Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has little trouble finding the correct people to blame for Rep. Gifford's shooting today.
And isn't it especially appropriate that this video comes to us from Fox News?
I wish this hadn't happened, but it's amazing to hear those words spoken by a sherriff, in AZ, on Fox News. I honestly have hope that this will turn the tide and the insanity that this country has gone through in the last two years will start to subside. The crazies have had WAY too much of a voice since Sarah Palin ran for VP. It's NOT ok to be a bigot.
Just to be fair here. Sarah's been active in national dialogue since Fall 09. If she is solely to blame for an innocent person's tragic shooting, attempted assass. or whatever they're calling it, how do you explain ALL the vile tragedies that came before? The political ones, school shootings, subway hostage takeovers...
It takes more than one person's tweet or facebook message to warp a troubled mind into justifying said person to pick up a gun and kill. I for one believe all the pol assass that have succeeded were instigated by govt entities. Jesse Venture makes a compelling argument and our govt has been corrupt far before W came on the scene. Someone who knows the truth needs to write that shit down in a will or something and when they die, that shit needs to be read to the whole country.
Just because we have a const that assures all are created equal (and we are), doesn't mean the same behavior isn't already inside each one of us as it is in our enemies. I wish people could see that. Human nature is NOT good at heart. It has taken me 15 years to learn this. The trick is to etch into one's mind with permanent marker, "I shall not hurt a living soul"
If I could teach every child one lesson, it would be that
That says it all. I believe that this tragedy may be the undoing of Palin. I hope that the rhetoric that has been spewed by Palin and others will be called out for what it is: incitement to violence. Could the shooter be a "Manchurian Candidate?" An unstable person easily swayed and controlled by others. Clip being shown on MSNBC regarding the vandalism of Giffords' office after she voted in favor of the Health Care Bill and her remarks about the threats and violence.
Now, I'll REALLY be impressed with Fox if they mention the obvious connection between Palin's bullseye map and this incident, as every other news organization is doing, today.
You know, there are times and blog posts I've truly feared that Gry would one day wake up and finally murder Sarah. I am not kidding. Be careful how you go about criticizing people, and always make sure you're criticizing the work they do and not the person they are (esp when you don't know them, right G?)
he seems more like someone on the paranoid-schizophrenic scale combined with some "ultra-libertarian" ideas than a "typical teabagger" or "lefty-liberal" (the latter i've already seen him called online by a "female former friend"). but the sense of someone unwell comes through above all else in his bizarre vids. he seems to be obsessed with things he deems "unconstitutional", "mind control" the "fraud" of paying his community college tuition (somehow "unconstitutional"), and literacy in english grammar.....
this is not to say that scarah never played into his bizarre ideas of what governments can do and what is "constitutional", but just now we don't really know.
another big tragedy is that he could get to age 22 in the US without anyone recognizing and treating his obvious mental illness. if that had happened, 18 people might not have been shot this morning.......
@5:39 - Just to be fair here, Sarah has been active in National politics since AUGUST 2008. Before that, she was an AIP member. Get your facts straight, troll. Yes, she posted the target on Congresswoman Gifford. That's whyat we're talking about--not the ills of humankind since time immemorial. Yes, she is directly to blame, and her own FB page, SarahPAC page, and her tweets are the proof. I hope GIfford's family sues the Palins.
Linda Arizona...thank you for your comment. Indeed, Clarence Dupnik is a good man and has been our sheriff for almost as long as I've lived in Tucson. I am a proud, progressive Arizonan who weeps for our state tonight and prays for Gabby and the other victims of today's tragic event.
It's good to know times haven't changed. People still use guns freely for selfish, mental reasons. Before now I've always been pro 2nd amendment, for the sole reason that guns are necessary to combat people who refuse to uphold the constitution or wish to change it. Except I wouldne go as far as using a gun to actually kill the wrongdoer, just to show threat. Nothing wrong with that. It works.
And given all the hate that won't be stopped anytime soon (mainly from abroad), I'd hate to see guns outlawed. Self protection and feeling safe is important. My 10th grade english teacher taught me that (shes a cute little old woman who's 5' and looks like your weet lil granny. But the woman can shoot and carries her gun everywhere it's legal.
It's important we teach kids today the real facts and not shelter them as most of us were sheltered. Teaching passivity (word?) and being a pacifist just doesn't cut it and never will EVER.
Gryphen, you said on your last post of the shooter's youtube:
"We still have no idea if this shooting was related to Sarah Palin or Rep. Gifford's vote on the health care bill."
It is not the point of one specific vote on the healthcare with relation to the Palin target map - it is her ad nauseam amping at high pitched volume of the hateful, violence related rhetoric.
Want to bet now? Sunday night you can be dammed well guaranteed she will hit the replay button on the 'Dont retreat, just reload' Chant.
You are trying to 'box' the target map - for which you are wrong. You have to think of all the times we've heard her speeches that she preaches to the choirs with all the rhetoric, hate, violence. It's been inclused in I think every episode of her present day reality show, at her events, at her speeches, her appearances of FOX. It's the issue of an ongoing preaching of this that can be compared to the continuous lies spewed by her and those at FOX and the Republications, that the more it is said, those listening then believe it. To them, it becomes truth. Facts then get in the way.
When you are dealing with unbalanced people, repeated violent/hateful rhetoric is a disaster waiting to blow up and it did today. It's like yelling 'fire'
Palin, Rush, Bill O, the list too long to type - all have a part in this. Bill O & his ad nauseam Tiller the Baby Killer. No different.
Why do people keep talking about bigotry? No one's a bigot. We are a country having severe ideological differences. The Right morally outweighs the Left (slightly) but the left has the power. Though taxing people's hard earned money isn't fair not right, demonizing those who are successful is even more unfair. Being a millionaire doesnt make one evil and it doesn't mean they should pay more.
Actually, I am sure that the troopers and news media know exactly where to look if anything happened to Grypen or any of the other Alaska bloggers for that matter.
Nice try Anonymous 5:44 but the intelligent people who visit here on a regular basis will not buy that for one second.
I have never made physical threats against Sarah Palin, nor have I ever condoned others doing so.
Nor, while we are on he subject, have I EVER put cross-hairs over somebody's house or voting district, nor suggested anything like "2nd amendment solutions" to our problems in this country, nor have I suggested that any baby, or adult, should have been aborted.
Sarah Palin is well aware that I have never posed a physical threat to her, as evidenced by her comfort at standing only a few feet away from me at the Joe Miller event in Wasilla this last summer.
But just in case there is any question as to my point of view, let me once again state that I do not want ANYBODY to make physical threats against others while visiting this blog. Remember WE are the liberals who respect all life, not just the potential life of the unborn.
I've watched SP since she first appeared on the presidential campaign trail and was alarmed then, when I heard racist threats against Obama shouted at one of her rallies by people who looked like skinheads--neo-Nazis--while she did nothing to silence the violent outburst, and by her silence condoned it. I heard that similar scenes were repeated at her other rallies and that she had drawn a following of racist whites.
Last year when Palin posted targets on a map of the geographic locations of Democrat congressmen who had won former Republican seats I called my congressman's office--he was one of those targeted-- to give him encouragement. (He was defeated last election, in part due to Palin's efforts.)
Today's tragic occurrence was, sadly, a predictable escalation on a continuum of violence from speech to final action, and a logical outgrowth of violent rhetoric and imagery. It cannot be separated from the up tick in violence-- whether psychological intimidation or other: from name-calling, verbal threats, violent rhetoric to physical attacks on opponents. i.e. spitting on congressmen, attacking their offices and homes (this mostly directed at Democrats, though others including Republicans have also received such treatment) that has accompanied SP's entry into national politics.
SP has been using violent rhetoric and imagery to stir up emotions for several years now, playing before a large audience. She should be held accountable for the violent attack on someone she put into "crosshairs'--though she "only” meant it as a metaphor. She is guilty of rabble rousing, appealing to the basest in human nature, not something to be taken lightly particularly in conjunction with her glamorization of guns and her constant touting of the 2nd amendment--as if violence is the primary way to succeed, when in fact it is the greatest danger.
It is no coincidence that the target of this tragedy is someone SP had indeed put a "target" on. There are causes for things and antecedents. And words and symbols do have effects and consequences as any PR person can attest.
SP did not pull the trigger herself, she may not be the primary cause, but she certainly has helped create the psychological climate of violence, fear, retribution, and the unwillingness to negotiate or compromise, that undoubtedly offers to the more irrational among us the impetus to act on hateful and vile impulses.
Let's hope that peaceful solutions and good-willed people prevail and that we all resolve to do everything possible to prevent more tragedies like this.
Was the shooter the guy who met GG not too long ago and found her to be stupid? I read that somewhere. Maybe that tweeter's comments. That would help to tie in the literacy stuff he complains about. Actually this guy's sounding kind of like Hitler. Dropped out, didn't make the army, vast mental problems, rampage
hmmm
yeah, the more one thinks about it, the less one can justify Sarah had ANYTHING to do with it
And to those who believe that the fact that Sarah had crosshairs on a map aimed at Gabrielle Giffords' district, with Gabrielle being named on that map was just coincidental to her being shot today, remember that Sarah herself doesn't believe in coincidences.
It's not that Sarah's directly responsible for what happened. But she should understand how much her followers look to her, and NOW she should disavow the rhetoric she used in the past.
It's one thing to say, "hey, just because I used a certain compelling metaphor to engage people in the political contest, doesn't mean I'm to blame when someone takes it too far."
But NOW is the time to say "I shouldn't use that kind of language, and I want to tell all my followers to stop and think twice before you choose violence."
So she scrubbed the C4P website. Well, OK. She should post a thing saying WHY.
This is her opportunity to do something positive. Do you think she will?
Dear Anon5:44pm; we all wish Sarah Palin a long, long life.. in whatever jail she lands up in.
P.S. Ridiculing her clueless, classless behavior is not even close to the kind of rhetoric of violence that she used during the 2008 election and afterward.
Linda Arizona, In a blog post a few back on IM as I wasn't aware new ones were up, I commented on the Sheriff's press conference and said right off - Give the man a hug!!
Sadly, for those outside of a state, we don't usually get to see some good guys and the bad guys yell louder and that's who the media pays attention to. And with a 24/7 cycle, the bad is repeated, and repeated, and repeated again.
Hmm, somehow methinks ye olde Queen of Drama Palin will probably end up hospitalized with 'exhaustion' soon as a means of taking some of the heat off her, while still maintaining her full media whore status.
This guy's views are not your typical tea partier. Look up 'sovereign citizen'. I think he falls into their bucket. It explains the burning of the flag.
Also, I'd wished I screen captured it but both Bristol and Willow had Twitter posts saying 'F#CK U' to someone who suggested Sarah would be mad if someone put a target on Bristol's house. Both tweets have been removed.
also, jared L. L. has some consuming fixation on/with "a new currency" which seems to be related both to a physical monetary bill/coin -ALWAYS literally backed by/flat-out-made-of physical gold and silver- and also meaning some kind of new "state of mind." -one which can only be accessed by the "literate" (in english grammar?) and/or people who are "conscience dreamers"?…..really, who knows what this means?….
he also greatly believes in some secret "second" USA constitution.
and he majorly believes something about how BCE/CE (before common era/common era historical time-keeping, but sometimes also known as "christian era" not "common era") as opposed to BC/AD timekeeping is….a problem? a big lie??? (i really can't understand his words about this at all.)
he also here discusses this ADE/BCE meaningful something,- but i am not aware of anyone ever, other than this one ill young man, actually using "A.D.E." in any form of dating human history…… [simple AD=Anno Domini "in the year of our lord"] so are we to think that his ADE in replacing BCE means an overt recognition of "in the year of our [christian] lord -the era"?
who but him can know!
he also proclaimed in one vid:
"I'm able to control every belief and religion by being the mind controller!"
clearly, this person is very mentally ill…..
i wonder who this "50-ish white male" person of interest the AZ sheriff mentioned now looking for will be. will it be just jared's dad or uncle? or some libertardian "guru" of his illness? and/or someone who took advantage of his unhinged mind in another way? or merely an unwitting driver to the safe-way? i hope we will soon know.
The Leaders in power in this country have had 2 years to publicly address any hateful rhetoric out there. They've done nothing. It's been a year since Sarah's harmless crosshair post. Nothing happened before today. There's already sufficient evidence that deems this deranged man a mental case with his personal demons, ones that would have been enacted despite certain people. HIt problems that have been voiced seem to be local ones ie literacy.
We need to tone down the anti republican sentiment and cease the bigotry speak. Tea partiers are not the enemy nor do they hate Obama as a human being. Palinbots are not the enemy, nor do THEY hate the President as a human being.
I find it unfortunate that intense anti govt sentiment began to really flourish under the first black president but better later than never. The corruption in DC will never cease until we the people fight it actively, by any means short of murder.
I get a kick out of Palin scrubbing things from her various sites when she should know many of us have copied her idiotic stuff just in case she tries to act like she never said it or did it!
Remember folks, the woman is a devious as they come.
My issue is with people who blame the 2nd amendment. It has NOTHING To do with the 2nd amendment. A gun is only one way to kill a person. The intent has to be there within their minds, the weapon of choice is usually one of convienence. Guns will and should always exist for common sense reasons. A killer has no one t o blame but themselves. Think Reagan. yeah whats his face wanted to impress somebody who was named, but the fault is with the subject committing the crime, and anyone who aided and abetted. So far, no other specific accomplice has been named. Doesn't mean there wasn't one but so far there wasn't
Maybe her talk of violence, cross-hairs, reloading instead of retreating, etc. is just metaphor. But I don't believe that makes it acceptable, nor does it obviate her guilt if someone misunderstands the metaphor and takes her literally. She should choose metaphors that do not have the potential to cause deaths.
Also, as a longtime IM reader, I can second what Gryphen says. He does not promote or incite violence. He does not use violent metaphors. I've never had the impression that he wants anyone to perpetrate acts of violence against Palin or her family--quite the opposite. He, like most of his loyal readers, does want her to shut up, go away, and fester in her own toxic juices in prison for the rest of her life.
I lost the youtube links to back this up, but I always liked to point out that Sarah was conveniently and willfully deaf to the shouts of violence against Obama and the Dems, but on the one occasion where a group of people were shouting only that they couldn't hear her, she didn't even know what they were shouting but the snarky bitch just had to get off script to say to them, "I'm glad we have our troops out there fightin for your rights to interrupt me," or something to that affect. As if one thing has to do with another. Numbskull, hateful b*^%#.
It's not just Sarah, or Rush, or Glenn or Ann. It's us too. We all need to stop the hate. We are all in this together folks. We are all neighbors and we need to be good examples for our children or the cycle of hate never ends. It's tearing our country apart. If we can convince people to not give the hate an audience then we will be so much better for it in the end.
This event just makes me cry...and I blame Sarah Palin for cultivating this current climate of violence and bigotry. You bet I do.
Sarah knows that when she publicly criticizes one of her foes, her palinbot puppets will make that person's life a living hell. She commands a rabid pack of pro-life zombies who have no remorse for their own bad behavior.
NEVER...Sarah has NEVER denounced these vile acts committed on her behalf, including when Wasillans acted violently toward writer Joe McGinnis. What a piece of crap she is.
The right morally outweighs the left, but the left has the power?? HUH????? WTF are you talking about!!
And no one has ever said millionaires are evil. I happen to be in the top income category and I am happy to pay more because I can afford to!! That is part of being s responsible community member IMO. Just like in churches, the wealthiest often give more because they can. Keeping as much money as one can is a SELFISH way of living and I don't want to live in a selfish society where one does not think of the community as a whole. You will never understand this because of your narrow views but millions of wealthy people feel like I do. I am happy to give more get it???
As far as this not being about bigotry, what planet do you live on?? I don't even know where to start. Sarah has clearly incited racism and hatred towards the President. Arizonas in fighting about illegal immigration is clearly about racism
Are you a Christian?? If so, you really don't understand Christs teachings. I will pray for you.
Sheriff Dupnik, Az State Representative Steve Farley and former Surgeon General, Richard Carmona have all spoken out against the inflammatory rhetoric in the media and our state.
These are the Arizonans I want the world to know about and listen to. They are sane, compassionate, courageous and smart.
Thank you all for not hating us Arizonans. We are all in the same boat right now. I believe that we have reached a tipping point. Things can get worse, or citizens can turn away from the right wing nuts.
May the victims' lives be honored with a renewed spirit of sanity, respect and resolve to restore our democracy from the agitators who have tried so vehemently to destroy it.
And while I do blame Sarah in part for this tragedy, I have to blame FOX and the Rush Limbaughs and Micheal Savages and Ann Coulters of the world also. They have all been pushing the same brand of hate and discontent for years. And this is the end result.
An "expert" on CNN just said the shooter appears mentally unstable and that people are trying to imprint the event with a "political stamp." For God's sake the man, yes he's very likely mentally ill, chose to bring a gun to a political event and targeted a politician.
The Pima county sheriff is right--a very dangerous political climate has been created by hate jockeys like Limbaugh who has used violent, contemptuous and insulting language on the air for a generation, and his imitators like Glenn Beck, along with demagogues like Palin--all have repeatedly outlined "targets" for the rage of the populace without providing any real answers or solutions for our country's problems. It was only a matter of time before a mentally unstable person would act out the scenario planted by such irresponsible and dangerous hate-mongers.
I find it so disingenuous of posters such as 6:10/2, who try and deny the impact of their "Queen", after spending the last two years celebrating it.
That is what the goal was: change the country; and boy, they sure did.
And with the current Inter-tubes, there is instantaneous bounce-back 24 hours a day.
It is the same ol, same ol: sex and violence...
I would hate to see censorship become the only way she can be stopped...it has to come from the heart of each citizen. As I have raised my kids: Live Your Politics. And Speak Love to Hate.
Anon 5:37 I wish you were right. But Sarah et al., will blame it on Obama and health care and socialism, and government take over, and taking away people's guns and rights and all the other lies that have brought so many murders of hate in the last 20 some years. All perpetrated by Americans against Americans for political reasons.
Bet a mortgage payment that Bible Spice is right now on the phone with Greta to get a sit down interview to try and salvage her reputation. Make Sister Sarah look innocent and relieve her of any guilty ( like she ever had any) that her words or actions played any part in what happened today. It's all about the spin.
6:10 has it exactly right. Sarah has been using that nasty, hate filled rhetoric for years. Her appearances during the 2008 campaign were followed by increased death threats made to Obama. The Tea Party rallies had some of the most hate filled, racist, violent and nasty images produced. If you put a target on someone's face, and they weren't eliminated in the election, some nut will do the job for you.
It was the constant drum beat of Bill O'Reilly calling Dr. Teller the baby killer that finally drove some nut to kill the doctor. Did O'Reilly pull the trigger? He said things that were meant to instigate hated often enough until they resonated with some weak mind.
6:00 You are very simplistic, things aren't just black or white. I have two cousins, both multimillionaires. Why? Because their father (who DID work hard) left them each a fortune. I have a neighbor who works seven days/week in a "helping" occupation and he is just making it. How is it that the rich "deserve" to have more? And as for the right being more moral, what ever are you talking about? How do you know that? Because they make a lot of noise about morals? Newt, Sanford, yes also Sarah- are they moral?
I don't think Palin can legally be connected to what happened today, but if I were the family of one of those people harmed today, I'd slap Palin with a civil suit so fast her bumpit would spin. And I hope the family would win, and take every penny Palin's grifted from the world in her heinous, cancerous, loonggg 15 minutes. Melly
off topic but I was talking to a friend about this today and she said her father is a long old timer repiblican but has distanced himself since Sarah Palin and her horrifying rhetoric came on the scene. My friend said her father despises her, so-that made me feel a little bit better.
There is no excuse SP for you shameless POS!!!! My husband just said there is no way she will retract what she has said and done because she will NEVER admit she is a fricking asshole.
Anon @ 5:39 you are very weird. And Palin's had her nose in "national dialogue" since Fall 2008, not 2009, for what it's woreth. Palin dared it to happen. Palin put the targets out and sounded the dog whistles. I hope she shrivels up and dies.
Annon at 6:00pm Though taxing people's hard earned money isn't fair not right,
That is actually in the constitution and was read on the House floor the other day. Congress both repub and dems write the laws that tax. Perhaps you could get your head out of your ass and debate with facts.
Quit trying to blame Gryphen - 5:44 comment - he has never encouraged what you are implying. You are just upset because Sarah Palin did what she did and is being called out for it. Shame on you for trying to kiss up to someone like Palin.
hmm, so GG basically ignored her staffers' fears when the vandalism occurred, waiving off any threats. If her father states the tea party hates her, then she had to have known about the strong reactions as well. Traveling without security in those conditions is pretty stupid. Im not disparaging her but it appears she had no regard for her staff's concerns
Obviously this young man is very sick. If he has an accomplice there is also more to this story, such as possible group affiliations or at the very least a shared "philosophy".
The connection to Sarah Palin is painfully clear and undeniable. Why would he target this particular woman, this particular gathering? Did a certain map inspire him? Did talk radio inspire him? Did Sarah and Co's violent apocalyptic incantations send him completely off the deep end and into this horrendous violence?
If it weren't this woman and this gathering, Sarah might be off the hook. She would be one more loud voice subtly and not so subtly inciting violence and "resistance" (to what I am not sure) in general.
But this is specific enough to indicate a direct link to Sarah's 20 target campaign. She must answer for it. She cannot avoid it. It will be discussed, written about, and the next time she does an interview she better have an answer, at the very least. She will be lucky if the FBI doesn't go directly to see her. By rights, to be thorough, they should.
Those are not surveyor's symbols. Those are gun sights. I am quite sure Sarah did not mean them literally, but how fucking irresponsible and reckless, to put them there - knowing that there are sick people in the world, people who hold extremist and violent views?
i think what the palin supporters are missing is that she put this womans name and a target on her.. no matter what crap they want to quote about what others have said about fighting and standing up etc does not matter.. they did not post peoples names with targets on them
I just read this comment on politico "The Federal police are interrogating Mitch McConnel who has ties via phone record to this kid"
Posted By: Hunter | January 08, 2011
This is the Republican Senator from Kentucky... Any SP connections with this Rep Senator? Dots are getting connected back to the Repubs Leadership Rhetoric, Sarah is on fire and TLC will not renew her show, for next season.
I think this was a fake story though from Politico http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0111/Reports_Giffords_recognizes_husband.html?showall
5:39, I hear what you are saying, but please make a distinction among general random violence, domestic violence and politically motivated violence. No one claims Sarah Palin is responsible for all violence.
However, she has spent over two years beating the drum of anti-government sentiment using sometimes incendiary, but always overwrought rhetoric. Rhetoric brimming with unnecessary emotion, always blaming Democrats for all the ills of "Real America." Sometimes she'll throw a dart at Republicans, but she saves the worst for Obama. She has used rhetoric with violent imagery to "put in our sights,""target," "reload," "do battle to save America." It was only a matter of time.
A real leader understands the power of language, yet uses it for good. Not Sarah.
Anon 5:44 Unlike militias and rightwing wack jobs, we democrats liberals express our outrage on blogs, march in the streets, and write letters to our representative. WE BELIEVE IN PEACE!!
"We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear... That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind... The time is always right to do the right thing... Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Rebecca Mansour as a spokeswoman. Mansour took issue with that description. She said, "She (Palin) speaks for herself. I was speaking for myself."
You can tell that the "messages" coming out today are from Sarah's handlers, and not her. She is still hiding, in my opinion. It will be interesting to see what the ratings are for the reality show Sunday, and if she makes an appearance on Fox. For the sake of innocent lives lost today, what can we unitedly do, to make a citizenry statement? Boycott every advertiser of Fox. If we have their products, take them back to the store - leave them in the parking lot - I don't know - something with a big and powerful message... Something viral and effective all across the country at the same time.
5:58, you are tilting at windmills. The discussion isn't that guns are always wrong. It's that Sarah Palin's incendiary language and imagery are to blame.
me again. just checked out Fox advertisers, and there are way too many, and they advertise all across the board, like GMC, Ford, AARP, AFLAC, Capitol One, etc. so the boycott idea wouldn't be effective.
6:10, well if the shooter sounds like Hitler, then you've got it exactly backwards.
You might want to educate yourself about Hitler and the Nazis. Nationalist Socialist Workers Party wasn't about "socialism." Remember, Hitler fought against the USSR.
me again. thought of a positive action we could do instead of the boycott. we could write all of the Republican delegation and tell them NOT to vote to repeal the healthcare bill when they reconvene. ask them if they have the guts or not.
Are her 15 minutes finally up? Is she finally going to sit down and shut up? Hallelujah!
After this terrible tragedy, Palin will no longer be able to use her mean girl, threatening, inciting rhetoric. What does she have left? She does not have the ability to discuss issues with depth of understanding. She only has the ability to be outrageous and who will tolerate that now?
She's done. Good riddance. Finally we can turn the page on the ugly Palin chapter of US history.
and -to be fair to all- can it be confirmed that Jesse Kelly actually said/used
"Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."
on his official web-page/any media campaign literature/statements?
it seems like yes. and any related stuff suddenly also seems 'gone' from the web just now..... but can this "yes" be confirmed? if not it'll just be more fuel for lies.
but if you google that phrase you will currently get MANY, many hits.... like this one:
"In the wake of this stunning tragedy, my prayers are with Rep. Giffords, her husband Mark and the rest of her family. May God's strength comfort her as we pray together for her recovery. We mourn for those who lost their lives in this horrible act.
Senseless acts of violence such as this have absolutely no place in American politics."
but his page never expressed such sentiments until ms. giffords was shot point-blank in the brain......
and SP did put her on the "rifle sights" political ad....
Anon 8:07 oh right, it's Gabrielles fault now that she was shot in he head?? Most congresspeople don't have security. Are you a Palin or Joe miller? Because your comment is insane as well as cold. Frankly it's sick.
Anon 7:02 pm "We need to tone down the anti republican sentiment and cease the bigotry speak. Tea partiers are not the enemy nor do they hate Obama as a human being. Palinbots are not the enemy, nor do THEY hate the President as a human being."
Why do you follow a person that hates Obama. Don't tell me Palin doesn't. She hates the President because she lost. To Palin, it's about seeking revenge. But you bots are too stupid and blind to see Palin for who she really is.
This is President Obama in 2004 DNC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0 In this speech, as and still today wants to bring people together. See the difference?
Gryphen, are the Palinbots so threatened that they are trying to change the subject and blame others. Their comments truly are sick. These are not just low IQ losers. The way they view others and our country is really disturbing. they are blaming you, Obama and even the poor woman who was shot in the head. They are incapable of self refection and of taking responsibility. They simply can't admit they are wrong. Sounds just like sister Sarah. Please go form your own country with no government. It can be all white, run by Queen Sarah. Do it please secede from the US!
Palin: what if the shoe was on the other foot? I wonder what you, RAM, and all your fanatical followers would say if there was a map showing cross-hairs on your(Palin's) home, RAM's home and the homes of each one of your followers.
Would you say that the producer of the map is blameless if something tragic happened to you or to one of the other people targeted on this map?
Or, Palin, would you lay any blame on the producer of the cross-hairs map, for the tragedy to you or your followers?
I think that TLC should receive an avalanche of requests to not air the final episode of SPA. It will be an insult to those affected by the events in Tucson. And that should be everyone. We are in very scary times, the flames of hatred have been fanned by Palin and others. Celebrating her presence on this earth by showing SPA is horribly bad form at such a time. (And I just looked up the word sedition in the dictionary: incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority
Sarah's gun rhetoric must be stopped. She's so stupid to not know (care?) that her words have consequences, even if they're only contributing to an already dangerous political environment. There are just too many crazies out there who could interpret Sarah's cross-haired political targets as people not worthy of life.
Stupid troll, you know damn well there is no comparison. The bitch has been spewing hatred since the 2008 RNC and she hasn't stopped. Hopefully this tragedy will be the end of Palin and her ilk. Palin sit down and STFU.
"We'll AIM for these races and many others. This is just the first SALVO in a FIGHT to elect people across the nation who will bring common sense to Washington. Please go to sarahpac.com and join me in the FIGHT."
To those defending Palin by saying there's no evidence that links to the gunman to her statements, I would argue that there does not need to be.
Palin was a major contributor to a culture of rhetoric that regularly dehumanizes and demonizes liberal democrats and especially democratic elected officials.
Her crosshairs imagery and gun terminology in referencing replacing democrats in congress fed a narrative conservatives have been vigorously crafting that depicts democrats as unpatriotic, evil, bad people.
Just the other day, Palin told a conservative radio audience that President Obama was deliberately trying to "weaken" America. The media can continue to ignore the weight of continued commentary like that or they can wake up and remind people of how ugly such language truly is. I fervently hope they do so, or I fear Giffords will just be the first in a long line of victims of right-wing violence.
If someone is deranged enough to truly believe that some public officials are enemies of the country, trying to destroy the country or turn it into a dictatorship, what options do they feel that they have? And for people like Palin, Beck, Bachmann, and the rest of the crew at Fox "News" to promote this viewpoint fuels the fire of the mentally unstable, provoking people prone to fear and paranoia.
And they know what they are saying is not true because if they truly believed it were true, they would be taking up arms themselves. We all would if we felt our country was being taken over by evil dictators. Instead, they are deliberately trying to lay down the groundwork for someone insane enough to do their dirty work for them.
And innocent people pay the price. Palin may have no direct link to this shooter but she does have a direct link to dehumanizing and denigrating Giffords, depicting her as a "target" of someone's gunsight rather than a human being deserving of respect despite having a different opinion than Sarah Palin.
8:07 you really should watch the full interview with Sheriff Dupnik.
He was asked about this and replied that all public officials were threatened all the time, including him. Rep. Giffords is known for her fearless commitment to do her job and not restrict constituent access to her. When she had knowledge of direct threats, she could and did ask for protection.
She chose to live with courage. May we all do the same.
Bristol's special tweet in honor of today's tragedy.
# F#ck u, asshole! Reported->>"@MattKap20: I wonder how SarahPalinUSA would feel if someone put a crosshair on @bristol_palin 's new house. less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android
I just can't seem to sleep tonight. MSNBC has stopped coverage about the assassination attempt, CNN is playing old stuff they had all day and so I am reduced to Faux news who maybe is replaying what they had all day but I hadn’t been watching it.
Thinking about this and the recurring Sarah Palin target ad, it comes to mind that there were only two candidates that were not “done away with” and that the bill that they were targeted for was coming up for a symbolic vote staged by the Republicans in the House. Maybe there is a connection between the upcoming vote and the assassination attempt. Most people know that the vote in the House doesn’t mean anything but that doesn’t mean that an unstable individual might think otherwise.
So the newly elected Republican leadership in Congress, with all the economic issues facing us, decided that the priority for action was a symbolic vote on the health care bill and that it was so important that they were willing to ignore all the promises they made about having hearings for all legislation and allowing amendments (they will do neither for this bill).
I also remember reading somewhere that there were recent changes to the suspect’s web pages (?facebook). I have read that he recently had Sarah Palin as a “favorite” but now he has a long list of favorite books that make no sense and some rambling that can be used to show an unhinged mind related to nothing political, particularly if they want to ignore the rants of Glen Beck about currency issues. It seems to me that maybe someone was helping this person in his quest while covering his online tracks or even publishing misleading materials.
I think Palins real responsibility is that she made it ok to spew hate and vitriol,to be disrespectful,snarky,rude,nasty and mean.She was a woman,a good looking one in a high powered position,vying for the second highest office in our land.She was supposed to be classy and smart,articulate and masterful,according to the hype.So when she made it her mission to drag discourse to the high school mean girl clicque level,her cult members began to think it was normal.When politicians saw her making headway with the "base",they started to lower their own personal restrictions and let fly with vileness as well.
Thats what she did.She started a trend. Now she owns it.
To the teams that desire making it this far next year: Gear up! In the battle, set your sights on next season’s targets! From the shot across the bow – the first second’s tip-off – your leaders will be in the enemy’s crosshairs, so you must execute strong defensive tactics. You won’t win only playing defense, so get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so penetrate through enemy territory by bombing through the press, and use your strong weapons – your Big Guns – to drive to the hole. Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win.
I find it unfortunate that intense anti govt sentiment began to really flourish under the first black president but better later than never. The corruption in DC will never cease until we the people fight it actively, by any means short of murder.
Bristol_Palin F#ck u, asshole! Reported->>"@MattKap20: I wonder how SarahPalinUSA would feel if someone put a crosshair on @bristol_palin 's new house. less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android
In her entire life, everything Sarah Palin has touched or has been involved in has turned to shit.
Why does the GOP follow her? Why does anybody follow her?
John McCain you are also responsible for this violence in Arizona because you never stood upto this piece of trash. You just let Sarah spew her venom in hopes she could get you elected with her hateful followers.
For starters, let's hope the death of the 9-year old girl is weighing heavily on Sarah's mind tonight.
Think Piper. She's also nine, is she not?
THIS is what you get as a result of HATE and VIOLENCE speeches. Even if used as a metaphor, crosshairs on politcal opponents ultimately means death and tragedy for the innocent. It's time came due today.
I am warning all my relatives in Wasilla to stay clear of the Palins and their house. Undoubtely someone will seek revenge not only on Sarah, but Bill, Rush, Glenn, Ann - the whole hatemongering media talking heads.
Look at what Sarah's hate did to Joe McGinnis. There were some redneck Alaskans ready to lynch him. "We take care of our own" as stated by a local journalist. WTF?
I hate what my country has turned into. I just hate it and I really hate what Sarah Palin has done to it along with all her eggsucking, low-life, dickless cronies. May they all roast in eternal Hell.
This popped up on Yahoo! when I logged on. Seems like the mainstream media is not averse to showing the connection between Palin and the shooting.
"Many lawmakers, especially Democrats, felt the 2009-2010 debate over health care sometimes got out of hand. It began with emotional town hall meetings in the summer of 2009, when some critics warned of government "death panels."
Giffords, 40, was among lawmakers who reported 42 threats or acts or vandalism in the first three months of 2010, a big increase over the previous year, law enforcement officers said. Nearly all the threats dealt with the massive health care bill that Giffords and other Democrats enacted over fierce Republican opposition.
In March, someone kicked in or shot out a glass door and side window at Giffords' office in Tucson, a few hours after the House passed the health care measure with her help.
Giffords also was among about 20 Democrats opposed in last fall's elections by Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. Palin's Facebook page in March posted a U.S. map with the cross-hairs of a gun scope imposed over each of the 20 Democrats' districts. Gun imagery appeared in various ways in the campaign, often not connected at all with gun rights."
Off topic, but bizarrely coincidental. Gryphen, you have an ad just below this post for Nat'l Geographic's "Alaska State Troopers". Another Alaska reality show. is Nat'l Geographic a Discovery Channel production?
Tune in to see yet another Sarah Palin State Trooper ex-brother-in-law in action. Diana's ex-husband, wife-beater, snowmachine bad boy. Born and raised in Wasilla, graduate of Wasilla High School.
I was so thankful for what he said. Conservatives for Palin website has a big photo/article on Giffords which then slides into a big photo/article of Tammy Bruce with a gun in her hand (b/c she interviewed someone on their site bout the shooting, I guess) it's just so creepy the way they are right together and the gun is there. What is wrong with people, can't they give it a rest for just one night.
Gryphen, Can you locate Palin's FB post she posted about the basketball play offs after she posted the map with crosshairs. There was public objection to her violent rhetoric, lies about health care reform (death panels and abortion)and threats and violence had suddenly escalated. I think it is pertinent that despite public objection, the causes and effects Palin chose to escalate her rhetoric loading up the FB post about basketball.
When people publicly shouted to kill Obama Palin still did not cease her rhetoric, she ramped it up. She is toxic and dysfunctional. People like Palin seek to defermate and discredit others and do not care who gets killed in the process.
This assassin is obviously mentally ill. Most paranoid schizophrenics are not violent. Aided by the easy access to guns and the tea party and Palin's rhetoric, he found a target for his delusions.
This is it. The twenty victims and family's will file 20 lawsuits and take every penny she has. Tawd better take his half and run cause there won't be anything remaining. I always knew she was going down but to be broke and homeless is just too perfect. Thanks Sarah for your big mouth. How's that waitress-ey thinngey thing working out for ya?
Warning: Subject to New Politically Correct Language Police Censorship by Sarah Palin on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 1:59pm
March Madness battles rage! My family and I join millions of Americans enjoying college basketball’s finest through March Madness. Underdogs always get my vote as we watch intense competition bring out the best in these accomplished teams.
The Final Four is an intense, contested series (kind of like a heated, competitive primary election), so best of luck to all teams, and watch for this principle lived out: the team that wins is the team that wants it more.
To the teams that desire making it this far next year: Gear up! In the battle, set your sights on next season’s targets! From the shot across the bow – the first second’s tip-off – your leaders will be in the enemy’s crosshairs, so you must execute strong defensive tactics. You won’t win only playing defense, so get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so penetrate through enemy territory by bombing through the press, and use your strong weapons – your Big Guns – to drive to the hole. Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win.
Focus on the goal and fight for it. If the gate is closed, go over the fence. If the fence is too high, pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, parachute in. If the other side tries to push back, your attitude should be “go for it.” Get in their faces and argue with them. (Sound familiar?!) Every possession is a battle; you’ll only win the war if you’ve picked your battles wisely. No matter how tough it gets, never retreat, instead RELOAD!
That is so funny that and the tea party are so oblivious to the fact that we are actually admitting that there is some hateful things said moron. i mean the tea party holding up signs saying i killed grandma or he is trying to take over our government please stop trying to protect your selves you contradicted yourselves you can thank fox news and all those they what oh sponsor on their show so before you conservatives and tea beggars start trying to attack others for saying its your fault look at the facts One more question can you admit to the fact that people are saying some ridiculous and angry things? There is a difference between saying something and contradicting what you say democrats might have said some things in the past but they weren't the ones who stood on the balcony waving and holding up a tea party flag so.................who's the idiot?
To contradict yourself is different than speaking your mind. You can speak your mind without saying anything that someday will backfire. Like in this case the Republicans were in such a hurry to win, that they rode the anger of the tea party to congress, and now in the unfortunate events that unfolded, they won”t admit that there was some rhetoric that was heated amongst there party. They are now affiliated with the tea party
It takes a real sick puppy to try to blame this senseless tragedy on Sarah Palin or any other conservative. Incendiary political rhetoric does not just come from the right. My prayer is that in disagreeing with one another, we don't have to resort to inexplicable violence.
We can't forget Sharon Angle and her talk of second amendment remedies!
ReplyDeletewell said.
ReplyDeleteAnd, thank you Sarah for your vitriole.
Republicans, my party, please, it is time to take out the trash.
I wish this hadn't happened, but it's amazing to hear those words spoken by a sherriff, in AZ, on Fox News. I honestly have hope that this will turn the tide and the insanity that this country has gone through in the last two years will start to subside. The crazies have had WAY too much of a voice since Sarah Palin ran for VP. It's NOT ok to be a bigot.
ReplyDeleteJust to be fair here. Sarah's been active in national dialogue since Fall 09. If she is solely to blame for an innocent person's tragic shooting, attempted assass. or whatever they're calling it, how do you explain ALL the vile tragedies that came before? The political ones, school shootings, subway hostage takeovers...
ReplyDeleteIt takes more than one person's tweet or facebook message to warp a troubled mind into justifying said person to pick up a gun and kill. I for one believe all the pol assass that have succeeded were instigated by govt entities. Jesse Venture makes a compelling argument and our govt has been corrupt far before W came on the scene. Someone who knows the truth needs to write that shit down in a will or something and when they die, that shit needs to be read to the whole country.
Just because we have a const that assures all are created equal (and we are), doesn't mean the same behavior isn't already inside each one of us as it is in our enemies. I wish people could see that. Human nature is NOT good at heart. It has taken me 15 years to learn this. The trick is to etch into one's mind with permanent marker, "I shall not hurt a living soul"
If I could teach every child one lesson, it would be that
That says it all. I believe that this tragedy may be the undoing of Palin. I hope that the rhetoric that has been spewed by Palin and others will be called out for what it is: incitement to violence. Could the shooter be a "Manchurian Candidate?" An unstable person easily swayed and controlled by others. Clip being shown on MSNBC regarding the vandalism of Giffords' office after she voted in favor of the Health Care Bill and her remarks about the threats and violence.
ReplyDeleteDupnik represents the quintessential, progressive Arizonan. When you watch Sheriff Dupnik, you will know how true Arizonans really feel.
ReplyDeleteHe and the rest of progressive Arizonans don't get appropriate recognition, but he symbolizes how we would be if the crazies hadn't taken over.
From Tucson, Arizona: Help!
Now, I'll REALLY be impressed with Fox if they mention the obvious connection between Palin's bullseye map and this incident, as every other news organization is doing, today.
ReplyDeleteI won't hold my breath.
You know, there are times and blog posts I've truly feared that Gry would one day wake up and finally murder Sarah. I am not kidding. Be careful how you go about criticizing people, and always make sure you're criticizing the work they do and not the person they are (esp when you don't know them, right G?)
ReplyDeletegryph, i watched it live on CNN. every single "24-hour news cycle" station carried the sheriff live.
ReplyDeleteso it's not remarkable that fox also had the same live feed and then posted a vid.
that said, i was struck by those lines. my feeling is that jared L. L. was/is clearly mentally ill, just look at his youtube vids:
classitup10
he seems more like someone on the paranoid-schizophrenic scale combined with some "ultra-libertarian" ideas than a "typical teabagger" or "lefty-liberal" (the latter i've already seen him called online by a "female former friend"). but the sense of someone unwell comes through above all else in his bizarre vids. he seems to be obsessed with things he deems "unconstitutional", "mind control" the "fraud" of paying his community college tuition (somehow "unconstitutional"), and literacy in english grammar.....
this is not to say that scarah never played into his bizarre ideas of what governments can do and what is "constitutional", but just now we don't really know.
another big tragedy is that he could get to age 22 in the US without anyone recognizing and treating his obvious mental illness. if that had happened, 18 people might not have been shot this morning.......
@5:39 - Just to be fair here, Sarah has been active in National politics since AUGUST 2008. Before that, she was an AIP member. Get your facts straight, troll. Yes, she posted the target on Congresswoman Gifford. That's whyat we're talking about--not the ills of humankind since time immemorial. Yes, she is directly to blame, and her own FB page, SarahPAC page, and her tweets are the proof. I hope GIfford's family sues the Palins.
ReplyDeleteWow. Truer words have never been said on this topic of inflammatory language inciting the weak-minded to act. Thoughtful intelligent people know this.
ReplyDeleteLinda Arizona...thank you for your comment. Indeed, Clarence Dupnik is a good man and has been our sheriff for almost as long as I've lived in Tucson. I am a proud, progressive Arizonan who weeps for our state tonight and prays for Gabby and the other victims of today's tragic event.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know times haven't changed. People still use guns freely for selfish, mental reasons. Before now I've always been pro 2nd amendment, for the sole reason that guns are necessary to combat people who refuse to uphold the constitution or wish to change it. Except I wouldne go as far as using a gun to actually kill the wrongdoer, just to show threat. Nothing wrong with that. It works.
ReplyDeleteAnd given all the hate that won't be stopped anytime soon (mainly from abroad), I'd hate to see guns outlawed. Self protection and feeling safe is important. My 10th grade english teacher taught me that (shes a cute little old woman who's 5' and looks like your weet lil granny. But the woman can shoot and carries her gun everywhere it's legal.
It's important we teach kids today the real facts and not shelter them as most of us were sheltered. Teaching passivity (word?) and being a pacifist just doesn't cut it and never will EVER.
Gryphen, you said on your last post of the shooter's youtube:
ReplyDelete"We still have no idea if this shooting was related to Sarah Palin or Rep. Gifford's vote on the health care bill."
It is not the point of one specific vote on the healthcare with relation to the Palin target map - it is her ad nauseam amping at high pitched volume of the hateful, violence related rhetoric.
Want to bet now? Sunday night you can be dammed well guaranteed she will hit the replay button on the 'Dont retreat, just reload' Chant.
You are trying to 'box' the target map - for which you are wrong. You have to think of all the times we've heard her speeches that she preaches to the choirs with all the rhetoric, hate, violence. It's been inclused in I think every episode of her present day reality show, at her events, at her speeches, her appearances of FOX. It's the issue of an ongoing preaching of this that can be compared to the continuous lies spewed by her and those at FOX and the Republications, that the more it is said, those listening then believe it. To them, it becomes truth. Facts then get in the way.
When you are dealing with unbalanced people, repeated violent/hateful rhetoric is a disaster waiting to blow up and it did today. It's like yelling 'fire'
Palin, Rush, Bill O, the list too long to type - all have a part in this. Bill O & his ad nauseam Tiller the Baby Killer. No different.
Why do people keep talking about bigotry? No one's a bigot. We are a country having severe ideological differences. The Right morally outweighs the Left (slightly) but the left has the power. Though taxing people's hard earned money isn't fair not right, demonizing those who are successful is even more unfair. Being a millionaire doesnt make one evil and it doesn't mean they should pay more.
ReplyDeleteActually, I am sure that the troopers and news media know exactly where to look if anything happened to Grypen or any of the other Alaska bloggers for that matter.
ReplyDeleteNice try Anonymous 5:44 but the intelligent people who visit here on a regular basis will not buy that for one second.
ReplyDeleteI have never made physical threats against Sarah Palin, nor have I ever condoned others doing so.
Nor, while we are on he subject, have I EVER put cross-hairs over somebody's house or voting district, nor suggested anything like "2nd amendment solutions" to our problems in this country, nor have I suggested that any baby, or adult, should have been aborted.
Sarah Palin is well aware that I have never posed a physical threat to her, as evidenced by her comfort at standing only a few feet away from me at the Joe Miller event in Wasilla this last summer.
But just in case there is any question as to my point of view, let me once again state that I do not want ANYBODY to make physical threats against others while visiting this blog. Remember WE are the liberals who respect all life, not just the potential life of the unborn.
So this was all about literacy?
ReplyDeletePalin, Angle, Bachmann, Beck, Limbaugh et al should all be charged with domestic terrorism.
ReplyDeleteThey know these weak minds follow them and take their lead from them.
FOX news cuts away the second Palin's name is mentioned.
ReplyDeletehttp://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/fox-news-cuts-away-giffords-vigil-when-
I've watched SP since she first appeared on the presidential campaign trail and was alarmed then, when I heard racist threats against Obama shouted at one of her rallies by people who looked like skinheads--neo-Nazis--while she did nothing to silence the violent outburst, and by her silence condoned it. I heard that similar scenes were repeated at her other rallies and that she had drawn a following of racist whites.
ReplyDeleteLast year when Palin posted targets on a map of the geographic locations of Democrat congressmen who had won former Republican seats I called my congressman's office--he was one of those targeted-- to give him encouragement. (He was defeated last election, in part due to Palin's efforts.)
Today's tragic occurrence was, sadly, a predictable escalation on a continuum of violence from speech to final action, and a logical outgrowth of violent rhetoric and imagery. It cannot be separated from the up tick in violence-- whether psychological intimidation or other: from name-calling, verbal threats, violent rhetoric to physical attacks on opponents. i.e. spitting on congressmen, attacking their offices and homes (this mostly directed at Democrats, though others including Republicans have also received such treatment) that has accompanied SP's entry into national politics.
SP has been using violent rhetoric and imagery to stir up emotions for several years now, playing before a large audience. She should be held accountable for the violent attack on someone she put into "crosshairs'--though she "only” meant it as a metaphor. She is guilty of rabble rousing, appealing to the basest in human nature, not something to be taken lightly particularly in conjunction with her glamorization of guns and her constant touting of the 2nd amendment--as if violence is the primary way to succeed, when in fact it is the greatest danger.
It is no coincidence that the target of this tragedy is someone SP had indeed put a "target" on. There are causes for things and antecedents. And words and symbols do have effects and consequences as any PR person can attest.
SP did not pull the trigger herself, she may not be the primary cause, but she certainly has helped create the psychological climate of violence, fear, retribution, and the unwillingness to negotiate or compromise, that undoubtedly offers to the more irrational among us the impetus to act on hateful and vile impulses.
Let's hope that peaceful solutions and good-willed people prevail and that we all resolve to do everything possible to prevent more tragedies like this.
Was the shooter the guy who met GG not too long ago and found her to be stupid? I read that somewhere. Maybe that tweeter's comments. That would help to tie in the literacy stuff he complains about. Actually this guy's sounding kind of like Hitler. Dropped out, didn't make the army, vast mental problems, rampage
ReplyDeletehmmm
yeah, the more one thinks about it, the less one can justify Sarah had ANYTHING to do with it
Jared Loughner seems clearly mentally unstable.
ReplyDeleteHe's just the weapon. Palin pulled the trigger.
And to those who believe that the fact that Sarah had crosshairs on a map aimed at Gabrielle Giffords' district, with Gabrielle being named on that map was just coincidental to her being shot today, remember that Sarah herself doesn't believe in coincidences.
It's not that Sarah's directly responsible for what happened. But she should understand how much her followers look to her, and NOW she should disavow the rhetoric she used in the past.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing to say, "hey, just because I used a certain compelling metaphor to engage people in the political contest, doesn't mean I'm to blame when someone takes it too far."
But NOW is the time to say "I shouldn't use that kind of language, and I want to tell all my followers to stop and think twice before you choose violence."
So she scrubbed the C4P website. Well, OK. She should post a thing saying WHY.
This is her opportunity to do something positive. Do you think she will?
(no, me either._
Anon 6:00
ReplyDeleteGood attempt at changing the subject - FAILED.
Anon 5:58 - you said:
"And given all the hate that won't be stopped anytime soon (mainly from abroad),"
Hate - mainly from abroad. Provide us with your Planet's name please as it's not earth. The majority of 'hate' is from within the US borders.
Dear Anon5:44pm; we all wish Sarah Palin a long, long life.. in whatever jail she lands up in.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Ridiculing her clueless, classless behavior is not even close to the kind of rhetoric of violence that she used during the 2008 election and afterward.
Her own words condemn her.
Linda Arizona,
ReplyDeleteIn a blog post a few back on IM as I wasn't aware new ones were up, I commented on the Sheriff's press conference and said right off - Give the man a hug!!
Sadly, for those outside of a state, we don't usually get to see some good guys and the bad guys yell louder and that's who the media pays attention to. And with a 24/7 cycle, the bad is repeated, and repeated, and repeated again.
Guess we have to learn to Yell Nicely LOUDER!!!!
OH GRYPHEN!!!! WAKE UP!!! LOL
@6:10, the more "one" looks at what you have written, more "one" assumes that you are a 'bot. Dipshit.
ReplyDeletegryphen
ReplyDeleteCrosshairs website is gone!
@6:00 -
ReplyDelete"The Right morally outweighs the Left (slightly) but the left has the power." How's that Moral Superiority working for you today, troll?
Hmm, somehow methinks ye olde Queen of Drama Palin will probably end up hospitalized with 'exhaustion' soon as a means of taking some of the heat off her, while still maintaining her full media whore status.
ReplyDeleteYa'll read it here first.
This guy's views are not your typical tea partier. Look up 'sovereign citizen'. I think he falls into their bucket. It explains the burning of the flag.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd wished I screen captured it but both Bristol and Willow had Twitter posts saying 'F#CK U' to someone who suggested Sarah would be mad if someone put a target on Bristol's house. Both tweets have been removed.
Vinnie
also, jared L. L. has some consuming fixation on/with "a new currency" which seems to be related both to a physical monetary bill/coin -ALWAYS literally backed by/flat-out-made-of physical gold and silver- and also meaning some kind of new "state of mind." -one which can only be accessed by the "literate" (in english grammar?) and/or people who are "conscience dreamers"?…..really, who knows what this means?….
ReplyDeletehe also greatly believes in some secret "second" USA constitution.
and he majorly believes something about how BCE/CE (before common era/common era historical time-keeping, but sometimes also known as "christian era" not "common era") as opposed to BC/AD timekeeping is….a problem? a big lie??? (i really can't understand his words about this at all.)
he also here discusses this ADE/BCE meaningful something,- but i am not aware of anyone ever, other than this one ill young man, actually using "A.D.E." in any form of dating human history…… [simple AD=Anno Domini "in the year of our lord"] so are we to think that his ADE in replacing BCE means an overt recognition of "in the year of our [christian] lord -the era"?
who but him can know!
he also proclaimed in one vid:
"I'm able to control every belief and religion by being the mind controller!"
clearly, this person is very mentally ill…..
i wonder who this "50-ish white male" person of interest the AZ sheriff mentioned now looking for will be. will it be just jared's dad or uncle? or some libertardian "guru" of his illness? and/or someone who took advantage of his unhinged mind in another way? or merely an unwitting driver to the safe-way? i hope we will soon know.
Boy the trolls, paid and otherwise, are out in force tonight! Don't feed'em.
ReplyDeleteThe Leaders in power in this country have had 2 years to publicly address any hateful rhetoric out there. They've done nothing. It's been a year since Sarah's harmless crosshair post. Nothing happened before today. There's already sufficient evidence that deems this deranged man a mental case with his personal demons, ones that would have been enacted despite certain people. HIt problems that have been voiced seem to be local ones ie literacy.
ReplyDeleteWe need to tone down the anti republican sentiment and cease the bigotry speak. Tea partiers are not the enemy nor do they hate Obama as a human being. Palinbots are not the enemy, nor do THEY hate the President as a human being.
I find it unfortunate that intense anti govt sentiment began to really flourish under the first black president but better later than never. The corruption in DC will never cease until we the people fight it actively, by any means short of murder.
Tom/next week we'll see/hear Palin on Fox pointing her finger at someones else.
ReplyDeleteHannity, Gretha etc. will cover her ass!
PALIN ARE U HAPPY?
ReplyDeleteYou think the Palin family is going to be greeted with open arms in AZ after all this?
ReplyDeleteI hope they realize quickly, what we in Alaska have learned, and that is that the Palin family is a farce and Sarah, herself, is one evil woman!
Countdown to the baggers and Jan Brewer asking him to apologize, quit, retire or be fired in 3, 2, . . .
ReplyDeletePalin spokeswoman calls using tragedy to score political points "obscene"
ReplyDeletehttp://alaskadispatch.com/blogs/palin-watch/8205-palin-spokeswoman-calls-using-tragedy-to-score-political-points-qobsceneq-
I get a kick out of Palin scrubbing things from her various sites when she should know many of us have copied her idiotic stuff just in case she tries to act like she never said it or did it!
ReplyDeleteRemember folks, the woman is a devious as they come.
My issue is with people who blame the 2nd amendment. It has NOTHING To do with the 2nd amendment. A gun is only one way to kill a person. The intent has to be there within their minds, the weapon of choice is usually one of convienence. Guns will and should always exist for common sense reasons. A killer has no one t o blame but themselves. Think Reagan. yeah whats his face wanted to impress somebody who was named, but the fault is with the subject committing the crime, and anyone who aided and abetted. So far, no other specific accomplice has been named. Doesn't mean there wasn't one but so far there wasn't
ReplyDeleteTo the trolls who are still defending SP:
ReplyDeleteMaybe her talk of violence, cross-hairs, reloading instead of retreating, etc. is just metaphor. But I don't believe that makes it acceptable, nor does it obviate her guilt if someone misunderstands the metaphor and takes her literally. She should choose metaphors that do not have the potential to cause deaths.
Also, as a longtime IM reader, I can second what Gryphen says. He does not promote or incite violence. He does not use violent metaphors. I've never had the impression that he wants anyone to perpetrate acts of violence against Palin or her family--quite the opposite. He, like most of his loyal readers, does want her to shut up, go away, and fester in her own toxic juices in prison for the rest of her life.
I lost the youtube links to back this up, but I always liked to point out that Sarah was conveniently and willfully deaf to the shouts of violence against Obama and the Dems, but on the one occasion where a group of people were shouting only that they couldn't hear her, she didn't even know what they were shouting but the snarky bitch just had to get off script to say to them, "I'm glad we have our troops out there fightin for your rights to interrupt me," or something to that affect. As if one thing has to do with another. Numbskull, hateful b*^%#.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just Sarah, or Rush, or Glenn or Ann. It's us too. We all need to stop the hate. We are all in this together folks. We are all neighbors and we need to be good examples for our children or the cycle of hate never ends. It's tearing our country apart. If we can convince people to not give the hate an audience then we will be so much better for it in the end.
ReplyDeletemore blow back? Sarah Palin's Alaska canceled.
ReplyDeletehttp://omg.yahoo.com/news/sarah-palins-alaska-not-renewed-report/53690
Rick
This event just makes me cry...and I blame Sarah Palin for cultivating this current climate of violence and bigotry. You bet I do.
ReplyDeleteSarah knows that when she publicly criticizes one of her foes, her palinbot puppets will make that person's life a living hell. She commands a rabid pack of pro-life zombies who have no remorse for their own bad behavior.
NEVER...Sarah has NEVER denounced these vile acts committed on her behalf, including when Wasillans acted violently toward writer Joe McGinnis. What a piece of crap she is.
The comments from the bots here are appalling.
ReplyDeleteThe right morally outweighs the left, but the left has the power?? HUH????? WTF are you talking about!!
And no one has ever said millionaires are evil. I happen to be in the top income category and I am happy to pay more because I can afford to!! That is part of being s responsible community member IMO. Just like in churches, the wealthiest often give more because they can. Keeping as much money as one can is a SELFISH way of living and I don't want to live in a selfish society where one does not think of the community as a whole. You will never understand this because of your narrow views but millions of wealthy people feel like I do. I am happy to give more get it???
As far as this not being about bigotry, what planet do you live on?? I don't even know where to start. Sarah has clearly incited racism and hatred towards the President. Arizonas in fighting about illegal immigration is clearly about racism
Are you a Christian?? If so, you really don't understand Christs teachings. I will pray for you.
Sheriff Dupnik, Az State Representative Steve Farley and former Surgeon General, Richard Carmona have all spoken out against the inflammatory rhetoric in the media and our state.
ReplyDeleteThese are the Arizonans I want the world to know about and listen to. They are sane, compassionate, courageous and smart.
Thank you all for not hating us Arizonans. We are all in the same boat right now. I believe that we have reached a tipping point. Things can get worse, or citizens can turn away from the right wing nuts.
May the victims' lives be honored with a renewed spirit of sanity, respect and resolve to restore our democracy from the agitators who have tried so vehemently to destroy it.
And while I do blame Sarah in part for this tragedy, I have to blame FOX and the Rush Limbaughs and Micheal Savages and Ann Coulters of the world also. They have all been pushing the same brand of hate and discontent for years. And this is the end result.
ReplyDeleteRick
Bet the Baggers go after the man next election.
ReplyDeleteWhat is said is the truth, pure simple, "common sense" truth.
An "expert" on CNN just said the shooter appears mentally unstable and that people are trying to imprint the event with a "political stamp." For God's sake the man, yes he's very likely mentally ill, chose to bring a gun to a political event and targeted a politician.
ReplyDeleteThe Pima county sheriff is right--a very dangerous political climate has been created by hate jockeys like Limbaugh who has used violent, contemptuous and insulting language on the air for a generation, and his imitators like Glenn Beck, along with demagogues like Palin--all have repeatedly outlined "targets" for the rage of the populace without providing any real answers or solutions for our country's problems. It was only a matter of time before a mentally unstable person would act out the scenario planted by such irresponsible and dangerous hate-mongers.
I find it so disingenuous of posters such as 6:10/2, who try and deny the impact of their "Queen", after spending the last two years celebrating it.
ReplyDeleteThat is what the goal was: change the country; and boy, they sure did.
And with the current Inter-tubes, there is instantaneous bounce-back 24 hours a day.
It is the same ol, same ol: sex and violence...
I would hate to see censorship become the only way she can be stopped...it has to come from the heart of each citizen. As I have raised my kids: Live Your Politics. And Speak Love to Hate.
Don't let the fear-mongers win.
The crosshairs website may be gone but she still has it up on her FB page.
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:37 I wish you were right. But Sarah et al., will blame it on Obama and health care and socialism, and government take over, and taking away people's guns and rights and all the other lies that have brought so many murders of hate in the last 20 some years. All perpetrated by Americans against Americans for political reasons.
ReplyDeleteBet a mortgage payment that Bible Spice is right now on the phone with Greta to get a sit down interview to try and salvage her reputation. Make Sister Sarah look innocent and relieve her of any guilty ( like she ever had any) that her words or actions played any part in what happened today. It's all about the spin.
ReplyDeleteSheriff Dupnik for Arizona Governor!
ReplyDeleteOH BS, 5:44. People who use the pen, even if it's a very sharp pen have already renounced the sword.
ReplyDelete@5:58 - Right - you wanna tell that to Gandhi?
ReplyDelete6:10 has it exactly right. Sarah has been using that nasty, hate filled rhetoric for years. Her appearances during the 2008 campaign were followed by increased death threats made to Obama. The Tea Party rallies had some of the most hate filled, racist, violent and nasty images produced. If you put a target on someone's face, and they weren't eliminated in the election, some nut will do the job for you.
ReplyDeleteIt was the constant drum beat of Bill O'Reilly calling Dr. Teller the baby killer that finally drove some nut to kill the doctor. Did O'Reilly pull the trigger? He said things that were meant to instigate hated often enough until they resonated with some weak mind.
There are consequences for hate speech.
6:00 You are very simplistic, things aren't just black or white. I have two cousins, both multimillionaires. Why? Because their father (who DID work hard) left them each a fortune. I have a neighbor who works seven days/week in a "helping" occupation and he is just making it. How is it that the rich "deserve" to have more? And as for the right being more moral, what ever are you talking about? How do you know that? Because they make a lot of noise about morals? Newt, Sanford, yes also Sarah- are they moral?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Palin can legally be connected to what happened today, but if I were the family of one of those people harmed today, I'd slap Palin with a civil suit so fast her bumpit would spin. And I hope the family would win, and take every penny Palin's grifted from the world in her heinous, cancerous, loonggg 15 minutes. Melly
ReplyDeleteoff topic but I was talking to a friend about this today and she said her father is a long old timer repiblican but has distanced himself since Sarah Palin and her horrifying rhetoric came on the scene. My friend said her father despises her, so-that made me feel a little bit better.
ReplyDeleteThere is no excuse SP for you shameless POS!!!! My husband just said there is no way she will retract what she has said and done because she will NEVER admit she is a fricking asshole.
Funny that Palin's people and family are moving to Arizona. Sure they'll fit right in.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 5:39 you are very weird. And Palin's had her nose in "national dialogue" since Fall 2008, not 2009, for what it's woreth. Palin dared it to happen. Palin put the targets out and sounded the dog whistles. I hope she shrivels up and dies.
ReplyDeleteCrystal@ 5:42. "Could the shooter be a "Manchurian Candidate?"
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps a Mansourian candidate?
Melly
Annon at 6:00pm
ReplyDeleteThough taxing people's hard earned money isn't fair not right,
That is actually in the constitution and was read on the House floor the other day. Congress both repub and dems write the laws that tax. Perhaps you could get your head out of your ass and debate with facts.
FWIW, Local FOX network affiliates are not the same as FOX News, the cable channel.
ReplyDeleteQuit trying to blame Gryphen - 5:44 comment - he has never encouraged what you are implying. You are just upset because Sarah Palin did what she did and is being called out for it. Shame on you for trying to kiss up to someone like Palin.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, please stay safe and hire a bodyguard.
hmm, so GG basically ignored her staffers' fears when the vandalism occurred, waiving off any threats. If her father states the tea party hates her, then she had to have known about the strong reactions as well. Traveling without security in those conditions is pretty stupid. Im not disparaging her but it appears she had no regard for her staff's concerns
ReplyDeletewhat is this
ReplyDeletehttp://yfrog.com/h78vlp
Comment at 6:10 - shame on you for saying the victim is stupid - are you one of the Palin family?
ReplyDeleteObviously this young man is very sick. If he has an accomplice there is also more to this story, such as possible group affiliations or at the very least a shared "philosophy".
ReplyDeleteThe connection to Sarah Palin is painfully clear and undeniable. Why would he target this particular woman, this particular gathering? Did a certain map inspire him? Did talk radio inspire him? Did Sarah and Co's violent apocalyptic incantations send him completely off the deep end and into this horrendous violence?
If it weren't this woman and this gathering, Sarah might be off the hook. She would be one more loud voice subtly and not so subtly inciting violence and "resistance" (to what I am not sure) in general.
But this is specific enough to indicate a direct link to Sarah's 20 target campaign. She must answer for it. She cannot avoid it. It will be discussed, written about, and the next time she does an interview she better have an answer, at the very least. She will be lucky if the FBI doesn't go directly to see her. By rights, to be thorough, they should.
Those are not surveyor's symbols. Those are gun sights. I am quite sure Sarah did not mean them literally, but how fucking irresponsible and reckless, to put them there - knowing that there are sick people in the world, people who hold extremist and violent views?
uh oh, obama used gun rhetoric. he's responsible.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/06/14/obama-if-they-bring-a-knife-to-the-fight-we-bring-a-gun/
I actually remember hearing this and being taken aback slightly at his one party ways
i think what the palin supporters are missing is that she put this womans name and a target on her.. no matter what crap they want to quote about what others have said about fighting and standing up etc does not matter.. they did not post peoples names with targets on them
ReplyDeleteHey Gryp.
ReplyDeleteI just read this comment on politico
"The Federal police are interrogating Mitch McConnel who has ties via phone record to this kid"
Posted By: Hunter | January 08, 2011
This is the Republican Senator from Kentucky... Any SP connections with this Rep Senator?
Dots are getting connected back to the Repubs Leadership Rhetoric, Sarah is on fire and TLC will not renew her show, for next season.
I think this was a fake story though from Politico
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0111/Reports_Giffords_recognizes_husband.html?showall
have you seen this?:
ReplyDelete"Palin endorsed Jesse Kelly, who ran against Giffords, who used the tagline:
'Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly." "
Get on Target for Victory
yeah, nothing about that makes anyone think of shooting people...... (cough cough ghag!)
Sarah Palin's Alaska is canceled for next season.
ReplyDeletehttp://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/07/sarah-palins-alaska-no-second-season/
5:39, I hear what you are saying, but please make a distinction among general random violence, domestic violence and politically motivated violence. No one claims Sarah Palin is responsible for all violence.
ReplyDeleteHowever, she has spent over two years beating the drum of anti-government sentiment using sometimes incendiary, but always overwrought rhetoric. Rhetoric brimming with unnecessary emotion, always blaming Democrats for all the ills of "Real America." Sometimes she'll throw a dart at Republicans, but she saves the worst for Obama. She has used rhetoric with violent imagery to "put in our sights,""target," "reload," "do battle to save America." It was only a matter of time.
A real leader understands the power of language, yet uses it for good. Not Sarah.
Anon 5:44 Unlike militias and rightwing wack jobs, we democrats liberals express our outrage on blogs, march in the streets, and write letters to our representative. WE BELIEVE IN PEACE!!
ReplyDelete"We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear... That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind... The time is always right to do the right thing... Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
5:44, don't kid yourself, we all know just what Sarah is all about. Gryphen has her pegged and you know it.
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as Gryphen committing murder, well, why bother when watching Sarah fuck up her golden opportunity is so much more gratifying.
Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Rebecca Mansour as a spokeswoman. Mansour took issue with that description. She said, "She (Palin) speaks for herself. I was speaking for myself."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alaskadispatch.com/blogs/palin-watch/8205-palin-spokeswoman-calls-using-tragedy-to-score-political-points-qobsceneq-
Palin and McCain started this crap. Palin at the rallies urging the crowd to believe that Obama was Muslim and not an American.
ReplyDeleteIt was not until McCain came face to face with it at one of his rallies that he corrected a woman but by then it was too late.
Just roll the tapes to remind people...
You can tell that the "messages" coming out today are from Sarah's handlers, and not her. She is still hiding, in my opinion. It will be interesting to see what the ratings are for the reality show Sunday, and if she makes an appearance on Fox. For the sake of innocent lives lost today, what can we unitedly do, to make a citizenry statement? Boycott every advertiser of Fox. If we have their products, take them back to the store - leave them in the parking lot - I don't know - something with a big and powerful message... Something viral and effective all across the country at the same time.
ReplyDelete5:58, you are tilting at windmills. The discussion isn't that guns are always wrong. It's that Sarah Palin's incendiary language and imagery are to blame.
ReplyDeleteNot a gun, but Sarah's big mouth.
lets not forget that Beck wore a bullet proof vest to their own rally. They know the hatred they incite in their own followers
ReplyDeleteme again. just checked out Fox advertisers, and there are way too many, and they advertise all across the board, like GMC, Ford, AARP, AFLAC, Capitol One, etc. so the boycott idea wouldn't be effective.
ReplyDelete6:10, well if the shooter sounds like Hitler, then you've got it exactly backwards.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to educate yourself about Hitler and the Nazis. Nationalist Socialist Workers Party wasn't about "socialism." Remember, Hitler fought against the USSR.
me again. thought of a positive action we could do instead of the boycott. we could write all of the Republican delegation and tell them NOT to vote to repeal the healthcare bill when they reconvene. ask them if they have the guts or not.
ReplyDeleteAre her 15 minutes finally up? Is she finally going to sit down and shut up? Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteAfter this terrible tragedy, Palin will no longer be able to use her mean girl, threatening, inciting rhetoric. What does she have left?
She does not have the ability to discuss issues with depth of understanding. She only has the ability to be outrageous and who will tolerate that now?
She's done. Good riddance. Finally we can turn the page on the ugly Palin chapter of US history.
and -to be fair to all- can it be confirmed that Jesse Kelly actually said/used
ReplyDelete"Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."
on his official web-page/any media campaign literature/statements?
it seems like yes. and any related stuff suddenly also seems 'gone' from the web just now..... but can this "yes" be confirmed? if not it'll just be more fuel for lies.
but if you google that phrase you will currently get MANY, many hits.... like this one:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/flashback-giffords-opponent-had-m16-shooting-event-help-remove-gabrielle-giffords-from-office.php
kelly's official page now says:
"In the wake of this stunning tragedy, my prayers are with Rep. Giffords, her husband Mark and the rest of her family. May God's strength comfort her as we pray together for her recovery. We mourn for those who lost their lives in this horrible act.
Senseless acts of violence such as this have absolutely no place in American politics."
but his page never expressed such sentiments until ms. giffords was shot point-blank in the brain......
and SP did put her on the "rifle sights" political ad....
what the fuck is wrong with our country?
Anon 8:07 oh right, it's Gabrielles fault now that she was shot in he head?? Most congresspeople don't have security. Are you a Palin or Joe miller? Because your comment is insane as well as cold. Frankly it's sick.
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:02 pm "We need to tone down the anti republican sentiment and cease the bigotry speak. Tea partiers are not the enemy nor do they hate Obama as a human being. Palinbots are not the enemy, nor do THEY hate the President as a human being."
ReplyDeleteWhy do you follow a person that hates Obama. Don't tell me Palin doesn't. She hates the President because she lost. To Palin, it's about seeking revenge.
But you bots are too stupid and blind to see Palin for who she really is.
This is President Obama in 2004 DNC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0
In this speech, as and still today wants to bring people together. See the difference?
Gryphen, are the Palinbots so threatened that they are trying to change the subject and blame others. Their comments truly are sick. These are not just low IQ losers. The way they view others and our country is really disturbing. they are blaming you, Obama and even the poor woman who was shot in the head. They are incapable of self refection and of taking responsibility. They simply can't admit they are wrong. Sounds just like sister Sarah.
ReplyDeletePlease go form your own country with no government. It can be all white, run by Queen Sarah. Do it please secede from the US!
About time someone finally had the cajones to say it!
ReplyDeleteI hope that something good can come out of this terrible tragedy and people will start coming to their senses.
Palin: what if the shoe was on the other foot? I wonder what you, RAM, and all your fanatical followers would say if there was a map showing cross-hairs on your(Palin's) home, RAM's home and the homes of each one of your followers.
ReplyDeleteWould you say that the producer of the map is blameless if something tragic happened to you or to one of the other people targeted on this map?
Or, Palin, would you lay any blame on the producer of the cross-hairs map, for the tragedy to you or your followers?
I think that TLC should receive an avalanche of requests to not air the final episode of SPA. It will be an insult to those affected by the events in Tucson. And that should be everyone. We are in very scary times, the flames of hatred have been fanned by Palin and others. Celebrating her presence on this earth by showing SPA is horribly bad form at such a time. (And I just looked up the word sedition in the dictionary: incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority
ReplyDeleteSarah's gun rhetoric must be stopped. She's so stupid to not know (care?) that her words have consequences, even if they're only contributing to an already dangerous political environment. There are just too many crazies out there who could interpret Sarah's cross-haired political targets as people not worthy of life.
ReplyDeleteOT: Gryphen, I hope you do NOT do a piece tomorrow night on Palin's 2-hr Alaska finale show.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you do, I hope absolutely NO ONE makes any comment to your story.
She's been given more than enough attention to her self-aggrandizing show.
Anon 8:10 PM "uh oh, obama used gun rhetoric. he's responsible."
ReplyDeleteStupid troll, you know damn well there is no comparison. The bitch has been spewing hatred since the 2008 RNC and she hasn't stopped. Hopefully this tragedy will be the end of Palin and her ilk. Palin sit down and STFU.
Sarah advertised her target map:
ReplyDelete"We'll AIM for these races and many others. This is just the first SALVO in a FIGHT to elect people across the nation who will bring common sense to Washington. Please go to sarahpac.com and join me in the FIGHT."
To those defending Palin by saying there's no evidence that links to the gunman to her statements, I would argue that there does not need to be.
ReplyDeletePalin was a major contributor to a culture of rhetoric that regularly dehumanizes and demonizes liberal democrats and especially democratic elected officials.
Her crosshairs imagery and gun terminology in referencing replacing democrats in congress fed a narrative conservatives have been vigorously crafting that depicts democrats as unpatriotic, evil, bad people.
Just the other day, Palin told a conservative radio audience that President Obama was deliberately trying to "weaken" America. The media can continue to ignore the weight of continued commentary like that or they can wake up and remind people of how ugly such language truly is. I fervently hope they do so, or I fear Giffords will just be the first in a long line of victims of right-wing violence.
If someone is deranged enough to truly believe that some public officials are enemies of the country, trying to destroy the country or turn it into a dictatorship, what options do they feel that they have? And for people like Palin, Beck, Bachmann, and the rest of the crew at Fox "News" to promote this viewpoint fuels the fire of the mentally unstable, provoking people prone to fear and paranoia.
And they know what they are saying is not true because if they truly believed it were true, they would be taking up arms themselves. We all would if we felt our country was being taken over by evil dictators. Instead, they are deliberately trying to lay down the groundwork for someone insane enough to do their dirty work for them.
And innocent people pay the price. Palin may have no direct link to this shooter but she does have a direct link to dehumanizing and denigrating Giffords, depicting her as a "target" of someone's gunsight rather than a human being deserving of respect despite having a different opinion than Sarah Palin.
8:07 you really should watch the full interview with Sheriff Dupnik.
ReplyDeleteHe was asked about this and replied that all public officials were threatened all the time, including him. Rep. Giffords is known for her fearless commitment to do her job and not restrict constituent access to her. When she had knowledge of direct threats, she could and did ask for protection.
She chose to live with courage. May we all do the same.
Aurora
Bristol's special tweet in honor of today's tragedy.
ReplyDelete# F#ck u, asshole! Reported->>"@MattKap20: I wonder how SarahPalinUSA would feel if someone put a crosshair on @bristol_palin 's new house. less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android
That a girl Bristol, how classy.
What a pig!!
I just can't seem to sleep tonight. MSNBC has stopped coverage about the assassination attempt, CNN is playing old stuff they had all day and so I am reduced to Faux news who maybe is replaying what they had all day but I hadn’t been watching it.
ReplyDeleteThinking about this and the recurring Sarah Palin target ad, it comes to mind that there were only two candidates that were not “done away with” and that the bill that they were targeted for was coming up for a symbolic vote staged by the Republicans in the House. Maybe there is a connection between the upcoming vote and the assassination attempt. Most people know that the vote in the House doesn’t mean anything but that doesn’t mean that an unstable individual might think otherwise.
So the newly elected Republican leadership in Congress, with all the economic issues facing us, decided that the priority for action was a symbolic vote on the health care bill and that it was so important that they were willing to ignore all the promises they made about having hearings for all legislation and allowing amendments (they will do neither for this bill).
I also remember reading somewhere that there were recent changes to the suspect’s web pages (?facebook). I have read that he recently had Sarah Palin as a “favorite” but now he has a long list of favorite books that make no sense and some rambling that can be used to show an unhinged mind related to nothing political, particularly if they want to ignore the rants of Glen Beck about currency issues. It seems to me that maybe someone was helping this person in his quest while covering his online tracks or even publishing misleading materials.
I think Palins real responsibility is that she made it ok to spew hate and vitriol,to be disrespectful,snarky,rude,nasty and mean.She was a woman,a good looking one in a high powered position,vying for the second highest office in our land.She was supposed to be classy and smart,articulate and masterful,according to the hype.So when she made it her mission to drag discourse to the high school mean girl clicque level,her cult members began to think it was normal.When politicians saw her making headway with the "base",they started to lower their own personal restrictions and let fly with vileness as well.
ReplyDeleteThats what she did.She started a trend. Now she owns it.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteFunny that Palin's people and family are moving to Arizona. Sure they'll fit right in.
7:52 PM
-------------------------
My thoughts exactly.
Warning: Subject to New Politically Correct Language Police Censorship
ReplyDeleteby Sarah Palin on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 1:59pm
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=375184908434
To the teams that desire making it this far next year: Gear up! In the battle, set your sights on next season’s targets! From the shot across the bow – the first second’s tip-off – your leaders will be in the enemy’s crosshairs, so you must execute strong defensive tactics. You won’t win only playing defense, so get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so penetrate through enemy territory by bombing through the press, and use your strong weapons – your Big Guns – to drive to the hole. Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win.
I find it unfortunate that intense anti govt sentiment began to really flourish under the first black president but better later than never. The corruption in DC will never cease until we the people fight it actively, by any means short of murder.
ReplyDelete7:02 PM
This post makes me want to vomit.
Guess I finally got banned from the QuitterQueens facebook site....
ReplyDeleteand I have always tried to be "fair"
"Our laws can only punish the person(s) who pulled the trigger, however - hate filled words have unintentional consequences."
Nice, Bristol! What's wrong with you!
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/bristol_palin
Bristol_Palin
F#ck u, asshole! Reported->>"@MattKap20: I wonder how SarahPalinUSA would feel if someone put a crosshair on @bristol_palin 's new house.
less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android
In her entire life, everything Sarah Palin has touched or has been involved in has turned to shit.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the GOP follow her?
Why does anybody follow her?
John McCain you are also responsible for this violence in Arizona because you never stood upto this piece of trash. You just let Sarah spew her venom in hopes she could get you elected with her hateful followers.
For starters, let's hope the death of the 9-year old girl is weighing heavily on Sarah's mind tonight.
ReplyDeleteThink Piper. She's also nine, is she not?
THIS is what you get as a result of HATE and VIOLENCE speeches. Even if used as a metaphor, crosshairs on politcal opponents ultimately means death and tragedy for the innocent. It's time came due today.
I am warning all my relatives in Wasilla to stay clear of the Palins and their house. Undoubtely someone will seek revenge not only on Sarah, but Bill, Rush, Glenn, Ann - the whole hatemongering media talking heads.
Look at what Sarah's hate did to Joe McGinnis. There were some redneck Alaskans ready to lynch him. "We take care of our own" as stated by a local journalist. WTF?
I hate what my country has turned into. I just hate it and I really hate what Sarah Palin has done to it along with all her eggsucking, low-life, dickless cronies. May they all roast in eternal Hell.
This popped up on Yahoo! when I logged on. Seems like the mainstream media is not averse to showing the connection between Palin and the shooting.
ReplyDelete"Many lawmakers, especially Democrats, felt the 2009-2010 debate over health care sometimes got out of hand. It began with emotional town hall meetings in the summer of 2009, when some critics warned of government "death panels."
Giffords, 40, was among lawmakers who reported 42 threats or acts or vandalism in the first three months of 2010, a big increase over the previous year, law enforcement officers said. Nearly all the threats dealt with the massive health care bill that Giffords and other Democrats enacted over fierce Republican opposition.
In March, someone kicked in or shot out a glass door and side window at Giffords' office in Tucson, a few hours after the House passed the health care measure with her help.
Giffords also was among about 20 Democrats opposed in last fall's elections by Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. Palin's Facebook page in March posted a U.S. map with the cross-hairs of a gun scope imposed over each of the 20 Democrats' districts. Gun imagery appeared in various ways in the campaign, often not connected at all with gun rights."
To anonymous at 7:02PM:
ReplyDeleteOh yes they, the tea party-errs, do hate Obama and anything progressive.
Off topic, but bizarrely coincidental. Gryphen, you have an ad just below this post for Nat'l Geographic's "Alaska State Troopers". Another Alaska reality show. is Nat'l Geographic a Discovery Channel production?
ReplyDeleteTune in to see yet another Sarah Palin State Trooper ex-brother-in-law in action.
Diana's ex-husband, wife-beater, snowmachine bad boy. Born and raised in Wasilla, graduate of Wasilla High School.
Blame the shooting on Sarah's Death Panels.
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous at 7:02:
ReplyDeleteYou're a moron.
I was so thankful for what he said. Conservatives for Palin website has a big photo/article on Giffords which then slides into a big photo/article of Tammy Bruce with a gun in her hand (b/c she interviewed someone on their site bout the shooting, I guess) it's just so creepy the way they are right together and the gun is there. What is wrong with people, can't they give it a rest for just one night.
ReplyDeleteGryphen,
ReplyDeleteCan you locate Palin's FB post she posted about the basketball play offs after she posted the map with crosshairs. There was public objection to her violent rhetoric, lies about health care reform (death panels and abortion)and threats and violence had suddenly escalated. I think it is pertinent that despite public objection, the causes and effects Palin chose to escalate her rhetoric loading up the FB post about basketball.
When people publicly shouted to kill Obama Palin still did not cease her rhetoric, she ramped it up. She is toxic and dysfunctional. People like Palin seek to defermate and discredit others and do not care who gets killed in the process.
This assassin is obviously mentally ill. Most paranoid schizophrenics are not violent. Aided by the easy access to guns and the tea party and Palin's rhetoric, he found a target for his delusions.
ReplyDeleteArizona has become the capital for hate and bigotry...now we know why Sarah wants to move there!
ReplyDeleteThis is it. The twenty victims and family's will file 20 lawsuits and take every penny she has. Tawd better take his half and run cause there won't be anything remaining. I always knew she was going down but to be broke and homeless is just too perfect. Thanks Sarah for your big mouth. How's that waitress-ey thinngey thing working out for ya?
ReplyDelete4:04 am, here is Sarah's posting:
ReplyDeleteWarning: Subject to New Politically Correct Language Police Censorship
by Sarah Palin on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 1:59pm
March Madness battles rage! My family and I join millions of Americans enjoying college basketball’s finest through March Madness. Underdogs always get my vote as we watch intense competition bring out the best in these accomplished teams.
The Final Four is an intense, contested series (kind of like a heated, competitive primary election), so best of luck to all teams, and watch for this principle lived out: the team that wins is the team that wants it more.
To the teams that desire making it this far next year: Gear up! In the battle, set your sights on next season’s targets! From the shot across the bow – the first second’s tip-off – your leaders will be in the enemy’s crosshairs, so you must execute strong defensive tactics. You won’t win only playing defense, so get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so penetrate through enemy territory by bombing through the press, and use your strong weapons – your Big Guns – to drive to the hole. Shoot with accuracy; aim high and remember it takes blood, sweat and tears to win.
Focus on the goal and fight for it. If the gate is closed, go over the fence. If the fence is too high, pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, parachute in. If the other side tries to push back, your attitude should be “go for it.” Get in their faces and argue with them. (Sound familiar?!) Every possession is a battle; you’ll only win the war if you’ve picked your battles wisely. No matter how tough it gets, never retreat, instead RELOAD!
- Sarah Palin
" Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletePALIN ARE U HAPPY?
7:04 PM"
Yes, she is.
That is so funny that and the tea party are so oblivious to the fact that we are actually admitting that there is some hateful things said moron. i mean the tea party holding up signs saying i killed grandma or he is trying to take over our government please stop trying to protect your selves you contradicted yourselves you can thank fox news and all those they what oh sponsor on their show so before you conservatives and tea beggars start trying to attack others for saying its your fault look at the facts One more question can you admit to the fact that people are saying some ridiculous and angry things? There is a difference between saying something and contradicting what you say democrats might have said some things in the past but they weren't the ones who stood on the balcony waving and holding up a tea party flag so.................who's the idiot?
ReplyDeleteTo contradict yourself is different than speaking your mind. You can speak your mind without saying anything that someday will backfire. Like in this case the Republicans were in such a hurry to win, that they rode the anger of the tea party to congress, and now in the unfortunate events that unfolded, they won”t admit that there was some rhetoric that was heated amongst there party. They are now affiliated with the tea party
ReplyDeleteJared Loughner's bedroom is pasted with $arah Palin posters.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a real sick puppy to try to blame this senseless tragedy on Sarah Palin or any other conservative. Incendiary political rhetoric does not just come from the right. My prayer is that in disagreeing with one another, we don't have to resort to inexplicable violence.
ReplyDelete