Tag-Archive for » arizona «
Six people were killed and at least 12 wounded in a late-morning shooting at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Ariz, this morning, reports the LA Times.
Among those injured is U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was reportedly shot point-blank in the head.
Giffords was taken to Northwest Medical Center, where she underwent surgery. A doctor at the hospital said at a news conference that she is in critical condition but that he is “optimistic” about her survival.
Here’s information about the shooter via HuffingtonPost.com:
Jared Laughner, the man who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), was described by eyewitnesses as a young white man who looked like a “fringe character.”
Laughner shot Giffords and 12 others at a public event at a Safeway grocery store in Tucscon. He reportedly shot the congresswoman “point blank” in the head and may have come from inside the store. After shooting Giffords, he allegedly fired 20-30 rounds and hit “a number of people,” including a child. He attempted to flee after running out of ammunition and was tackled by one of Giffords’ staffers.
Eyewitnesses have described Laughner as “young, mid-to-late 20s, white, clean-shaven with short hair and wearing dark clothing.”
He was arrested upon arrival of the sheriff’s department.
Reverend Al Sharpton emailed this statement to EUR on the Gabrielle Giffords shooting:
“We are calling upon churches throughout America to pray for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the families of those that were wounded or killed in the tragedy that took place in Arizona. In church services tomorrow clergymen ought to address the senseless violence that has too often raised its head of late in the social and political discourse of this country. We call on a thorough and expedited investigation of all aspects of this act.”
Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network
U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head while holding a public event in Tucson, according to multiple news reports
Fox News said Giffords was shot point blank in the head by an unidentified gunman who also indiscriminately shot at least 11 others. The network said the gunman is in custody.
Giffords, 40, a Democrat, is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. She took office in January 2007, emphasizing issues such as immigration reform, embryonic stem-cell research, alternative energy sources and a higher minimum wage.
With all the commentaries coming from various states regarding Arizona’s decision on
in essence profiling, have you look into your own backyards for justice.
I’m not upholding Arizona’s decision, but for other states to get on the band wagon is
not fare. To denied essential goods into the state whether commerce or social activities.
is not right. We do understand there is a serious plight of unemployment throughout the
nation, this effects more than just your average commentaries. Let the politicians hammer
out a definitive agreement, with a compromise for all involved. I’m not saying I agree or
disagree, but be fair in your judgement analysis of immigration.
At this point, I believe most Americans would accept the jobs folks thought we wouldn’t
work. Bills have to be paid, families cared for and raised. The state in which I reside wants
to ban certain aspects of Arizona to our state, are you kidding me. Our city is a mess let’s
try to cleanup our own backyard prior to denouncing another. With any decisions comes changes
and challenges, how we cope with those states who we are.
The instant Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were gunned down at a public meet-and-greet in Tucson, leaving six dead-including a federal judge, several retirees, and a 9-year-old student council representative-Tea Party grandmaster Sarah Palin and leaders of her movement swung into damage-control mode.
Palin offered condolences to the families of the shooting victims and called for prayers for peace and justice. Tea Party Express chairwoman Amy Kremer went further and condemned the shootings as “an attack on the democratic process.”
Palin’s and Kremer’s expressions of outrage are undoubtedly sincere and heartfelt. But those fine sentiments don’t absolve them of blame for helping to create the hyper-vicious, borderline-vigilante climate that has provoked more than one unbalanced kook -as the alleged shooter Jared Loughner clearly is-to blast away at innocents, under the guise of striking back at someone or something whose politics, ideas, religion, or race they hate.
That this country had entered a new era-where it was some thought it permissible to take the law into their own hands and bombard public officials with life-threatening letters, texts, phone calls, and in some cases physical attacks-was plainly evident during and after the health care reform debate last year.
Nearly a dozen Democrats and Republicans received threatening messages. Republican Rep. Eric Cantor got a bullet through his campaign-office window. Other legislators had their windows broken and their tires slashed. Palin didn’t help matters with her oft-quoted exhortation to conservatives to “reload”-complete with photos of her on hunting forays, gun in hand. Palin and GOP leaders drove home their message that political opponents-i.e. liberal and moderate Democrats-were ripe for attack when she plastered an image of crosshairs in a Facebook post listing 20 vulnerable House Democrats who had voted for health care reform. Giffords was one of them.
Palin sensed the dangerous line that she had edged up to with her depiction of Democrats in the GOP’s gun sights. She protested that she was not calling for anyone to slaughter them with weapons but to vote them out of office.