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Congresswoman and Staff Gunned Down
tkprit writes "What a shame that a Congresswoman makes herself available to her constituents and she and six of her staff were gunned down for the effort. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot, along with members of her staff, for trying to hear the concerns of the people she represents."
CNN reports that at least 12 people were shot by the gunman. According to NPR, "The suspect ran off and was tackled by a bystander. He was taken into custody. Witnesses described him as in his late teens or early 20s." Update: 01/08 20:07 GMT by S : Other sources are reporting she's still in surgery, and early reports have been amended to list Congresswoman Giffords in critical condition.
How is this news for nerds? Oh yes...Slashdot is evolving into a generic news source.
Killing a lot of people as a consequence of being an asshole is just a very American thing to do. This incidentally very well illustrates the point that a small number of assholes (say, below 1%) can mess it up for everybody. It also illustrates the point that better politicians have worse career chances.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
I laugh at the "progressives" here who were waiting to jump on the GOP for this. First off, now isn't the time for politics. Secondly, the early reports are that the suspect is hispanic and shoutted something in another language (presumabbly spanish if they are hispanic) before the shooting. Gifford had been targeting the drug cartels and illegal immigrants.
Ha ha! Sarah got one! Way to go Tea Partiers take your country back!
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/dont-get-demoralized-get-organized-take-back-the-20/373854973434
You fucking shit-cocks.
...everyone here on Slashdot would be cheering, wanting to throw parties with virtual high-fives, and yelling "YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!" at their computer.
Unfortunately this situation shouldn't happen to anyone Democrat or Republican.
the rest 11 ? all of you are asking and updating about the congresswoman. what about the 11 other people ? ffs.
Read radical news here
I hope this starts the revolution the US needs and which the world needs the US to have.
I do not see any way out except through violence and misery, in my book the killer is a hero.
I am so sorry, it is horrible but also unavoidable. The longer it takes to happen, and it has taken far too long as is, the worse it will be for all.
Maybe it is already too late, then we are all doomed either way.
Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspect ran up firing indiscriminately and then ran off, Michaels said.
Like TJIC says: "It is absolutely, absolutely unacceptable to shoot 'indiscriminately'. Target only politicians and their staff, and leave regular citizens alone."
There's no place like
Politicians lead the state who's existance is predicated on the threat of initiation of violence against people
For example if people don't pay taxes (of which there is no moral obligation) to the state they will be imprisoned.
If they resist imprisonment (they havent done any harm to anyone) then they will be met with violence
If the resist violence (self defence) they will be killed
state violence against the individual = ACCEPTABLE
individual violence against the state = UNACCEPTABLE
RTFA. It was a women shot, not a guy and it clearly states she was part of an american terrorist organization. She was a congresswomen.
Your kind is to blame, sonny, always pushing the propaganda networks, scumbag. Your time is coming.
Why thank you, Only Ethical Person on the Internet - whatever would we do without your guidance?
sic transit gloria mundi
All parents which own guns should be kept locked up by their children!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
And she's a hot piece of ass. By congressional standards, anyway.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
"particular brand is simply more prevalent on the Right"
Oh fuck you.
The Death of a President 2006
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853096/
Bloomberg blaming the Tea Party for the SUV bomb in New York.
Endless accusations of "racism" or whatever the heresy of the week because of opposition to some utterly unrelated policy.
The constant screeching of "Bush is Hitler!!!"
Maher's disappointment that Cheney wasn't killed during a visit in Afghanistan.
Liberals make murder fantasy movies:
Death of a President http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853096/
Machete http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0985694/
This is what a country gets when it allows to sell guns freely. Guns should be taken away from people, period!
"This doesn't solve anything."
Not strictly true, though that is a deeply cherished illusion. If you disagree with someone on how the country should be run, and they do not change, or stop, and their movement is a sufficient threat, violence is an option.
The US was founded on violence, the people killed, wounded, and maimed their lawful government until it packed up and went back to England. Right or wrong, whatever those are at any given time, have NOTHING to do with the effectiveness of political violence. Mao was right in that power flows from the barrel of a gun, so choose a side and make sure they have more guns. That "side" can include the current government (has MANY guns!) or something else, but it still comes down to firepower in the end.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
If the attacker turns out to be a tea party paranoid type, then I honestly believe people like Beck hold indirect responsibility for the attack.
And conversely, if the attacker turns out to be a left wing extremist then people like Olbermann, Matthews, Maddow, and sites like huffingtonpost.com, dailykos.com should absolutely be held responsible for the vicious hatred they had spewed towards everything conservative and for falsely accusing the Tea Party, Palin and pretty much everybody they disagree with of racism and violence, thereby increasing the stakes and implicitly inviting the other site to "respond" in kind. Do you agree with that?
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
In principle I agree with you, but the thing is that a lot of people saw this sort of thing coming. There has been a lot of commentary and, at least in my own discussions, worry, about the winking incitement to violence that has been broadcast since Obama was elected.
Wrong, it started when Bush was elected. A lot of the strong anti-government movement started With Bush, pushed by people like you stating the government was a bunch of jackboot thugs.
So this is really reaping what you have sown, even though you wished for a different target at the time.
The shooter you see was a nut-case very much into government hatred, communism and flag burning. Not exactly the type to follow Palin or indeed any of the "America First" people. Just a crazy hater whose hatred was fueled long before Obama ever saw office.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
According to his YouTube video" explaining his views.
So much for all the accusations by the Dems against Reps, Fox News and the Tea Party.
Running with Linux for over 20 years!
Falsely accusing one side of violence, as the above mentioned did throughout 2010 election campaign, despite most of the actual incidents of violence coming from the left, is a 'veiled' invitation to respond in kind. How do you expect more extreme elements on the left to respond when they are constantly being told that about violent fascist and racist right-wingers are taking over in the form of Tea Party (which in reality is a peaceful and law-abiding movement if there ever was one). That is the impression one gets when listening to them and it is a form of incitement to violence.
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
Countries that have strict gun control laws also have strict controls over the press and other ways that freedom is repressed. What proper "scientific controls" can you possible put in to suggest if or if not such gun control laws actually work in a free and open society?
In most other countries that have strict gun control laws, the leaders of the government wouldn't possibly have or need to have such open interchange with its citizens on this level. Being able to be alone on a one on one basis with your local congressman, even if you are a complete stranger to that congressman, is to me something that ought to be encouraged.
It may be possible that you are correct, but I don't consider this to be the gospel truth in terms of a proven fact that gun control legislation actually does anything to reduce incidents like this. My fear is that an incident like this will expand the role of the Secret Service or Capital Hill Police Department to become a much larger bureaucracy than they already are.... something I sure hope doesn't happen. This is an unfortunate incident by an idiot who couldn't confine his anger to free speech or to the ballot box.
Then again, the shooter may have felt frustrated that the system is so corrupt that he couldn't use the soap box, the ballot box, or the jury box to get his point across. That is the real tragedy, as the ammo box should be a last resort option.
Actually, it's your assumption that you extreme level of cowardice is acceptable in a grown human being that is naive. Most men, women and even children are able to get along each and every day without the sorry need for the mechanical manhood enhancement that you are trying to justify.
Perhaps if you could give us a list of all that "violence coming from the left" in the US that is somehow being cleverly concealed by all the media of the world (must be some kind of a leftist conspiracy involving all those pinko-commie corporate CEOs!) it would help your points to attain some modicum of credibility.
Ever heard of Allee Bautsch, the woman savagely beaten for attending a Republican fundraiser? Ever heard of Kenneth Gladney, a young black Tea Party activist who was punched and kicked and racially insulted by SEIU members for passing out gadsden flags. Or perhaps you don't include union thugs in your cappuccino sipping leftists. Btw, have you heard of an incident at Rand Paul's event where a leftist protester was briefly held down for about one second by a Tea Party member who placed his foot on her shoulder. I'm sure you have, because it was all over headline news, while the other two incidents were never mentioned at all on MSNBC, and barely so on CNN.
On the other hand gun-totting rednecks on a rampage seem like near daily occurrence.
Ok, since they are such adaily occurrence, can you provide some example of this "rampage". Or perhaps, the rampage is all in your, easily frightened, brain.
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
And give up on the whole "ACORN" thing. It was a fucking bunch of community organizers, not some brownshirts.
So, as long as they are "community organizers" supporting whichever candidate is closest to Marx, voter fraud is OK? Would you be so forgiving if a conservative group, say, a Southern Baptist church was turning in thousands of forged voter registration cards?
your stupid teabagger "movement", as contrived and astroturfed by morons like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin (and even that Rand Paul asshole), is just another way of shoring up more money for the wealthy.
Strange. I don't understand how smaller, less powerful federal government will "shore up more money for the wealthy".
It's amazing how two corporate run and controlled parties can jockey for support by forcing wedge issues into the forefront while still steadily increasing the income and wage disparity to epic new levels
Well, Welcome to the TEA Party. See, us TEA Party supporters are for less federal government and more local control... and really nothing else. See, your third parties stand a much better chance at the local level, where the TEA Party wants power consolidated. You want to weaken the two big parties, take away their power. That starts with moving the power out of Washington and into your neighborhood.
Of course, you don't understand any of that because you've heard on MSNBC, Democratic Underground, DailyKOS, Huffington Post, or wherever, that the TEA Party is a bunch of racists out to burn books, reintroduce slavery, put gays in reeducation camps and force your kids to read The Bible in public schools. Of course, none of that is true, but don't let facts dispel you hatred.
Societies are still judged by how they treat their least fortunate
Really? By who? Who judges societies by "how they treat their least fortunate." You do realize that the absolute poorest in America live an above average standard of living when compared to the rest of the world, right? So tell me again how we "fail. Epically."?
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Sure. The dozens of websites and editorials (Daily Kos) that either wished death or assassination on Republicans should be considered responsible when a R gets an owie.
The guy had an antagonistic relationship toward religion, smoked a lot of pot, and burned the American flag. What political affiliation does that sound like to you?
I give you a clue... It's the leading party in Crazytown.... He's a f-in nutball. Who cares what he attached himself to? Crazy people kill each other over crushes on actresses, alien butt-probes, and artificial flavors.
This guy just happened to be more successful than most.
>>>>Palin map with the candidates name AND a crosshair on it
That never happened you lying Liberal son of a bitch. ALSO: Is this the comment you wanted me to see? "Congresswoman Giffords was known for her desire to crack down on illegal aliens and secure the southern border, putting her at odds with Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress."
I doubt anybody affiliated with Obama would do this, but can easily imagine ACORN or similar organization doing it. The other possibility is that it's just a nut, like the guy who flew his plane into the IRS building. We'll just have to wait and see. Of course the Dems/MSNBC are already blaming people like me (tea partier) and I didn't have anything to do with it.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall