There is a great need for reflection for all people regardless of their political views.

The demonization of anyone's political opponents gives the unhinged a reason to act.

Why, oh why, does a Republican need to speak anonymously so he/she can "speak freely"? How cowardly...

It's cowardly that a Republican will only speak anonymously about the overheated rhetoric. That's part of the problem - the GOP establishment is incapable and unwilling to take on the radicals in their ranks.

The need for anonymity is telling. If this senator isn't willing to come forward(and I suspect he/she is representative of the rest of his republican colleagues) after this heinous event, what hope is there of the adults in the republican party standing up and condemning the violent rhetoric while it is happening?

The fact of the matter is the republican party is run by cable and talk radio hosts. Until that changes, and the rank and file aren't scared of said hosts, the narrative will continue to be hyperbolic.

Steve, you are falling into bad habits while you pursue you larger point:

There's a contingent that seems intent on trying to somehow characterize Jared Lee Loughner as some sort of liberal, as part of a he's-not-on-my-team instinct.

This is along the same lines as some bobble-headed pundit saying, "some people say..." as a way to assert a viewpoint that might not even exist. You should really have links to back this up, and not just nutpicking.

In fairness to the anonymous senator, if I were dealing with the kinds of people his party has crawled into bed with, I'd be worried about getting shot myself for saying what he said.

When you're in bed with people this desperate for a "hail of bullets" solution to all problems, it only takes one person to think you might be a Traitor to the Cause.

Seriously. Most senators can and do survive Tea Party-style electoral challenges. You (and innocent bystanders) can't necessarily survive bullets. I wouldn't call him a coward so much as a realist.

"Senator, what's your take on this?"

Well, I think we Republicans need to be more rational, and tone down the violent rhetoric. But, for God's sake, DON'T TELL ANYONE I SAID THAT! It could get me killed!"

Profile in courage 2011

Well, this Senator is apparently not a complete dope.

He finds himself in the party of Limbaugh, Palin, Beck, Gingrich, et. al. He's uneasy. He's a conservative, so he wants to stay in the party. I can see where he's got a problem.

As long as GOP leaders speak anonymously, they will only embolden the more vile and irresponsible on the right. Stand up and say what you believe, have some god damn balls.

Free Download Movies and Films Rapidshare megaupload

President Obama needs to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate the vitriolic rhetoric and violence on the right. Somebody has to rise above the politics, and by rights it should be the President.

Here's a preview of Rush's Mon AM take:

"You see here, folks, the liberal media has once again gotten it backwards. The problem is with the socialist, America-hating, American-destroying policies of the Obama Administration. If it weren't for these...you see, it's these policies that are driving people over the edge. They're affecting normal, average Americans, and enraging them. It's these terrible policies -- and liberals just don't get it..."

Any bets on how close I am?

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was asked this morning by CNN's Candy Crowley about Sarah Palin's notorious "crosshairs" graphic, and he seemed rather annoyed about the question. Alexander concluded, "I think the way to get away from it is for you not to be talking about it."

They're mot responsible for anything, Sarah Palin is all our fault.

Westboro Baptist Church is going to picket the funeral of the little girl who was killed. Some of the most extreme right wing sites are trumpeting this as a Democrat group because Phelps supported Al Gore. Not only are they not trying to tamp down the hate, they are trying to pin it on liberals!

nemisten,
YUP!!!
Now, who's going to win the Super Bowl?
I'm unemployed and could use some money.

Second Amendment Remedy anyone?

Is it a moderate GOP Senator that will be facing an angry Tea Party in a 2012 primary?

A senior Republican senator, speaking anonymously

Coward.

Those words would have some meaning if they had a name attached.

The vast majority of tea party activists, this senator said, ought not be impugned.

Oh, I see. A congressperson is shot and the first thought in this anonymous person's head is don't question the validity of the tea party movement.

Fuck-you, Senator chickenshit. The validity of the movement is called into question because Republicans have a track record with "spending and debt" like David Vitter has a track record with diapers, not because of a single incident. The movement exists solely for just this type of purpose. Mobilizing mindless radicals to intimidate and terrorize our democracy.

Lamar Alexander, supposedly the "reasonable man" conservative in a plaid shirt: what a fucking hack. Yeah sure, the way to deal with terrorism, debt, corruption, spending questions, wars, health care, failing students, foreclosure, whatever: just don't talk about it (but it was OK to be put there in the first place?_

This is horseshit. Why did the Politico agree to run these statements anonymously? If a politician won't take ownership of his own words, why should a journalist print them?

Look at the ridiculous reason Politico gives for justifying anonymity: "in order to freely discuss the tragedy." That's Politico talking, and it's complete utter bullshit. Does he need anonymity to the "tragedy" freely? Of course he doesn't. He's a United States Senator, for chrissake. So why does Politico tell this stupid transparent lie for him?

What's really going on is that this evil son-of-a-bitch wants to make some soothing "moderate" noises that Politico can print for the Village audience to nod along with, but his real view is that and "lock and load" and "cross-hairs" and "dead man" are all great stuff and he doesn't intend to give it up for more than a week, after which his anonymous comments will go right down the memory hole.

Johnnie Mac?
And what was this "for the time being" bit, who said that?

Here's some 'reflection:' The far right has been coddled to the point where they can act out in all manner of unacceptable ways, and no one is allowed to criticize them or push back. We are expected to exhibit an infinite degree of reason, tolerance, understanding, patience, and compromise. Enough of that nonsense!

I guess Lamar Alexander had not heard the interview
on TV yesterday given by the lady herself telling of the violence and threats she had been subjected too since Palin did her crosshairs (surveyors) thing!

Well gosh darn I hate to be a wet blanket BUT...'evil, cowardly'...REALLY? Because you may not agree with me does not make me EVIL...it may make me wrongheaded, a librul, a bleeding heart but it does not make me EVIL. The discussion of racheting down the rhetoric begins with us. It doesn't make us patsys. It is our responsibility to call people on it. It is OK to question WHY Politico chose to run comments 'anonymously'...It's not okay to put gun sights on congressional districts. It's not OK to LIE to win a point. It is OK to ask exactly WHERE they get their 'facts'. It is OK to turn off FOX news and Limbaugh radio and tell everyone you know to do it too.

On ABC’s THIS WEEK, Stephanopoulos actually asked Chris Van Hollen THIS QUESTION:

“The rhetoric definitely got ratcheted up all throughout the course of the campaign. Going forward, what do you think you and other members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, can do to help bring the temperature down ?”

EXCUSE ME ?

Democrats AND Republicans ?

In Pakistan, Government officials are not willing to speak out publicly to condemn the assassination of the Governor of the Punjab, or in favor of the modest civil right he supported (abolition of the Antiblasphemy Law). We seem to be trending that way, don't we?

so why is the president of the united states unable to make meaningful statements about this event?

A brave sheriff in AZ is willing to speak out about the "rhetoric of violence".

I know this site exists to promote obama and dem leadership (oxymoron?), but the narrowness of the dialog sticks out like a sore thumb.

please - doodie.com, a satire site that posts animations of butts and poop actually contains more thought-provoking analysis than anything steve writes.

steve just kisses dem leadership and obama's collective butts.

That Stephanopoulos question is a nice microcosm of the media dynamic of the last 30 years. The right wing can say virtually anything, and the media won't call them on it unless they couch it as 'both sides do it'. It is that type of false balance that makes the media complicit in the escalation of the right's political rhetoric.

Those who attempted to demonize Sarah Palin over the graphics on a year old web page have pulled back a bit (except you of course) since the DLC web page appeared with bullseyes on targeted states. I have the graphic on my web site.

Sarah Palin is the real victim here.

Six dead, several more in critical condition, and that's still not enough to get even one high-profile Republican to go on the record as saying they need to knock this shit off.

I have a graphic on my blog but I'm too fucking stupid to know how to make a link. Also, where is the camera button on an iPhone? When my third wife left me I didn't get a chance to ask her, and now every time I try to take a photo the whole phone shuts off. I don't get it.

Remember when I said the guy who murdered Dr. Tiller was a hero of mine? I really meant that I admired him for his gardening skill or his wardrobe.

Speaking of "both sides do it", film maker Michael Moore had an interesting comment: "If a Detroit Muslim had posted a map with 20 crosshairs on it, where do you think he would be right now? (Gitmo, anyone?)

Going anonymous just to provide a perspective? Now I get it - "Senator chickenshit" was afraid he'd be shot by his own supporters for being a traitor!

Sarah Palin is the real victim here.

She is always is. It is the foundation of her career, her very existence.

Apparently, Sen. Kyl has called Sheriff Dupnik's comments(which were all true) 'inappropriate'. Has this a-hole ever called any of the nonsense coming from his own party inappropriate?

Ironically, Sheriff Dupinik is now being attack by the right wing with the same kind of rhetoric. It reminds me of the winger on Andrew Sullivan's site who said he should get a bullet for(in his mind mistakenly) criticizing the Tea Party's violent rhetoric.

The Democrat Leadership Council should be prosecuted as terrorists for calling for entire states to be attacked by professional archers seven years ago.

Of course that's not going to happen because the limp-wristed "biracial" attorney general only goes after Republicans and other totally white people.

~ Sarah Palin is the victim here ~

DARVO [Deny Attack Reverse Victim Offender]

The victims are in the hospital or dead.

The offender is demagogic rhetoric for personal empowerment.

Palin engaged in this type of rhetoric. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

On Monday, Red State or Powerline or Big Babies will call every GOP Senator to demand he refudiate the Politico quote.

Those who refuse will be targeted. With a rifle scope.

Sarah Palin, right wing cable/radio talk show hosts, and white people in general are the real victims of this incident.

Perhaps it is premature to characterize the shooter, but television stations in Phoenix already seem to be trying to establish the "liberals do it too" equivalence argument, are emphasizing this person's fondness for the "Communist Manifesto," and endlessly show a video of him burning the Flag. 'Course they're just trying to be "balanced" just like pigboy Limbaugh's "the devil made me do it" defense.

emphasizing this person's fondness for the "Communist Manifesto"

Comically, Mein Kampf and an Ayn Rand title were on that list as well.

The list struck me as a self-congratulatory "look at my big brain" display as opposed to anything more meaningful, but if the media is going to run with it, they ought to own the entire thing.

Give it up Holmes. Im not buying the ludicrous argument your trying to make.

Finger pointing rhetoric by these people is divisive. They are not victims because they are the ones calling others 'enemies'

Kill Bill, I was being facetious/sarcastic.

Weird that Holmes thinks AM pundits are victims when they spend 90% of their time castigating [making victims of] others

Kill Bill, I was being facetious/sarcastic.

Please add a /snark to your posts. Thx.

Typical libs, trying to distract from the Democrat "Leadership" Council calling for the total extermination of the entire populations of several states.

There's no other way to take that map than a call for mass murder by arrows, especially when Dhimmocrats are constantly talking about armed revolution, second amendment remedies, locking and loading, bullets doing what ballots can't. You own it, libbies.

I thought(it seems mistakenly) that it was too obvious/ludicrous to be taken seriously.

I thought(it seems mistakenly) that it was too obvious/ludicrous to be taken seriously.

It was. Don't dumb it down for those who can't keep up.

Im not interested in sarcasm at this time. Its not conducive to the need for actual debate on the subject of politicians and pundits playing on peoples emotions beliefs and biases for empowerment and enrichment which creates public division and extremism. Americans dont turn Americans against one another. Thats not patriotism.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought(it seems mistakenly) that it was too obvious/ludicrous to be taken seriously -Holmes

Go read a freeper site.

Jon Karak: You quote Steve, "There's a contingent that seems intent on trying to somehow characterize Jared Lee Loughner as some sort of liberal, as part of a he's-not-on-my-team instinct," and challenge him on not identifying them.

Have you been reading any of the comments attached to WaPo stories on the shooting? Or HuffPo, or AOL or Yahoo! or even the AZ Republic? Or (the only time I've ever gone to the site) Red State?

This "contingent," as you call it, is all over the place!

An anonymous GOP senator. Cute, but no cigar.

What's going on here is terrorism by proxy, and I don't give a damn what these people *say* about it. They've got to DO SOMETHING about their Glenn Becks and Sarah Palins and so forth, or they're guilty.

If there were a need for reflection, the market would already have taken care of it.

This is an interesting article. Please see this blog on the same topic:

http://www.sanghoee.com/blog/403/We_don%E2%80%99t_need_Sarah_Palin%E2%80%99s_condolences_but_her_silence.htm

syzygy,

“Perhaps it is premature to characterize the shooter, but television stations in Phoenix already seem to be trying to establish the "liberals do it too" equivalence argument, are emphasizing this person's fondness for the ‘Communist Manifesto’...”

Then they should take it up with the Communist Party, not Democrats or “Liberals”.

What some people in the US need to do is to propose a new law, perhaps the Taylor Green law in memory of the 9 year old girl that was gunned down. The law would make radio stations and TV stations responsible for any eliminationist rhetoric or incitement to violence by their hosts and guests. It is one thing to have free speech, it is quite another to have a government licensed megaphone. With the megaphone comes responsibilities and one of those responsibilities is to not promote or allow the promotion of any kind of rhetoric that might cause the unhinged to believe they have widespread support for violent acts.

So, now that we know the Death to Obama sentiment and syntax really is deadly, no Republican (the party whose been saying "You Lie"! since day one) has the jewels to get up and say oops, "we may not be responsible but maybe we should try a more civil tone". I'm working on my graphic of crosshairs over Wasilla of course.. Any psychos want to "misinterpret" that? This lousy excuse of a response is just a stepping stone in uncivil discourse, next time it will be worse and again, there will be no owners per se. Congratulations FOX news, it's your first multiple murder!

Anyone else think that one photo of Loughner with long hair looks a lot like David Koresh?

I read the transcript of the U-Tube posts from the shooter. I think anyone would be hard pressed to characterize those comments as anything but ramblings from a mentally unbalanced person. The nexus between any left or right politics is lost in garden variety crazy. I am more interested in the “person of interest”, the 40-50 year old man seen with the shooter. Someone like Loughner is more likely to be a pawn of someone much more focused.

As for the gutless asshat Senator and his anonymous comments - he does provide a lot of cover for the rest of the asshats in the Senate. Anonymous means that when the dust has settled and the wind is tested for political expediency, any number of Senators can suggest he made the comments an appear “reasonable”.

The media, in this case Politco, perpetuate the quagmire by publishing comments from elected officials as “anonymous” . The rest of the media foment the atmospherics of violence by the relentless 24/7 reporting on the antics of idiots like Palin.

TPM reports that the "person of interest" was cleared. Apparently Loughner's taxi driver.

Is anyone aware of a website that has a list (or videos), of quotes from the past few years, from leading voices on both sides, which contain violent or hateful rhetoric? Not from minor bloggers or those who comment on blogs or websites, but from politicians, and major radio and TV personalities? This can't be argued objectively otherwise. Not that some still will dispute the facts.

I read the transcript of the U-Tube posts from the shooter. I think anyone would be hard pressed to characterize those comments as anything but ramblings from a mentally unbalanced person. The nexus between any left or right politics is lost in garden variety crazy.

Here's what's not lost: Only one party is repeatedly whipping up the mentally unbalanced and violence-prone by repeatedly using the rhetoric of force. Only one party is portraying the use of guns, revolution, bullets and civil war as "solutions" to losing elections. And when I say "one party," I'm not talking about random nobody Republicans that no one's ever heard of. These are elected members of Congress, candidates for national office, national party leaders and high-profile media personalities.

As John Cole and others have put it, yeah, we already know there are people out there who are just batshit crazy. We also know who's exploiting their mental and emotional vulnerability and methodically egging them on.

So - Gabby Giffords was targeted by Sarah Palin for the despicable act of voting to enable Americans to get health care, and was shot in the head and nearly lost her life to do this for the people. Why don't we change the name of the health care bill to -The Gabby Giffords Health Care Bill for America.
That would make the rethugs choke every time they had to mention it!

I have to agree with the anonymous congress critter on one point, we are worried about debt and spending and if there is going to be any spending on personal security for congress people, it should come from their personal paychecks.

I find it very interesting that Kyl and some of the other "conservatives" are so upset with Sherriff Dupnik who commented during the press conference abt. the rhetoric from radio shows and some TV commentors. They just assumed he was referring to the right. Very interesting.

The History Kindles will contain a footnote about a VP candidate from Alaska who vanished from the political scene after inciting violence with a map containing cross hairs aimed at her political opponents.

The left in no way matches the Right in terms of violent rhetoric.

But it is a time to emphasize peaceful mass non-violent action, in the Dr. King and Labor traditions.

Black Bloc rhetoric about "property destruction" needs to be marginalized in the same way as Sarah Palin's lock and load rhetoric.

js FTW, The Gabby Giffords Health Care Bill. If you can't give it a face of American Citizens who go untreated or die without health insurance, give it the face of someone who almost died fighting for it! No, that has nothing to do with tacky, it has everything to do with truth! Choke on that you Republican trash.. and get ready to be broad-brushed, you deserve much worse.

He won't talk on the record about what's clearly, obviously true?

What a freaking coward.

Anyone in the mainstream media mentioned Fox News yet? Thought not.

Palin's an incendiary, money-grubbing idiot and deserves whatever she gets from this. But what about Sean Hannity? O'Reilly?

Those motherfuckers were all happy to have something like this happen to Julian Assange, so to argue that they don't actively advocate violence is just a lie.

The only thing missing from the farce on Meet The Press was John McCain, so I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies.

Adding onto shortstops's comment re Republican congressional members, here is a snippet of what I wrote in the Daniel Hernandez thread earlier:

Cowards take shots at people, either literally or rhetorically, either paying no heed to or actually enjoying the consequences of their actions and words. Some are paid to spew their hatred (those who know better, yet lie, are beyond contempt, and I include elected officials in this). Others are venting their own hostility, fear, ignorance and anger. But this is unsustainable. It must stop.

You know, I'll bet 95 % of you never even heard of gabriella gifford until yesterday. Yet here you all are today shedding your crocodile tears and the lamestrem media is foisting its opprobrium on any and all who fail to act sufficiently contrite and saddened. It is tyranny, pure and simple.

We need to find out who this senator is and fuck him. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!

What's right now in the wake of the shooting is Fox News and the Republican party are scrambling to take control of the rhetoric and frame the debate in the minds of the public. They will probably succeed for the most part; it's what they do.

Everyone I know with a relative in Tucson, when they heard the news, their first thought was that their relative did it. That's the climate in Tucson at the moment, and if someone was crazy looking for someone to shoot, it was going to be Gifford. And anyone close to someone in Tucson, yet outside the pressure cooker of right-wing, pro-gun, anti-immigration diatribe, thought their loved one capable of snapping and shooting Giffords if the circumstances were right. In Loughland's case, it appears to have something to do with literacy and might have latched onto "English Only" and some such as the cause.

But the thing is, in Tucson at the moment, if someone is crazy and looking to direct their hatred, it wouldn't be hard to latch onto the anti-Gifford hysteria there at the moment to direct it.

Was anyone really surprised by this? Shocked, yes. Surprised, no.

Gabby Giffords had her office trashed after the health care vote and Democrat Raul Grijalva in the next district received death threats and his office windows were shot out. A protester was arrested when he dropped his loaded weapon at a Giffords event last year.

Tea Partiers openly carried weapons at events with the President. Republican Sharon angle demanded “second amendment solutions”. Sarah Palin literally put Gifford in her cross-hairs (and colored 3 resigning Dems blood red). The “tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” quote was often found at Tea Party rallies. Her Republican opponent invited conservatives to play with M-16s at an anti-Gifford fundraiser at a shooting range.

Tea Partiers openly threatened violence against Democrats: http://tinyurl.com/We-came-unarmed-this-time

Everyone remembers this and knows that it happened. We all lived through it in real time. Republicans can’t wish away our memories by raging at liberals or blaming Obama.

The way conservatives are reacting it seems as if they think they can just deny reality and wait for this to blow over. They're treating it like a garden variety wingnut freak out, just making stuff up and hoping no one notices they're lying.

I don't think they've fully comprehended how serious this is.

John Scalzi nails it over at his blog:

" If your political messaging traffics in rhetoric heavy on gun imagery and revolution of the overthrow-y sort, then when someone shoots a congressperson who you opposed, then guess what: You get to spend some uncomfortable moments in the spotlight being asked if it’s not reasonable to suspect a connection between your rhetoric and the actions of a shooter targeting someone you’ve opposed. You also get to spend time being asked if, in fact, your rhetoric isn’t overblown, simplistic and on balance detrimental to the nation’s body politic. Querulous complaints about the unfairness of this can be reasonably overruled by others; the time to complain about your bed is before you make it."

Total bullshit; MSM and the American people should hold these bat shit crazy tea baggers and repukes accountable!

hey, Deny Crowley,

What tastes better, the stuff in your ears or the stuff in your nose?

Break up the media monopolies, bring back the fairness doctrine.

Pima county sheriff comes very close to being a hero in my eyes. He landed one on the bully's kisser and it stung. The blame diverters and balancers are sneaking out of their cubbyholes and making pathetic wimpers. Maybe the violence laden loudmouths will get their steam up again. But a tradgedy like this deserves a respite from it -- no matter how tangential.

Finally.

In regards to Loughner, on tonight’s NBC Nightly News, their legal correspondent, Pete Williams, reported that "investigators say he showed interest in some far-Right groups".

Huge understatement, but it’s a start.

Don't be silly: there was no "United States Senator" here, in all probability. Politico made him up, most likely. They probably wish there was such a senator and that he had said such things. It would make the Republicans seem more reasonable. And they get a little "scoop", to boot.

There is absolutely no reason to take anoymous "quotes" at face value, especially from a source such as Politico. Come on, people, show a little less credulity.

And besides, it was some graphics artist's idea and we really didn't think about it at all. And Sharon Angle didn't mean anything when she talked about people maybe using "second amendment solutions." It's not like she recommended shooting people, she just implied that reasonable people just might do it. Only a warning. Won't help give anyone any ideas. Right.

Behind this is Sarah Palin's dividing us into "real Americans" (OK, I'll say it, rednecks) and the others (pointy headed over educated not really working elist urban liberals who think they're better than you). Gifford was an "other". If you are unbalanced, it's OK to eliminate an "other."

I KNEW this would happen. I just thought it would be the most obvious target. You know, the guy why isn't really an American anyway. The most corrupt politician ever. The one taking away our all our God given freedoms.

A friend thinks the publicising of the crosshairs stuff beyond the liberal blogs in response to this tragedy will help change things. Maybe. I don't see Sarah or Rush or Fox News any of the divisive hatemongers suddenly go away so fast.

I am really, really pissed off.

Where the fuck was the "liberal media" all this time? Why weren't politicians and supposedly reasonable media etc. taking a serious stand against the onslaught of lying crap many Americans have been exposed to? People in those sort of positions are just as responsible as the perpetrators.

Hannah, Here's a really good link with the list of what you were looking for. I beleive it was written to by Digby, but am not sure. Whoever dropped it said it was hers. As far as I can tell there's only 1, maybe 2, liberals who have dome anything.1 was the guy who took hostages at Discovery Channel, and maybe the guy who shot at the Pentagon, but I am not sure about him. It's a damned long list. Anyway, here it is:

http://www.csgv.org/issues-and-campaigns/guns-democracy-and-freedom/insurrection-timeline

When a politician starts blaming constituents, that they are elected to represent, for things they deem wrong in this country today, dont walk...RUN away.

Nothing good can come from it. It didnt

*It didnt work out well for Germany.

Neal Horsely, in defending his Nurumberg Files that listed the names and addresses of abortion doctors, then crossing them out with blood as they were executed, explained he never asked anyone to kill anybody, but simply put it up as a warning - in the best interests of the doctors, really - of what was in store for them. And he never asked anyone to kill them, but was talking about their just punishment in the afterlife.

Where is Obama?

The Pima County sheriff tells it like it is. It's time for the president of the US to pitch the feel-good platitudes and address the sickness. Soothing, "healing" words won't do it. It's time for the truth.

Mr. Obama, come out, come out, wherever you are.

The way conservatives are reacting it seems as if they think they can just deny reality and wait for this to blow over.-----

Why not? It has worked up to this point.

All this talk of incendiary hate speech, and no one's mentioned Ann Coulter yet?!?

Thanks, Dee LS, I'll check it out.

"The way conservatives are reacting it seems as if they think they can just deny reality and wait for this to blow over"

Dick Army (of all people) was on tv this morning saying exactly, and smugly, that this will blow over in a couple weeks. I think it's disgusting that he is even being asked to comment on this, to be honest.

This should be a defining moment, and it should not be allowed to blow over. The Republicans, the tea baggers should be ball and chained to this.

Yo Nixon??? The President made a comment yesterday. He's not 'hiding'...quit trying to make it like he is.

I just watched video of Megyn Kelly interviewing Sheriff Dupnik, which is infuriating. She had the nerve to ask him about propriety, after years of spreading bullshit on Fox and standing idly by while the right wing says all sorts of vile shit. Only now, when a Sheriff speaks the truth, does this shameless woman worry about propriety.

I suspect the Sheriff's comments will become the shiny object to distract right wing from reality.

How about this:

Anyone who wants to own a gun must visit a psychiatrist annually to renew their ownership.

If you agree with the Sheriff, google him and email a message of support! You know the right is launching a massive harassment campaign.

The right is going to try very hard to deflect all attention from their past remarks/behavior, and turn this entire incident into a feigned outrage-fest over the Sheriff's remarks.

The funny thing is I don't think the Sheriff said anything about the right wing. He just said talk radio and cable tv, but the right wing immediately took offense(I suspect the truth hurt). And of course Megyn Kelly had to bring up the fact that the Sheriff was a Democrat.

Fox News really is a sad chapter in our nation's history.

denny crowley: "You know, I'll bet 95 % of you never even heard of gabriella gifford until yesterday."

I got to speak with her at length a couple of years ago, along with her husband. Maybe you shouldn't make such assumptions.

"Yet here you all are today shedding your crocodile tears and the lamestrem media is foisting its opprobrium on any and all who fail to act sufficiently contrite and saddened."

It's not sad that someone was shot, much less a sitting representative who was just doing her job?

"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!"

So if I disagree with someone about health care reform, it's OK to shoot that person? What other issues are OK for shooting, as opposed to organizing and voting someone else into office? We're talking policy disagreements, hardly stuff that will mark the end of the Republic. Quoting Goldwater makes for a nice piece of rhetoric, but it falls apart when applied to the real world where there are plenty of nonviolent ways to make one's point--indeed, "ballots, not bullets" is what democracy is supposed to be about.

I'd hope that denny's post is a troll, but given what went on at some past "town hall meetings" I can't assume that's the case.

we got sarah putting targets on arizona....we got guns at tea parties...we got broken into offices in arizona...wwe got m-16's shot into th air at anti dem rallies in arizona,,,,amnd now we got this whack kid shooting a beautiful ongresswomen and her aide, friends and a 9 yr old child. Don't sugarcoat this sh*t...lets take these gun freaks to task and lay some serious sh*t on them

This is exactly the kind of shit that has to be stopped pronto. A story from 2009 regarding the now deceased Judge Roll:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/07/09/20090709threats0709.html

In February, when U.S. District Judge John Roll presided over a $32 million civil-rights lawsuit filed by illegal immigrants against an Arizona rancher, the Marshals Service was anticipating the fallout.

When Roll ruled the case could go forward, Gonzales said talk-radio shows cranked up the controversy and spurred audiences into making threats.

In one afternoon, Roll logged more than 200 phone calls. Callers threatened the judge and his family. They posted personal information about Roll online.

"They said, 'We should kill him. He should be dead,' " Gonzales said.

Roll, who is the chief federal judge in Arizona, said both he and his wife were given a protection detail for about a month.

Forcefully slamming people who advocate political violence in the form of "Second Amendment remedies" is not the same as advocating "Second Amendment remedies." Not all political noise is created equal.

What about the POTUS rhetoric these last few years? Can we hold him accountable too?

What rhetoric? Who do you wish to hold accountable for what?

The Republicans would have us believe that the facts that most of the inflammatory rhetoric and most of the political violence emanate from the right are unconnected?

Anonyminity for people that spray their name all over the public airwaves.

They want their name out there until anything of substance can be attached to it.

Anonymous holds on legislation...
Criticism of homicide, you know....

Ignominious Poltroons.