Missing From Loughner Debate: Soul Searching

President Obama to Speak at Memorial Service for Tucson Shooting Victims Tomorrow Video Report 1/11/11
Visit MSNBC.com for breaking news, world news, and news about The Economy Here is a video report on news that President Obama will head to Arizona tomorrow to speak at a Memorial Service in honor of the Victims of the Tucson Mass Shooting. Obama was reportedly invited by the University of Arizona to speak at the service. According to the report, no word yet on whether Obama will address “the divisive political climate” in the country. We’ll see if Obama takes the high road an...

Kerry calls on Washington to 'confront' rhetoric
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said Tuesday it’s time to tone it down on Capitol Hill. In a Speech to The Progressive Think Tank, Center for American Progress, Kerry called for civil dialogue in the wake of Saturday's shootings in Arizona. “In the weeks and months ahead, the real issue we need to confront isn’t just what role divisive political Rhetoric may have played on Saturday – but it’s the violence divisive, overly simplistic dialogue does to our Democracy every...

Commentary: Take the political rhetoric down a notch
Those searching for easy answers after a 22-year-old shot 20 people, killing six, during U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' meeting with constituents in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday won't find any. Yes, guns are easily accessible in this country. Yes, in the past two years we have seen Political Speech ratcheted up with gun-toting participants at some Tea Party events, and some Democrats in Congress faced angry voters at town hall meetings during debate on Healthcare Reform. And, yes, the Internet a...

Evaluating Palin's Response to the Giffords Shooting (The Atlantic Wire)
WASHINGTON, DC – Sarah Palin hates violence and war--she just happens talk about it because it makes a middle-aged mom with glasses and a hair pouf sound tough. Harsh judgment, but even those who see no connection between Palin's rough Rhetoric (complete with gunsights) and the Giffords shooting aren't impressed with her response to the tragedy. Giffords's shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, appears to have been mentally ill and did not mention Palin--or the infamous map--a single time in his p...

Let's go after the real perps: the NRA and their supporters
Jared Loughner is in custody and I'd put money on his conviction and Incarceration.  But the rest of the perps are still out there, still armed, still certain of their rights, and still ready to shoot or help you shoot. Letter writers to the New York Times have, for the most part, agreed that the right has something to answer for. From Denver:  "Opposed to the perception disseminated by the G.O.P., it’s not the liberal elite exploiting the insecurities of the masses to g...

Loughner shoots Palin and Angles political careers to death
It may be weeks, months or perhaps never that we find out what really motivated 22 year-old  Jared Lee Loughner to purchase a 9 mm gun with an extended clip and Murder real people in what he calls “conscience dreaming” [sic]. While he is being assessed, should we wonder why Sarah Palin removed her “crosshairs map” hours after six people were slaughtered and fourteen wounded in a spate of violence?      While a person as deranged as Loughner c...

Sen. Kerry addresses 'divisive political rhetoric', report says Loughner was Kerry supporter in '04
Nearly a year ago, the Examiner's David Freddoso received a ridiculous Fundraising email from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., decrying Republicans' political Rhetoric in an effort to make some green whilst delegitimizing the opposition. And Freddoso noted at the time, Kerry is not the most credible advocate for restrained political rhetoric, mentioning this incident from 2004, among other things: Kerry was asked whether he couldn't have "killed two birds with one stone" by visiting New Hampshire. He r...

The Left Never Wastes a Tragedy
Ben Johnson, FloydReports.com The Left never stands so tall as when it stands upon dead bodies. Whether it is Bill Clinton blaming the Oklahoma City bombing on Rush Limbaugh, Democratic mayors suing gun manufacturers after school shootings in Arkansas and Colorado, Democrats turning Senator Paul Wellstone’s memorial into a campaign rally, or Cindy Sheehan vastly overstaying her 15 minutes of fame, the Left never lets a tragedy pass without blaming it on its political enemies and pushing ...

After Arizona Attack, a Leadership Test for Obama, Boehner
WASHINGTON — On opposite sides of the political spectrum, President Barack Obama and new House Speaker John Boehner suddenly face the same challenge: rise above the anger, suspicion and hostility of their liberal and conservative bases to help a rattled nation deal with the deadly outburst of violence in Arizona. [Photo Gallery: Gabrielle Giffords Shooting in Arizona.] But what comes after the easy moment of silence? For now, both men are stepping past the question of what role, if any, ...

After attack, a leadership test for Obama, Boehner
(01-10) 19:30 PST WASHINGTON, CA (AP) -- On opposite sides of the political spectrum, President Barack Obama and new House Speaker John Boehner suddenly face the same challenge: rise above the anger, suspicion and hostility of their liberal and conservative bases to help a rattled nation deal with the deadly outburst of violence in Arizona. But what comes after the easy moment of silence? For now, both men are stepping past the question of what role, if any, the vitriol of the past election ca...

Newsweek Blames Boehner And Other Conservatives For Tucson Attack, Says They Killed Napolitanos War On Right Wing Extremism Whic
The man behind the Leftist machine Newsweek: Two years before the Tucson massacre, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a report that right-wing Extremism was on the rise and could prompt “lone wolves” to launch attacks. But the agency backed away from the report amid intense criticism from Republicans, including future House Speaker John Boehner. The report, which warned that the crippled economy and the election of the first black president were “unique drivers for ri...

Polled Americans Say Conservative Rhetoric Didn't Cause Shooting (The Atlantic Wire)
WASHINGTON, DC – The days since Saturday’s attack on Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords that left 6 dead have been filled with various attempts to explain the shooter’s motives. Politicians and pundits on the left have argued that violent conservative Rhetoric is to blame, specifically criticizing Sarah Palin’s Midterm Election map which targeted 20 Democrats for defeat with the image of crosshairs. Gabrielle Giffords was one of the 20. But a new CBS poll released today sugg

False Equivalency Watch, Cont'd
FALSE EQUIVALENCY WATCH, CONT'D.... Following up on an item from yesterday, the drive continues to insist that "both sides" are equally to blame for rhetorical excesses and the Toxicity of our discourse. Ross Douthat offers the latest evidence, arguing, "If overheated Rhetoric and martial imagery really led inexorably to Murder, then both parties would belong in the dock." This isn't surprising, given that the media establishment appears obligated to always blame "both sides" for everything at...

Poll: Most Americans see no connection between Ariz. shooting and political rhetoric (Daily Caller)
Read more stories from The Daily Caller We're probably alone in the universe, or else they're out to get us Mark Halperin: Conservatives should turn the other cheek when scapegoated for Murder Could Jon Huntsman really be the Republican presidential nominee in 2012? Auburn wins it all: Sights from the BCS National Championship [SLIDESHOW] Pucker up: Celebrities recall their first kiss [SLIDESHOW] A majority of Americans don’t see a connection between vitriolic Rhetoric and Jared Loughner...

Which Path Will Our Nation Choose In Dealing With The Arizona Shooting?
There are grown up and constructive reactions to the tragic Arizona shooting. And then there are the puerile and destructive reactions. So far, President Obama has chosen the high road, and shown grace and dignity in this time of sorrow. Let’s hope that he goes tomorrow to the memorial service for the fallen in Arizona with the intent to help heal the hearts of the mourners. He should continue to condemn violence, and lay the blame where it belongs. The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loug...

House Resolution to Reaffirm Democratic Principles
With all of Capitol Hill’s legislative business postponed in response to the shooting rampage in Arizona, the House will reconvene on Wednesday to approve a resolution honoring the dead and the wounded, praising the Bravery of those who responded to the attack and reaffirming “the bedrock principal of American Democracy and representative government” - the right to peaceable assembly enshrined in the First Amendment. The resolution is being offered by the House Speaker, John A. Boeh

Comparing the Tucson shooting reactions.
Now that earlier attempts to define the narrative have apparently collapsed (even regular Democratic voters aren’t willing to blame the Right for the Tucson shooting), let us take this moment to discover what we have learned about stereotypical reactions to tragedies and atrocities. And what is the most important thing that we have learned? It’s that the blogosphere and the pundit class can be neatly divided into two groups: When one group heard of the Tucson shooting, they rightly...

Hold bad political actors accountable (Politico)
Every Sunday morning starts the same way: I go to Starbucks, pick up The New York Times and dive in. Every Sunday morning, that is, except for the one that just passed. When I went to the Coffee Shop, I passed the newspaper rack without a glance. I simply couldn’t bear to look. The day before, my wife, Susan, had rushed into our apartment, shaking and with both fists clenched. Through tears, she told me about the shootings at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s meeting at a Parking Lot in Tu...

Oregon Rep. Schrader holds Beck, Limbaugh responsible for Arizona tragedy
 Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader, Democrat, is holding Right Wing commentators Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck responsible for the tragic Shooting Spree in Arizona. Saturday, outside of a strip mall in Tucson Arizona, Jared Lee Loughner killed six people, including Federal Judge John Roll, and wounded more than a dozen, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, a Democrat who supported Health Care reform, was Loughner's target. Giffords was...

Westboro hate church to picket funerals of Arizona shooting victims
Stumble This! People in Arizona are uniting with lawmakers to counter attempts by the infamous Westboro Baptist Church to get attention for their anti-abortion views by picketing the Funeral of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green and others killed in Saturday's Mass Shooting. One group plans for an "an 'angel action' -- with 8- by 10-foot 'angel wings' worn by participants and used to shield mourners from pickets," CNN reported. "For something like this to happen in Tucson was a really big shock ...

Westboro pickets at childs funeral to have a date with an angel
When Christin Gilmer, a resident of Tucson, got wind of the planned Protest of the Funeral of Saturday’s youngest Shooting Victim by Activists from Westboro Baptist Church, she decided to fight fire with—angel wings? CNN reports that Gilmer has organized an "angel action." To shield mourners of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green from the planned disruption by the Westboro gang, participants will don 8- by 10-foot "angel wings." Gilmer is quoted as stating: We want to surround them in ...

Democrats Foiled Again?
Posted by John at 11:01 AM So far, at least, my prediction that the Democrats' effort to exploit the Tucson Murders for political gain will fail seems to be accurate. A CBS News poll released this morning finds that by a 57-32 percent margin, respondents don't believe that the nation's "harsh political tone" had anything to do with the murders. While some of those 32 percent are undoubtedly Democrats who feel obliged to back up their party's line when talking to pollsters, even most Democrats--...

The 2nd Amendment helped end Arizona Shooting, it didnt cause it
Twenty-four year old Joe Zamudio quietly stood at the Safeway counter waiting to buy a pack of Cigarettes as shots rang out in Tucson Arizona Saturday.  As most followed their natural instinct to run to safety, Zamudio put his hand on his gun and ran towards the chaos.   Zamudio was not an off-duty Police Officer nor did he possess Military training, he was merely an Arizona resident who was legally carrying a Concealed Weapon who believed he could stop the carnage.  In an in...

Arizona massacre, America's soul-searching
OUR OPINION: cf,gtm Was gunman's rampage prompted by heated political Rhetoric? Those searching for easy answers after a 22-year-old shot 20 people, killing six, during U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' meeting with constituents in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday won't find any. Yes, guns are easily accessible in this country. Yes, in the past two years we have seen Political Speech ratcheted up with gun-toting participants at some Tea Party events, and some Democrats in Congress faced angry voters at to...

How low can Wikileaks go? Julian Assanges sick attempt to exploit the Arizona shootings
In a Press Release late last night, Wikileaks made a sick attempt to link in the public mind the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to widespread outrage in America over its recent leaking of hundreds of thousands of US government documents. Even for Julian Assange this is surely a low point IN Media manipulation, and here he is clearly mimicking the Far Left’s ludicrous attempts to blame the Right for the Arizona shootings. Here’s what the release, entitled “WikiLeak