Posted by Tina
Rep Gabrielle Giffords was seriously wounded, several staff members were also shot as was a child in a shooting in Tucson today. The perpetrator was tackled by onlookers and is in custody. No motive was given so far…Rep. Giffords is in surgery.
“Congresswoman Giffords shot, badly wounded in Arizona” – Reuters
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) – A member of Congress from Arizona was shot and seriously wounded on Saturday and several people were killed by a man who opened fire at a meeting the politician was holding in Tucson.
Gabrielle Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat in her third term in the House of Representatives, was airlifted to a hospital in Tucson after being shot in the head at point-blank range at a Safeway supermarket in the Arizona city.
President Barack Obama, deploring the attack as an “unspeakable tragedy,” said in a statement that “while we are continuing to receive information, we know that some have passed away, and that Representative Giffords is gravely wounded.”
House Speaker John Boehner said in statement he was horrified by the attack on Giffords and members of her staff.“An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country,” Boehner said.
This is a despicable, senseless act. Our prayers go out to these families and for a full recovery for Mrs. Giffords.
I am trying to imagine the horror I would feel If someone called me and told me my granddaughter had been shot dead by a nutjob TEA partier who took Sarah Palin’s making this woman into a target seriously.
I certainly hope that is not the case.
Q: “I certainly hope that is not the case.”
It wasn’t.
Gotta echo Tina on this one. It sucks to see my fellow liberals, many of whom I respect, rush to political judgment on this issue. I have to admit my first suspicion was that this was an act of right-wing violence, and I can’t blame others for wondering that, but I do blame them for making themselves look stupid for loudly blaming Sarah Palin and the Tea Party for this lunatic’s acts. Looking at his postings, his political beliefs were simply too deranged and nonsensical to be called right or left. I still think the Tea Party has a problem with violent rhetoric and should tone it down a notch, but it seems totally unlikely that they had any influence whatsoever on this kid. To blame them for the deaths of six people, without any way to back that up, is horrendous.
Chris you are soooooo right! Excellent comments.