The Note's Must-Reads for Tuesday, January 11, 2011

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more. President Obama began working Monday night on the Speech he will deliver during a memorial service Wednesday for the Victims of Saturday's Mass Shooting in Tucson, Arizona. White House officials say Obama has determined the broad idea of what he wants to say and is working with his team of Speechwriters on drafting his remarks. According to ...

Obama to be nation's consoler at memorial service
WASHINGTON — 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, Ariz., Obama will remembe...

6 killed in Tucson remembered at mass
TUCSON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Christina Green and those who died with her were remembered Tuesday in a memorial mass at the Tucson church where the 9-year-old had her first communion. Bishop Gerald Kicanas gave the homily at St. Odilia Roman Catholic Church, the Arizona Star reported. The service was called a Mass for the Healing of Our Community, and the church, which holds about 700, was packed -- with more people watching a TV feed in the parish hall. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has been charged with ...

Obama to be nation's consoler at memorial service (AP)
WASHINGTON – 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, Ariz., Obama will remembe...

Arizona officials reveal disturbing details about suspect in massacre
Doctor: No change in Rep. Giffords condition Ariz. survivor: 'It was like a bad crime drama' TUCSON — Investigators revealed more disturbing details Tuesday about the events leading up to the Assassination attempt against U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, including a menacing handwritten note in the suspect's home with the words "Die, bitch." Just before Saturday's shooting, a mumbling Jared Loughner ran into the desert near his home after his father asked him why he was removing a black bag ...

Obama to Arizona as shot lawmaker fights for life (AFP)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama will lead Americans in national mourning Wednesday after an Arizona shooting tragedy unleashed a polarizing national debate about the violent Rhetoric rocking US politics. Obama will fly to the southwestern state to lead a tribute service for the six people who were killed and the 14 wounded in the Assassination attempt on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is fighting for her life in a Hospital. His trip will take place after the family of th...

Obama to be nation's consoler at memorial service
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, Ariz., Obama will remember the six people kill...

Obama to be nations 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. Set to speak during an evening gathering in Tucson, Ariz., Obama wil...

Obama's Schedule in Tucson Jan. 12 2011
10:10 AM Eastern (all times are eastern) Obama meets with Prime Minister Hariri of Lebanon. 12:45 PM Barack and Michelle Obama depart the White House en route Andrews Air Force Base. 5:35 PM Barack and Michelle Obama arrive in Tucson, Arizona. 8:00 PM Barack Obama delivers remarks at a memorial event, “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America"; Michelle Obama also attends. Live Stream. 9:30 PM Barack and Michelle Obama depart Tucson, Arizona. ...

Should We Shut Down Debate About Arizona Rampage? A Tucson Paper Says "No"
Hyper-defensive conservative talk-radio and talk-television hosts are attacking anyone who tries to suggests that angry political Rhetoric, weak Gun Laws or inadequate programs to address Mental Illness might offer an explanation for the Tucson shooting rampage that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords wounded and six Arizonans dead. They are even condemning the local sheriff for daring to offer his perspective -- as a lawman with more than five decades of experience -- on how Arizona's toxic p...

Suspect's parents: We care about victims, their families
TUCSON — The parents of Jared Loughner issued a sorrowful public Apology as Arizona prepared to pay tribute to the dead and wounded. President Obama will speak at the memorial service at 6 p.m. MT Wednesday at the University of Arizona sports arena. Since Loughner's arrest moments after the shooting Saturday of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and 19 other people, his parents have stayed inside their modest suburban home. They are distraught, crying and unwilling to leave, according to n...

Lawmakers ban picketing near Tucson funerals
(01-11) 18:50 PST PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona legislators quickly approved emergency Legislation Tuesday to head off picketing by a Topeka, Kan., church near the Funeral service for a 9-year-old girl who was killed in the Tucson shootings. Unanimous votes by the House and Senate sent the bill to Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed it Tuesday evening. It took effect immediately. The bill "will assure that the Victims of Saturday's tragic shooting in Tucson will be laid to rest in peace with the full dignit...

Monica Yant Kinney: Arizona tragedy becomes grist for political mills
Hours after a troubled 22-year-old massacred six people and wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others in a Tucson, Ariz., Parking Lot, my in box began filling up with unsolicited missives from officials and interest groups miles from the crime scene. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence wanted to make sure I knew that "we have too few laws to protect our families and communities from this kind of bloodshed, and the laws we do have are riddled with too many Loopholes." Ce...

Arizona suspect wrote 'die bitch' on Giffords note
Jared Loughner, accused of shooting US politician Gabrielle Giffords in an attack that killed six people and wounded 14, wrote "die bitch" and "die cops" on a letter he received from the lawmaker in 2007, officials said. The note was found by FBI investigators searching the Tucson home of Loughner and his parents, Captain Chris Nanos of the Pima County Sheriff's Department said. Ms Giffords, who authorities have said was the target of the Shooting Spree in Tucson, Arizona, at the weekend remains...

Three days later Obama phones families of Tucson shootings victims oh and Sheriff Dupnik
Three days later Obama phones families of Tucson shootings Victims oh and Sheriff Dupnik Obama finally took time out of his busy schedule to phone the families of the Victims of the Tucson shootings over the weekend. It only took Obama three days to do it. Speedy isn’t he? Not only did he phone the families of the victims, Obama also found the time to phone the mall-cop Sheriff of Pima County Clarence Dupnik. Anyone want to bet he never told Dupnik he was “acting stupidly?” A...

In Arizona, Obama to honor memories, speak of hope
(01-11) 20:15 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Under high expectations to provide healing, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will try to convert the horror of the Arizona shootings into a moment of national unity, centering his memorial Speech in Tucson on the lives of the Victims and the heroism of those who rushed to stop the madness. The president was crafting his Speech on Tuesday, and his aides were reluctant to discuss it even broadly in its unfinished form, other than to say it will emphasize t...

Spokesman: Recovery of wounded Giffords' staffer, Ron Barber, going well
Source: Arizona Daily Star Ron Barber, who is the Tucson District Director for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is recovering from wounds received in the shooting Saturday that killed six people and injured 14 others. He was shot two times and has undergone two surgeries. Barber, 65, visited with Daniel Hernandez in his ICU room on Sunday. Hernandez is an intern in Giffords’ Tucson office and was at the Saturday morning event. When the shooting started Hernandez ran to help Giffords and asked a...

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more. President Barack Obama will travel to Arizona on Wednesday in the wake of the weekend shooting there that left six people dead and 14 wounded, including a member of Congress, two senior administration officials told CNN Monday. The president will likely attend a memorial service and visit with Victims' families in Tucson, the sources said. H...

Open Thread: Another photo from Arizona
Arizona boots-on-the-ground reporters Jay and Kathy bring us another beautiful picture of the memorial to the Shooting Victims outside Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ office. As you can see from this picture taken this afternoon, it’s grown considerably since Sunday. If Jay and Kathy are able to get in, we may have some photos from the memorial tomorrow. I’m very happy that President Obama is going to be there and I look forward to his words. I am tired to the bone this evening and...

FBI Launches 'Bureau Special' to Probe Shooting
Hundreds of FBI agents are working on an investigation aimed at understanding why a former community College Student, with no history of violence, went on a shooting rampage outside a Tucson, Ariz., Supermarket last weekend. The suspect, Jared Loughner, 22, allegedly killed six people, gravely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and injured 13 others as he opened fire during a political event at a local shopping center on Saturday morning. Inside the FBI, the investigation is known as a "Bure...

Limbaugh: Dems Support Arizona Shooter
Politico reports: Rush Limbaugh continued to push back against Democrats’ criticism of violent Rhetoric in connection with the Tucson shootings, suggesting that the suspected shooter, Jared Loughner, was smirking in his latest photo for a reason. “What Mr. Loughner knows is that he has the full support of a major political party in this country. He’s sitting there in jail. He knows what’s going on, he knows that…the Democrat party is attempting to find anybody but him...

Gun Controls Golden Opportunity
As a result of Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson there have been renewed calls for tighter Gun Control laws across the nation. Arizona is one of the most gun-friendly states in the union, causing some on the left to conclude that if the Grand Canyon State had tighter controls on Gun Ownership, six lives would have been saved and Representative Gabrielle Giffords wouldn’t be lying in a Hospital bed. There’s more here than just the usual sort of Monday morning quarterbacking that occu...

Washingtons top five most ridiculous reactions to the Arizona shooting (Daily Caller)
Read more stories from The Daily Caller Washington's top five most ridiculous reactions to the Arizona shooting Jared Loughner and the ins and outs of the insanity defense Mark Sanford exits the stage 5 House freshmen to watch: a nurse, an FBI agent, two policy wonks, and a political operative ACORN leader avoids Prison for voter Fraud Conspiracy It’s a well-worn mantra in politics to never let a crisis go to waste, so it comes as little surprise that public officials and the chattering...

The far left goes political with Arizona tragedy
Jared Loughner, the gunman charged with shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-AZ and the Murders of six people in Tucson on Saturday, wasn't new to the local authorities.  His bizarre beliefs about “conscious dreaming” and government mind control imposed through English grammar were well known as far back as 2007. In other words, before Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was known outside her own state and the Tea Party was ever organized.  Contrary to views of the Far Left persuasi...

And that's when the C.H.U.D.S. came at me...
Ahoy hoy, Wizbangers. What's shaking? I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya, but I been tap dancing in a minefield since fall. More than anything it's walking out of the office after the sun has set and driving home in the dark. That and just feeling lazy, I reckon. All malaise aside though, Obama and the Democrats have begun to seriously bore me. I mean, if you compared sitting at the keyboard sniping at their foibles to shooting fish in a barrel then you're vastly underestimating ...