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What do you think were the top ten uses of the Arizona Bloodbath so far?
10. The e-mailer to our Fullerton Fringers warning darkly: “I’m sure you heard about the vicious political attack against Congresswoman Giffords in Arizona. It was clearly driven by all of the anger and hate spewed from places like this very blog. This is the kind of event that might happen in Fullerton if you keep up your mean rhetoric and hateful talk. If it does, I hope you go to jail for a very long time.”
9. The New Santa Ana Blog chiding critics of the Santa Ana establishment that any continued criticism could result in a “deranged and bitter movement” that “results in bloodshed” – bringing up as proof the connection that Loughner was wrongly reported as a Democrat and some Santa Ana critics are Democrats; Loughner seems to be a rightwinger and some Santa Ana critics are rightwingers; Loughner read some extremist political tracts and so have some Santa Ana critics; and Loughner was caught once with drug paraphernalia as so have some Santa Ana critics.
8. The Liberal OC sounding the alarm that the re-installation of ex-OJ blogger Sean Mill as Santa Ana Planning Commissioner – Sean who has been known for some intemperate outbursts in the past – is totally reprehensible and dangerous in light of the Arizona Bloodbath. Shit, think what could happen – there are “Crazy people who will take words and imagery to heart and consider it license to harm and even kill!!!”
7. Liberals like me, laying (without complete certainty) the blame for this on over-the-top violent political rhetoric from folks like Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and Sharron Angle. (There’s something there, but I don’t want to take it too far; after all, strong rhetoric is an instrument we all deserve and may need. But maybe we should keep away from saying anything HOMICIDAL in the near future????)
6. Defensive right-wingers from our Larry Gilbert to crazy racist Sheriff Arpaio ganging up on the new scapegoat, Tuscon Sheriff Dupnik, for daring to suggest some of the above sensible concerns, accusing him with no evidence of irresponsibly allowing this bloodbath to happen.
5. The California-based Tea-Party Express (endorsers of Chuck DeVore and Van Tran) quickly attempting to raise funds of this! Sez they, the Tea Party’s being unfairly blamed for this! So send us your money!
4. The Virginia Tea Party bastard responsible for publicizing the address of Congressman Tom Perriello’s brother leading to the severing of his gas lines tweeting “Doesn’t cutting someone’s gas lines seem like nothing now? What, too early?”
3. Fox’s Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity working overtime to paint the shooter as a “liberal” or at least not a regular “tea partier.” They pounced on his inclusion of the Communist Manifesto in his online reading list, along with “Mein Kampf,” as if there were any sort of connection, besides the feeling to a young man that he was reading something radical. Crazy Glenn:
This kid thinks the Mars rover, the landing, was faked. He thinks George W. Bush was behind 9/11. He believes in big government solution. His favorite books include ‘The Communist Manifesto’ and ‘Mein Kampf’…. I could tell you right now this guy is a textbook study of everybody I’ve warned against. But I’m not going to do that.
2. Fred Phelps and his Westboro “Baptists” are coming to Arizona to protest the funeral of… the little 9-year old girl who was killed in the massacre. Um, gag.. why? Because, according to their press release: “”That child was not innocent! This is a nation of depraved perverts who pass their children through the fire of their rage against God & all-consuming lust. From the womb, she was taught to hate God & mock His servants. That child is better off dead, so the cup of her iniquity will not overflow!”
(We have a useful post from last year, by our long-lost Red Vixen, suggesting that these Westboro Baptists are just a gang of traveling shyster lawyers who know how to do everything possible to provoke normal folks like you and me until we do something they can sue us for. Is there a perfect way to ignore them yet?)
1. Myself! For putting these Westboro pricks in the title of this post – knowing that readers were clicking on this blog looking for something about them, and I knew that would get us a lot of hits!!
OK, any additions?
Well we made some lemonade with our lemon. But we’re just fringe that way.
Gee, six people are shot and killed, a congress woman is targeted and shot, point blank in the face, thirteen other people are wounded and we’re expected to just sit back, shake our heads, no examination of who we are and why this might of happened and just accept that this is a “normal” consequence of “freedom”, ‘cuz this is America and we believe in guns and violent rhetoric.
Sorry, I DISAGREE, we not only have reckless gun laws (done deal, no looking at that issue), but reckless politicians and an even more reckless media.
The fact that the country was examining our use of violent rhetoric should’ve been a good thing, unfortunately the right-wing and our complicit media have gone through-the-looking-glass and now they are “the victims”.
A big part of me is with you, Anonster, but … I keep bumping my head on my absolute reverence for Free Speech.
Maybe we need to redouble our ingenuity to find ways to shout down / shame violent speech? A glance at the news today suggests that’s the next step. Sarah accuses us of “blood libel?” Jesus the audacity.
No, the fact that we know the left has nothing but thugs and violent out bursts is nothing new to most Americans! Thug unions and groups like ACORN and the many other left wing whack job groups are constantly using heated rhetoric!
Must conservatives/Americans just ignore them, it is the government and government officials that continue to allow their bulling and therefore the keep doing it like spoiled rotten brats!
I number one reason I am not liberal is due to the fact that liberals are mean spirited and violent in most cases! I love speech and detest violence!
Liberals despise speech,religion,children, freedom; just as jared L. did!
I don’t blame liberals for jared L. behavior! But I thank god there is only 20% of liberals in this country and shrinking! It really sucks that most of them are here in California!
MQ. Not wishing to politicize this tragedy but for the most part, the left was silent to the ramblings of Rev. Wright with all of his hate speech as our president sat in the pew.
Larry,
The left are people in this country, just Americans, who have never known anything else but this country and who take this country and it’s citizens for granted. They are spoiled American brats who only want to point out the bad as small or ridiculous as it may be! They want to be noticed, loved, appreciated and hailed for being the best of the best in this country! But, the truth is they are Rev. Wright, nothing but a weak link this countries chain!
Not sure if you’re deliberately disingenuous, off your meds, or just plain nuts. I sincerely hope you don’t own a gun.
No, I am just honest! I call it as I see it!
Lol… I detest guns! I detest the fact that people can buy them. But I respect a person’s right to own one if they feel the need!
You can be honest and still be nuts, you know.
Who is nuts, the guy with the name rapscallion or the woman who calls herself Michelle Quinn?
I propose that the nut is the person with the rambling diatribes that indicate an unbalanced and paranoid mind.
I agree: You do rabble a bit and you are obviously paranoid because you are afraid to post your name! YOUR true identity!
Who is after you: CIA, FBI, KGB or are you afraid of little old me?
BOO!
If you don’t like guns, amend the Constitution.
Good luck with that.
Vern,
You missed Bernie Sanders and the Democrats who are fundraising on the tragedy as well, but I’m sure that just slipped your mind. I commend you (mostly) on #7 as one of the very few liberals who admit that blaming the acts of this lunatic on Palin, et al. is stupid.
Guns don’t make people kill, people do!
One person pulled the trigger.
Fundraising on this and/or pointing the blame to statements by talk radio hosts and others. Pointing the blame to a sherriff who followed the current law. This is despicable and counterproductive.
It was a tragic event that perhaps could have been avoided. Do we add a mental exam to the list of things for a background check? Perhaps. Should people be more careful about the statements they make or about putting crosshairs on a website? Perhaps. Would any of these made a difference, maybe yes, maybe no.
Letting the families know that we are sorry that this happened and praying for them if you believe in such things is what we all should be doing.
Jim. And we are praying for all the victims
With all of this blame going around from all sides of the political spectrum as a result of this tragedy, I’m anxiously waiting for this decade’s version of the “Twinkie Defense” from Jared Loughner’s attorney. (For those that are unfamiiar with this historical reference, the “Twinkie Defense” was Dan White’s alibi stating that a diet of Twinkies caused him to go insane and assasinate San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978) I can see it now. It was his diet of food filled with gluten and high fructose corn syrup that caused him to snap.
If that is the case (not saying that it will be, but you never know), you can bet you’ll have one or a handful of these knee jerk, Chicken Little style prohibtionists out there advocating for a government ban of these foodstuffs on top of their proposed bans on firearms and speech. And they will end their pleas by asking the same tired question that many a Nanny Stater on the left and right asks ad nauseum when they rattle their proverbial sabres from their imagined bully pulpits and soapboxes:
(***incessant snobbing and hyperventilating thanks to self inducing one’s eyes with pepper spray***) “WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN??????!!!!!”
Remember folks, this same type of paranoia and knee jerk reactions brought us wonderful things like
a) The War on Drugs
b) The Patriot Act
c) The Department of Homeland Security
Well, no, the “twinkie defense” was a misnomer–you have it all wrong. White was diagnosed with depression, and that was used as part of the defense, having to do with capacity. The fact that he ate junk food was part of the symptoms of his condition.
That is all.
I’m still pissed off about the rhetoric that has been used. SP painting herself as a “victim” is just petty and small. Clyburn stating SP is just “incapable” of understanding the greater implications of her statements nails it .
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.
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!”
battle,sights,targets,shot,enemy’s,execute,crossfire,penetrate, weapons, guns, hole, shoot,accuracy,aim,blood, war,RELOAD….
These words should not be in any dialogue regarding political opponents. Especially in context of Americas bloody history of political assasinations.
Yes, it’s political correctness. I choose that over the alternative.The term “political correctness” shouldn’t be derided. Civil discourse is a tradition of democracy, and not one I will give up easily.
Maybe this conversation we are having would be different if it was a congressmember with an (R) next to their name. This climate of political discourse has been deliberate and orchestrated. The match was lit and thrown on the gasoline. The choice now…..is do we continue letting it be the “norm”? Or do we denounce this type of behavior for what it really is. Hate speech.
I didn’t get pissed off enough, when the man shot up the “liberals” in at the church in Tennessee, and then an old man shot the Holocaust museum guard after reading all the O’Rielly/Hannity propaganda. Well, now, with six more killed, I’m done being nice and forgiving.
This type of talk is wrong. Words have meaning and as Gabby Giffords presciently stated “consequences”.
To ignore it, would be to let these victims suffer and die in vain.
gericault,
Good for you, we need to stop backing down on what we know is right. This is not just political correctness, this IS life and death. The following documents six months of right-wing “incidents”;
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=UTF8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&source=embed&msa=0&msid=100917659372037806288.0004828ef8239ccbe7445
Here’s an interesting take on Sarah Palin;http://www.politicususa.com/en/sarah-palin-blood-libel
Well played, sir.
Question. Was the Memorial Service a Memorial Service or a rally broken by applause?
Having attended many Memorial Services our focus and prayers should be on the victims and their surviving families, period.
Who are you or your right-wing brethren to “dictate” what people should do or say or how they should feel? Isn’t that EXACTLY what you’ve been howling about for the last week?
Of course, cheering and applause isn’t violent, paranoid and delusional, so I guess it is no wonder you right-wingers find it so objectionable.
Has there been a motive stated yet? Why did this guy do what he did? I read that they took infomation from his resident.
Why hasn’t their been any reports on the motive?
dude, really… does a person like that have a motive?
We know he was very upset about how the government was controlling ALL of us through the manipulation of grammar, and also about wanting to go back to the gold standard. What are you looking for in his brain?
The truth is that billions is spent on making loser’s rely more on the system, while people like Jared L. are shunned and ignored! The fact that he killed people is nothing more than a cry for attention, help in this poor sick man head!
There was so many red flags with this man. Who do we blame? The parents, friends, family members and law enforcement who had more than enough to commit him to a psych ward!
But it is too late and hopefully if there is another Jared L. those parents, friends, family members and law enforcement might think twice!
” law enforcement who had more than enough to commit him to a psych ward!”
Do you have PROOF or is just another wild accusation pulled out of your ignorant ass?
FYI: I bet your ass is bigger than mine, but not your brain obviously!
The proof is in the fact that this man was no stranger to law enforcement! The college had him removed for his disruptive behavior, but the main reason is the fact that the professors as well as student considered him a threat!
The police obviously concluded that this man was a threat, but he had not done anything yet. Well, he ending up being more than a threat!
Of course, you have no idea what interactions Loughner had with law enforcement,but a lack of facts has never stopped you from making wildly inaccurate accusations.
So far what has been reported are minor incidents (noise complaints, traffic tickets), or do you expect cops to be psychics, predicting who is going to become a violent killer and who is just a scofflaw.
Furthermore ass-talker, mental illness is not illegal, Jared Laughner was an adult, he could refuse treatment, he probably didn’t meet the requirements for a forced commitment and even if he did qualify, there are long waiting lines in state hospitals.
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/nationworld/la-na-jared-loughner-20110113,0,6853816.story
Furthermore ass-talker,
MQ says:
You are like a computer that is on overload!
First of all I have worked many times with not only the mentally disabled, but the mentally unstable; a bit like yourself; that’s why I can deal with you like butter!
You are right it is not illegal to insane, but it is incompetent to think that an insane man could not either harm himself or others in California we have 5150 to protect and treat the mentally insane and protect those they might harm!
I assume most states have the same protection!
Did you actually READ the article you referenced? His main encounters were with CAMPUS POLICE, not the sherriff’s dept..
From USA Today;
“Arizona court records show that Loughner was never the subject of a petition that could have required him to receive a mental health assessment. It is unclear whether Pima Community College officials alerted authorities about their concern that Loughner might pose a danger. The college did not seek to force Loughner to get help.
Dan Carter, public policy director for the non-profit Security on Campus, an advocate for student safety, doubts the college could have prevented the killings even if it had notified community officials about Loughner.”
It is clear that this man was deranged and it is clear that a lot of people dropped the ball including law enforcement!
If anything, this is a massive teaching moment that insane people can no longer be shunned or ignored!
This subject is completely futile at this point, because you do not see the greater picture.
Michelle, where in the country do we have any psych wards that are government funded and have provisions the law for preventative involuntary lockups ? Reagan and the other conservatives cut all funding for psych wards and turned them loose. The only place we have now is our overflowing prison system that is full of drug addicts who many of who should be in mandatory treatment, so when they get out they are not back inside in a month or 2.
Where could anyone have put him? Unless the family had mental coverage or there was some government funded place. Arizona just cut funding for medical transplants, I doubt if there was any funding for mental problems left to cut.
Ok,
Have not noticed jim that there is plenty of money for the underserved and the vulnerable; other words illegal immigrants and their children, but not American who are either mentally, physically disabled?
This is where I have the problem with not only abled bodied illegal immigrants who have children, but also Americans that know that poor foreign nationals get more funding than mentally ill Americans! An absolute fact! There are thousands of non-profits that heal, feed, cater, treat, house or wipe that ass of foreign nationalist’s and not one who aids mentally ill Americans! Why? Because they would not get the grants!
California Endowment is a private organization that was created as a result of well point becoming for profit! Millions in assets, all of their programs left wing stupidity and not one grant worth speaking about for mentally ill Americans!
In this country the PC has gone so wrong that a foreign nationalist has a better chance of being treated for mental illness than an American Citizen!
An this is a fact!
I will get back to you jim! I am on typing over load!