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

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

http://www.alan.com/2010/03/24/palin-puts-gun-sighs-on-target-map-says-ti/

Crazy coincidence.

Please see Wormguy's signature.

At least it's targeted states, not named people.

[Franzl]

So the guy wasn't definitely left or right but the usual suspects are ignoring that to carry on their pet causes?

How unpredictable!

Pretty much, yep.

The German media is also following that line of logic (predictably). Is Sweden any better?

[Gustaf]

Sweden just woke up, I think, so there isn't much in the way of analysis. But there seems to be implicit blaming of the tea party going on.

[AndrewTX]

A lot of people disappointed me in this thread today.

So true

[Zarn]

Has this country really become that partisan?

I think you guys need to take a step back and think.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Has this country really become that partisan?

Oh, I wonder why

[Landslide Lyndon]

Has this country really become that partisan?

I think you guys need to take a step back and think.

LOL!

[Marokai Backbeat]

Please see Wormguy's signature.

At least it's targeted states, not named people.

Ding ding.

[Zarn]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

According to the BBC, she is not doing too well. They reported she was in critical condition.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

According to the BBC, she is not doing too well. They reported she was in critical condition.

Not a suprise. After all, she suffered a gunshot.

However, if she survived that so far and, according to the doctors, can recover, I think she'll be fine. Hopefully.

[exopolitician]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

According to the BBC, she is not doing too well. They reported she was in critical condition.

Alot of conflicting reports, I was on CNN and MSNBC earlier and it said she was awake and able to identify her husband and was now asleep.

[anvi]

Even if her condition stabilizes and continues to improve, she will be in critical condition for a little while; brain swelling and hemorrhaging are still real dangers at this point.  But the facts that she is responding to questions and identifying people, at least by signaling, are really wonderful signs.  As said, it remains to be seen what kinds of cognitive capacities she will have as she comes through all this.  But, wow, the congresswoman is one fortunate, and tough, lady.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I never seen such a media chaos before.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

The only reason why such a horrible action was made possible is because of the utter partisanship and the hatred campaign led by the insane right. Those who are trying to make as if there were no correlation are just burying their heads in the sand.

[exopolitician]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

The only reason why such a horrible action was made possible is because of the utter partisanship and the hatred campaign led by the insane right. Those who are trying to make as if there were no correlation are just burying their heads in the sand.

...and the fact the kid was insane.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

The only reason why such a horrible action was made possible is because of the utter partisanship and the hatred campaign led by the insane right. Those who are trying to make as if there were no correlation are just burying their heads in the sand.

...and the fact the kid was insane.

There are insane persons in any country and in any epoch. Yet it happened there and now.

[Brittain33]

Setting aside the merits of the argument here--and I actually do think Palin's crosshairs graphic, while bad, is not in the same league as rhetoric about "Second Amendment remedies" (Angle), greet Dems by being "armed and dangerous" (Bachmann), or the very many lesser lights calling of armed resistance to the government to protect our liberty against Obama's unprecedented assault--the appearance to me is that Palin's crosshairs graphic does freak out people in the middle who won't be impressed by someone digging up a dartboard analogy or parsing whether this obviously insane shooter would have supported the cap and trade bill or not. The rhetoric of the last two years, voiced by maybe 1% of elected Republicans and many more activists and media stars, has shifted from talking about violence in a metaphorical way to a literal way, and people will make the connection. Protesting with straw men (looking at you, JBrase) or debating why the Dems are exactly the same as Republicans in preaching violence is not particularly relevant. I sympathize with Republicans who don't favor assassination and who, up until now, thought the rhetoric was harmless and maybe helped the cause, but don't want to see it happen.

[exopolitician]

I just feel it doesn't connect with any party affiliation or the negative rhetoric thats been floated around the past few years. He just seemed like a disgruntled conspiracy theorist, who was not right in the head. It's pure coincidence Sarah Palin's graphic mentioned Rep Giffords, and something harmful eventually did happen to her.

[Brittain33]

I do think it matter that Palin, unlike others, never called for violence against the government or elected officials. She blithely joked about it and played up her affection for shooting, and it makes a lot of people queasy, but we must distinguish between her, well, vulgarity about guns and the people who've actually spoken about the potential for watering the tree of liberty with blood etc.

[exopolitician]

I do think it matter that Palin, unlike others, never called for violence against the government or elected officials. She blithely joked about it and played up her affection for shooting, and it makes a lot of people queasy, but we must distinguish between her, well, vulgarity about guns and the people who've actually spoken about the potential for watering the tree of liberty with blood etc.

It's obviously a stupid act on Palin's part, but I don't fully fault her for this incident.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I do think it matter that Palin, unlike others, never called for violence against the government or elected officials. She blithely joked about it and played up her affection for shooting, and it makes a lot of people queasy, but we must distinguish between her, well, vulgarity about guns and the people who've actually spoken about the potential for watering the tree of liberty with blood etc.

Right, the problem is... there are a lot of insane people, who can be influenced by such kind of rethorics despite real context.

So yes, politicians should be damn careful with their rethorics.

[Insula Dei]

When a troubled kid killed a 2 year old and her African babysit in Antwerp 3 or 4 years ago, everyone knew whose rhetoric had made immigrants the target of violence (in Antwerp the Vlaams Belang was the largest party at the time). Nobody had the guts to pretend that rhetoric had nothing to do with it. You know schizophrenic/troubled/whatever doesn't equal murderer. Before someone kills there ALWAYS is a direct cause, no matter how insignificant it might seem. The people targeted here really reveal a lot about what was goin on in the gunman's head. At the very least he hated the government.

[Franzl]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

The only reason why such a horrible action was made possible is because of the utter partisanship and the hatred campaign led by the insane right. Those who are trying to make as if there were no correlation are just burying their heads in the sand.

Look, hateful rhetoric (although I'm not sure very many truly hateful things have really been said) might encourage some nut to act in the way he did in this case...but someone as mentally disturbed as this person is basically a bomb waiting to explode at some point. It's really not a politically motivated killing in the sense that Giffords was shot because of certain votes she cast. Indeed, if the maniac lived in a different district...say a district represented by a Republican or even a Tea Party member..I see no reason to believe the attack would not have happened.

This guy hated government...authority...etc, and saw his chance to stick it to the man by shooting a member of Congress. I don't believe Gifford's party or ideology played a very big part in this.

[exopolitician]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

The only reason why such a horrible action was made possible is because of the utter partisanship and the hatred campaign led by the insane right. Those who are trying to make as if there were no correlation are just burying their heads in the sand.

Look, hateful rhetoric (although I'm not sure very many truly hateful things have really been said) might encourage some nut to act in the way he did in this case...but someone as mentally disturbed as this person is basically a bomb waiting to explode at some point. It's really not a politically motivated killing in the sense that Giffords was shot because of certain votes she cast. Indeed, if the maniac lived in a different district...say a district represented by a Republican or even a Tea Party member..I see no reason to believe the attack would not have happened.

This guy hated government...authority...etc, and saw his chance to stick it to the man by shooting a member of Congress. I don't believe Gifford's party or ideology played a very big part in this.

Exactly.

[Insula Dei]

I'm serious. It's one thing to have very different opinions. It's another to use this as a poltics as usual type of thing. Let's just pray/ hope for recovery.

The only reason why such a horrible action was made possible is because of the utter partisanship and the hatred campaign led by the insane right. Those who are trying to make as if there were no correlation are just burying their heads in the sand.

Look, hateful rhetoric (although I'm not sure very many truly hateful things have really been said) might encourage some nut to act in the way he did in this case...but someone as mentally disturbed as this person is basically a bomb waiting to explode at some point. It's really not a politically motivated killing in the sense that Giffords was shot because of certain votes she cast. Indeed, if the maniac lived in a different district...say a district represented by a Republican or even a Tea Party member..I see no reason to believe the attack would not have happened.

This guy hated government...authority...etc, and saw his chance to stick it to the man by shooting a member of Congress. I don't believe Gifford's party or ideology played a very big part in this.

You're really going to deny that? You're really going to deny that? You're really going to...