Putting the blame where it belongs [Reader Post]

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It was entirely predictable that the left would instantly and mindlessly blame Sarah Palin for the terrible and tragic shooting of Gabrielle Giffords. Unforunately for them, the truth lies at their front doors.

Curt has a nice round-up of the knee-jerkoff reactions.

As Byron York notes, when it was painfully obvious who committed a mass murder and why, journalists cautioned against jumping to conclusions- but not this time. This time a concerted effort was made to blame Sarah Palin.

On November 5, 2009, Maj. Nidal Hasan opened fire at a troop readiness center in Ft. Hood, Texas, killing 13 people. Within hours of the killings, the world knew that Hasan reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar!” before he began shooting, visited websites associated with Islamist violence, wrote Internet postings justifying Muslim suicide bombings, considered U.S. forces his enemy, opposed American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as wars on Islam, and told a neighbor shortly before the shootings that he was going “to do good work for God.” There was ample evidence, in other words, that the Ft. Hood attack was an act of Islamist violence.

Nevertheless, public officials, journalists, and commentators were quick to caution that the public should not “jump to conclusions” about Hasan’s motive. CNN, in particular, became a forum for repeated warnings that the subject should be discussed with particular care.

~~~

Fast forward a little more than a year, to January 8, 2011. In Tucson, Arizona, a 22 year-old man named Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a political event, gravely wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, killing a federal judge and five others, and wounding 18. In the hours after the attack, little was known about Loughner beyond some bizarre and largely incomprehensible YouTube postings that, if anything, suggested he was mentally ill. Yet the network that had shown such caution in discussing the Ft. Hood shootings openly discussed the possibility that Loughner was inspired to violence by…Sarah Palin. Although there is no evidence that Loughner was in any way influenced by Palin, CNN was filled with speculation about the former Alaska governor.

Markos Moulitsas, who once said he “felt nothing” when American mercenaries died, twitted

If Palin’s crosshair effort was excusable, why has her PAC scrubbed her site of that page?

Arizona sheriff investigating assassination went on rant about right-wing hate radio rhetoric. He shouldn’t have gone there?

How dare people “politicize” a political assassination!

F***ing American Taliban

Sharron Angle’s first amendment remedies, in action. That rhetoric MATTERS.

Mission accomplished, Sarah Palin,http://is.gd/knNgl

The paragon of virtue has spoken.

As for Moulitsas?

He quite literally made Giffords a “target” himself.

Who to primary? Well, I’d argue that we can narrow the target list by looking at those Democrats who sold out the Constitution last week. I’ve bolded members of the Blue Dogs for added emphasis.

Palin, by contrast, targeted the district. Moulitsas targeted the Congresswoman.

Over at Verum Serum, John posts two maps from the Democrat party which target Republicans.

So why is it that Sarah Palin’s map incites violence but Democrats’ maps and Moulitsas’ specifically labeling Giffords a “target” does not?

To paraphrase Charles Dickens, it’s because the media is a ass.

Also coming from St. Markos’ site of wisdom, tolerance and kindness is a post from one “Blue Boy” who claims to have worked for Giffords but now says that Giffords “is dead to me.” You’ll have to catch it here, because Moulitsas stuffed it down the memory hole.

We know very little about Jared Loughner, but we know a bit from the young man himself.

He lists The Communist Manifesto, Animal Farm and Mein Kampf among his favorite books.

As Mata said,

Clue: Palin’s got nothing to do with the shooting, or the shooter. In fact, why don’t you point out any fan of the Communist Manifesto who is a Palin devotee. We’ll wait.

In fact, pretty much all signs point to the guy being a whackjob left winger. A couple of comments from those who purport to know Loughner:

caitieparker @FriendThatCooks 3 years ago when I saw him last he was more leftist. Now I don’t know.
about 9 hours ago in reply to FriendThatCooks

And courtesy of Aye:

Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension

Leftist. Liberal.

Figures.

So where does the blame go? Obviously the guy was not well and he is mostly to blame. In addition, I hold Barack Obama accountable for this and I did so in a previous post.

No one has done more in last several decades with his inflammatory community organizer rhetoric to divide this country than Barack Obama.

** Obama: “They Bring a Knife…We Bring a Gun”
** Obama to His Followers: “Get in Their Faces!”
** Obama on ACORN Mobs: “I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!”
** Obama to His Mercenary Army: “Hit Back Twice As Hard”
** Obama on the private sector: “We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.“
** Obama to voters: Republican victory would mean “hand to hand combat”
** Obama to lib supporters: “It’s time to Fight for it.”
** Obama: “My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”
** Obama: “I will be happy to see the Republicans test whether or not I’m itching for a fight on a whole range of issues. I suspect they will find I am.”
** Obama: “It’s tempting not to negotiate with hostage takers”
** Obama: “We’re going to punish our enemies
** Obama: “Those aren’t the kinds of folks who represent our core American values.”

And there’s this:

** “All 50 States are coordinating in this – as we fight back against our own Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists who are subverting the American Democratic Process, whipped to a frenzy by their Fox Propaganda Network ceaselessly re-seizing power for their treacherous leaders.”

That’s about as nasty as it gets.

Sarah Palin is a hunter and certain words are expected in her lexicon. Barack Obama uses words to incite emotions- the emotions of hate and anger. He has fomented this violence. Sarah Palin is not the President. She is a private citizen. Barack Obama is the President of the United States and is expected to lead by example.

And he does just that.

In today’s NY Times;

WASHINGTON — The shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others at a neighborhood meeting in Arizona on Saturday set off what is likely to be a wrenching debate over anger and violence in American politics.

In their article, Hulse and Zernike prove just how vapid and selectively ignorant they and the rest of the left wing whackjob media are. The vitriol has been flowing for a long time, and the President of the United States is the wellspring.

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Right On!!!!

The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven from the media’s self-created firestorm in the aftermath of AZ shooting. Where were they during the last 8 years of Bush bashing that reached it sorry peak with a movie glorifying the fantasy murder of Bush? I worry about the Palin family and their safety with these nutjobs on the left, in the media, in the former congressional majority and unfortunately the current occupant in the white house. Besides calling for a moment a silence, there is golden opportunity to tell his supporters to tone it down and be civil but I’m not holding my breath.

It seems a bit strange that the shooter has been after Rep. Giffords since 2007. But still, it must be Sarah Palin’s fault. The fact the shooter is probably as crazy as a loon has nothing to do with the shooting. It is definitely the fault of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, the Tea Party, and every conservative in America. God forbid it is something as simple an unhinged idiot took a gun and did this.

Several things are driving the reaction to the shooting, first, Giffords herself had called out her perception of the targeted map Palin put out:

“We’re on Sarah Palin’s ‘targeted’ list, but the thing is that the way she has it depicted, we’re in the cross-hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they’ve got to realize that there are consequences to that action.”

She probably knows her district and the angst going on there better that you or I do. Giffords father was asked if she had any enemies, he responded “Yeah, The whole Tea Party.” He probably knows as well as anyone what was going on in the district, and out of love and worry for his Daughter, had some some good “Papa Grizzlie” instincts about all the threats she had received and the break in at her office after the Health care vote. Again, he sees what’s going on there and has, as we have found out now, legitimate worries for the saftey of his daughter.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/136787-report-tea-party-giffords-enemy-father-says

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ariz_congresswoman_shot_in_head_YFTvsurRHy5OWGSRKnuK8J#ixzz1Ae1fg6Bx

Then the Sheriff, who sees the results every day of the worst of the the worst, and probably has a better pulse on what the situation in her district that you or I do said:

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

Before the media got in a spin tizzy, these people who are right in the midst of where the incident happened brought their thoughts on the situation forward, they drove the discussion based on what they see and hear in their area and in their lives.
The fact that Giffords called out the targeted list Palin put out herself is pretty powerful and won’t be ignored.
Palin is also quite aware of this, and her relative silence other than her “peace and justice” stament speaks very loudly indeed.

I am sorry Mooseburger but Sherrif Dupnik was completely unprofessional in that news conference. At a time the crime scene was still being processed, Gabby fighting for her life, and Loughner being a clam while people tried to erase the online proof how insane he was; to say what he did was wrong. He jumped upon the bodies of six people, including a 9yr old girl, to push his own agenda. Dupnik needs to be fired.

Dr. John, I just posted this over on the other thread and wondered if Sarah & company would know the difference between crosshair and a surveyor symbol, I’m guessing yes:

http://bigjournalism.com/dloesch/2011/01/09/the-difference-between-purveyor-symbols-and-crosshairs/

We now know he had Rep. Gifford in his focus since 2007, long before Palin, Tea Parties, 1070 or Obamacare. Now photos of his altar have hit the news, he was a crazy occultist.

The more we find out about the killer the more we find it would be unlikely he would have been interested or enfluenced by Sarah Palin or the Tea Party. This blogsite has picked up some of his entries from a blog he posted at, his views on Christianity reveals him to not be Palin’s type, more apt to fall in line with those who burned her church.

In other posts, Loughner’s hatred for Christianity becomes even more clear. In a topic entitled, “108 Year Old Rabbi Predicts Arrival of Messiah,” Loughner wrote:

If Christianity philosophy is non-fiction writing then there’s a author for the literature
There’s no author for the literature.
Therefore, Christianity philosophy is not non-fiction writing.
Crap on anyone who is believing Christianity without evidence of a writer!

In another topic, he wrote this rambling response:

Are you going to tell every poster that its possibly to meet the writer in this current age?
There are far many books that are easy to remember then the books of the bible.
What if Plato and the other writers of the bible chilled for ten minutes talking about chicken?
What a sad attempt to know who wrote any of the bible and the story’s not in them.
Very sad and pathetic attempt for something to talk about!

Two things are becoming very clear as the world learns more about this assassin: he is insane and he hate Christianity.

http://punditpress.blogspot.com/2011/01/assassin-jared-loughner-member-of.html

Missy, going to cross post my comment about the symbols here as well.

There’s lots of symbols for the PLSS system in the nation. I’ve never seen that symbol on any of the topos I’ve used, but then a lot of these topos go back to the 70s. So a key legend I often used to see if I could spy it in there.

The symbol used on the Palin maps is for a boundary monument with a tablet.

Whether Palin & company knew the difference or not, I don’t know. I would suggest that Palin intended for them to be crosshairs in general interpretation because the crosshairs in a scope are too detailed for such a small symbol on the map. This was simplistic, and clear in visual. No different than the Dem’s commonly used bullseye in intent.

All this horse manure about bullseyes and targets potentially being banned by legislation is really making me nervous now…. the tip toeing around the water cooler is about to grow massively with yet another knee jerk reaction to a sad sack of a human and his scumbag actions. Nothing like fear to pump people up into yielding their freedoms.

But of course those idiots would never consider how many people came into contact with this wacko, and never alerted authorities that he should probably be on a watch list. It’s not like I’m into turning people in, because that too has it’s dangers. Big Brother watching you, etal. But just as vigilant citizens thwarted the Times Square bombing by paying attention, vigilant citizens could have prevented this tragedy by paying attention. Nothing to do with guns, and nothing to do with symbols.

@MataHarley:

Thanks, we have a surveyors scope hubby uses when he does his dozing, never bothered to look through the thing.

I watched Rep. Brady being interviewed this morning, he was kind of explaining, I say kind of because he wasn’t really capable of explaining the bill he intends to introduce. Just have to see it, that’s all I can say, he is a poor excuse for a representative. Gretchen Carlson did the interview, the whole interview was sad, very sad. To think this idiot could rob us of our free speech rights is rediculous.

It’s time for everyone to calm down, take a breather before more damage is done.

What a bloody disaster!
A loner buys a gun and lays waste to as many as he can kill or wound.
He telegraphs his intention, his mindset is noted, but he is able to buy a weapon anyway.
This has happened before. Columbine. Oklahoma City. Olympic bombings. Unabomber. Virginia Tech. I could go on, fill in to your hearts’ content.
The do-gooders have won. We cannot segregate those who may be a danger to themselves or others. It would violate their rights. Those of us who are not wacko have no rights.
Privacy is an absolute right; the right to be secure in your person is not. Live and breathe, and you are a potential victim. But the perpetrator is entitled to room and board for the next 70 years.
Persons who are 1) loners; 2) conspiracy theorists; 3) builders of sick shrines; 4) posters of their intentions online; 5) asked to get mental evaluation before returning to junior college: these persons may be dangerous. D’Oh.
But nine year old young ladies: they are not protected by law.

DrJohn says: 5

Why wasn’t anyone concerned about Moulitsas’ targeting Giffords herself? Why is it that Democrat crosshairs and targets don’t encourage anything?

If Congresswoman Gifford had called out Moulisa herself, then I think it would rise to a higher level of culplability, but she clearly called out Sarah Palin, who continually speaks of gun imagery and spares no occasion to be shootin’ guns for her Reality show. That in and of itself is not a big deal, but she also tweeted about those Targets (not surveyor symbols like she tried to spin them as after the fact):

“Remember months ago “bullseye” icon used 2 target the 20 Obamacare-lovin’ incumbent seats. We won 18 out of 20 (90% success rate;T’aint bad)”

The choice of metaphors and imagery by Palin is unfortunate at best, I’m sure she didn’t intend for this to happen, however, Giffords and her family and local sheriff are entitled to their own interpretation of those metaphors and imagery, and they clearly expressed their concerns before and after the tragic shooting. It is not a far stretch of reason if you were a family member to Mrs. Giffords for those concerns to seem legitimate and now confirmed by a grim reality right now. It’s really not a far stretch of reason for many people to have thought “this was bound to happen sooner or later based on the rabid political climate” either when they first heard the news.

Let’s be clear: Sarah Palin, and the use of a surveyors mark in no way had anything to do with the senseless carnage that took place in Tucson on Saturday. The Ted Kaczynski, bat shit crazy shooter was as far from a Sarah Palin TEA Partier as you could find. But even logical reasoning is being dismissed now in an attempt to marginalize the conservative movement, much as Bill Clinton did in the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. It is pure Saul Alinsky; pick a target, marginalize it and destroy it.

Yesterday, on Slate, I read an article where a representative of Sarah Palin explained how the now infamous map was not designed “in-house” but was done by an independent graphics company. And the Slate response? Of course, the explaination was lame and not to be accepted. So even rational thought and clear explainations of things are no longer valid when the goal is to destroy the very person/movement that cause the “shellacking” of Democrats last November.

We have talked about this left wing frenzy since Saturday, but the question remains, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to take the typical Republican response and make excuses for the things we are accused of? Is this the new “racist” accusation that is thrown out at any conservative who disagrees with the lefts socialist policies? How do you prove you are not a racist once that accusation is thrown at you?

Now it the time to really start fighting back. Stop being on the defensive. End the careers of those who would use their power and position to slander those of us who actually believe in the U.S. Constitution and limited government. Send the NYTimes and MSNBC into bankruptcy. The left seems to believe that boycotts work. Well, they can work both ways. If you subscribe to a liberal publication that is pushing this meme of “Palin/TEA Party blame” cancell. If you watch MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, don’t. If you know who their advertisers are, notify those companies you will no long purchase their products.

It’s up to you; it’s up to me.

I see that Moosehole is proving himself to be a bitter clinger.

I am not sure what the answer to the Vitrol on either side is. I can only speak for myself. But when I heard about the shooting, my very first though was – I hope it wasn’t anyone who is on the Right, because the Left will have a field day if it is. Then I thought wait till more info comes out before jumping to conclusions.

THEN, I went on line to find out if there was anymore information. I found out the guys name and that he had a you tube sight. I went to the site and checked out everything. I concluded, because of all the strange rants, music and odd flag burning video – the guy has to be a nut.

THEN, I went to some other sights just to see what others concluded. One site I went to, an article written then the comments on the article, the [4th ] comment was a direct hit at the right (it must be them). Another article the [ 7th ] comment was a direct hit at the Right. Mind you all previous comments on same post (s) were condolences and ‘I’m Sorry’ comments.

So, now, I conclude from all the vitriol out there if there is ‘anyone’ to blame or ‘attack’ for me ? – It is our “‘Educational System” that has created the vitriol in this Country. And I say this because for the past 50 years (since the 60’s) our Educational System has been a “Liberal” teaching tool by “Design”. A ‘one way’ thought process. I include Colleges in the mix as well.

Giffords and her family and local sheriff are entitled to their own interpretation of those metaphors and imagery

Uh, no.

The local sheriff, in the midst of his investigatory work on this case, is NOT entitled to his own interpretation of anything regarding this case except the actual evidence in front of him.

When he took to the airwaves on Saturday, Sunday, and today expressing political opinions which, by his own admission, are NOT supported by any sort of evidence he does nothing but poison the potential jury pool for the case and provide more arrows for the quiver of the defense attorneys.

Law enforcement officers should be expected to, and required to, keep their personal opinions and biases out of their investigations and press conferences.

Michelle Malkin has a long list of violent images from the left http://michellemalkin.com/

Has anyone posted about the math student who always sat by the door of their class with her purse close at hand so she could bolt away if he became violent?
I don’t know her name.
Also his math teacher said he was nutty.
Would blurt out a random number nowhere close to the right answer when his outbursts did relate to math at all.
The teacher was literally afraid to turn his back to the class (when this kid, Jared) was there.
The teacher tried for 3 months to get Jared kicked out of his math class.
He finally succeeded.

A mental health expert who spends time with schizophenics said that all of their (schizophenics) delusions are internal.
That NONE of the external stuff (religion, politics, music, money) impinge on their delusions.
So, I wonder if he (Jared) is schizophrenic.
Reason being, he was reported as being obsessed with Rep. Giffords.
People he knew said he went to a lot of her get togethers.
He also seemed obsessed with the uber-leftist, anti-gov’t band Anti-Flag.
And he also seemed to have planned quite a bit of what happened that day.
(He even expected to be killed.)
This AM I heard a report about a Wal-mart employee who he asked to check in the back room for his ammo.
The salesman was so shaken by him that he simply stayed in the storeroom for a while then came out and told him the store was out of his specific ammo.
That forced him to go to a different store.

So, when the media, the sheriff and others come forward and give Jared his defense, they are playing a very dangerous game.

@Anna Puma:

I am sorry Mooseburger but Sherrif Dupnik was completely unprofessional in that news conference.

Without even having any facts on motive, Dupnik was absolutely unprofessional here by offering up political speculation:

Michelle Malkin….bullseye!

The choice of metaphors and imagery by Palin is unfortunate at best, I’m sure she didn’t intend for this to happen, however, Giffords and her family and local sheriff are entitled to their own interpretation of those metaphors and imagery, and they clearly expressed their concerns before and after the tragic shooting. It is not a far stretch of reason if you were a family member to Mrs. Giffords for those concerns to seem legitimate and now confirmed by a grim reality right now. It’s really not a far stretch of reason for many people to have thought “this was bound to happen sooner or later based on the rabid political climate” either when they first heard the news.

I’m going to go ahead and say that hind site is usually 20/20, so to say that the family can interpret those images how they want, being true, is moderately silly. Imagery is exactly that. Pictures. Simple pictures. This man was of an ideology that I will never understand. He was stalking Mrs. Giffords for quite some time and had it in his head that she needed to die. Why he did it or how he came to that conclusion is inside his head and we don’t know. Did Sarah Palin have anything to do with this? Absolutely NOT. Neither did Markos, or Olbermann or Beck. This man was acting on his own accord with his mental status in tact in his own mind. He knew what he was doing and had been planning it for a long time. Before Palin’s political target map. Next, you’ll be telling me that he was driven by the RAID commercials because they had targets on them and blew up bugs!!!!! HOW EVIL!!!!!

If anything, IMHO, political correctness is at blame for the last several murderous rampages. Hasan, or whatever his name is at Ft. Hood, was not approached or ‘targeted’ as a radical because we didn’t want to offend Islam. This kid wasn’t ‘targeted’ for help because we, as a society, are afraid to ‘label’ someone because they may be offended or we may get sued for libel or something.

Where were his parents? Did they not see anything that needed to be addressed? Did they not talk to him? Columbine…..those kids built weapons in their garage and hid them under their beds at home. Where where THEIR parents? If you REALLY need to point blame, why, I have no idea, but if you NEED to, you, and the media as a whole, should start a whole hell of a lot deeper than some web posting from 8 months ago by Sarah friggin Palin or some TV show he watch or book he read. That may point you in a direction or provide some insight into where his mind was, but it wasn’t the CAUSE.

I have never been to, and will never go to, a psychology class or a psychologist. I figured that out all in my wittle head all by myself……..for free.

This is turning into this for the Left…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire

One word will explain the vicious coordinated campaign…

JOURNO_LIST.

All the smear merchants were associated with this cadre of scum who planned to use their positions in MSM media outfits to destroy Sarah Palin and all conservatives by hiding their hatred and nasty attacks behind the facades of the NY TIMES, WASH POST, MSNBC and other news organizations.

As I recall, these scum decided that “it does not matter if the charges were true, simply pick a conservative, any conservative and go“.

For your information. Sheirff Dupnik is a Liberal Dem. He professed that he would not enforcer AZ 1070, The AZ immigration enforcement law. He is also against the AZ concealed carry laws.

One of the things that should bother everyone is Sheriff Dupnik’s response to Meagan Kelly’s question as whether he had any evidence that the shooter was a fan of any talk show or conservative movement (paraphrasing here) to which he responded “No, not YET.”

NOT YET? Is that political hack so biased that he would “create” evidence to prove his theories of “right wing” culpability? Would the FBI, who is probably in control of the investigation, run by the Obama administration allow this to happen?

Posters here are right; Dupnik’s responsibility, and ONLY RESPONSIBILTY, is to conduct an investigation, present the findings of that investigation to the District Attorney for those cases not being handled by the Feds (such as the murder of that little girl) and be done with it. Instead, what we are seeing is a left wing sheriff who claims he will not enforce Arizona laws even if judged to be Constitutional since in his mind those laws are “racist”. Americans cannot allow people in law enforcement to let their political viewpoints cloud their ability to do their job. He must be replaced.

Dr. John, your post’s photo reminded me of pix I had taken.

@Missy, you won’t see those looking thru the surveyor scope. Those are more simple cross lines to center the object of focus. The symbol used on the Palin graphics is a map icon on the PLSS that denotes a boundary monument with a tablet (as opposed to without a tablet). A monument is the same thing as a marker, and can be a buried iron pipe, a metal plate mounted at the point and even things like pots or other objects in the old days.

A tablet is …is similar to a benchmark in that it is placed to permanently mark an elevation and horizontal position that has been surveyed as accurately as possible. Unlike a benchmark, which is marked by a brass plate, the control point shown here is marked by a tablet: a concrete marker with numbers etched onto the top (like a gravestone). “

All, to me, is a moot point. To argue one way or another what Palin’s intent is simply a straw man. Both the Dems and the GOP have used such symbols on electoral strategy maps. Neither is responsible for a whacko, acting out his demented ideals.

However, to speak to Palin’s intent, they ordered a graph from a pro graphic artist, and simply approved it per Palin staffer, Rebecca Monsour on a talk radio show. I sincerely doubt they are familiar with PLSS surveyor symbols.

“We never ever, ever intended it to be gun sights,” [Palin staffer Rebecca Mansour] said.

“It’s surveyor’s symbols,” the interviewer Tammy Bruce suggested. […]

Mansour agreed. She said that the graphic was contracted out to a professional. They approved it quickly without thinking about it. “We never imagined, it never occurred to us that anybody would consider it violent,” she said. Rather, she said, that it was simply “crosshairs that you would see on a map.”

There is “nothing irresponsible about our graphic,” she said.

No… there is nothing irresponsible about that graphic. Just like there is nothing irresponsible about the Dem and Daily KO graphics using bullseyes. But in all honesty, I’d say that Palin and staff viewed that particular symbol, and took it the same way most folks did… as a cross hair, if not the same as viewed thru a scope. Just a slightly different take on the more commonly used bullseyes, and probably more identifiable with Palin and her hunter status. Personally, I think it’s unwise to spin the details. Just buys into the theory that it bore some responsibility. It does not.

@Mooseburger, I see you still remain the apologist. Bullseyes okay. Cross hairs not? Both are visual aids for aim. Your nuances only work on those seeking desperate excuses.

The choice of metaphors and imagery by Palin is unfortunate at best, I’m sure she didn’t intend for this to happen, however, Giffords and her family and local sheriff are entitled to their own interpretation of those metaphors and imagery, and they clearly expressed their concerns before and after the tragic shooting.

I believe their concerns revolved around the fact her office had been vandalized months earlier. And her offices had been filled with people opposed to her health care vote. However I don’t find it unusual for one party’s elected official to whine about the tactics of an opposing party’s official as unfair. But it was a moment of political convenience for Ms. Gifford not to acknowledge that the Dems used similiar targets for their electoral strategy maps as well. Therefore her beef was unfounded, and only becomes a talking point by those like you for timing.

Therefore you are simply meshing standard whining with an unfortunate event by an insane, defective human… one that had been allowed to walk the streets despite a plethora of warning signs seen by both university officials and law enforcement officers.

It’s really not a far stretch of reason for many people to have thought “this was bound to happen sooner or later based on the rabid political climate” either when they first heard the news.

This “bound to happen” stuff isn’t all that common, nor is it unheard of in our history, Moose. But I suggest that with our economy getting worse, all types of crime and protests will be escalating. One need only look at the rising protests in Europe for austerity measures after people have suckled at the teet of government for generations so see what may be coming our way.

And another round of nanny laws trying to prevent it, combined with spending, isn’t going to do anything but fuel the fire.

Jake Tapper of ABC News is NO Liberal.
But even he is pointing out that Jared’s obsession with Rep. Gifford pre-dated Sarah Palin’s graphic by three years!
Transcript here:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2011/01/10/abcs-jake-tapper-pokes-holes-attempts-blame-conservatives-az-shootin

TAPPER: But in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today, Robin, conservative writer Glenn Reynolds calls this call this hypocrisy. He says, “Those who purport to care about the health of our political community demonstrate precious little actual concern for America’s political well being when they seize on any pretext, however flimsy, to call their political opponents accomplices to murder.” And, of course, Robin, we know from the investigation that the shooter’s interest in Gabrielle Giffords, Congresswoman Giffords, ties back to 2007, three years before Palin’s map. Back to you, Robin.

the sheriff ‘s got one thing that I can comment on,when he said we use to have party trying to talk instead of block. well then, it must be that the present GOVERNMENT is doing terribly wrong for people and other opposite members of PARTYS TO DENY THEIR GOVERNING ATTITUDE
and therefor block everything they do as much as they can, because they are not the one with a majority
so it is difficult to get the super majority to listen to the people, they think they know it all and they became dangerously arrogant enough to push legistslation that are hurting the AMERICANS THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO PROTECT, SO DONT BLAME THE TEAPARTY OR SARAH PALIN OR THE CONSERVATIVES, BECAUSE OF DOING THEIR JOBS

@retire05:
“Now it the time to really start fighting back. Stop being on the defensive. End the careers of those who would use their power and position to slander those of us who actually believe in the U.S. Constitution and limited government. Send the NYTimes and MSNBC into bankruptcy. The left seems to believe that boycotts work. Well, they can work both ways. If you subscribe to a liberal publication that is pushing this meme of “Palin/TEA Party blame” cancell. If you watch MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, don’t. If you know who their advertisers are, notify those companies you will no long purchase their products.

It’s up to you; it’s up to me. ”

Well said!

You can feel the hate for the military in Canada. We spend 30 billion or 20% of the federal budget on the armed forces. The left wing meme is spend the money on entitlements and to hell with the US and Nato. The schools, colleges, and universities are responsible for this misguided mantra. They want something for nothing and expect that this is a right.
We have war dead in our family. I and others have been in fire fights and never speak about it. The result is war protesters at the cenotaph on Remembrance Day. Gawd, I hate the left.

A local blog in Tucson says this nut has a history of making death threats, the liberal Barney Fife sheriff knew it. . . and did nothing.

http://thechollajumps.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/jared-loughner-is-a-product-of-sheriff-dupniks-office/

Looks like Mr. Political Expert Sheriff may have some splain’in to do. To my simple gaze this seems a lot more relevant than place markers on a political map.

From my vantage point it apprears everybody with an agenda is clamboring atop of the bodies to plant their flag of righteous indignation.

@JustAl:

Thanks for finding this, JustAl.
I was opining that the criminal justice system went too light on him in the past because he had charges dropped when caught with drugs and, on a later occasion, he was put into a therapy program when he nearly killing himself with alcohol poisoning.
The fact that he threatened people is little known.
I had known he was inappropriate in his math class and was thrown out but that it took 3 months to get him gone.
I learned today that some of his friends had guns but refused to ask him to come shooting with them….because they thought he was frightening.

Yes, when bleeding-heart liberals allow bad actions in a youth to go unpunished the young person is done no favors.
Being permissive is a false favor.

@Nan G:
In Barney Fife’s defense, I’m not sure what options law enforcement actually has in such cases. I think he pointed out in an interview something to the effect that in the old days the crazies could be locked up.

I know budget cuts get blamed for the emptying of the mental institutions he is referring to, but didn’t the ACLU play a part? I seriously don’t know but it looks like now it’s nie on impossible to get someone committed.

This is weird:

FBI agents working on the Gabrielle Giffords shooing encountered trouble gaining entry to the suspect’s family home Monday morning.

Family members of Jared Loughner apparently had put on 4-by-4 double-thick plywood that blocked access to the front porch of their north Tucson home.

At about 12:25 p.m., agents began banging on the blockade, yelling, “This is the FBI. Let us in.”

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/10/20110110gabrielle-giffords-shooting-suspect-family-barricade-brk10-ON.html#ixzz1AfQLBgYw

Apparently his mother was on a local board of supervisors… I don’t know specifics.

Logical US SAY, hi, yes, you have to be right, if I may add to it, something I read from one of us CONSERVATIVES is that what they said to incriminate SARAH PALIN will raise her popularity a few more notches again adding to all the trash they said before,
hey I witness a PRIME MINISTER RISE TO THE POSITION BY THE ELECTORAT, WHEN HIS VERY MEDIA POPULAR OPPONANT HAD THEIR CRUE OUT SOME VICIOUS ADD ON TV AGAINST HIM WAS A REAL DEMOLISHEN JOB LIKE THIS ON SARAH,

Our popular culture glorifies violence. Mayhem is central to many of the Hollywood films and video games young people grow up with. We’ve turned guns into symbols of personal empowerment. Out of reasonable concern for the average citizen’s Second Amendment rights–a right that I fully support–some states have made it unreasonably easy for seriously imbalanced people to obtain and carry firearms. Add to the mix deliberately inflamatory, polarizing political rhetoric, sometime coupled with Second Amendment references, and you can pretty much expect occasional violence from people who are armed, paranoid, and delusional.

Some seem to be missing the fact that when you or I hear only heated political exchanges, seriously disturbed individuals sometimes hear a call to action. There are dangerous people on both sides. It really doesn’t matter what ideology they happen to fixate on.

I think that’s what Sheirff Dupnik is suggesting we need to start thinking about. I’ve got no problem with what he said.

Greg @ 41

I agree up to the point on a hearing a call to action.
Who knows what drives them.
Mark Chapman thought he would be impressing Jody Foster.

GREG when a government leader promote violence with his followers,
what you see is to followup the promoting,so go tell them first,and insist on it
and come back to the most classy tolerant people of this AMERICA
WHICH WILL SURVIVE WHEN THE NEW CROWD START THEIR CLEANING PROCESS

@Greg:

Our popular culture glorifies violence. Mayhem is central to many of the Hollywood films and video games young people grow up with.

Strangely enough, years ago there was a movement on the right side of the spectrum to address the very things you note here, ie violent video games, cultural decay, etc.

Those efforts were excoriated and rebuffed by the left…the very same crowd that is now whinging about violent video games, cultural decay, etc.

It’s remarkable really.

AYE CHIHUAHUA , I was reading a link from one of our group ,I try to find his numbr comment but could not, it was at MICHELLE MALKIN and the antiwar movement is very violent and they attack
recruiter military in schools, this should be dealt with bringning the military in this country to solve the problem of those radicals, they are the ennemies cited there and from the left,

Nan G is nt it the one they should put a stop to, a mob of destructive let alone to grow dangerously,
bullseye for sure, I bet they are scaring the PRESIDENT OF THIS AMERICA, WHICH SHOULD FOCUS ON HIS LIBERALS

Him making death threats is prosecutable in AZ. If that story is true then it seems like Dupnik was more interested in currying favor with Loughner’s mother or protecting her. Regardless of his reasons, he BLEW it and now 6 are dead partly because of his inaction.

The ‘Left’s’ Hateful Rhetoric and Hatefull Bigoted ‘Vitriol’ against America, Israel, Our Government, Palin, Former President Bush, FOX News, Rush, Sean, Radio, The Tea Party etc etc… and all those who don’t agree with the Left. If the ‘ Left ‘ doesn’t stop their ‘vitriol ‘ we could have ‘ violence’ in the future.

They could start with Sheriff Dupkin of Tuscon, AZ. What ever happen to having the “facts” before you point the ‘guilty finger’ Mr Sheriff Dupkin ?? YOU Sheriff Dupkin, are a Hypocrite!! YOU Sheriff Dupkin ARE the part of the Rhetoric and Bigotry Problem and “Vitirol” that the ‘Left’ keeps Spewing toward those who don’t agree with their liberal views… For your actions and your remarks Mr Sheriff Dupkin AND your ilk YOU are the voice that incites violence.

@FAITH7:

“They could start with Sheriff Dupkin of Tuscon, AZ. What ever happen to having the “facts” before you point the ‘guilty finger’ Mr Sheriff Dupkin ?? YOU Sheriff Dupkin, are a Hypocrite!! YOU Sheriff Dupkin ARE the part of the Rhetoric and Bigotry Problem and “Vitirol” that the ‘Left’ keeps Spewing toward those who don’t agree with their liberal views… “

I honestly don’t know how you’re getting that from Sheriff Dupkin’s thoughtful and calmly stated opinions and observations.

GREG don’t pick on FAITH you din’t get the sheriff’s insinuation, but she got it as clear as water