona shooting victim James Eric Fuller sent his apologies Monday for telling a Tea Party leader, "you are dead."

Dorothy DeRuyter, a companion of Fuller's, provided CNN with a statement.

"I would like to tender my sincerest apologies to Mr. (Trent) Humphries for my misplaced outrage on Saturday at the St. Odelia's town meeting," Fuller said in the statement. "It was not in the spirit of our allegiance and warm feelings to each other as citizens of our great country."

Fuller, 63, was involuntarily committed to a county mental health facility after he photographed Tucson Tea Party founder Humphries and said, "You are dead" when Humphries began speaking at the event.

Fuller "is apologetic and very sad" about his outburst, DeRuyter said. "He wishes he could go back and do things differently," she said.

Misplaced outrage. Makes me wonder where he thinks his outrage should be placed to begin with because it seems he has tried to blame everyone but the actual shooter, Jared Lee Loughner.

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Video- Sarah Palin Interview With Sean Hannity: Tucson Shootings And Blame Game

Below are three videos of Sean Hannity's interview of Sarah Palin in which Hannity drives the conversation toward the Tucson shootings and the immediate media/blog aftermath by the far left to somehow connect her and conservatives to the massacre.







Reactions came out fast and furiously from the media and blogosphere and continue to come out as I write this.

Those reactions across the blogosphere have been predictable especially from liberals who first dragged Palin into the conversation about the shootings which left six dead and 13 others injured, then the left criticized Palin for not responding, then they pissed and moaned when she did finally respond claiming she was trying to make this about her.

NewsFlash to the left- Before the bodies of those brutally murdered were removed from the crime scene, you and your brethhren on the far left already decided and wrote, in stereo, that is was all about Palin and the right, so your claims that Palin has inserted herself are dishonest and outright lies.

Once proof was brought forth from the media that the shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, had no connection to the right or to Palin, then the backtracking began and you folks decided to try to claim Palin brought herself into the mix.

Pathetic and the internet never forgets, the timeline of your disgusting display of exploiting the tragedy here in Arizona simply to take a shot at the right and Palin, backfired and Americans (53 percent) saw it and know it.

One of the most clear and concise reactions to the Hannity interview with Palin was from Quin Hillyer, at AmSpec:

I continue to believe that Sarah Palin is not yet qualified to be president, but my admiration for her continues to grow. Her interview with Sean Hannity, just aired, was almost pitch-perfect. It was dignified. It was well-modulated. It was strong. And it was thoughtful. She kept her composure even as Hannity put on the screen some of the vilest, most vicious attacks against her -- the sorts of things that were so bad that if they were said about me they might shake me to my core. She explained her thought process after hearing about the shooting in Tucson, and explained the timing of her videotaped message, and explained her use of the term "blood libel." She insisted, rightly, that strong and honest -- but respectful -- political debate should not be stifled, and noted that it only seems like the right is asked to stifle its views. She was correct on all counts.

Then Hillyer offers a challenge to the far left which has done their best to demonize Palin:

The truth is, there is almost nothing this lady has ever done or said that merits the sorts of venomous vitriol to which she has been subjected. Her rhetoric is sharp but not hateful. Her views -- and even more, her actual record -- are mainstream conservative, not extremist. And her story of a plucky, self-made rise from unlikely (for a politician) origins, on the basis of hard work and gumption, is remarkably admirable. And, frankly, whom has she hurt along the way? The feelings of those who are appalled that she wouldn't abort her Downs Syndrome baby? The ideology of those who thought she should force her daughter to get an abortion? The corrupt old-boy network who plagued (and effectively robbed) Alaska, whom she defeated in fair-and-square elections? The self-important worldview of those who believe that women who aren't liberal are illegitimate political actors? Go ahead: Show where Sarah Palin has been mean-spirited, abusive, or hateful? Can't do it. She hasn't been.

Well said and there is more, so head over and read it in full.

More from The Hill, MediaIte, and CNN on the interview.

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Conflicting Reports On Loughner Change Of Venue For Trial

The Washington Post and The Politico have contradicting headlines with Wapo declaring "Federal authorities plan to move trial of Tucson shooting suspect," and The Politico's headline stating "Feds will seek Loughner trial in Arizona."

Wapo:

Federal court authorities are planning to move the trial of the alleged gunman in the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson to San Diego because of extensive pretrial publicity in Arizona, federal law enforcement sources said Sunday night.

The Politico:

Federal prosecutors intend to move forward with the case against Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner in Arizona, a Justice Department spokesman said Monday, knocking down a report in the Washington Post that suggested prosecutors were planning to take the case to San Diego to avoid the emotion stirred up in Arizona by the apparent assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)

"The Department plans to bring the case in Arizona and will oppose any change of venue motions," Justice Department Director of Public Affairs Matt Miller said Monday.

Guess we wait and see if the feds can manage to screw this up.

Related:

Giffords's condition upgraded

Completely unrelated side note- How long before the liberal left bemoans the conditions that Jared Lee Loughner is being held under?

Loughner, who is charged with murder and attempted murder, is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison outside Phoenix.

For his own safety, officials said, he is being kept away from other prisoners and spends 23 hours a day alone in his cell. He gets about an hour a day to shower and exercise.

So far, nothing out of them even though when it comes to Bradley Manning, who leaked confidential information to Wikileaks endangering all of America, and is being held in the same type of solitary confinement, they call it inhumane torture.

5....4...3....2....1... birds chirping.

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AZ Shooting Victim Committed To Mental Health Facility After Making Death Threat

Definitely one of those WTF moments.

James Eric Fuller, one of the Arizona shooting victims from January 8, 2010 when Jared Lee Loughner shot 19 people and killed 6 of them, instantly became a poster boy for the far left when he publicly blamed Sarah Palin, John Boehner, Glenn Beck and others for Loughner going off the deep end.

Seems in the rush to declare a "victim" believed that, not many decided to find out anything more about Mr. Fuller.

Two things are clear from Saturday's ABC News town hall meeting in Tucson. One: Tucsonans are eager to move forward and recover from last week's horrible shooting rampage. And two: that process is going to be slow and painful. That latter point was driven home by the arrest of a shooting victim, who threatened a speaker during the taping of the program.

The reason he was arrested:

The theme of the event was "An American Conversation Continued" -- the idea being to continue the conversation that a madman's brutal rampage had interrupted. So it was inevitable that the conversation would eventually turn to politics. It did, toward the end, with Amanpour leading a discussion on a very touchy but obvious topic: gun control.

That's where the atmosphere turned tense. When Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries rose to suggest that any conversation about gun control should be put off until after the funerals for all the victims, witnesses say Fuller became agitated. Two told KGUN9 News that finally, Fuller took a picture of Humphries, and said, "You're dead."

When State Rep. Terri Proud (R-Tucson) rose to explain and clarify current and proposed gun legislation in the state, several people groaned or booed her. One of those booing, according to several witnesses, was Fuller. Witnesses sitting near Fuller told KGUN9 News that Fuller was making them feel very uncomfortable.

The event wrapped up a short time later. Deputies then escorted Fuller from the room. As he was being led off, Fuller shouted loudly to the room at large. Several witnesses said that what they thought they heard him shout was, "You're all whores!"

Fuller, age 63, is a political operative who specializes in gathering petitions for ballot initiatives. Before the program began, he passed out business cards to people sitting around him that read:
"Signatures
"Expediting Initiatives since 2006
"J. Eric Fuller
"Political Circulator."

Fuller has been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Office.

So, considering the left has been on a week long rampage that the American public has not bought into for the record, of blaming conservatives for Loughner's actions on Jan. 8, does this mean the far left blame themselves for inciting Fuller into issuing death threats?

Sadly ironic huh?

Fuller and Loughner are responsible for their own actions. Political rhetoric is not. The use of metaphors is not. The use of symbols is not.

The left do not seem to understand the comparisons nor the sad irony here.

More on Eric Fuller on his profile page for Hypnothoughts.com.

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Peek Inside The Mind Of AZ Shooter Jared Lee Loughner

[Update] Video, via ABC news, posted below the post.

The LA Times, in response to a records request, has received and posted a video created by Arizona shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, who shot and killed 6 people, injured multiple others and left AZ Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition after being shot in the head.

The title of the video Loughner created is "Pima Community College School - Genocide/Scam - Free Education - Broken United States Constitution."

In the video, Loughner states, "The war that we are in right now is currently illegal under the Constitution"; "This is my genocide school. Where I'm going to be homeless because of this school"; "I haven't forgotten the teacher that gave me a B for freedom of speech"; "This is Pima Community College, one of the biggest scams in America"; "If the student is unable to locate the external universe, the student is unable to locate the internal universe"; and "Thank you.... This is Jared … from Pima College."

Within hours of seeing the video, college police officers arrived at Loughner's home and delivered a letter of immediate suspension to Loughner and his father, Randy, school police reports said.

The video was no longer on YouTube as of this week. It was unclear who deleted it, and exactly when it was taken off the website.

More rambling from the video has been included in another LA Times article:

"All right, so here's what we're doing. We're examining the torture of students," Loughner said as he began his narration of the video. He broke off when he appeared to recognize a man leaving a nearby building. "How's it going?" Loughner shouted. "Thanks for the B – I'm pissed off."

Breathing heavily and laughing softly as he walked up a dark set of stairs, Loughner said: "I lost my freedom of speech to that guy and … this is what happens. And I'm in a terrible place. This is the school that I go to. This is my genocide school, where I'm going to be homeless because of this school. I haven't forgot the teacher that gave me the B for freedom of speech."

The video, which prompted Loughner's suspension last fall, offered a window into the suspected gunman's frustrations and his anxiety about his future, three and half months before he was accused of opening fire outside a Safeway grocery store, killing six people and wounding 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

At one point, walking past the bookstore, he said: "They're controlling the grammar."

A few moments later, he lingered in front of the campus police office: "This is where the whole 'shaboozie' goes down with illegal activity," he said, his face briefly reflected in the glass of the station window.

Near the end of the video, while walking through a courtyard, he said, "All the teachers that you have are being paid illegally and have illegal authority over the Constitution of the United States under the 1st Amendment. This is genocide in America. Thank you. This is Jared from Pima College."

You can see the video at the LA Times site and if it becomes available online for embed it will be shown as an update at the bottom of this post.

Loughner posted the video on YouTube on September 23, which was the same day he was removed from his biology class for a disruptive outburst.

From the information that has been inundating the news outlets about Loughner, it paints a picture of a seriously dangerous individual to whom some refer to as possibly schizophrenic, but from the timeline of events the night before the shooting, up to the morning of and the shooting itself, this was a cold calculated premeditated murder of innocent men, women and children.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials offered more details Friday into Loughner's last actions before the Jan. 8 shooting.

Authorities said they had photos that Loughner allegedly developed less than 10 hours before the rampage, depicting him holding a 9 mm Glock 19 pistol next to his nearly naked buttocks and crotch, a law enforcement official said. It is the same type of weapon that police say was used in the shooting.

A timeline released by the Pima County Sheriff's Department said Loughner dropped off the roll of film at a Walgreens at 11:35 p.m. on Jan. 7, then checked into a Motel 6 near Interstate 10 at 12:29 a.m. He picked up the developed photos at 2:19 a.m. At 4:12 a.m., according to the timeline, he posted on his MySpace page: "Goodbye friends."

After 7 a.m., Loughner headed to Super Wal-Mart in suburban Marana, where he bought ammunition and a black diaper bag.

At some point between 7:31 a.m. and 9:40 a.m., Loughner returned home and was confronted by his father. Loughner fled on foot from his house with the black bag, the timeline stated.

He was picked up by a cab at 9:41 a.m. at a Circle K convenience store, and arrived at the shopping center shortly before 9:54 a.m.

The shooting began at 10:10 a.m., the timeline said.

To date, not one article I have found points to Loughner showing any remorse whatsoever for the deaths and injuries he has caused others.

Video below:

Short advertisement shown before the video of ABC news report on this story with the video itself Loughner made

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Democrats Still Trying To Use AZ Shooting As Fodder

The Politico reports that Speaker of the House John Boehner presided over hours-long tribute on the House floor Wednesday to Giffords and the other shooting victims and attended a bipartisan prayer service afterward, while Barack Obama, his wife and others traveled to Arizona to attend the Memorial Service for the victims of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona.



Afterwards Boehner was scheduled to attend a reception on Wednesday night on behalf of Maria Cino, a former top House GOP aide who is seeking the Republican National Committee chairmanship. Boehner is backing Cino’s challenge to current RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

As a courtesy, Barack Obama extended an invitation to Boehner to travel on Air Force One to Arizona.

The Boehner staffers also insisted that, as speaker, Boehner’s place is on Capitol Hill, not in Tucson. They noted that Boehner had opened an hours-long tribute on the House floor Wednesday to Giffords and the other shooting victims and attended a bipartisan prayer service afterward. Because Air Force One left at 1 p.m., Boehner couldn’t have flown to Arizona and also attended the Capitol prayer service.

Far left Democratic political pundits and aides, not once missing the opportunity to try to use the tragic events that occurred in AZ last Saturday as political fodder, decided to try to use the optics of portraying Boehner as attending a party instead of the Memorial service in Tuscson.

I honestly don’t know what to say, when in a moment of national mourning the Speaker of the House chooses a Washington, D.C. fundraiser instead of attending the memorial in Tuscon, Arizona--- Taylor Marsh

I wonder what type of criticism Ms. Marsh would have had if Boehner has instead accepted the invitation to Tucson and not presided over the House's hours-long tribute on the House floor Wednesday to Giffords and the other shooting victims and if Boehner had also skipped the bipartisan prayer service afterward?

Boehner is now the Speaker of the House and it is his job to be there for the tribute scheduled in the House.

Even more disturbing is that House aides, not just political bloggers, are also trying to use the misleading optics:

“It is disrespectful for Speaker Boehner to skip joining the President’s and bipartisan congressional delegation to the Tucson Memorial so he could host a Washington D.C. cocktail party for RNC members,” said a Democratic leadership aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Notice neither of those examples even mention the bipartisan prayer service, nor the tribute on the House floor in their pathetic attempts to politicize the Arizona tragedy and attempts to claim Boehner chose a party over a Memorial?

As I said yesterday, the tragedy in Arizona last Saturday has brought out the best and the worst in people and political pundits across the nation.

[Update] Kudos where they are due and those are due to left leaning TPM for reporting the actual events instead of the meme the far left has been pushing:

Boehner Didn't Really Snub Obama, Tucson Memorial

House Speaker John Boehner is catching a lot of flak for missing last night's memorial service in Tucson, reportedly declining an Air Force One invitation from President Obama in order to slap backs and clink glasses at an RNC event.

But a look at the timeline of events paints Boehner in a better light.

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Obama's Good Speech at Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona

The White House site has posted the speech that Barack Obama gave at the Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona.

I listened to the speech as well as watching the Memorial.

Those who read this blog regularly know I am not a huge fan of Barack Obama nor his politics, but kudos where they are deserved, the speech was good and Obama delivered it wonderfully.

Pointing out the acts of heroism on the tragic day when Jared Lee Loughner took his gun and shot 19 people, killing six and leaving an Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, in critical condition after being shot in the head.

Quoting scripture and detailing the lives of the six people slaughtered that day.

It was a good speech and by virtue of reading it regardless of whether speech writers wrote it, it was Barack Obama's speech and in it he addressed a very controversial issue that has dominated the airwaves, media and blogosphere across the country.

Immediately after the shooting, pundits from the far left were irresponsibly accusing political rhetoric from the right as being to "blame" for Loughner's actions, without any evidence supporting that theory and to date, still no evidence has come to light supporting that stance.

The far left exploited the Arizona massacre for sheer political fodder and Obama's speech touched that point in a very mild but clear manner.

As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together. (Applause.)

[...]

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better. To be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors and coworkers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their death helps usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy -- it did not -- but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud. (Applause.)

Obama walked a fine line there between a president that needed to address the controversial issue in a manner respectful to the families and victims and a politician up for reelection in 2012 and he walked the line and did it well with this speech.

Obama also put the blame right where it belonged, on Loughner.

Facts that have come out about Loughner has shown a disturbed individual with a grudge against Gifford after another meet and greet in 2007 when he asked a question and her answer did not satisfy him.

Facts show 22 year old Loughner was a registered Independent who did not vote in the 2010 midterms. Troubled at school making outbursts and other students expressed fear of him. His reading material was varied but witness accounts say he did not watch the news, listen to talk radio or otherwise participate in political activism.

Obama's speech also allowed him to report previously unreported news. Gabrielle Gifford opened her eyes for the first time.

I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. And I want to tell you -- her husband Mark is here and he allows me to share this with you -- right after we went to visit, a few minutes after we left her room and some of her colleagues in Congress were in the room, Gabby opened her eyes for the first time. (Applause.) Gabby opened her eyes for the first time. (Applause.)

Gabby opened her eyes. Gabby opened her eyes, so I can tell you she knows we are here. She knows we love her. And she knows that we are rooting for her through what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey. We are there for her. (Applause.)

To that end, Top of the Ticket has posted the witness accounts of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who were both present at the time.

SENATOR GILLIBRAND ......And then you have to recognize, her eyes hadn’t opened -- we didn’t know that -- and so she started to struggle. And one of her eyes is covered with a bandage because it was damaged in the gunfire. So her eye is flickering. And Mark sees this and gets extremely excited. And we didn’t -- I didn’t know what that meant.

And so he said, Gabby, open your eyes, open your eyes. And he’s really urging her forward. And the doctor is like perking up and everyone is coming around the bed. And she’s struggling and she’s struggling and it’s a good -- we couldn’t figure it out, maybe 30 seconds, where she’s really trying to get her eyes open, like doing this, this, this.

And then she finally opens her eyes and you could she was like desperately trying to focus and it took enormous strength from her. And Mark could just -- can’t believe it. I mean, he’s so happy. And we’re crying because we’re witnessing something that we never imagined would happen in front of us.

And so Mark says, he says -- he said, Gabby, if you can see me, give us the thumbs up, give us the thumbs up. And so we’re waiting and we’re waiting and --

REPRESENTATIVE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: And she didn’t at first.

SENATOR GILLIBRAND: And we just thought, okay -- and you could watch -- when you’re watching her eyes, she’s really trying to focus. Like you could see she hadn’t opened her eyes in days. And then instead of giving the thumbs up, she literally raises her whole arm like this -- like this. It was unbelievable. And then she reaches out and starts grabbing Mark and is touching him and starts to nearly choke him -- she was clearly trying to hug him.

And so like -- she was -- it was such a moment. And we were just in tears of joy watching this and beyond ourselves, honestly. And then Mark said, you know, touch my ring, touch my ring. And she touches his ring and then she grabs his whole watch and wrist. And then the doctor was just so excited. He said, you don’t understand, this is amazing, what’s she’s doing right now, and beyond our greatest hopes.

The road to recovery will no doubt be long and arduous but there is also no doubt at this point that Giffords is fighting to recover and early signs are good, better than even doctors had hoped for.

Will there be civility in political discourse after this tragedy? No. There has never been true civility in politics and perhaps never will be when two sides with a massive gulf between their political ideology fight for the agenda they believe is best for America.

In Palin's video statement after the far left viciously attacked her and attempted to hold her responsible for a madman's actions, and idea that polling shows the majority of the American public has rejected, she made a statement that asks a question that has been ignored in attempts to use other parts of her speech against her. (Previous post with video and transcript at this URL)

There are those who claim political rhetoric is to blame for the despicable act of this deranged, apparently apolitical criminal. And they claim political debate has somehow gotten more heated just recently. But when was it less heated? Back in those “calm days” when political figures literally settled their differences with dueling pistols? In an ideal world all discourse would be civil and all disagreements cordial. But our Founding Fathers knew they weren’t designing a system for perfect men and women. If men and women were angels, there would be no need for government. Our Founders’ genius was to design a system that helped settle the inevitable conflicts caused by our imperfect passions in civil ways. So, we must condemn violence if our Republic is to endure.

Good question. When has political debate, especially during a contentious election not been heated?

Can anyone name one election year that has been completely civil?

It seems the two speeches mentioned, Obama's and Palin's, both individuals coming from opposite ends of the political spectrum, have found an area of total agreement.

Loughner shot down innocent people and he is to blame for his actions.

Metaphors did not kill those six people and injure those others. Guns do not pull their own triggers. Men and women are responsible for the acts of violence they commit.

Democrat, Republican or Independent, a criminal, a murderer who self identifies and any one of those, does not represent the party as a whole. Just as one deranged individual will never, ever represent our society as a whole, no matter what they do or what reason the claim they did it for.

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Majority Of Americans Not Buying Into Far Left Spin About Arizona Shootings

Immediately after the tragic massacre where a 22 year old Jared Lee Loughner (Mug shot to the left) shot anywhere from 13 to 19 people (conflicting reports) people, killed six and left others, including the Congresswomen from AZ Gabrielle Giffords, in critical and serious condition, far left Democrats started pointing fingers and casting blame on rhetoric and imagery from the political right to assign blame for Loughner's actions.

A CBS News' poll shows the majority of Americans have not bought into that spin and 57 percent, almost one in six Americans believe the political rhetoric from both sides is not to blame for the Arizona massacre.

Overall, 57 percent of respondents said the harsh political tone had nothing to do with the shooting, compared to 32 percent who felt it did. Republicans were more likely to feel the two were unrelated - 69 percent said rhetoric was not to blame; 19 percent said it played a part. Democrats were more split on the issue - 49 percent saw no connection; 42 percent said there was.

Independents more closely reflected the overall breakdown - 56 percent said rhetoric had nothing to do with the attack; 33 percent felt it did.

As more news comes out about the shooter, it appears Loughner was angry, also described as obsessed, for years at Gabrielle Giffords after attending an event and asking a question he felt she did not answer to his satisfaction. He also appeared to be angry at the government for years as well. Stories from people that new him describe a disruptive individual.


Related:

David Brooks points out there were some on the far left that did not try to use the shooting as political fodder and tried to inject reason into the issue, and they are worth mentioning.

These accusations — that political actors contributed to the murder of 6 people, including a 9-year-old girl — are extremely grave. They were made despite the fact that there was, and is, no evidence that Loughner was part of these movements or a consumer of their literature. They were made despite the fact that the link between political rhetoric and actual violence is extremely murky. They were vicious charges made by people who claimed to be criticizing viciousness.

Yet such is the state of things. We have a news media that is psychologically ill informed but politically inflamed, so it naturally leans toward political explanations. We have a news media with a strong distaste for Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement, and this seemed like a golden opportunity to tarnish them. We have a segmented news media, so there is nobody in most newsrooms to stand apart from the prevailing assumptions. We have a news media market in which the rewards go to anybody who can stroke the audience’s pleasure buttons.

I have no love for Sarah Palin, and I like to think I’m committed to civil discourse. But the political opportunism occasioned by this tragedy has ranged from the completely irrelevant to the shamelessly irresponsible.

The good news is that there were a few skeptics, even during the height of the mania: Howard Kurtz of The Daily Beast, James Fallows of The Atlantic and Jonathan Chait of The New Republic. The other good news is that the mainstream media usually recovers from its hysterias and tries belatedly to get the story right.

Loughner's initial court appearance resulted in being remanded without bail as Judge Lawrence Anderson stated he was a danger to the community.

Loughner's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 24

More on that at ABC News.

"Shouldn't happen in this country or anywhere else, but in a free society we are going to be subjected to people like this so, I prefer this to the alternative."-- John Green, father of Christina Green, the nine year old victim of the massacre in Arizona

It is natural and human to want to explain and find someone to blame when tragedy occurs but it seems that Americans by and large understand the blame should be cast on the perpetrator of such a horrible act and not recklessly cast upon those that had nothing to do with it.

(Corrections have been made to this post to reflect conflicting reports)

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They Asked For It, They Got It. The Hatred And Hypocrisy From The Left, Displayed

I was waiting for this and after reading some of the idiocy being spouted from the far left liberal media and blogosphere it didn't take long for conservatives to buck up and say, wait just one damn minute you hypocrites.

Quick Background:

A tragic massacre in Arizona where a Federal Judge, a nine year old child and four other people were murdered. 19 people were injured in total and a congresswoman from Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, is in critical condition, fighting for her life after being shot in the head.

Immediately, despite evidence to the contrary, the far left started attacking the right, claiming the shooter was encouraged by political rhetoric to take a gun into his hands and go on a murder spree. The left using the murders and mayhem as political fodder, and even using the tragedy as a fundraising event, ignoring evidence which showed the shooter was damaged mentally and held hatred for politicians from the left and the right.

Jump forward to Michelle Malkin who obviously has had enough.

The Tuscon massacre ghouls who are now trying to criminalize conservatism have forced our hand.

They need to be reminded. You need to be reminded.

Confront them. Don’t be cowed into silence.

And don’t let the media whitewash the sins of the hypocritical Left in their naked attempt to suppress the law-abiding, constitutionally-protected, peaceful, vigorous political speech of the Right.

They want to play tu quo que in the middle of a national tragedy? They asked for it. They got it.

***

The progressive climate of hate: A comprehensive illustrated primer in 8 parts:

I. PALIN HATE
II. BUSH HATE
III. MISC. TEA PARTY/GOP/ANTI-TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE HATE
IV. ANTI-CONSERVATIVE FEMALE HATE
V. LEFT-WING MOB HATE — campus, anti-war radicals, ACORN, eco-extremists, & unions
VI. OPEN-BORDERS HATE
VII. ANTI-MILITARY HATE
VIII. HATE: CRIMES — the ever-growing Unhinged Mugshot Collection

There is no way to convey exactly what Malkin has compiled and do it justice, so you just have to click on over and look for yourself.

People in glass houses should not throw stones.

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