US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a three-term representative from Arizona’s 8th District was shot this morning, along with six others at a “Congress on Your Corner” meet-and-greet in Tucson.
Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, Gifford is one of the Representatives who appears in the crosshairs on Sarah Palin’s “Target List”, because of her support of healthcare reform. (And oh, hey, it’s since been scrubbed from Palin’s website! And now her camp claims that they were just “surveyor marks!“)
It’s too early to say if the shooting was politically motivated, although I find it hard to believe Gifford was not the target since she was shot at close range at a political event. Was her death the result of the inflammatory rhetoric of Palin and Tea Party extremists? Correlation does not automatically equal causation—but it also usually indicates a link. I’m reminded of Henry II of England, who according to legend incited the murder of his political nemesis Thomas Becket with what he claimed was only a hypothetical cry: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
If it turns out this attack was politically motivated, this is terrorism, pure and simple. And the GOP and Tea Party had better recognize it as such.
Update: Congresswoman Giffords is out of surgery and stable, according to CNN, although they report that a bullet went clear through her head. The shooter, Jared Loughner, is in custody but confirmed in a letter left in his home that Giffords was his target.
Jesus Christ.
I’ve feared something like this would happen for a while – what a tragedy. I don’t even know what else to say.
This is disgusting. Crosshairs on a map of representatives. Creep-o-la
This makes me want to vomit. I pray no children were hurt in this shooting. Sarah Palin has some explaining to do.
Please confirm: I hear Palin has taken down the “Target List” now.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by E. Kelly O'Neal, matt baldwin, Suzanne Davis, Pursuit of Harpyness and others. Pursuit of Harpyness said: Congresswoman on Sarah Palin’s “Target List” Murdered at Political Event http://bit.ly/dFgUz0 [...]
reports are she is out of surgery and the doctors are “optimistic”. Dear gods. What have we come to in this country.
They call human beings “targets” and then act surprised when someone takes them at their word.
No words can hide the blood on their hands.
While I won’t go so far as to say that Palin is at fault for that, she has too much a hand in politics and that’s clear when we see violence against people she thinks should be out of office. What a shame. The world will never wake up.
I am so sad reading about the gauntlet being thrown down and someone clearly picking it up. Don’t we have anti-terrorism laws about inciting people to violence?
My fiancee is at the guy’s Youtube page – he seems to have no political leanings at all – he rants about mind control and government agents. I hope that this isn’t used to demonize mentally ill people, if that’s what he turns out to be.
DailyKos is also pulling pages that criticized her – she was actually quite moderate on gun and homeland security issues. Including an article titled “My Congresswoman is dead to me” for her vote against Pelosi for Minority leader. Seems like she got it from both sides. sad…
Rep. Gifford is out of the operating room and is in good condition. KVOA-TV in Tucson AZ reports.
I watched what appears to be one of the gunman’s YouTube videos. He comes off as utterly insane, raving about calendar numerology and mind control through grammar, but he also expressed some political leanings.
For example, he wrote that he wouldn’t pay debts in a currency not backed by gold and silver.
@Shelli: That’s what I said in the post. The list is gone now.
Listen up, commenters awaiting moderation!
I know tensions are running high right now. But I will not approve comments using obscene and/or misogynist rants and threats. Sarah Palin has no fans here, but neither does hate language. If you absolutely must comment, take a deep breath and try again.
I find it strange that any campaign material would use crosshairs especially in naming and targetting sitting politicians.
I hope in the aftermath of this incident, that people do not necessarily act on emotions of hate and anger.
@Mackey: this is modeled after anti-choice web sites which targeted doctors the same way. And, to no one’s surprise, with the same results.
Apparently the news coverage in places like Canada, the UK and Australia have been much better about this too….from what I’m hearing, a few stations in the US couldn’t be bothered to turn off the sports or paid programming for this.
Then again, when the terrorism is domestic and white, it’s so much easier to brush it off as some random shooting done by a “crazy” man.
The racism, ableism and denial…..it burns….
This is really upsetting, even more so in light of the fact that Arizona has a law that recently went into effect (July) stating that anyone over 21 who’s not a felon can carry concealed without a permit. Just…scary.
@Shelli – that’s what I’ve heard, too.
Obama’s statement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7okzxFYR710
Paul Krugman: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/assassination-attempt-in-arizona/?src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman
And the image from above is actually still up on Palin’s facebook: http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/dont-get-demoralized-get-organized-take-back-the-20/373854973434
Oh, and: http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2010/06/jesse-kelly-event-is-this-wording-intentional.html
From last June, even.
@mischiefmanager – WOW, just wow. campaign material, at least to me and in a place where there is limited gun regulation, seems so unbelievably inappropriate especially given the underlying and implicit connotations of what is being suggested.
(I can understand targetting a seat, not the person holding the seat, in a political campaign.)
@baraqiel – thanks for the Krugman link, whilst not always a fan of his economic writings, this op-ed piece was spot on.
Everyone, spread this petition far and wide:
http://criminaljustice.change.org/petitions/view/tell_sarah_palin_to_stop_inciting_violence
@MamaBear
I’m afraid that this prayer has not been answered.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/baby-of-hope-shot-dead-by-gunman-20110109-19jpr.html?from=smh_sb
Thanks for posting this- we need to call out not just Sarah Palin but the NRA- they have campaigned against gun control, against the ban on assault weapons and against any candidates who dare to be moderate.Their successful work at making gun control laws weak in states like Arizona is one of many underlying causes of this tragedy.
whites like the governor of arizona, sarah palin , john mccain, rush limbaugh, hannity, glenn beck and bill o’reilly are all responsible for those white deaths in Arizona and the shooting of the white congress woman in her head by a white 22 year old male.
white america will never accept this statement because everyone on this list is white and all of the dead and the congress woman are white killed by a white man.
white racism is going to destroy every white man, woman and child in america and this white tragedy in arizona is the beginning.
the white female governor of arizona ranted for months with her big trouble making white mouth about the latino criminals coming over the border, but the white male criminals in her city like the white shooter were not on her radar.
why?
because he’s white.
today, a little 9 year old white girl is dead.
why?
is it because of health care for blacks and latino?
is it because a white woman’s son named obama is the president?
is it because a black woman is the first lady of america?
why?
if sarah palin was black with a hit list with the white congress woman’s name on it, black sarah palin’s black ass would be in jail today with no bail.
stupid white women like sarah palin are going to get a lot of whites killed by other evil whites in the coming days.
sarah palin should be in prison today, but that’s not going to happen because she’s white and supported by the klan and john mccain.
sarah palin is a coward and without a gun, this silly bitch couldn’t stop a lollypop and if put in prison, she wouldn’t survive 2 seconds.
@at I understand and agree with the racial element in this incident … and the likelihood that it will not be addressed in the majority of reports on the shooting.
At the same time, as a blogger on this site, I’d ask that you not refer to Sarah Palin as a “silly bitch” or make veiled threats about people doing violence to her in prison.
The shooter appears to be a pretty random guy who perhaps seized on the meet and greet on the spur of the moment? I personally don’t think Palin had any idea her ‘target’ tactic would reap such monstrous associations, but I hope it taught her a lesson on the dangers of tough talk. Arizona’s getting a real image problem isnt it – McCain, immigration, now this.
“Spur of the moment” with a extended clip in his 9mm? I doubt it.
Reading about the alleged shooter makes it fairly clear he was not well, but I don’t think he just snapped. There is also some concern for an accomplice, an older white man.
And as much as I loathe Palin, she is but one of many garbage-spoutin, hate-speechin, gun-totin, right-wingin “tough talkers” out there.
My bad PH, I just heard they found her name written in his apt, he planned the whole thing, I got that wrong!
I have been thinking a lot, since I heard about this, about the wisdom of telling people over and over again that they should be thinking about things symbolically, that they should believe that the symbolic meanings of things are more real than the concrete meanings of things, and then to beg off responsibility for the use of harmful, dangerous symbols.
We can’t have it both ways. If we want to ponder the symbolic meaning of the universe through religion or mysticism or whatever, I think we have to be willing to acknowledge that path of thinking is not and has never been completely benign. We cannot go through life saying we believe things that when acted out literally by other people we immediately turn around and disavow. Isn’t that what we’re asking rape culture to stop?
(Let me know if this crosses a line, I think I’m more upset than I thought.)
I don’t think you have crossed a line Bella, I think you should pursue this line of thinking. I’d listen, for one.
Sarah Palin should be detained for questioning immediately. Also, the victims of this shooting should sue Palin in civil courts for monetary compensation.
Additionally, Palin’s behavior appears to represent ‘communicating threats.’
Five years ago I moved from New York City to Tucson. After toughing it out in NYC through 9/11 and the subsequent years of anxiety and repeated threats (leaving aside all the marvelous parts – I’m only talking about the bomb scares, etc), I honestly expected we’d be safer. It felt like moving back in time 30 years, to a simpler, less polarized time. People were eerily polite. There is so much more open space. The only things lacking were green lawns and June Cleaver (at least xeriscaping is now all the rage in the desert – and all the working women I know have stay-at-home husbands/dads, so Ward has taken June’s role).
Of course I should have known better. Hatred, fear, and aggression exist everywhere. The political climate pervades the nation – it’s not concentrated in the Northeast corridor, or on the coasts, or in metropolises over a certain size. Economic disaster is destroying the rest of society’s threadbare fabric.
So instead of going to one of the several peace vigils around town for Gabby Giffords – not only an earnest, effective congresswoman, but a wonderful person and neighbor – I stayed home and cuddled my family, thankful that we’re safe. Not everyone we know here is so lucky, and we are making food and taking care of animals for those affected.
I’m sorry that the system is so broken. I’m horrified that one of the few public servants who really believed in the system and doing good is suffering so. Gabby and her (astronaut) husband have consistently impressed me with their sincere faith in the power of open discussion, and in the justice and goodness inherent in our system of government. They have a faith that so many of my generation lost decades ago.
At least, they did until now. We are shooting ourselves by losing people like her.
I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for my kids, that this is their world. I’m sorry for the victims of the shooting. I’m sorry for Gabby and her family. I’m sorry for what it says about the world.
elibard, that is the most emotionally affecting reaction to this event that I have read thus far. I don’t have much to say in response, but I just wanted to let you know that I found your comment to be really poignant.
Thanks, baraqiel. I always enjoy your posts, so I’m glad you liked my ramblings.
@Bellacoker – I love your thoughts on this. I’ve been mulling over what you said. I’d love read your further thoughts if you develop them more.
And Becky, thank you for posting this image. This is enraging, and everyone should see this. It is representative of how vitriolic and violent political discourse has become.
Anyone else eager to see how Jon Stewart handles this?
Thanks, rodriguez and elibard. I don’t think I can write more about it now, it took me five days to come back and even look at this thread even though I know y’all are nice people, so that probably means something.