not a good day

[miera_c]

Sending prayers for Gabrielle Giffords and the other 6 victims of the Right's "Second Amendment Remedies," and their families. Hopefully she will survive but it's important to remember, this was an ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT against a member of Congress

Comments

[kyrdwyn]

Right's "Second Amendment Remedies,"

What's your source?

[miera_c]

Sharon Angle said if she lost the election it would be time for "Second amendment remedies." I don't have a link handy but if you Google her name and that phrase, I'm sure you can find one.

Then there's this: http://dailyhuff.com/post/2655456065/lets-make-sure-this-image-never-gets-taken-off

Sarah Palin's webpage, which has been scrubbed, including a target over Giffords and 19 other Democratic Congresspeople. Not to mention her "Don't retreat, reload" message.

[kyrdwyn]

But where's the connection between those admittedly idiotic statements and today's tragic events?

None of the news reports I've read have given anything other than the gunman's name, not a reason as to why he opened fire. We don't know that Giffords was the target, as opposed to the Federal Judge who was killed, or some attendee at the meeting.

The media is playing this like an attack on her, but they've offered no proof I can find beyond the 'it was her event she must have been the target' implications and playing up past attacks on lawmakers.

[beanpot]

He walked up behind her and shot her point blank in the head. That is indeed a specific assassination attempt. Since she was placed on Palin's list, she was targeted before - death threats, bricks through office windows, etc. Not before the list, after the list. Was this the intention of Palin? I highly doubt it. But if our school system would expel a kid for bringing in a list of students with crosshairs over their photos and titled, "hit list", we should hold our so-called political leaders to the same authority.

As for the Judge, no one knows what he was doing there - a lot of people think it was just to say hi or was shopping as he lives in the area.

Rep Giffords is a pro-life, gun owning, pro-immigration reform Democrat who worked her butt off and was incredibly popular in a republican district. I'm sorry - but I do Palin in part for her continued use of violent imagery and language.

[beanpot]

This strikes way to close to home for me. To even loose part of her staff is stunning - most members of Congress only have 7 and all are close-knit and like mini families. What this mean for the protection of Members of Congress and how they interact in their home district.

But then again, my member of Congress received plenty of death threats as did I for just working there.