Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition, 6 others killed in Arizona

[rob in cal]

FWIW,  his reading list shows a real eclectic taste.  Orwell, to Marx to Hitler.

[rob in cal]

Another disgusting aspect of this killing spree is that in most assassination attempts, its just the target who gets hit, not any bystanders.  This seems to suggest that the killer was even more demented and sick than most political assassins, coupling an assassination with a random killing spree for good measure.

[rob in cal]

A couple more random thoughts on Laughner.  His weird messages and favorite books don't really seem to have much to do with two salient issues surrounding Giffords, her vote in favor of Health Insurance Reform, and her immigration stance (on the more liberal side of things, for more H1 visas, for the dream act).  If the heated political rhetoric against her inspired this multiple murderer to go after her, I'm wondering if more of these type of issues would be popping up in his messages and reading.  I think its safe to say that his religious views were very different from what you'd find among the typical tea party people.