Arizona Congresswoman Shot in the Head at Public Event

[breadcatcher101]

I find it bad taste to bring politics into this shooting.

All the warning signs--we should have known, bla bla, some blaming Palin--oh come on! Really.

What about the ones who killed in a like methods who were always very meek and kind-hearted, "would never hurt a fly" types?

In short, you never know, but for every killing like this the other millions of gun owners that day did not kill, very responsible people.

More lives have been saved by defensive actions than by the few who die at the hands of thugs.

I speak from experience, a firearm saved my wife's and my life once. Four thugs against the two of us. They were so messed up they didn't even notice the 45 in my hand. After I was struck with a 2x2 upside the head I fired once, downing him and the others hauled butt.

A firearm is a simple tool like the human hand. It can be used to caress, to show tenderness, or balled into a fist used to inflict pain.

I feel for the dead, but am glad to hear of the congresswomans recovery.

[Aramike]

A suggestion? Those of us wishing to discuss the tragedy without speculation, politics, etc. simply do so and ignore those who wish to insert their agenda.

I, for one, can't recall a day in which I haven't had Giffords and her family in my thoughts as far as hoping for a speedy recovery. I honestly think often of her husband and cannot imagine the depths of his despair to have that which is the most important fixture in his life yank towards the brink for no reason other than the unaided mental dereliction of a random man who became obsessed.

Furthermore I mourn for a little girl who's birthday was marred with one of our nation's greatest tragedies and who ultimately became a symbol of how fragile and precious life really is.

Senseless violence can strike anyone at any time. As logical creatures we naturally attempt to apply logic and causality to it. But in that we forget that sometimes things happen with explainations we cannot logically comprehend, because the very act is illogical.

Human sense does not apply to the senseless. While all things are causally related, human social structures and behaviors, within the spectrum of human reasoning, do not necessarily follow that rule.

When it is all said and done, hopefully if you learn one lesson it is this: We all have a choice to make. It's the choice between being able to rise above our opinions, political dispensations, social passions, etc, and acknowledging and uniting within tragedy, or regressing to such opinions and passions in an attempt to explain it away.

Who do you want to be?

[Hottentot]

At least the left in this thread had decency to quit the sermons when they were asked to stop. Seriously, I'm starting to believe that my previous sarcastic comment is actually some sort of sad reality to the select few people in- and outside this thread.

[Gerald]

As Steve has said, so is this thread about a tragedy which has hit, Gifford her family and others who have been injured, and those who died after a madman had totally tracked out, let it stay THERE, and not be drawn into other political angles and arguments that do not belong here, and in some cases, the frontier of personal attacks which is mediated can be read if you look closely at the content of the thread, and this, of course, all GT's threads on this forum, show respect by what you have to intend to post.

[DarkFish]

Originally Posted by breadcatcher101

I find it bad taste to bring politics into this shooting.

Then why do you do exactly that in the rest of your post?

[Gerald]

TUCSON, Arizona – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords no longer needs a respirator after doctors replaced her breathing tube with a different one.

Hospital officials say that Giffords underwent surgery Saturday morning to have a tube inserted in her windpipe to protect her airways. She had been breathing on her own since she was shot in the head Jan. 8, but doctors had left the breathing tube in as a precaution.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/01/15...eathing-tube/#



Note: Update,record Published January 15, 2011

[tater]

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/14/132909...-service-study

The cynical part of me expects that since NPR did this story, they know something I don't. Being NPR, that something would be that the nut job's politics aren't "tea party." We'll see. (again, I personally think politics has squat to do with this crime, which is why even talking about "civility" was in fact a political attack.)

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by tater

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/14/132909...-service-study

The cynical part of me expects that since NPR did this story, they know something I don't. Being NPR, that something would be that the nut job's politics aren't "tea party." We'll see. (again, I personally think politics has squat to do with this crime, which is why even talking about "civility" was in fact a political attack.)

People don't live in a cultural vacuum. They are living in a cultural atmosphere that may be encouraging or containing to their already existing inherent motivation. Your living environment feeds back on you. If it is moderate, your drive to turn hot is slowed down. If it is hot, your kettle explodes even earlier.

[tater]

Hmmm, looks like the cynical part of my is of course right. After nearly a week of hearing about "civility" (the media-created "discussion" to paint the opposition as "hateful"), I start hearing on NPR the last few days stuff like the link I posted above (I listen to NPR every single morning). This morning, it was about people with dangerous (to themselves or others) mental illness, and how to spot it...

Why the change in narrative? Because the "civility" meme won't fly when it becomes more and more clear the guy is really just crazy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/us...gfYK5d56DmiDjg

He is a truther, hates Bush, the whole 9 yards. That in addition to his mental illness which has been abundantly clear since day one (and has been more clear every single day).

[Growler]

What bugs me about it is the fact that this nutjob is getting lots and lots of attention, both socially and politically, and by his actions - the actions of one clearly batshi- insane person - the freedoms of everyone else are being called into question.

One bugf- person's actions are being legitimized by the political reactionism that's arisen since the vent. And the most irritating part about it is the fact that, by and large, American people are nodding right along like idiot bobbleheads.

[Skybird]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews

The door maybe opened a small bit. It would be good for America if people and parties and politicians realise that they need to reunite again, and tone down the aggressiveness and vitriol the past two years have seen. They all have to move back towards the centre again, becasue it is the middle where the shared and common ground is to be found - not at the extremist poles. america has more than ernough serious probvlems and challenges. It does not need to paralyse itself additionally - by putting up these poles against each other, resulting in a deadlock, and a split in the population that is widening.