A Congresswoman is Shot, Yet Journalism Died

Congresswoman Shot Journalism Died
Yesterday, a horrific act of violence occurred. A disturbed man opened fire on a Congressional Representative, her staff and innocent bystanders, claiming 6 lives; among them a young child. Early reports from NPR and CNN claiming the death of Congresswoman Giffords were inaccurate; as well as the age of the dead child. Later in the day, reports of the congresswoman’s condition proved false.  As the information disseminated, the truth, up to this point, revealed inaccuracies of the cur...

Steve Hynd Making Sense Again
Steve Hynd, whom I linked to a bit earlier, contributes a little more sense on the subject of the Arizona shooting from the Left Blogosphere: I said I’d wait until I knew more before I wrote more about the Arizona shootings. Well, here it is. […] Note that Loughner’s obsession with Rep. Giffords began at least as early as 2007, long before Sarah Palin or the Tea Party - but note too that there’s not a lot of difference between paranoid politics and the worst exces...

Was the Tucson shooting a product of the Tea Party?
Georgians join the people of Arizona in condemning the senseless act of violence and mourning the Victims of the recent Tucson shooting.  Georgians also wonder what Jared Lee Loughner’s motive was.  Was he trying to make a political point or was he simply deranged? In the days since the shooting in Tucson, leftists have rushed to denounce the Murders as the result of radical right-wing Rhetoric.  Specifically, left-wing Bloggers on Politico.com cited a “Veteran Democra...

Then again, too few to mention
A long time ago, there was a famous play where a ball bounced off Jose Canseco’s head and into the stands for a home run. I remember reading a columnist say “look, it was a freak play that could have happened to anyone, but, if you’d told me you just saw a ball bounce off someone’s head and into the stands, I would have guessed that someone was Jose Canseco”. I’m afraid, it’s the same with this shooting: it may have been the work of a lone whacko, but ...

The Tucson tragedy: freedom from violent rhetoric and imagery
So far, there's no connection between alleged murderer Jared Lee Loughner and the extremes of the Tea Party movement. But that's beside the point now, if you ask me. The horrific violence in Tucson saw Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) go from being in the crosshairs of opponents metaphorically to literally being gunned down on Saturday. As a result, we are now finally engaging in a long overdue conversation about the violent Rhetoric and imagery polluting national political discourse. Since the...

In Rush To Get It First, NPR, CNN Get It Wrong On Giffords Story
It’s been almost thirty years since the shooting of President Ronald Reagan and a resulting moment of frustration on live television, when ABC News anchor Frank Reynolds , who’d been told wounded White House Press Secretary James Brady had died-only to be told moments later the report was false (Brady survived)-said the words that ring in many Journalists’ minds to this day: “let’s nail it down, let’s get it right.” The dual drives of getting...

Crosshairs and Political Violence
National Review's Rich Lowry, presumably in an implied defense of Sarah Palin's crosshairs (or, if you prefer, surveyor's) map, presents the cover of Saturday's New York Post. Chait approves. But I think there's an important distinction here. A long and terrible history exists of people resolving political disputes through violence and Murder. No such tradition exists in sports (beyond the carefully contained and controlled violence that defines a sport like football). That said, Brendan Nyhan i...

I Blame The Drug War
I Blame The Drug War There are a lot of reports about the Arizona shooter, Jared Loughner, being a pot smoker. But then Dave at Classical Values says that he quit Smoking pot and drinking Alcohol in August of 2010. There are reports that cannabis helps some people who have schizophrenia. In other words they are self medicating for their symptoms. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia report obtaining subjective relief from cannabis to control various symptoms associated with the disease, accor...

After shooting, Tea Party slams left for criticism; vows 'we won't be silenced'
The Tea Party Express sent an email message to supporters Monday, accusing the left of "assigning blame" for Saturday's shooting in Arizona to members of the Tea Party movement and to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.  The message, which doubled as a Fundraising email, labeled the comments from some Liberal Bloggers and commentators "disgusting and revolting."  The group also lashed out at the Mainstream Media, accusing the press of enabling the criticism of Palin and Tea Party Activists.  "I

Frederick: On The Arizona Shooting
Everyone in the world by now is aware that 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a public event in Arizona on Saturday morning. Additional background information will, of course, roll out over the next few days and weeks.  For now, I’ll share with you just a few details regarding threat assessment relating to public figure attacks and the initial aftermath from this attack. Witnesses say that Loughner simply attended Rep. Giffords’ public meet-a...

Jared Loughner Now, Timothy McVeigh Then
In 1995, the Internet was still trying to get its sea legs; it was nowhere near the force it has become today in getting information to the public. On April 19th of that year, 168 people were killed in Oklahoma City and a man named Timothy Mcveigh was largely responsible. Then president Bill Clinton resurrected his presidency by painting McVeigh as a Right Wing Extremist. Imagine if the Internet of today had been available then. Would Clinton have been able to pull off such a despicable smear ca...

Tucson shooting: does mental illness absolve politics?
In the media coverage surrounding Jared Loughner, the accused shooter who attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and in the act murdered several bystanders including 9-year-old Christina Green, a lot has been made of his mental state and whether politics played a role in his act of madness.  Pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle are playing armchair psychoanalyst to debate whether the nation's most recent act of political violence is a product of one man's me...

Is There Really a Link Between Violence and Mental Illness?
Yahoo! Buzz If Jared Lee Loughner is mentally ill — as some say videos he posted online suggest — did his condition play a role in his decision to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others? Psychiatric exerts tell the Health Blog that the behaviors that Loughner exhibited on his YouTube videos are consistent with that of a person with a severe Mental Illness like schizophrenia, but caution that a thorough and direct examination would be necessary to diagnose him with that or any condi...

Russ Belville: Arizona Shooter Loughner Used Marijuana... So What?
As you may know by now, in a tragic act of insane violence, Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords was targeted for Assassination, but survived the point-blank gunshot allegedly fired by Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year-old man whose rambling Internet paranoia calls his sanity into question.  Loughner also allegedly fired into the crowd, killing a 9-year-old girl (born on 9/11/2001, incidentally), a federal Circuit Court judge, a Giffords Staffer, and three others, and wounding several more.  All of us at...

David Frum Asks Important Question: Did Pot Trigger Giffords Shooting?
There is a fierce competition at foot to figure out who can blame the shooting in Arizona on the dumbest thing. Is it Sarah Palin’s fault because she put up a map with gun sights on it one time because she is a terrible person who hates people understanding and getting along with each other? That’s a pretty good one. But David Frum is better: “After horrific shootings, we hear calls for stricter Regulation of guns. The Tucson shooting should remind us why we regulate Marijuana....

Midday open thread
An update on the condition of Rep. Giffords and other Victims of Saturday's shooting: Ms. Giffords continues to respond to simple commands and shows no evidence of additional brain swelling, hopeful signs, doctors said Monday. "At this phase in the game, no change is good," said Michael Lemole, the head of Neurosurgery at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson. "And we have no change." [...] Doctors at the University Medical Center in Tucson said seven other Victims were also doi...

Doctors: No Change In Giffords' Condition, Not Out Of The Woods Yet
Dr. Michael Lemole, left, chief of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Peter Rhee, trauma director, discuss Rep. Giffords' condition. (AP) NEXT » The medical team at University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson announced that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot in the head on Saturday during an apparent Assassination attempt, remains in critical condition. Chief of neurosurgery Dr. Michael Lemole said, "At this phase in the game, no change is good, and we have no change," but added, "We're ...

Arizona Shooter To Get Unabomber's Lawyer
Looks like Jared Lee Loughner, the shooter in this weekend's horror in Tucson, has got himself a lawyer: The Federal Public Defender's Office has recommended Judy Clarke to work the case. Clarke, no stranger to such high-profile defense work, previously helped defend Timothy Mcveigh, the Unabomber, 9/11 conspira...

Despite violence, Rep. Shelley Berkley plans 'Congress on the Corner' event
Rep. Shelley Berkley will host a "Congress on the Corner" event Friday in Las Vegas to honor Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically shot last weekend at a similar event. "I'm not going to let any wing nut keep me from doing my job," Berkley said. Berkley invited constituents to meet with her from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday in her district office at 2340 Paseo del Prado, Suite D106. "To do less than that, to hide behind the walls of this office, is a huge mistake," Berkley said. Giffor...

Loughner's family blockades Tucscon home
Family members of the accused-gunman Jared Lee Loughner have blockaded the entrance to their Tucson home with plywood, preventing FBI agents from entering, the Arizona Republic reports. ...

Alleged Giffords Shooter Jared Lee Loughner Appears In Phoenix Federal Court
Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged gunman behind the mass shooting on Saturday that killed six people (including a Federal Judge) and gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), appeared in Federal Court on Monday with his head shaved and wearing an tan inmate's outfit. Loughner, who the Associated Press said had a cut on his head, was held without bail as a judge called him "danger to society." Loughner says little in the courtroom and just answered procedural questions, David Nakamura of th...

Accused gunman appears in court
Jared Lee Loughner appeared in a Phoenix Federal Court Monday afternoon to face a string of federal charges, including one count of attempted Assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). Loughner entered the courtroom handcuffed and wearing a Prison uniform. His head is shaved and he had a cut on his right temple. Continue Reading Text Size - + reset As he entered the room, he looked at the crowd gathered there. His attorney whispered to him. Loughner is charged with one count of attem...

Some of us want climate change
I’ve had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since the final stages of the 2008 campaign. I remembered the upsurge in political hatred after Bill Clinton’s election in 1992 — an upsurge that culminated in the Oklahoma City bombing. And you could see, just by watching the crowds at McCain-Palin rallies, that it was ready to happen again. There are defensive sounds coming from the right that you can't blame "society" and the social climate for the shooting in Arizo

Flashback: An Effigy of Palin Totally Cool with the MSM
Note, this comment was featured on the website’s homepage and not cherry-picked out of the comments.   Don’t let the politics distract you from his story of courage and sacrifice. When Jared Loughner began firing on the crowd . . . Go A committee member recently forwarded to RNC Watch an e-mail with Michael Steele’s full list of public Endorsements. We’ve updated . . . Go Ed Begley Jr. As long as Ford keeps making money on SUVs so that it can afford Begley's fe...

Tucson Revisited
Over a hundred comments and counting! Many are well-argued, including a lot of the dissents, and make me want to argue back. Some are nasty enough to give my original post a sort of roundabout boost. But who knew that so many Conservatives read The New Yorker? I hope they stay subscribers. I’ll group my answers and after-thoughts under several topics that come up frequently in the thread. Marx wasn’t Hitler! I paired them, in the shorthand of blogging, as influences on Loughner (he c...