by Benn Ray
In Arizona today, Jared Lee Laughner opened fire at a political rally hosted by politically moderate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He killed a number of people, wounded even more, and shot the Congresswoman in the head.
Here are some conservative sites' take on today's political assassinations:
"shooter appears to be a lunatic" (Weekly Standard)
"Bipartisan support pours in for victims" (Fox News)
You'll also see a lot of conservative news outlets (largely Fox News and their amplifiers) stressing that the target of today's shooting, the Democratic Congresswoman, was a "Blue Dog" Democrat.
Conservatives are quickly and aggressively already trying to frame a future discussion while the rest of us are still trying to get details about what happened and why.
When we hear "bipartisan outpouring", what we're supposed to believe is that the very same folks who have been saying "Don't retreat, reload", the same politicians who put their political opponents in gun sights, the same cranks who hold gun rallies, well, they are just as outraged and disturbed by today's shootings as the rest of sane America.
When we hear conservative commentators trying to dismiss Laughner's actions as merely those of a lunatic, they are trying to remove and distance themselves from any culpability.
And when we hear the echoing that the shot Congresswoman is a Blue Dog Democrat, conservatives want you to believe that it was really one of them who was attacked. Most likely by a liberal crackpot since he may or may not have once read the Communist Manifesto (along with Mein Kampf and numerous other books).
Giffords was a moderate Democrat. In Arizona. So to contextualize that, she'd be a liberal Democrat in most other states. And as for conservatives being just as upset about this as everyone else, well, condolences from the likes of Sarah Palin ("My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona. On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.") and outrage from John McCain ("Whoever did this; whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.") just feels more like cynical political posturing than honest emotion.
And as for the shooter being crazy, well, yeah. Just like people at healthcare townhalls who started shouting down people. Just like tea baggers at political rallies who stomp on womens' heads. Just like right to lifers who assassinate abortion doctors. Just like tea baggers.
But don't take my interpretation for the type of crazy Laughner is, here are his own words from a Youtube video he made. Sounds pretty fucking Ron Paul run-of-the-mill Tea Party nuts to me:
The majority of citizens in the United States of America have never read the United States of America's Constitution.
You don't have to accept the federalist laws.
Nonetheless, read the United States of America's Constitution to apprehend all of the current treasonous laws.
You're literate, listener?
The property owners and government officials are no longer in ownership of their land and laws from a revolution then the revolutionary's from the revolution are in control of the land and the laws.
The property owners and government officials are no longer in ownership of their land and laws from a revolution.
Thus, the revolutionary's from the revolution are in control of the land and laws.
In conclusion, reading the second United States Constitution, I can't trust the current government because of the ratifications: The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar.
No! I won't pay debt with a currency that's not backed by gold and silver!No! I won't trust in God!
What's government if words don't have meaning?
Pending any sort of shocker/surprise/twist. the way this will play out is that we have a politically motivated mass killing. The sort of thing many of us feared would be coming for a long time.
And, for the record, we had been warned by a Homeland Security study several years ago about this very sort of violence. And at the time, the same conservative voices that are trying to make us believe that they are just as outraged by the actions of this insane shooter who was, really, in a way, kind of sort of attacking them, well they were bemoaning that report as unfairly picking on them.
Anti-immigration: “Rightwing extremist groups’ frustration over a perceived lack of government action on illegal immigration has the potential to incite individuals or small groups toward violence. If such violence were to occur, it likely would be isolated, small-scale, and directed at specific immigration-related targets.”
Recruiting returning vets: “Rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat.”
Gun-related violence: “Heightened interest in legislation for tighter firearms...may be invigorating rightwing extremist activity, specifically the white supremacist and militia movements.”
"...the thing is that the way she [Palin] has it depicted, we're in the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they've got to realize that there are consequences to that action."
- Gabrielle Giffords
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
- Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik
Posted by: Dave Beaudouin | January 09, 2011 at 12:56 AM