Demons and Double Standards

One wonders what we will learn from these senseless shootings
The moment of silence came and went Monday, and I tried to set aside my own anger and heed President Barack Obama's call "for us to come together as a nation in prayer or reflection, keeping the Victims and their families closely at heart." The quiet passed, and I was revisited by the uneasy sense we are unlikely to learn anything from Saturday's tragedy in Tucson. Is the lesson of the deadly shooting destined to be buried with the dead in a country that day by day watches its ability to reason ...

Double Standards
Rush Limbaugh and the right wingers are all over Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for having the temerity to express an opinion about the causes of the shootings in Tucson last weekend.Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik thrust himself into the spotlight in the aftermath of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 other people in Arizona on Saturday, decrying the heated political atmosphere and calling for more civility. "It's not unusual for all public officials to get threats constantly, ...

Have gun, Will talk: Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik not speechless over Tucson shootings or much else
For a chief Law Enforcement officer who's supposed to be assembling the complex Criminal Investigations of six sudden homicides against a local 22-year-old suspect, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik sure has found ample time the last couple of days to appear all over national News Media, spouting prickly opinions on pretty much anything asked. The sheriff, who celebrates his 75th birthday today, is understandably defensive. He had no officers at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords ' Saturday ope...

AZ Sheriff Dever: Killer Alone Responsible for Shooting, Frightening To Try To Lay Blame On Anyone Elses Doorstep
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 By Penny Starr Sheriff Larry Dever of Cochise County, Ariz. (Cochise County Sheriff's Department photo) (CNSNews.com) - Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said he does not understand why his friend and colleague, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, would suggest at a news conference following Saturday's shooting in Tucson that political ideology played a role in the tragedy. At a Press Conference on Saturday, Dupnik said Arizona had become the “mecc

Will AZ Shooter Kill the First Amendment?
Joe Guzzardi, FloydReports.com Immediately after crazed gunman Jared Lee Loughner gravely wounded Arizona U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, killed U.S. Judge John M. Roll, and six other people while wounding 12 innocent bystanders, the Immigration Rhetoric subtly ratcheted up. Denouncing Gifford’s shooting, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and others made it clear that what they referred to as “inflammatory Speech” had made the political atmosphere in Arizona so toxic that acts

Arizona is on the brink | Max Blumenthal
The social fabric of Arizona seems to be deteriorating as fast as the state's population grows, driving it to the brink of dysfunction. The shooting of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, US District Court judge John Roll and several other innocent bystanders by a lone gunman have brought the state's crisis to the fore, prompting Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik to declare it "the mecca for prejudice and Bigotry". Since I first travelled to Arizona more than seven years ago to interview rightwi...

Was the Arizona Shooting Sheriff Dupnik's Fault?
By RightKlik It's pretty clear at this point that Jared Loughner was the Lone Wolf shooter solely responsible for the carnage in Tuscon, Arizona on Saturday. But without a shred of evidence, liberals in this country want to blame the "usual suspects," including Sarah Palin, the tea partiers and conservative Talk Radio. Let's cast the net wider. On Saturday, we began asking pointed questions about Tuscon Sheriff Clarence Dupnik: A congresswoman got shot point-blank in the head in Pima County, A...

Sherriff Clarence RIGHT WING VITRIOL Dupnik mightve shit the mattress
Here’s the lead investigator for the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, describing what he thinks caused the shooting. ‘When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government,’ Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told a news conference. ‘The anger, the hatred, the Bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous.  ‘And, unfortunately, Arizona ...

Obama's Crisis Response Evolving
President Obama swiftly made a statement to the press Saturday after the Arizona shooting that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) critically injured, killed six and injured another 13. By Sunday, the president had called for a national moment of silence, signed a proclamation that flags would be flown at half staff and canceled a trip to New York. Obama also took the highly unusual step of sending FBI Director Robert Mueller to the scene. On Monday, he spoke by phone with Pima County Sheriff...

Arizona, where the American Dream went to die
When I arrived in Arizona last March, my bones were still practically numb from the snowiest winter in the modern history of my native Northeast. There was radiant sunshine that made the Valley of the Sun feel like a warm soaking bath, bordered on my far horizon by New-Age red rocks and big sky -- natural beauty that inspired awe for me as it surely once did for so many new arrivals over so many decades. I didn't travel to Phoenix to witness beauty, unfortunately, but to get an up close look a...

Who has been "inflaming tensions"
Another rampantly biased piece in the Tribune this morning by Kathleen Hennessey and others. No mention of the Pima County Sheriff's inflammatory and unprofessional outburst. No mention of the contemptible bias of the NY Times and CNN, not to mention MSNBC--and even FoxNews. The LA Times/Tribune "reporters" conveniently cut off the quote from Roger Ailes: Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes — while rejecting any suggestion that his Cable News net...

Obama's Evolving Crisis Response
(Fox News Channel) - The White House response to the shooting rampage in Arizona reveals how the administration's reaction to crises has evolved since the similar attack at Ft. Hood more than a year ago, Fox News Channel reported Monday. President Obama swiftly made a statement to the press Saturday after the Arizona shooting that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) critically injured, killed six and injured another 13. By Sunday, the president had called for a national moment of silence, sig...

Barry's Angry Words
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, overseeing the investigation the Tucson shootings that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a coma and Federal Judge John Roll and five others dead, wasted little time in blaming heated political Rhetoric for the crime. Shortly after the first reports of the shootings, Dupnick said, "The anger, the hatred, the Bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital," adding "We have become...

Daniel Hernandez: The face of what's right in America
LatinaLista.net -- A lot is being made about the fact that the young intern credited with saving Congresswoman Giffords' life, Daniel Hernandez, is gay and Latino. As the sub headline of a Salon article stated: "Daniel Hernandez helped save the congresswoman's life -- and yes, his Sexuality and Ethnicity matter." Though he didn't ask for all this adulation, 20-year-old Hernandez has illustrated grace, eloquence and maturity that underscore the very reasons why it is such an injustice to vilify...

Molloy: 'Crazy talk encourages crazy people'
Enough! We've let the haters and bullies lead the political and moral conversation for far too long. The national dialogue has descended into a fusillade of hate from politicians, political operatives and TV and radio pundits. There's no doubt Jared Loughner heard some of it before madness overtook him and he murdered six people and nearly killed Rep. Gabrielle Giffords outside a Tucson Supermarket on Saturday. "People who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol," says Pima County...

Arizona Sheriff Blasts Rush Limbaugh for Spewing 'Irresponsible' Vitriol
Source: ABC Arizona Sheriff Blasts Rush Limbaugh for Spewing 'Irresponsible' Vitriol Sheriff Clarence Dupnik tell ABC News' Diane Sawyer Gunman Fired 'As Fast As He Was Capable By SARAH NETTER Jan. 10, 2011 The Arizona sheriff investigating the Tucson shooting that left U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded had harsh words today for those engaging in political Rhetoric, calling conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh "irresponsible" for continuing the vitriol. "The kind of rhetoric that...

Loughner's Parents Said To Be 'Devastated'; Very Private
What is this? The parents of the suspect in Saturday's Arizona shooting rampage are "hurting real bad. ... They are devastated," a neighbor, Wayne Smith, told reporters Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal. In this undated photo provided by the Pima County Sheriff's Forensic Unit, Jared Loughner, 22, poses. Some details are beginning to come out about Randy and Amy Loughner, parents of the 22-year-old Tucson man who has been charged in the attack that left six people dead and 14 wounded ...

Loughner's Parents Said To Be 'Devastated'; Very Private
What is this? The parents of the suspect in Saturday's Arizona shooting rampage are "hurting real bad. ... They are devastated," a neighbor, Wayne Smith, told reporters Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal. In this undated photo provided by the Pima County Sheriff's Forensic Unit, Jared Loughner, 22, poses. Some details are beginning to come out about Randy and Amy Loughner, parents of the 22-year-old Tucson man who has been charged in the attack that left six people dead and 14 wounded ...

Sheriff Dupnik Says People Can Have Their Own Opinion...THEN He Proceeds To Do His Hate Speeches IF You Do Not Agree With Him
Sheriff Clarence Dupnik Attacks Rush Limbaugh “The kind of Rhetoric that flows from people like Rush Limbaugh, in my judgment, he’s irresponsible; uses partial information, sometimes wrong information. Attacks people, angers them against government, angers them against elected officials and that kind of behavior, in my opinion, is without consequence and I think he’s irresponsible,” Sheriff Dupnik told ABC News. DUPNIK: "The kind of Rhetoric that flows from people like Rush Limbau

Meet Jared Loughner
This is the rather bizarre mugshot of Jared Loughner that was released yesterday afternoon. He has been assigned lawyer Judy Clarke, who defended the Unabomber. One of the more interesting facts to emerge is that Loughner was expelled from his community college after complaints from classmates that he seemed on the edge of violence. In the meantime, the Sheriff is being attacked for criticizing right-wing commentators for their over-the-top Rhetoric, including conservative icon, Rush Limbaugh. ...

Early Morning Swim: Sherrod Brown and Rachel Maddow Discuss Violence in Our Politics
Meanwhile, God bless Sheriff Dupnik. The Arizona sheriff investigating the Tucson shooting that left U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded had harsh words today for those engaging in political Rhetoric, calling conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh “irresponsible” for continuing the vitriol. “The kind of rhetoric that flows from people like Rush Limbaugh, in my judgment he is irresponsible, uses partial information, sometimes wrong information,” Pima County Sh...

Heroism in Combat: Never too Late to Be Recognized
I have often bemoaned the dearth of Medals of Honor awarded to our heroes of our most recent—and still ongoing— wars: Iraq and Afghanistan. However, I will not complain if the hands of Congress and of the U.S. Army reach back almost 150 years to recognize and honor Military valor and heroism. That is exactly what is happening in Congress. The names of two Civil War heroes have been included in the annual defense authorization bill—“along with such futuristic initiatives as t...

Cue the Angels and Patriot Guard: Westboro Baptist Church is Going to Tucson
As if things aren’t sad and stressful enough in Tucson, Arizona after the massacre this weekend, the reviled reverend of Westboro Baptist Church and his foaming-at-the-mouth followers are now on the way.   The so-called “church” members  are  infamous for picketing the Funerals of American Soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recentely showed up at services for  Elizabeth Edwards, Cancer Victim and wife of former presidential cand...

Taking, Not Placing, Responsibility
In the wake of Saturday's tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona, we're beginning to take a long overdue look at the state of our political debate. But that examination needs to be honest. There are times when both the right and the left are equally guilty of some sin or other, and the press' instinct to characterize every problem as the equal responsibility of both sides does no harm. This is not one of those times. The simple, unavoidable fact is that it is the right that has been purveying the r...

Redstate: Outspoken Sheriff Accused Of Dismissing Loughner Death Threats
Jared Loughner has been making death threats by phone to many people in Pima County including staff of Pima Community College, radio personalities and local Bloggers. When Pima County Sheriff's Office was informed, his deputies assured the Victims that he was being well managed by the Mental Health system. It was also suggested that further pressing of charges would be unnecessary and probably cause more problems than it solved as Jared Loughner has a family member that works for Pima County. Th...