Question for all regarding the Tucson tragedy

[Luminiferous]

Answer honestly, what was your initial thought when you heard the news of a Democratic congress woman being shot at a public appearance?
Disgruntled ex-employee?
Tea Party whackjob?
Anti Government Revolutionary?

I will be perfectly honest, first thought was "Oh shit. Someone has reacted to the current political division in the US. This whole Fox/Republicans Vs. The Dems/MSNBC has opened the gates to a deranged gun nut and they've decided to reload instead of retreat..

I've seen the bullshit everyday and have seen the scopes and the bulls eyes, heard the violent and "they're destroying America!" rhetoric from both sides. The parties and politicians have known what they are doing is inappropriate by what standards we try to portray ourselves as having to the rest of the world and so have we the people. Only now, since there have been deaths, especially that of a young child, it seems a few more people are actually finally saying "THIS NEEDS TO STOP" even though in the back of their minds they knew something was going to eventually happen if it kept up. It was the first thing I thought when hearing of the assassination attempt.

Then after hearing there were multiple victims and it included a 9 year old girl, I took a step back and remembered the Richard Jewel syndrome the country once suffered many years back and how wrong many were about a situation.
Too many times we jump to conclusions and the whole story is convoluted into a mess (like we have what we have now.) Too many media outlets now are trying to one up the other with the latest opinions and shit, when the official investigation is still very much new and they're not releasing a whole lot of info, so it leaves everyone of those same idiots to throw out their thoughts as fact and the shitslinging continues.
Blame being pointed without all the facts and as usual, assholes coming out of the woodwork who suddenly remember this idiot from 3, 5 and 10 years ago and they're filling every news channel they can for their 15 minutes.

Anyway, what were your first initial thoughts when you heard of the tragedy? Just curious at the different perspectives.

[lerxstcat]

I heard about the shootings and initially heard she kept her seat in a squeaker, and that she had been targeted by the Tea Party in that election.

So my initial impression was that it was a nut who was unhappy about the outcome of the election. Agreed that the very harsh rhetoric and the FOX News mantra that Democrats are destroying america came to mind. Such rhetoric has gotten way out of hand.

Granted a rational mind would not transfer rhetoric into action, but there are a LOT of nutcases in this country, and it seems that it's not too smart to incite them. With the righties' furiously asserting their free speech rights even in the wake of this though, I sort of wonder if wortking up the nutcases to act might not be a strategy. THEY don't have to do it, to get it done, if you know what I mean.

I say this because I see a lot of leftists saying the rhetoric needs to calm down, but rightists are if anything getting more belligerent about it. I am all about free speech, but there are times when you muzzle it to prevent something really bad from happening

[dtmfs]

In all honesty, Yeah I thought it was a whack job from the tea party, I think probably 90% of the country did.

[JakeYonkel]

I figured it was some sort of anti-government nut... no disrespect to the Congresswoman intended but she is not exactly a high-profile politician. I doubt anybody outside of Arizona had heard of her prior to Saturday.

[SeminiferousButtNoid]

I thought that a cabal of Greek shipping interests, Lyndon LaRouche, and former members of the Students For a Democratic Society had hired an assassin.

[Luminiferous]

You surprise me 'Noid..

I figured at least you'd believe it was part of the Judean's Peoples Front..

[vanitybinge]

My first thought was much like you said. I thought, "The camel's back is finally breaking. This may be the shot heard round the world". I also knew right away everyone would harp on the sympathy of the little girl and the woman, and forget all about the federal judge. That's Prime Time for you.
I expected more shootings, and I still do. But this particular politician isn't high profile enough to incite any kind of riot.

I admit I was thinking about this kind of thing all last year, and I'm not alone. Many politicians have been investing in bulletproof cars, and the number of death threats so far this year is reportedly triple.

[bane]

The same as most here: I thought some anti government kook snapped.

[WhiteHouseSubsAC]

I thought that a cabal of Greek shipping interests, Lyndon LaRouche, and former members of the Students For a Democratic Society had hired an assassin.

I did too. I still have my suspicions, quite honestly.

[johnk5150]

Answer honestly, what was your initial thought when you heard the news of a Democratic congress woman being shot at a public appearance?

I was thinking it's horrible people were killed and injured.

[CrouchingStonerHiddenBong]

I figured ZVD finally completely lost his shit.

[lerxstcat]

I figured ZVD finally completely lost his shit.

No, he saved that for Ron Reagan Jr. when he said his dad may have had Alzheimer's while in office.

He has Ron Sr.'s diaries, you know.... right next to his Bible, probably!

[Cliffenstein]

My first thought was that it was some crazy leftist person. I didn't think this was Republican, conservative or Tea Party in the least.

The only people who honestly thought it was some tea party person doing this are those who are so easily led by the liberal media and have absolutely no knowledge of or even true interest in history or the wisdom one gains when allowing themselves to be guided by history.

[CrouchingStonerHiddenBong]

Yes, because assuming that it was left leaning psycho makes way more sense than assuming it was a right wing psycho.

You're a fucking imbecile and an embarrassment to all multi-celled organisms.

[Cliffenstein]

Yes, because assuming that it was left leaning psycho makes way more sense than assuming it was a right wing psycho.

John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Leon Czolgosz, Lee Harvey Olswald, James Earl Ray, John Hinckley Jr...all avowed leftists or registered Democrats.

[Crazy Levi]

Yes, because assuming that it was left leaning psycho makes way more sense than assuming it was a right wing psycho.

John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Leon Czolgosz, Lee Harvey Olswald, James Earl Ray, John Hinckley Jr...all avowed leftists or registered Democrats.

Don't forget John Wayne Gacy! He was active in Democratic politics and even had his picture taken with Rosylyn Carter.

So glad Cliffstein is back. We can finally get back to some intelligent conversation around here.

[Cliffenstein]

I was referring to politically based shootings.

[Crazy Levi]

I was referring to politically based shootings.

Why stop there?

I'm pretty much sure all psychotic killers are democracts.

[CrouchingStonerHiddenBong]

You know, Cliffy's right - I'm sure all of the abortion clinic bombings were done by left-wing nutjobs too.

[Cliffenstein]

You know, Cliffy's right - I'm sure all of the abortion clinic bombings were done by left-wing nutjobs too.

Nope...very misguided Christians.

[Luminiferous]

My first thought was that it was some crazy leftist person. I didn't think this was Republican, conservative or Tea Party in the least.

The only people who honestly thought it was some tea party person doing this are those who are so easily led by the liberal media and have absolutely no knowledge of or even true interest in history or the wisdom one gains when allowing themselves to be guided by history.

I do appreciate the fact that Cliffy was able to spout his whole idea reply about the shooting without the effort of copy/pasting..

[bane]

You know, Cliffy's right - I'm sure all of the abortion clinic bombings were done by left-wing nutjobs too.

Nope...very misguided Christians.

I like how you left "right-wing" out of that statement.

[CrouchingStonerHiddenBong]

So when it's a registered democrat, it's their political leanings that determines fault - but when it's a rightwing nutjob doing the killing, it's their religious affiliation.

What a fucking maroon.

[Cliffenstein]

I like how you left "right-wing" out of that statement.

I have no idea if anyone who has ever bombed an abortion clinic was even interested in politics. Do you?

[bane]

I like how you left "right-wing" out of that statement.

I have no idea if anyone who has ever bombed an abortion clinic was even interested in politics. Do you?

Sure- Erick Robert Rudolph claimed political motives for the Atlanta Olympic bombing. He also blew up an abortion clinic or two.

[Crazy Levi]

I like how you left "right-wing" out of that statement.

I have no idea if anyone who has ever bombed an abortion clinic was even interested in politics. Do you?

Sure- Erick Robert Rudolph claimed political motives for the Atlanta Olympic bombing. He also blew up an abortion clinic or two.

Ted Bundy was a hardcore Republican.

Denis Rader, the Bind Torture Kill psycho, was a registered Republican politician. That's right, he won election to the office of dog catcher on the Republican ticket.

This is very troubling information. I'd say psycho killers are a bigger threat to the American populace than guys like Oswald and John Wilkes Booth.

Very troubling indeed. Could Cliffstein, in between remixing the sophmore LPs of acts like Trixter and Vixen, be out there slaughtering prostitutes and college coeds?

The facts speak for themselves.

[vlad]

Yes, because assuming that it was left leaning psycho makes way more sense than assuming it was a right wing psycho.

John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Leon Czolgosz, Lee Harvey Olswald, James Earl Ray, John Hinckley Jr...all avowed leftists or registered Democrats.

Oh for fuck's sake....John Wilkes Booth? You going back that far? Really? Because the Democrats (Dixiecrats for short) of the Cilvil War Era are exactly like the Democrats of today... If James Earl Ray was a Democrat, he was certainly more in the vain of Lester Maddox or Strom Thurmond, who, btw, jumped ship with his segregationist bullshit in tact, to the Republican party, which welcomed him with open arms. The 'Southern Strategy" and all that.

That reminds me of the statement made by someone here this past year that the Civil Rights act was passed despite the Democrats...well, until I posted the actual voting record. They didn't respond to that.

And is Lee Harvey Oswald different than Lee Harvey Oswald?

Hey! While I'm here, anyone hear about the bomb found along the parade route for MLK Day in Spokane, WA. The public city workers found it before it could be detonated by remote control.....don't you just hate those city workers sucking off the system?

[Cliffenstein]

The problem all you idiots have is that it was you and those like you who tried to blame Jared Loughner's actions on us.

You're a joke.

[vlad]

The problem all you idiots have is that it was you and those like you who tried to blame Jared Loughner's actions on us.

You're a joke.

Okey Dokey....so you're butthurt and lashing out. It's okay.{{{Cliffie}}}

[Crazy Levi]

The problem all you idiots have is that it was you and those like you who tried to blame Jared Loughner's actions on us.

You're a joke.

All of us idiots?

Please identify those of us who have blamed Jared Loughner's actions on you.