Crazy Gunman, but a Political Attack

"Loughner didn't put a bullet through the head of just any public servant, but one subjected to repeated threats"

Yes, one subjected to repeated threats from her own supporters. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:egHLC2hTfZoJ:www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1/6/933828/-My-CongressWOMAN-voted-against-Nancy-Pelosi!-And-is-now-DEAD-to-me!+My+CongressWOMAN+voted+against+Nancy+Pelosi!+And+is+now+DEAD+to+me!&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

I know that Ms. Harrop would only read the comments on the Providence Journal site and not here, but I would advise the small band of Creators readers to note this careful and deliberate ommission of fact by a person trying to gain partisan points from a tragedy.

Ms. Harrop has also failed to mention that this youngster had his eyes on this woman for more than one year, long before the Tea Party was of any significance.

One understand why journalists are all such terrible human beings.

Did you see the Democratic "target" map from 2004?

No one is without blame here.

Your opinion piece is morally repugnant, and reflects either an overall lack of research or honesty on your part (probably both). You must have failed to notice Joe Manchain's election ad (he's the newly electly Democratic senator from West Virginia, in case you aren't aware) where he fired a bullet from a rifle into a copy of the healthcare bill. I could site numerous other examples from Democrat/Liberal sources, which, by the way, took me about 3 minutes of internet research to find. Shame on you, and all like you, who dare to use this despicable tragedy to lay political blame or to attempt to discredit good people with whom you disagree politically! My prayer is that decent American's will not only reject your disgusting arguments, but render you irrelevant in public discourse!

The innocent Judge who passed away was a Republican. The innocent little girl who passed away was probably an independant. The innocent representative who did not pass away was a Democrat. Others were innocent shoppers.

Harrop and others who exploit this event for political gain are shameless and have no sense of decency or dignity. To lie about and spin the death of innocent people takes this columnist's career to its lowest level.

Disgusting.

Froma - Your blatant disregard from the vitriol spewed from the Demoncrats and Liberal Left is truely amanzing. Both sides of the political fence are guilty. No one can dispute that. The President himself called the Replublican parties "enemies" among other things.

I regularly enjoy your column despite the fact I often disagree with your position. But your complete disregard for the FACTS in this case is truly appalling. I had hoped someone of your writing caliber would rise above the occasion and not stoop to the lowest levels of the media low and blame it all on partisan politics. You have lost a loyal reader.

This is the worst piece of garbage I have ever read! Do you really consider yourself a journalist?? Go back to school and learn to do some fact checking before you spew this garbage on people!

What pushes a mentally unstable person to do violence is in their own head. I've worked with emotionally handicapped students for many years. Their voices tell them what to do. The inner voices take over their entire lives from how to go to the bathroom, eat, speak, walk, etc. Politics has nothing to do with it. In this case the gunman said it was the miss use of language that set him off.
STOP trying to blame a "side" for this horrible event. Communists use every event to cause unstablity to bring down the US. I think it is a disease that makes you liberals think that YOU will be exempt from the results of turning the US into a Stalin like state. Stalin, China, Russia, Viet Nam all tried your programs and there were giant purges and prisoning of the educated. You are a member of the press and will one of the first to go so why do you back their evil programs?

Froma,
You are an idiot. Do you ever even take 2 minutes to think about what you are writing or do you just use the projectile vomit method because that seems to be the end result.

Bravo Fromma,
Your thoughts and statements here cut to the chase and are right on target.

It is absolutely incredible to witness the number of folks who are reluctant to admit that what is known about this attempted "assassination" is that it is at least in part inherently "political". Evidence shows that Loughner intended to assassinate a specific Congresswoman and those who were around her because of how Loughner felt about her "political" positions.

Those who find your thoughts here overly vitriolic should examine the affect of their own sense of taste as they surely have been swallowing something else that has tainted it.

Your article "Ugly politics drove attack"appeared in my local North County Timers paper here in San Diego County. I had to keep reading to truly comprehend that you, in your first person communication, would spew such hate. This act was done by one deranged individual acting on HIS own. As your group supports, "Never let a good crisis go to waist", you jumped right on board. You should be ashamed of yourself.
JIm Quirk
Carlsbad, CA 92008

ABC News
“Though there are no known ties whatsoever between shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner and Sarah Palin or any part of the Tea Party movement, the “crosshairs” became part of the media coverage of the Tucson shootings from the very beginning.”
LA Times
(23rd paragraph)
“Those seeking a coherent philosophy will probably be frustrated”, said Mark Pitcavage, director of investigative research at the Anti-Defamation League. “So far, most of his beliefs appear to be the product of his own mind, primarily,” he said.
Wall Street Journal
“All he did was play video games and play music,” said Tommy Marriotti, a high school friend. Mr. Marriotti said much of Mr. Loughner's free time was devoted to the school band. He wasn't especially political, Mr. Marriotti said, though he expressed frustration with the Bush Administration”
(more below ad)
CBS News
(14th paragraph)
Preliminary examinations of Loughner's web presence suggest he shared passions with both the far left and far right.
The Washington Post
“Turns out the politics espoused by the alleged gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, are difficult to pin down.
The New Yorker
“Judging from his Internet postings, Jared Lee Loughner is a delusional young man whose inner political landscape is a swamp of dystopian novels, left- and right-wing tracts, conspiracy theories, and contempt for his fellow human beings.”
New York Post
“we really don't know a thing about Loughner's motivations”
Washington Post
At this point, there's no evidence that any statement from any politician sent Jared Loughner over the edge.
ABC News
“However, so far there is no evidence that he has any ties to any political group”
Time Magazine
His exact motivation was not clear, but a former classmate described Loughner as a pot-smoking loner who had rambling beliefs about the world.
Fox News
Megyn Kelly: “…I'm wondering is do you have reason to believe that this particular suspected killer was taking in information or was in any way influenced by the vitriol or the rhetoric that you are referring to on the airwaves”
Sherriff Dupnik: “I have to be specific and say that I don't have that evidence. The investigation is in it's initial phases. My belief, and I've been watching what has been going on in this country for the last 75 years and I've been a police officer for over 50 years, There's no doubt in my mind that when a number of people try to inflame the public that there is going to some consequences from doing that and I think it's irrresponsible to do that.”
Megyn Kelly: “Is that, Sheriff, it sounds like you're being very honest, but that's just your speculation. That's not saying it's fact based at this point.”
Dupnik: “That's my opinion, period.”
CNN
BLITZER: But the question is, is there any evidence that the suspected shooter in this particular
case was a Sarah Palin fan?
YELLIN: No.
BLITZER: Read Sarah Palin's website?
YELLIN: Absolutely not.
BLITZER: Watched her FaceBook, her tweets or anything like that?
YELLIN: None at all and there is no evidence that this is even inspired by rage other healthcare.
MSNBC/NBC
Some liberals quick to point the finger are linking 22-year-old shooter Jared Loughner to the Tea Party—showing the same lack of restraint and tendency to demonize their ideological opponents that they accuse the right of having.
Bloomberg
The evidence doesn't suggest that any of the victims of the Jan. 8 shopping center rampage, including U.S. District Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old child, who were both slain, were shot for their politics, right- or left-wing.
Business Insider
“there's zero evidence that the Arizona tragedy is somehow related to political speech”
Good Morning America
“The shooter's motives remain unclear. One acquaintance from 2007 described him as liberal.”
Washington Examiner
There's little evidence he has a coherent ideology. Loughner's philosophy professor says the 22-year-old acted like “someone whose brains were scrambled” and whose “thoughts were unrelated to anything in our world.”
The Washington Post
“Loughner's decision to affiliate as an independent rather than a Republican or Democrat would seem to affirm the sense that while he targeted Giffords in the attack, it was not a decision born of a set of deeply held political beliefs that fit neatly into either party.”
And, let me end by giving credit where some credit is due—a few left wing publications also telling the truth about the story.
Mother Jones
Barring any new evidence that directly links Loughner to any political activism or activities, Democrats will have a tough time pinning the blame on extreme rhetoric.
Slate
“around a third of the country that blames rhetoric for the attack, despite evidence that it had nothing to do with it.”
The New Republic
“Conservatives are furious that the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords is being pinned on them. Their indignation is justified. “
Some might say–”Hey, doesn't this prove that the media IS covering the truth about Loughner? What are you so upset about?”
Mainly because in many of the stories above, these are toss away sentences in an article or column that furthers the storyline. They include one sentence halfway down the page that basically says “oh, by the way, we have no reason to tie these killings with the right. Now, more about the right's rhetoric and the shooting…”
If you want to complain about our discourse…fine. That's your right. In fact, it's part of healthy discourse. But, conservatives have about as much to do with these shootings eggplant parmesan. Absolutely nothing. It would be nice if someone noticed that.

How about the fact that the Democrat murdered was pro-second ammendment and against an open border to Mexico as was the judge murdered and they were murdered by a fellow whose two favorite books were the Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf, making him an Obama Supporter? Do facts not matter anymore?

We know very little so far about the killer. But we do know that in the recent election, her opponent committed an act that invites finger pointing. From Harrop's article:

There is no Democratic version of Giffords' recent Republican opponent, who ran the following sicko notice: "Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."

What we also know is that soon after Giffords won the election, she was shot by an obviously unbalanced young man.
The frantic attempts by right wing commentators to evade all responsibility is itself an act of self-indictment. They reflect a chorus spews malice and vitriol that have poisoned our political life.

Ms. Harrop,
I believe you most certainly have your finger on the pulse of the nation. This is a a pretty right on assessment of our political climate, and, I also want to say, shame on all you bellowing self pitying Tea Partiers with your violent rhetoric. This is what happens when such "2nd ammendment remedies" become legitimized.

And you leftist wonder why no one reads your books, listens to your radio programs or watches your shallow TV programs on msnbc. DUH !!! It's because of drivel like Harrop's column, connecting dots that no one sees except those in their dark liberal caves. Get out in the light a little, Froma. It won't hurt. Oh,& did you forget about all of the vitriol which was clear & unmistakdably directed at Geo. Bush from you & a host of other liberal mouthpieces. Where were you when that great leftist movie portraying an assination of Pres. Bush was produced & distributed . You & many others who have tried to prove your insane premise have failed to report that this unfortunate young man also complained about someone having attempted to give him a bible when he tried to enlist. Hmmmm? It is much less of a stretch to believe that he stalked & targeted the congresswoman exactly because she was a blue-dog democrat & wasnt' nearly as far left as he wished her to be, although I don't believe that either. By all evidence to date he simply appears to be a very disturbed & sad individual who clearly needed help he did not receive . Virtually every column you write confirms your weak journalistic skills........don't let the facts stand in the way of a potential opportunity to write a great political hack job.

This article is exactly the kind of vigtriole that the rest of the media is trying to say caused the shootings in the first place.

The article does nothing to help, just adds more blame game rhetoric.

Why not write something that could help bring the parties together and establish a new environment of collaboration and cooperation?

Ha! I'm sorry to say, I dont expect that ever from this lefty loony.