Sunday Evening Open Thread

I think we are still all Arizona.

Glenn has a good WSJ column.

And as Byron York pointed out, if the Arizona gunman had shouted "Allahu Akhbar!" and left a YouTube manifesto proclaiming his intention to gun down a Congresswoman in pursuit of jiahd and in honor of Bin Laden, the media would stil be scratching its collective head as to his motivation.

But since he left jumbled lunatic ravings, they know Sarah Palin is to blame.

From which I infer what - that it is OK to categorize and demonize all right-wingers but not even extremist Muslims?  Puzzling.

Comments

[clarice]

Good points and Glenn's article is better than good. It is terrific. Just what needed to be said, IMO.

[Hrothgar]

It is only puzzling if you are capable of rational thought. If you are a lib, the sheer obviousness of the false but accurate rules move you right along to the correct conclusion.

[Rick Ballard]

Clarice,

I'm just hoping that it's Bill Daley coordinating the boomerang throwing. If it is, he's showing a lot of promise as the President's new chief of staff.

[Porchlight]

From which I infer what - that it is OK to categorize and demonize all right-wingers but not even extremist Muslims?

Let's see, people worldwide are afraid of angering one of those two groups because of the high likelihood of violent retribution.

And the other group is demonized worldwide, daily if not hourly, without any fear of retribution whatsoever.

That should tell the intelligent observer something.

[MayBee]

I can't do links on this computer, but he was a truther.] (via Hotair)

[Steve Diamond]

It's amazing to me that Reynolds et al do not see the irony: he and many here and over on No Quarter obfuscate the fact that right wing rhetoric influenced the particular shape of Loughner's murderous psychosis just as much as fundamentalism influenced Hasan's.

Yet the right - correctly in my view - saw Hasan's act as political.

Why is it blind to the obvious conclusion that however misshapen this killing spree, like the bombing of Timothy McVeigh, was political as well?

[Rick Ballard]

MayBee's link.

Anarcho-nihilist. Completely unwilling to distinguish between good and evil - but I betcha he was fascinated by The Matrix.

[MayBee]

Loughner:

"If the living space is able to maintain the crews life at a temperature of -454F then the human body is alive in the NASA Space Shuttle. The human body isn't alive in the NASA Space Shuttle. Thus, the living space isn't able to maintain the crews life at a temperature of -454F."

He was not influenced to kill by either right wing or left wing rhetoric. He was trapped in his own head, in a dangerous world, and something had to give.

[MayBee]

Thanks, Rick.

[Ignatz]

--he and many here and over on No Quarter obfuscate the fact that right wing rhetoric influenced the particular shape of Loughner's murderous psychosis just as much as fundamentalism influenced Hasan's--

SD,
What is the evidence for this "fact"?
If there is evidence for this "fact" is there not also evidence that he was influenced by left wing rhetoric at least as much and why do you neglect to mention that "fact"?

[Neo]

It is truly amazing how this tragic set of events has unleashed a political "Rorschach test" on our "unbiased" media

[Neo]

Juat like the sexual pervert shown a series of Rorschach ink blots and describing each in explict sexual terms then claims that he is no sexual pervert just because the tester has a bunch of dirty pictures ...

[MayBee]

SD- I just don't see any evidence that either facts or the rhetoric of others really penetrated Loughner's thoughts.

[Neo]

Mistrust of government was Loughner's defining conviction, the friends said. He believed the U.S. government was behind 9/11, and worried that governments were maneuvering to create a unified monetary system ("a New World Order currency" one friend said) so that social elites and bureaucrats could control the rest of the world.

OMG he is a "Troofer" !

[Stephanie]

Pennsylvania Rep. Robert Brady, a Democrat from Philadelphia, told CNN that he also plans to take legislative action. He will introduce a bill that would make it a crime for anyone to use language or symbols that could be seen as threatening or violent against a federal official, including a member of Congress.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47338.html#ixzz1Abovb8f9

Brought over from the other thread.

[Ann]

Does anyone remember the effigy resembling Sarah hanging by a noose?

Krugman

The point is that there’s room in a democracy for people who ridicule and denounce those who disagree with them; there isn’t any place for eliminationist rhetoric, for suggestions that those on the other side of a debate must be removed from that debate by whatever means necessary.

Just reporting things people forget .......

[caro]

Ann, that is a lot more clear than some register marks on a map. It certainly is "threatening and violent."

[daddy]

Nice one Ann,

Keep reminding us of how dishonest and hypocritical they are.

FWIW, Geraldo tonight said the Army reveals they rejected the murderer for Military Service, at least partly because he failed a drug test during his Military Physical. That was just last year.

So along with a passion for Mein Kampf and Karl Marx we can now add another thing to make him a standard Sarah Palin devotee---recent drug abuse.

Yep, sounds more and more like a typical Tea Party guy to me, and definitely not like anybody at all from the Left.

[daddy]

Wow,

That is a great editorial by Glenn Reynolds.

FWIW, Geraldo on FOX just talked to the lefty Tucson Sheriff and agreed with the Sheriff that they believe in Glenn's first option in slandering Sarah Palin:

(A) "asserting a connection between the "rhetoric" and the shooting, which based on evidence to date would be what we call a vicious lie."

Geraldo is one repulsive character, but somebody's got to watch the contemptible creep so it might as well be me. Ughh.

[Stephanie]

We are up to 6 inches of snow here. I took the ruler out and put it in the snow on the top of my car. The freezing rain looks to be about an hour away, but the snow is still coming down at a good clip.

I blame Sarah Palin. This weather pattern would never have happened if there wasn't a low parked over Alaska redirecting the polar steam forcing that cold air down here.

[daddy]

From MayBee's link:

"He believed the U.S. government was behind 9/11"

So let me correct my 01:31 post above.

It wasn't just his passion for Mein Kampf, Karl Marx, and drug abuse that makes him your typical Sarah Palin directed mass murderer, it was also his belief that the "U.S. government was behind 9/11."

Yet, put 'em all together and the picture of a typical Tea Party Zealot and Rush Limbaugh "dittohead" just get's clearer and clearer.

[daddy]

If there is a silver lining to this sad episode it is that we have seen on full display the naked dishonesty of the Left.

This was an opportunity for the Left mass media of this nation to deal with an horrific tragedy honestly, openly, and fairly. Instead they deliberately choose to engage in slime campaigns against their perceived enemies. Given an opportunity to be decent, they squandered it in partisan slander and fully descended into the journalistic gutter. Whether Krugman, CNN, NPR, KOS, The NYTimes, The WaPo, ABC, NBC, Politico, HuffPo, etc...take your pick. Toss a dart anywhere on the dartboard of the Left Media these last 40 hours and you'll hit slanted spokesmen and slanted stories of this episode that are despicable, disgusting, and disingenuous.

It is a sad picture of sadly dishonest Journalistic partisans, but to see it so openly is valuable. This should double our resolve to fight any effort designed to limit citizen's speech or to give even more power to the Left wing media's ability to control the political narrative in this country. We depend not just on a free but on a fair press to be the watch dog of this Republic, and this weekend the Left wing Media in the country proved they are not up to the job.

[Stephanie]

Well, I don't see it let's try again.

The bench in my front yard.

[Stephanie]

And that bench is under my oak and holly trees. The car in the driveway has about 5 - 6 inches of snow on the roof.

[daddy]

Ann,

Here's a few others:

1) ">http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e-VvZBIiyV0/S6uba3pei1I/AAAAAAAABlc/FrZ2Zo8k9YA/s1600/headshotringo.jpg"> Shoot Bush In The Head.

2) ">http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m20/hutch123/bushwhacker.jpg"> Cut Off Bush's Head

3) ">http://southdakotapolitics.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8341c046f53ef0133ec403a23970b-pi"> Hang Bush-Hitler

4) ">http://www.black-and-right.com/wp-content/uploads/kill_bush1.jpg"> Kill Bush

That took about 5 minutes googling. Thousands more where they came from.

So Ann, who do ya' want next? Kill Cheney? Kill McCain? Kill Tom Delay? Kill Rumsfeld? Kill Palin (Oops, sorry, the folks worried about incivility in Political Discourse already hung her above--my mistake). Kill Rush? Kill Newt? Kill Reagan? Kill Clarence Thomas? Kill...

Ya' know, perhaps it would be easier to try to name a "Conservative" that nobody on the Left has suggested needs murdering.

Fer instance, Kill David Gergen---now that might take some googling!

[daddy]

Stephanie,

I've got a nice snow blowing machine. Holler if you need me to Fedex it to you:)

[Stephanie]

Ha! I'd need a snow machine to get to the top of the hill so Fedex could reach me. ;)

It's still snowing, BTW and the freezing rain is doing an admirable job of staying just south. Fingers crossed.

The freeways are an absolute mess with cars abandoned in the two right lanes and both medians. Wrecks everywhere.

[Paul Zrimsek]

Listmakers, don't forget this little number.

[Doublethink.]

Hah, hah, Paul. I just read the two editorial reviews. Were they talking about the same book?
===========

[Sears Poncho]

he and many here and over on No Quarter obfuscate the fact that right wing rhetoric influenced the particular shape of Loughner's murderous psychosis just as much as fundamentalism influenced Hasan's.

That's quite an assertion. Care to demonstrate how right wing rhetoric is directly attributable and not, say, the statement by the current president about bringing a gun to a knife fight?

[Cecil Turner]

Well, this from a since-scrubbed KOS-kid diary is interesting:

"I am from the Tucson area and live in Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' district," BoyBlue wrote. "Today, just a little while ago, I saw on Andrea Mitchell Reports that Giffords voted against Nancy Pelosi as our minority leader. … Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is dead to me now."

I was wondering yesterday why any activist would pick Giffords out for special treatment, given her focus-group-tested-middle-of-the road political views on most hot-button issues. And here we have another Tucson area leftist weirdo with a (semi-legit) rant against her only two days before the shooting. That makes a whole lot more sense than some disappointment over a meaningless health care non-vote.

[Cecil Turner]

Details emerge about Loughner's previous interactions with Giffords and mental issues. This bit was interesting:

Investigators found a letter from the congresswoman in a safe at the house where Loughner lived with his parents, thanking him for attending a similar 2007 event, according to court documents released Sunday.

"Also recovered in the safe was an envelope with handwriting on the envelope stating 'I planned ahead,' and 'my assassination' and the name 'Giffords,' along with what appears to be Loughner's signature," the affidavit states.

Meanwhile, the guy who was an unnamed "person of interest" in the early reports turned out to be a cab driver, which pretty much rules out a conspiracy theory.

[bunkerbuster]

The Annals of Naked Denial
Glenn Reynolds edition:
Reynolds writes:
``Shortly after November's electoral defeat for the Democrats, pollster Mark Penn appeared on Chris Matthews's TV show and remarked that what President Obama needed to reconnect with the American people was another Oklahoma City bombing.’’
Penn didn't say that. Not even close. The subject of the show was “Can Obama pull a Clinton.” Penn talks about how the McVeigh bombing became a turning point for Clinton and then says: ``Obama not only needs to say the right things, but he needs the right moment to say them... Something like the kind of moment Oklahoma City provided for Clinton.''
Clearly, Penn’s point is that Obama can’t merely talk his way out of his political doldroms, he needs some events to break his way. To bend that into a suggestion that Obama “needs another Oklahoma City bombing’’ is vicious, yet clumsy, propaganda at its worst.

Instabullshit: ``To judge from the reaction to Saturday's tragic shootings in Arizona, many on the left (and in the press) agree, and for a while hoped that Jared Lee Loughner's killing spree might fill the bill.’’
You’d think someone published in the Wall Street Journal would at least have enough intelligence to understand why you shouldn’t lead an attack on blind, scurrilous allegations with a blind, scurrilous allegation. But no, Reynolds apparently believes his readers are so stupid they won’t pick up the obvious hypocrisy. ``Many on the left’’ – and who would that be? If you can’t name names in the lead, it should occur to you that you’re spreading manure, but Reynolds is oblivious, apparently, inured to the aroma. He follows with more of the same, eg “pundits and reporters seemed to agree that the massacre had to be the fault of the tea party movement..’’ Again, no names, just scurrilous characterization, along with the red flag word “seemed.” What kind of pussy journalist resorts to that kind of puissant allegation? He later cites Paul Krugman, but doesn’t suggest he’s part of the “many on the left” who think Obama needs an Oklahoma City to regain popularity, apparently, Krugman is just another handy villain lefty to take out of context.
``Blood libel” indeed, Reynolds is just too stupid to realize he’s stepping right into the doo doo, rather than flinging it back at liberals.
Instabullshit asserts:
``If you're using this event to criticize the "rhetoric" of Mrs. Palin or others with whom you disagree, then you're either: (a) asserting a connection between the "rhetoric" and the shooting, which based on evidence to date would be what we call a vicious lie; or (b) you're not, in which case you're just seizing on a tragedy to try to score unrelated political points, which is contemptible. Which is it?’’
But Krugman doesn’t criticize Palin’s rhetoric, in general. He very specifically targets eliminationist rhetoric from several sources, and he cites names and gives examples, unlike the chickenshit dunce Reynolds. Krugman never attempts to make the case that the assassin was motivated by something Palin said. Rather, his point from the very beginning is that no one should be surprised that things like this happen. Instamoron’s claim that it’s “contemptible” to score political points from a tragedy is a shoo in for the clearest condemnation of the right’s post-9-11 politics ever to slip from the mouth of a welfare wingnut. Indentity conservatives are STILL milking 9-11 for political points. More important, the political points Krugman makes are not unrelated to the shooting, even if the shooter wasn’t motivated by Palin’s rhetoric.

Instaidiot barfs: ``But those who purport to care about the health of our political community demonstrate precious little actual concern for America's political well-being when they seize on any pretext, however flimsy, to call their political opponents accomplices to murder.’’
Again, Reynold’s uses the same tired propaganda technique of blurring any distinctions between opponents and fringe elements. Krugman’s point is not that mainstream Republicans are spewing eliminationist rhetoric. His point is that they’ve tolerated it. That hardly constitutes accusing them of being “accomplices to murder.’’
What is it with wingnuts, you leave a shoe lying around with the words, racist or moron or terrorist on it and they just can’t help but try it on, then shout at the top of their lungs that it doesn’t fit. It says it all that they can’t just walk by the shoe, saying (and thinking), that couldn’t possibly be mine, it says racist moron murderer on it.

[hit and run]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAAAAAARRRRRRROOOOOOO!!!!!!

[Extraneus]

No way that was the real Steve Diamond.

[Rob Crawford]

Bubu, no one wants to put up with your shit this week.

[Janet]

and then there was the arson at Sarah Palin's church. Where was the outrage then?

[Extraneus]

Cecil makes the most sense: She voted against Pelosi, and that inflamed a lot of libs. This nut was just the first to snap.

There are probably others just as angry as him. Law enforcement should be focusing on the facts and not lib fantasies, or they might get someone else killed.

[Porchlight]

Why is it blind to the obvious conclusion that however misshapen this killing spree, like the bombing of Timothy McVeigh, was political as well?

Loughner's obsession with Giffords, which dates back at least to 2007 according to the most recent reports, pre-dates the nation's introduction to Sarah Palin, Obama's election, the Tea Party, and Obamacare.

And the evidence is quickly mounting that if anything, this guy was left-leaning, not right-leaning.

So go ahead, make it political, if you insist.

[Extraneus]

I meant "others just as angry as Loughner," of course. I know Cecil probably isn't angry about the Pelosi vote.

[centralcal]

Happy Birthday, Caro!

[Janet]

Yeah, Happy Birthday, Caro!

[Extraneus]

In fact, now that I think of it, all 19 of those Democrat Representatives who voted against Pelosi for Speaker should get 24 hr protection immediately. This is not some political fantasy we're dealing with here, it's a serious security matter.

[Extraneus]

HB, Caro!

[Janet]

Loughner also dabbled in the occult. via Drudge

[Porchlight]

Happy Birthday Caro!

[jimmyk]

I hadn't been aware until looking at Tim Blair's site that Giffords is Jewish. According to one article, she was raised "mixed" (father Jewish, mother not) but since a trip to Israel in 2001 had opted for Judaism. No doubt this was part of the maniac's "motivation."

[BobDenver]

What is Jared Loughner's religion, if any? I know Jared is a name with Hebrew roots, and I actually have never met a Jared who was not Jewish, at least by heritage.

[clarice]

Happy Birthday, Caro. I you're in Utah and reading this right now, you're up too early.

[Old Lurker]

HB Caro!

[Rob Crawford]

From which I infer what - that it is OK to categorize and demonize all right-wingers but not even extremist Muslims? Puzzling.

The left sees "right-wingers" as their political opponents, thus deathly enemies to be defeated at all cost. They see extremist Muslims as little better than animals to be used as necessary, then put down once no longer useful.

[Paul Zrimsek]

The not-usually-this-jerky Steve Diamond is pushing a choice between false alternatives. Denying that Jared Loughner's political obsessions happen to dovetail with Keith Olbermann's political obsessions is not at all the same thing as denying that the assassination was political. From what I've heard about the kid so far, he sounds more like someone who listens to too much Muse than someone who listens to too much Glenn Beck.

[Cecil Turner]

I meant "others just as angry as Loughner," of course. I know Cecil probably isn't angry about the Pelosi vote.

Yeah, I found it rather amusing. In fact I remember reading this story a few days ago, and was a bit nonplussed by it:

But what was noteworthy was that 19 Democrats voted for candidates other than Nancy Pelosi, the outgoing speaker and now the minority leader.

[. . .]

The biggest surprise, at least to me? Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona not voting for Pelosi (she picked Lewis).

I didn't think that was all that noteworthy (considering Pelosi led the Democrats to an historic shellacking), but apparently party unity is near-perfect in these votes and it was considered important in some venues. I didn't notice the Giffords paragraph at all, until today, but apparently that was remarkable. Not much else she did was. And I'd note this update, which at least allows for the possibility of the simplest explanation:

The Internet and the Twitterworld have been filled with speculation on why she was shot: that she was too liberal and was shot by a Tea Party conservative. Or that she was too moderate and shot by someone on the left. [emphasis added]

But we shouldn't speculate, of course (especially if there's a competing narrative to the rather ridiculous Tea Party one).

[Porchlight]

Best take I've read yet, from Andrew Klavan at City Journal:

The Hateful Left

Can't find a suitable excerpt because it's too good to chop up.

[Janet]

Great Klavan link, Porchlight. Thank you.

[Janet]

Wasilla Bible Church Dec. 12, 2008-

[Porchlight]

The not-usually-this-jerky Steve Diamond is pushing a choice between false alternatives.

Possibly not the same guy? At any rate (though OT) the "real" Steve Diamond does have an interesting post on Bill Daley at his new (not King Harvest) blog.

Liberals "dazed and confused" by Obama's Daley appointment

[Porchlight]

Welcome, Janet. And thanks for the timely reminders re: Palin. IIRC neither the hanging-in-effigy nor the arson at her church got much press. What a surprise!

[Danube of Thought]

This guy is 22 years old. How many of his "favorite books" do you believe he has read? How many of them have you read? How many had you read by age 22?

I think we should offer some sort of prize to the first "journalist" who raises this issue. I expect it would go unclaimed.

[jwest]

The most infuriating aspect of this whole story is the contemptible action of the media.

In any tragedy, people naturally want to know “why?”. The MSM is actively pushing their answer – harsh rhetoric from the right and Sarah Palin. Although a person who actually knew Loughner tweeted that he was “radically left”, that fact received scant mention throughout the wall-to-wall coverage of the networks.

Caitie Parker, Loughner’s classmate through high school and community college, along with being a fellow band member, should have been the premier guest on all the Sunday news shows. Instead of insight into the mind of a person who would commit such a crime, we received insipid dribble from people barely versed in the basics of the situation.

Imagine for a moment if Ms. Parker had tweeted that he was a Tea Party member who adored Sarah Palin. I have no doubts that the networks would have scrambled their corporate jets to fly her to a waiting suite at the Four Seasons for a week-long series of interviews – to help the public better understand what drove a promising young man to commit murder, after being influenced by right-wing hate speech.

How do these media people live with themselves?

[Rob Crawford]

How do these media people live with themselves?

The do so by enjoying the rewards of being the lick-spittles of the powerful. They live in relative luxury, never have to worry about the repercussions of their errors; the sole competitive pressure they feel is from other talking-heads as they all race to see how furiously they can fellate the powerful before they get "too old" to be a Star.

[Jack is Back!]

I don't remember Beck, Rush or Palin using this clever device to make their political point but it seems this goes beyond "rhetoric and vtriol". And by the way Cleo and Bubu, can you name the party? LUN

[MayBee]

Happy birthday, Caro!!!!

[Army of Davids]

Flipping to MSNBC this AM....Mike Allen of Politico seems to want to link Sarah Palin to the shooting. Calling it an opportunity for leadership.

An admirer or Mein Kampf and the Commmunist Manifesto...this guy was all over the place.

I'm not a psychologist... but he shows signs/symptoms of schizophrenia.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

If there is a silver lining to this sad episode it is that we have seen on full display the naked dishonesty of the Left.

It will be fascinating to see if this plays out to the benefit of the left or the right.

Given Brady's proposed legislation making it against the law to say mean things about our elected officials. I'm investing in a crown factory, because that can't be far off.

Caro - Happy birthday! My present to you is not calling this early to wake you up!!

[Sue]

The left has become unhinged.

[Rob Crawford]

An admirer or Mein Kampf and the Commmunist Manifesto...this guy was all over the place.

From Socialist to Socialist is not "all over the place".

He was insane, and before he was insane, he was a lefty.

[Rick Ballard]

Has anyone interviewed Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn for their insight, as the President's mentors, on the matter?

[Janet]

Helen Thomas gets a new job writing for a little lib. paper in Falls Church. The Falls Church News-Press.

Falls Church is the home of the Dar Al-Hijrah islamic center. I has ties to two (I think - one article says 3) 9-11 hijackers, Maj. Hasan, and Anwar al-Aulaqi. Our own little Dearborn area here in VA.
Maybe she'll really help that little paper's circulation.

[Rob Crawford]

Given Brady's proposed legislation making it against the law to say mean things about our elected officials. I'm investing in a crown factory, because that can't be far off.

Well, if we're going that route, can we at least organize things the way the medieval recreation group the Society for Creative Anachronism does? They pick a "king" by having people beat each other with sticks until there's just one guy left.

(More or less.)

[rse]

Thanks for the Diamond link Porch.

Happy Birthday Caro from the snow covered capital of the South.

Stephanie and I may have to start a bet on how many days it will take to get the school buses back out.

[Danube of Thought]

"Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) reportedly plans to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress."

So this clown wants to take us from "clear and present danger" to "could be perceived as."

What should we expect to hear from the ACLU?

[MoodyBlu]

http://michellemalkin.com/>Michele Malkin has compiled a recent history of of the left's rhetoric and actions.

Another fantastic read is from Dana Loesch about http://bigjournalism.com/dloesch/2011/01/09/the-difference-between-purveyor-symbols-and-crosshairs/>Crosshairs.

[Danube of Thought]

Those crosshairs on Palin's map are the only ones i've ever seen that extend beyond the outer shell of the scope.

[jimmyk]

"language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence"

There's that darn passive voice again. I wonder whose perception will dictate? Maybe Ellen Weiss (formerly of NPR) could do it, I understand she's looking for a job.

Re the passive voice, I'll note the article on the late Alfred Kahn in yesterday's NY T***s:

“The passive voice is wildly overused in government writing,” Mr. Kahn’s memo to his Civil Aeronautics Board staff continued. “Typically its purpose is to conceal information — one is less likely to be jailed if one says, ‘He was hit by a stone,’ than if he says, ‘I hit him with a stone,’” he wrote, adding that “The active voice is far more forthright, direct, humane.”

Though written long before the Internet age, the memo immediately went viral. It was published verbatim in The Washington Post, which also praised it in an accompanying editorial. It generated a marriage proposal from a Boston Globe columnist, who gushed: “Alfred Kahn, I love you. I know you’re in your late 50s and are married, but let’s run away together.”

[Jack is Back!]

Now that we know the dangers to public figures from heated rhetoric and violent displays, does Sarah Palin have to fear Chad Michael Morrisette of West Hollywood, California? He is the jerk who thought it was cool and fun to hang the effigy of Palin from his home for a Halloween stunt. Ann has the picture above. Shouldn't Congressman Brady and the overly-reactionary press demand that Morrisette be subject to psychological evaluation and if necessary be confined to St. Elizabeth's or its equivalent in West Hollywood? And how about that creepy stalker disguised as a writer, Joe McInnis, shouldn't they do a deep background on his motives and interests? Does he have a gun? Is he prone to violence?

How about the over-the-top rhetoric that comes from Andrew Sullivan regarding the Palin family or that of David Letterman. Does any of that rise to the level of what Jared Loughner posted on his YouTube or MyLife sites? It seems that the more lunatic or deranged your writings and speech they far outweigh the clear and precise language Sullivan and Letterman employ as "vitriol".

[Bill in AZ sez it's time for Zero to resign]

Speaking of vitriol, here is AZ's EspressoPundit with some interesting perspective on a peaceful dem protest a few hours before the shooting. Note the Hitler poster with, as EspressoPundit says: "I think the spray on the exit wound is an especially macabre touch."

And... in stupid headlines of the day, and I doubt this will even be a contender by the end of the day: from Yahoo News Top Stories "Sheriff says Ariz. rampage suspect not cooperating". Pima County Sheriff DipStick has already contaminated this case with inflamatory and devoid of facts rhetoric in several news conferences. Why should this dude cooperate? With this idiot "investigating", how long until he "finds" a box of Beck, O'Reilly, Palin books in this guys house.

[Charly Copeland]

Fuck Caro and let Stephanie stick that bench up her ass.

You people have already forgiven yourselves and moved on.

Craven excuses for humanity

[Dave (in MA)]

This incident and its aftermath shows clearly that while the ballerina may have returned to Beirut by the Lake, his famous mantra is still the left's marching orders.

[maryrose]

Happy Birthday Caro!
The minute I saw the news on saturday I knew the Left would get their knives out with a vengence. They need to change the subject after their complete rejection by the american people in November. I predict Oehlbermann and Matthews will be unwatchable in the near future, to say nothing of Madcow.Sarah Palin is their go-to scapegoat but having met her during the 2008 campaign They have much to fear from her prescence and influence on voters.

[Janet]

via Instapundit -
The Underpants Gnomes' Theory of the Arizona Shootings

"Phase 1: Sarah Palin publishes a map.
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: Gunfire.

Really, at the end of the day, they have nothing more than this to make their case that Palin is responsible for the shootings."

The original idea....

[clarice]

I posted this on the other thread. Write Foxand let them have it.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/01/028109.php

[Jim Ryan]

Cranky, Charly. All out of weed this morning?

[Rob Crawford]

'Cleo appears to have woken up with a ringing hangover.

[Ignatz]

--Fuck Caro and let Stephanie stick that bench up her ass.--

Has anyone cleo accused of contributing to the "tone" of political discourse ever said anything as threatening or vile as he does everyday?

[Rob Crawford]

BTW -- we have nothing to "forgive" ourselves for; we didn't do anything.

[Rob Crawford]

Ah, but Ignatz, 'cleo is one of the Anointed. His vitriol is enlightened.

[Ignatz]

Special for Hit and Run; I found this pic on the web of an identical saw to the one I got, although the bar may be a bit longer.
Imagine the mayhem that would ensue were hit to get a hold of this puppy.

A reminder, that isn't me behind the saw.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Ig-

If you used crumbling narratives as a pillow every night while passing out, like Leopold, you might be a bit cranky in the morning too.

[Captain Hate]

So Cleo Loughner woke up with a raging hangover and is lashing out? Given how that substance abusing mental case was sock-puppeting Jane yesterday I'll wait for Professor Diamond (who usually LUNs his site in his posts) to respond to the requests for followup to see if that was really him.

And the other troll, a known liar and idiot, is accusing Glenn Reynolds of making quotes up? Hmmmm, who should I believe?

Happy birthday, Caro.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Oh, yes, Thank you Cap'n, I was being rude.

Happy Birthday Caro!

[Porchlight]

Cleo only posts on bad days for the left.

Last night must have been a doozy!

[Ranger]

I wonder why Bubu posted his critique here, rather than just e-mailing it to Prof. Reynolds? Instapudint reads pretty much all his e-mail, and even posts those he finds amusing or insightful. Perhapse Bubu was too afraid to send his comments to Prof. Reynolds directly, as it probably would have been left uncommented. A crushing blow given how much time and effort Bubu put into an idea that woudln't even earn an F on a 1L case note.

And if Bubu is wondering why his paper wouldn't even be graded, its because he didn't even do the basic research required. Before the bodies were even cold a "Democratic operative" was telling Politico: “They need to deftly pin this on the tea partiers...”

[narciso]

Meanwhile our esteemed SEcretary of State is using the Giffords shooting as a teaching moment in Dubai, home of Dupnik's long lost
twin, Inspector Thanim.

[caro]

Hit, you devil. I had forgotten!

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. You,too,Charly.

[narciso]

Oh,Happy birthday, Caro.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Why is it blind to the obvious conclusion that however misshapen this killing spree, like the bombing of Timothy McVeigh, was political as well?

I don't think anyone is blind to the possibility, Steve. On the other hand it looks more and more like JL was frankly schizophrenic, and that his primary motivation was deranged brain chemistry.

But assume it was political. Everything we know about JL's politics says he was basically on the left before he was merely nonlinear. His grudge against Giffords appears to have originated in 2007, before Palin or Tea Parties, and Giffords had already been identified as an unacceptable Democrat by the Kos wing of the party. No reason to connect the shooting to Palin. Yet Palin seems to be the target -- oooh, I said a naughty word -- of the general furor.

What we've seen in 36 hours of "Palin has blood on her hands", followed by prim resolutions that "everyone" should tone down the rhetoric, and implicitly also stop pointing out that the rhetoric has been heated elsewhere.

So yeah, it's possible that there might have been a political aspect to JL's actions. It's pretty damn certain that there's been a political motivation to the followups.

[Dave (in MA)]

Ranger, Bunny posted something? I hadn't noticed. Happy Birthday Caro!

[Charlie (Colorado)]

...never met a Jared who was not Jewish, at least by heritage.

It was actually popular among Christians in the 70's as an uncommon but Biblical name.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Cranky, Charly. All out of weed this morning?

It's worth recalling that the one instance of the specific spelling "Charly" was for a mentally-challenged man who couldn't remember how to spell his own name.