Will Marshall: Tucson: The Real Questions

Paul Krugmans totalitarian temptation
Found via Protein Wisdom Washington Examiner: Jared Loughner, the gunman charged with wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and murdering six others in Tucson on Saturday, held bizarre beliefs about “conscious dreaming” and government mind control imposed through English grammar. No serious person would connect his belief system to a mainstream political ideology. But then there’s New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. He places the blood Libel of blame for the Tucson murders square

"You can't outsmart crazy"
By Edward Copeland With those words, Jon Stewart gave another eloquent Speech at the beginning of Monday night's Daily Show, dispensing with humor to address Saturday's horrific events in Tucson. With each passing hour and day since alleged gunman Jared Lee Loughner opened fire on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, critically injuring her, killing six and wounding 14 others, it becomes clearer that this 22-year-old man was not a political partisan but someone who was severely mentally ill. With Arizona...

Missing From Loughner Debate: Soul Searching
Jared Loughner (Credit: Personal Photo) There's been quite a bit of back and forth this week about who should share the blame for the actions of alleged Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner. Some on the left have pointed to incendiary Rhetoric from Sarah Palin and others on the right, while some on the right have sought to tie Loughner to the beliefs of the left. Palin was blamed in part for using of a bullseye icon to identify political targets - including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords - before the ...

We're Arizona shooting victims too, says Tea Party co-founder
Source: The Guardian A nine-year-old girl lies in the morgue. A member of Congress faces a lifetime of struggle to recover from a bullet in the brain. A city is bracing itself for a string of funerals as it tries to fathom the carnage. But Trent Humphries says there is another innocent Victim left by Jared Lee Loughner's killing of six people and wounding of 14 others in his Assassination attempt against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. It is his Tea Party movement and, more particularly, his f...

King, Bloomberg Team Up to Call for New Gun Control Law
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rep. Pete King, one of the few pro-gun control Republicans in the House of Representatives, today introduced new Legislation that would make it illegal to bring a gun within 1,000 feet of a government official. Bloomberg, a staunch Gun Control advocate, and Rep. King appeared together at a Press Conference in New York City just days after a gunman killed six people and wounded Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords during a political event in Tuscon. More than a dozen people...

The War on Sarah Palin
I've never seen anyone who inspires such fear and hatred on the left as Sarah Palin. The Arizona shooting has led to a whole new round of anti-Palin hysteria. David Brooks addresses the issue and the media's complicity: Other themes from Loughner’s life fit the rampage-killer profile. He saw himself in world historical terms. He appeared to have a poor sense of his own illness (part of a condition known as anosognosia). He had increasingly frequent run-ins with the police. In short, the e...

Poor taste, weak tactics, tar brushes, and metaphors
First, it was mockery: “The Tea Party is a bunch of troglodytes,” they howled. (I’ll pass over references to scrota, dropped with the gusto of 12-year-olds at Summer Camp.) Then they flashed a familiar card: “The Tea Party is a bunch of Racists!” That didn’t work. People for whom liberty is a first principle almost always judge others by the content of their character. “The Tea Party is violent!” is the latest effort to tar the merry band of free...

How the Zamudio story could have gone
HOW THE ZAMUDIO STORY COULD HAVE GONE.... In the wake of shooting tragedies, it's fairly common for Conservatives to call for more Gun Ownership -- the idea being there would be less violence if more of the public were armed. This argument has already been presented in Arizona, where there's already a new measure pending to arm politicians and their aides. One state lawmaker said, "When everyone is carrying a firearm, nobody is going to be a Victim." There's ample evidence that reality isn't t...

Is Jared Lee Loughner linked to Tea Party, conservatives, or libertarians? (Gabrielle Giffords shooting)
Q. Is Jared Lee Loughner linked to the Tea Party, conservative, or Libertarian movements? A. At this time, there's no indication that Loughner was a member of any organized political movement. He was a registered independent who hadn't voted in 2010 (link). The DHS claim that he was linked to the white racial separatist group AmRen is false. Given what we know now, the chances of him being welcomed as a member of any group outside the far fringe is remote [1]. Given his history, the chances th...

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show Doesnt Blame Toxic Political Discourse For Arizona Jared Loughner Shooting Massacre
The Democrats might want to learn some thing from The Daily Shows, Jon Stewart. As reported at Mediaite , Jon Stewart appears to be the voice of reason as Democrats try and play party politics with the terrible events of the Tucson, AZ shooting massacre at the hands of crazed gunman Jared Loughner. Instead of doing his usual satirical dialogue, Stewart addressed his audience and discussed the henious actions of a gunman who killed six, wounded many and left US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in criti...

King to introduce gun-restriction legislation in response to Tucson shooting
Rep. Peter King, a Republican from New York, will introduce Legislation that will make it a federal crime to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of federal officeholders and judges in response to the shooting in Tucson that killed Judge John Roll and gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.  King, who chairs the Homeland Security committee in the House, will get support from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a longtime advocate for Gun Control (via The Daily Caller): Rep. Peter King, a Rep...

Mayor Bloomberg, Rep. Pete King Call For Tougher Gun Laws After Arizona Shootings
Madman Jared Lee Loughner shot 20 people at point-blank range -- including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- but never should have been allowed to purchase a gun if a background screening was done correctly, Bloomberg argued. “The law says that drug abusers can’t buy guns, but even though Jared Loughner was rejected by the Military for drug use and arrested on gun charges,” Bloomberg said, “he was able to pass a Background Check and buy a gun.” Giffords was shot in the hea...

What President Obama should say (#obamashouldsay)
President Obama is scheduled to speak in Arizona Wednesday evening. The Speech will come four days after a gunman, identified by police as Jared Lee Loughner, killed six people and wounded 14 during a shooting rampage in front of a Tucson Supermarket. Among the dead: a nine-year old girl who aspired to enter politics and a Federal Judge. Among the wounded: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), the apparent target. Analysts and commentators around the web are giving the president advice regarding wh...

The AZ Shooter Has All The Ingredients Of A Tea Party Member
Jared Loughner may not have attended a Tea Party rally or registered with any Tea Party groups, but he shares several similarities with the Tea Party movement. The first obviously is his anger against the government. His violent act reflected the anger against government for Health Care, and Immigration symbolized by Sarah Palin’s placement of Rep. Gifford in the crosshairs of gun. While Loughner’s rants may seem like those of a madmen, so do most rants from Tea Party members. Severa...

Mental illness expert: Yes, ask whether political climate was a trigger for shooter
Dr. Marvin Swartz, a Professor of psychiatry and leading expert in Mental Illness, told Greg Sargent today that yes, the nation's political climate should be considered in the Jared Lee Loughner case. "It's a reasonable question to ask," Dr. Marvin Swartz, a psychiatry Professor at Duke University who specializes in how environment impacts the behavior of the mentally ill, said in an interview this morning. "The nature of someone's delusions is effected by culture. It's a reasonable line of inq...

Sen. Manchin Wouldn't Run Gun Ad Again
Back in October, we highlighted then-Gov. Joe Manchin's NRA-sponsored campaign ad, in which he took his gun and shot a hole through piece of paper labeled "Cap and Trade Bill." The Charleston Gazette reports that, asked if he would put out a similar ad in light of the tragedy in Tucson, Manchin replied, "I can't say that we would, I really can't." The shot was a metaphor, Manchin said Monday, symbolizing his opposition to cap-and-trade and his determination to work hard to make the changes in Wa...

Sheriff in Giffords case lashes out about politics
(01-10) 15:25 PST Tucson, Ariz. (AP) -- Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was thrust into the spotlight to face a nation demanding answers in the aftermath of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He didn't mince words. The rampage, he said, grew in part from extreme political Rhetoric, Bigotry and hatred, especially in his home state of Arizona. Dupnik said he was angry and heartbroken over the tragedy, and was simply speaking his mind as an American, not a Law Enforcement official. But ...

Breaking: Straus elected Speaker of the TX House
The Tea Party rebellion seems to be dead on the House floor as the moderate republican Representative Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) retained his position as Speaker after being the sole Candidate.  After weeks of republican infighting, Representative Ken Paxton (R-McKinney) withdrew his nomination on the House Floor which cleared a Second Term for the San Antonio Republican.  Rep. Joe Straus was elected speaker, 132 for, 15 against, 2 present not voting (Representatives Hughes and Issac)....

BAD ADVICE: Mark Halperin, last seen musing that what Obama needed was a horrendous act of violenc
BAD ADVICE: Mark Halperin, last seen musing that what Obama needed was a “horrendous act of violence” that would save his Presidency, is now advising people on the right that they should turn the other cheek when falsely accused of Murder after the hoped-for “horrendous act of violence” occurred. To avoid “escalation,” don’t y’know. Bah. As the man Halperin is struggling to save says, punch back twice as hard. But you can taste the desperation he...

Loughner bought $400-$500 gun legally
Loughner passed a Background Check and bought the gun at a Sportsman's Warehouse Nov. 30, ABC News reported. Experts say the Glock 19 costs $400 to $500, not including ammunition. GALLERY: The aftermath of the Rep. Giffords shooting Six people were killed and 14 injured outside a Tucson Supermarket. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., believed to be the target of the massacre, remained in critical condition Tuesday after being shot in the head. Employees at one Walmart in the Tucson area ref...

Another Tucson inspired gun control bill on the way
In the wake of last weekend's shootings, Gun Control advocates are calling for stricter gun enforcement. GOP Rep Peter King of New York plans to introduce Legislation that would ban people from bringing a gun within 1,000 feet of a government official, a move that would make him, along with Rep Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the second lawmaker to introduce a Tucson-inspired Gun Control bill. Records show that Loughner bought his first gun less than a year after he was rejected by The Army and arreste...

Is there a foreign-policy angle to the Tucson shooting? Not really.
The tragic shooting in Tucson is a signal event in recent U.S. history and could well have implications for domestic politics. But the implications for U.S. Foreign Policy (this blog's bailiwick) are likely minimal. Indeed, from a parochial foreign-policy perspective, the truly consequential act of violence against a politician last week occurred halfway around the world: the Assassination of the Pakistani reformer and the Governor of the Punjab region, Salman Taseer. So far there is no evidenc...

Tighter Gun-Control Laws: A Long Shot
Yahoo! Buzz The Tucson shootings have renewed an effort among Northeast lawmakers to strengthen federal gun-control laws, but a partisan climate and an influential gun lobby mean that talk may be as far as it gets. On Tuesday, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D., N.Y.), whose husband was killed by a lone gunman in a 1993 Shooting Spree, said she would introduce Legislation to reinstate a ban on high-capacity magazines like the one used by the Tucson shooter. Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.) said that he would o...

House to Honor Tucson Victims, First Responders with Resolution
The U.S. House of Representatives will honor Victims of the Tucson, Arizona shooting rampage. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will call up House Resolution 11 Wednesday morning to honor the dead and injured as well recognize several acts of heroism on the scene. The text of the Resolution states, "The House of Representatives condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific attack which occurred at the 'Congress on your Corner' event hosted by Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson...

Giffords condition improves after shooting
TUCSON, Ariz - U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own and doctors Tuesday were hopeful about her recovery from a head wound suffered in an Arizona Shooting Spree that killed six people. Giffords, a popular 40-year-old Democrat, remained in critical condition at a Tucson Hospital but is “holding her own,” responding to simple commands and breathing without aid of a tube although a bullet passed through her brain, doctors said. “She has no right to look th...