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House Pays Tribute To Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Shooting Victims (LIVE UPDATES, VIDEO)
WASHINGTON -- The House is honoring Victims of Saturday's shootings in Tuscon, including one of its own. Republican Speaker John Boehner opened the session of remembrances and tributes to the 19 people shot, six fatally. (SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE UPDATES) Later Wednesday, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and other lawmakers are flying with President Barack Obama to Arizona to console the Victims and their families. New information, meanwhile, has surfaced about a confrontation between...

Did you hear what Speaker Boehner said on House Floor?
“Today, we are called here to mourn. An unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives, and left several more - including our colleague, Gabrielle Giffords - battling for theirs. These are difficult hours for our country. “Among the fallen is Gabe Zimmerman, a member of Congresswoman Giffords’ staff … a public servant of the highest caliber … one of our own. “Even in our shock, we are composed and determined to fulfill our calling to rep...

Honoring Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (Speaker John Boehner)
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) gave these remarks Wednesday morning on the House floor. Today, we are called here to mourn.  An unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives, and left several more - including our colleague, Gabrielle Giffords - battling for theirs.  These are difficult hours for our country. Among the fallen is Gabe Zimmerman, a member of Congresswoman Giffords’ staff … a public servant of the highest caliber … one of our own.   Even

Palin: 'Journalists and Pundits Should Not Manufacture a Blood Libel'
Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo. Like millions of Americans I learned of the tragic events in Arizona on Saturday, and my heart broke for the innocent Victims. No words can fill the hole left by the death of an innocent, but we do mourn for the victims’ families as we express our sympathy. I agree with the sentiments shared yesterday at the beautiful Catholic mass held in honor of the Victims. The mass will hopefully help begin a healing process for the...

Sarah Palin On Giffords Shooting, Brings Up Blood Libel
After the tragic Saturday Assassination attempt on Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords outside a Tucson, Arizona Supermarket that left six people dead and Giffords and more than a dozen others injured, former Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential Candidate Sarah Palin simply left a Facebook note, saying, "My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other Victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona. On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray...

Dad pursued Ariz. massacre suspect before shooting
(01-12) 07:41 PST Tucson, Ariz. (AP) -- Mysterious black bag in hand, Jared Loughner ran into the desert from his angry father, who was driving a truck on a futile pursuit. Hours after Randy Loughner's confrontation with his 22-year-old son Saturday morning, six people were shot dead and more than a dozen others wounded — and Jared Loughner was in custody. The sheriff's deputies who swarmed the Loughners' house removed what they describe as evidence Jared Loughner was targeting Rep. Gabr...

'Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not'
Today, we are called here to mourn.  An unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives, and left several more – including our colleague, Gabrielle Giffords – battling for theirs.  These are difficult hours for our country. Among the fallen is Gabe Zimmerman, a member of Congresswoman Giffords’ staff … a public servant of the highest caliber … one of our own.   Even in our shock, we are composed and determined to fulfill our calli...

Cantor speaks in favor of resolution honoring Giffords
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, saying "our hearts hang heavy," this morning spoke in favor of a Bipartisan resolution to honor Arizona Rep. Gabielle Giffords and the six people slain in Saturday's attack on the congresswoman. The resolution condemns the attack; offers "heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and loved ones" of those slain; expresses hope that those wounded will recover; honors the memory of those who died; and applauds "the Bravery and quick thinking" of t...

Obama to be nation's consoler at memorial service
(01-12) 07:28 PST WASHINGTON, CA (AP) -- Searching for unity out of tragedy, President Barack Obama will honor the Victims of the Arizona Mass Shooting in personal terms and remind those in grief that an entire nation is with them. The president is again stepping into his role as national consoler, a test of leadership that comes with the job. His mission at Wednesday's memorial is to uplift and rally, not to examine political Incivility. Set to speak during an evening gathering in Tucson, Ari...

Boehner Calls Up House Resolution Honoring Tucson Victims, Responders
An emotional Speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, took to the house floor Wednesday with a Speech calling up a resolution honoring those killed and wounded in Saturday's shooting at a "Congress on Your Corner" event hosted by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in Tucson. Giffords is one of the wounded and remains in critical condition. "We're thankful, so thankful that Gabby is still with us," Boehner said fighting back tears. "Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not. This is a ...

Loughner In 2007: Die Bitch, Die Cops
From an ever so discreet Washington Post: ‘We don’t understand why this happened,’ parents say By Dana Hedgpeth and David A. Fahrenthold Wednesday, January 12, 2011; A01 TUCSON - Three days after their son allegedly killed six people and left a congresswoman critically wounded, Jared Lee Loughner’s parents issued their first public comments Tuesday night, saying that they, too, cannot comprehend what had motivated the shootings. "There are no words that c...

Friend: Shooting suspect embraced chaos
TUCSON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The suspect in the weekend rampage at a political event in Tucson, Ariz., was a skilled marksman and "loves causing chaos," a friend said. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, of Tucson faces federal charges in Saturday's shooting, in which Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was critically injured and U.S. District Judge John Roll, his law clerk Matthew Bowman and Giffords' Staffer Gabriel Zimmerman were among the dead. Six people died and 14 were injured. "He was a nihilist and loves causing c...

Weekly Pulse: Giffords Shooting Reveals Flaws in U.S. Mental Health Services
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in the head at a constituent outreach event in a Supermarket Parking Lot in Tucson on Saturday. In all, the gunman shot 18 people, killing 6, including a Federal Judge and a 9-year-old girl. Jamelle Bouie of TAPPED urges President Obama to take up the issue of Mental Health care in his upcoming Speech on the Mass Shooting. Several people who knew the alleged shooter came forward with stories of bizarre behavior and run-ins with Campus Police at his commu...

House Speaking Now on Resolution Mourning Loss of Arizona Victims, Condemning Rampage
The U.S. House of Representatives is speaking right now about the shootings that have shocked the nation. The resolution lists the names of the six Victims killed in the Saturday shooting and states that the House of Representatives “stands firm in its belief in a Democracy in which all can participate and in which intimidation and threats of violence cannot silence the voices of any American.” Some of the members are also saying they must look at the Rhetoric of today and how that m...

The Weirdest Place on Earth
A special treat today in Tablet Magazine, as the inimitable, iconic Cartoonist Steve Brodner, prompted by reports that a Disney-themed amusement park will be built in Haifa, imagines what an Israeli Disney World would look like. Below: The Hall of MInisters. Click here to cancel reply. Your email has been sent. What are the 100 greatest Jewish songs ever? Tablet Magazine’s musicologists rank them all, from sacred to pop to hip-hop, from Rabbi Akiva to Amy Winehouse. I turned in my book&#...

Boehner in tribute: 'Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not'
An emotional Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) paid tribute Wednesday to the Victims of the Tucson shooting, lauding the stricken Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) while pledging the House would “lock arms” in prayer and resolve. “These are difficult hours for our country,” Boehner said as the House opened debate on a resolution denouncing the massacre and honoring its victims. “Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not,” he said. “This is a time for the House to l

Update: 19 People Were Hit By Shots Fired During Arizona Rampage
What is this? The Pima County Sheriff's office has released a statement that clears up the issue of how many people were wounded by gunfire during Saturday's deadly attack in Tucson, Ariz., on those gathered at an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). While officials had said that there were 20 Victims (six of whom died), they've clarified the record to state that: "Nineteen people were shot, six of whom succumbed to their injuries. There were other minor injuries as a result of people t...

Obama to Be Nation's Consoler at Memorial Service
WASHINGTON (AP) — Searching for unity out of tragedy, President Barack Obama will honor the Victims of the Arizona Mass Shooting in personal terms and remind those in grief that an entire nation is with them. The president is again stepping into his role as national consoler, a test of leadership that comes with the job. His mission at Wednesday's memorial is to uplift and rally, not to examine political Incivility. [Photo Gallery: Gabrielle Giffords Shooting in Arizona.] Set to speak du...

Sarah Palin scores Blood Libel ascribed to her by the press - The Gabrielle Giffords shooting
Sarah Palin’s video response to the Arizona shooting of Gabrielle Giffords Sarah Palin today accused her opponents of Manufacturing a “blood Libel” by suggesting her Rhetoric and campaign tactics had anything to do with the Arizona shootings. Four days after an incident which left six people dead and critically injured the congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Palin released a video statement condemning the attack. She denied that a now infamous campaign map showing Giffords’...

Speaker Boehner: Read My Lips - No New Gun Laws
Rep. Peter King's attempt to create a 1,000 foot radius gun free zone around government officials will not get the support of the new Speaker: Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is rejecting gun-control Legislation offered by the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in response to the weekend shootings of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others in Arizona. Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) announced plans Tuesday to introduce Legislation prohibiting people from carrying guns within 1,000 feet ...

Jared Loughner: Was It the Family's Fault?
​Details on Jared Lee Loughner and what occurred (and what may have occurred) prior to his shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and more than a dozen others, killing six, in a Tucson Safeway Supermarket last Saturday continue to unfold. The questions everyone wants answers to, of course: Could we have stopped him? Should we have known? And...why didn't someone know? Particularly, say, his parents? Inevitably, in situations like these, people seek someone or thing to blame...

Palin: Journalists Incite Hatred after Arizona Shooting
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 By Staff, Associated Press In a Nov. 30, 2010 file photo, Sarah Palin signs copies of her new book, "America By Heart," in Little Rock, Ark. Palin has posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page condemning those who blame political Rhetoric for the Arizona shooting that gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. (AP Photo/Brian Chilson, File) Anchorage, Alaska (AP) - Sarah Palin posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page earl...

Sarah Palin Responds, Slams Media, Pundits for 'Blood Libel' After Tucson Shootings
PALIN: "We must reject the idea that everytime a law is broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker...Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own, they begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state" Sarah Palin has posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page condemning those who blame political Rhetoric for the Arizona shooting that gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Last spring, Palin targeted Giffords'...

Tucson Tea Party Will Counter-Protest Westboro Cult
The Tucson Tea Party sent this out last night. They are planning to counter-protest the Westboro cult at the Funeral of the Tucson Shooting Victims. This came after the Westboro cult announced that they will Protest the Funeral of Christina Green. Location of the funeral: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 8650 North Shannon (on Shannon north of Magee on the east side of the street) https://www.facebook.com/l/70f63WFLOt7owiGiMP1bRUJ5FSA;www.seastucson.org Please remember that we are there t...

Commissioner: Miami's Top Cop Not Ready for Prime Time
A Miami city commissioner says a video making the rounds on the Internet in which Police Chief Miguel Exposito calls his cops "predators" highlights exactly why the community has lost confidence in the Chief. The Reverend Richard Dunn, commissioner for District 5, says the video, a highly edited, flashy portrayal of a specialized squad of Miami cops who relish in busting bad guys, is troubling to say the least. "I saw it on YouTube and it's all over the city," says Dunn. Dunn...