The Congresswoman was shot point-blank in the head while appearing at a constituent event this morning. If you click on her banner, you will see the information about this event on her website. The CNN story is here. According to a sheriff’s deputy, 17 others were also shot. At the moment, the Congresswoman is out of surgery. Doctors are optimistic for her recovery. Her District Director was among six people killed.
The Congresswoman had won re-election. You would have to be living on Pluto not know that the 112th Congress convened this past week. The Congresswoman was doing exactly what she was elected to do – meeting with her constituents in her home district to listen and learn what they want her to do as their representative.
The reason we have elections is so that we can choose to hire or fire our representatives without resorting to bloodshed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family, friends, colleagues, and the others who were injured and killed, their friends and families. My Lord! What is this country becoming?
The sad part is I don’t think this will stop people from demonizing the opposing side one bit. I heard it reported that one of the dead is a nine year old child. Collateral damage, I guess. This guy will have a “support” page on facebook by 8pm. Sick. Just sick.
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I am sure that you are right, even though the parties have joined together in condemning this. I am also sure you are right about the FB group. She obviously was targeted, but the shooter also, clearly, sprayed to have gotten that poor little girl. Completely unacceptable, senseless.
If nothing else, the saber-rattling needs to stop. There is no place for firearms metaphors in political speech.
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In the coming days, we will hear much about the fact (as it stands right now anyway) that this is the terrible, deranged work of “one, lone nut”. While that may be true – one guy pulled the trigger as opposed to two or five, let’s say – does no responsibility fall with those in the media and in the political arena who whip up controversies, make justly elected officials out to be devils, and make this kind of vitriolic, sanctimonious rhetoric acceptable in the mainstream dialogue of the country? If you make it your business to launch verbal/written grenades of words at people, either group or specifically targeted individuals, can you honestly say that you are 100% innocent if someone takes or your hyperbola as the truth set in stone? I don’t see how.
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Go discourse!!!!! Yes! Inflammatory language, while protected by the first amendment, which Congresswoman Giffords read in Congress this week, also bears responsibility when the language precipitates action.
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My official 2¢.
http://discourseincsharpminor.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/eighteen-people-were-shot-and-some-fools-are-still-at-it-with-the-demonizing/
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GREAT POST!!! GO READ! Cool heads needed!
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It was nineteen people, so I edited the post and updated the address.
http://www.discourseincsharpminor.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/nineteen-people-were-shot-and-some-fools-are-still-at-it-with-the-demonizing/
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Reading this now, as Sarah Palin tries to wiggle out of her crosshairs by saying it’s a surveyor’s mark (really?), and Olbermann is saying something lame about his “take her into a room” remark. Oh no! They’re not guilty!
I don’t even KNOW any surveyors. Like most Americans (I think) I associated those crosshairs with a rifle sight. And, Keith, we ALL knew what you meant!
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And I’ll assume the “reload” comment was referring to a camera with film, right?
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To use a Palinesque response, “Natch!”
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Her logic is about on par with someone saying “No, officer, I didn’t flip you the bird. I was just waving with only one finger.”
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If those were “surveyors’ markers” why didn’t she say so in summer when Rep. Giffords expressed her concern about them? NOW she says they are not a rifle sight? Damage done!
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Here is the memorial to the young lady of nine who was lost today. She had it all going on. We mourn you, Christina!
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Fortunately, Congresswoman Giffords is expected to recover.
I rather like her, because she is moderate without being weak or a shill.
(I had to go back right before posting and change it to the present tense).
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A Facebook friend shared this with me. I know I have heard plenty of rants from TP types about currency and the gold standard, but all the grammar comments mystified me … until I read this. Evidently, according to this guy Miller, if I use the appropriate number of colons and hyphens in my writing, I don’t have to pay taxes! (Seriously, where does this stuff come from?)
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/10/jared-lee-loughner-s-mental-state.html
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Like a cheat code in a video game?! Is there one for obscene wealth, too?
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Unbelievable!
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According to Bill O’Reilly and Co. last evening, anyone who has drawn any conclusions or parallels between extreme rhetoric and this very unstable person reaching a tipping point is a “merchant of hate”. I wasn’t feeling particularly hateful, were you?
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