Thanks, John ~ I was just going to post the conflicting reports ~ but ... being shot point blank in the head is extremely ominous ~ I know she was harrassed and her office vandalized after her vote for health care reform ~ she's also strong on immigration reform ~

Sooz

msnbc now saying the congresswoman is expected to survive. A nine year old girl was killed. Also a federal judge was apparently killed
still breaking news and ongoing.

http://www.necn.com/01/08/11/Raw-pictures-shooting-scene-of-AZ-Rep-Ga/landing_nation.html?blockID=387482&feedID=4207

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/08/132764367/congresswoman-shot-in-arizona

http://freedomslighthouse.net/2011/01/08/breaking-news-az-democrat-rep-gabrielle-giffords-shot-at-event-outside-grocery-store-in-tucson-video-report-1811/


Hey, gopqed,

Ya think maybe with all those bullets being fired there just might have been some "blood in the streets????"  I've heard head wounds bleed a lot.  I've seen head wounds bleed. 

We've been listening to hatred and fear being taught, crammed down our throats.  Stir in some racism and the wish for the rapture, and the love of the powerful gods of weapons and money, and you sneered at the concept of danger.    Too bad Captain Hyperbole wasn't there to smirk and say, "'t'was but a scratch!"  I'm sure we'd all have a jolly good laugh at those who perceive this incident as a predictable, expected tragedy, aren't you???   Of course we can't arrest the R who mentioned the "second amendment" solution, and we can't arrest all the others who have depicted Democrats as Nazis, as Socialists, as Anti American, as godless, as communists, as anti-Christs, as the scum of the earth and the impediments to success and wealth for all the American Greed adherents.

It's been asked for, it's been preached, it's been extolled, it's been made patriotic, it's been validated, by the conservatives.  But, of course, we can't arrest all of those who preached the hate speech.  And, I have no doubt, that in AZ, the shooter will be discovered to be a illegal alien drug smuggler who managed to register and vote as a Democrat.  Sure.  Uh huh.  Right.

Captain Hyperbole, help me out here.  Which word best expresses the strength of my feelings for those who live in denial and delusion, taking no responsibility for the harm they cause, and expecting absolution for their self righteousness?

Disgust?  Contempt?  Rage?   Outrage?  Fear?  Terror?  Hatred?  Loathing?

Being Captain Hyperbole, I trust you can make up a word that multiplies those pitifully weak and inadequate words.  There must be something at least a million times stronger.

                                                    

jd

REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS SHOT IN ARIZONA.... Details are still coming together, but reports indicate that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, was shot at close range in the head earlier today. The shooting occurred at a grocery store in Tucson, where the congresswoman was greeting constituents at a public event.

As best as I can tell, we do not yet know who the shooter is, what motivated the attack, or whether the assailant is in custody. I'll post more when I know more.

* Update: Several outlets are noting that three Giffords staffers were also shot at the event.

* Second Update: NPR reports that the shooter is in custody after being tackled by a bystander.

* Third Update: CNN reported that Giffords has died, but MSNBC quoted a hospital spokesperson who said the congresswoman is alive and in surgery.

* Fourth Update: While we wait for additional updates, I thought I'd note some additional context about Giffords' district and recent elections. She was elected as part of the Democratic wave in 2006, and has managed to hold onto her seat in Arizona's competitive 8th district, along the state's Southern border. Republicans had high hopes of defeating Giffords in the 2010 midterms after she voted for health care form -- Giffords was one of the incumbents Sarah Palin's political action committee put the crosshairs of a rifle-sight over last year -- but Giffords narrowly eked out a victory, defeating a Tea Party favorite by 3,600 votes. Last year, Giffords's office was vandalized after the health care vote.

* Fifth Update: The gunman has been described as a white male in his mid-20s with short hair. To reiterate, the man is currently in custody.

* Sixth Update: A witness to the shootings, a physician named Steven Rayle, said Giffords was standing behind a table greeting people "when the gunman approached her from behind, held a gun about a foot from her head and began firing."

* Seventh Update: A federal judge was also among the shooter's victims. No word yet on which judge or his/her condition.

* Eighth Update: President Obama issued a statement this afternoon: "This morning, in an unspeakable tragedy, a number of Americans were shot in Tuscon, Arizona, at a constituent meeting with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. And while we are continuing to receive information, we know that some have passed away, and that Representative Giffords is gravely wounded. We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers."

SHOOTING IN ARIZONA.... Here's the last thread; I'm starting another.

Here's a press conference currently being held by the local sheriff's department. [This video actually now is just a running feed from the local NBC affiliate.]

* Update: If you missed the press conference, the local sheriff's office said the shooter is a 22-year-old male, in custody, with a limited criminal background. He used a "pistol with an extended magazine," the sheriff said, and there's no evidence yet of the shooter having an accomplice at the scene.

* Second Update: The trauma surgeon, in a briefing to reporters, said a young girl, around the age of nine, died in the shooting. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is out of surgery, and is "following commands." The doctor said she is in critical condition, but he is "very optimistic."

* Third Update: Multiple reports indicate that the suspected shooter's name is Jared Laughner.

* Fourth Update: The trauma surgeon also noted Giffords was, in fact, shot in the head, but it was "thru and thru."

* Fifth Update: In addition to the nine-year-old girl who was killed, the AP is reporting the U.S. District Court Judge John Roll died in the attack today. Roll had faced death threats in 2009 from right-wing extremists after a controversial immigration ruling.

* Sixth Update: President Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks any minute now. [Sooz comment: I removed the clip because it went dark following Obama's remarks.]

Steve Benen 3:50 PM January 8, 2011

http://www.washingtonmont...idual/2011_01/027448.php