The Shameless Right: "Hate" America Strikes Again - In Memory of Gabrielle Giffords, John Roll, and the USA

At least six people died and at least a dozen were injured in the Saturday morning shooting at a Tucson, Ariz., grocery store parking lot, in which the gunman specifically targeted Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Pima County, Ariz. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said. Giffords was shot in the head, and the shooting continued until citizens tackled the suspected gunman, he said. The dead included John Roll, chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Arizona. Also killed was Gabe Zimmerman, 30, the congresswoman's director of community outreach, and a 9-year-old girl. Two other Giffords staffers were injured.

At a news conference Saturday night, a clearly emotional Dupnik, who has been close to both Giffords and Roll, repeatedly cited what he characterized as the "vitriol" that has infected political discourse. He said that his own state has become "the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been shot & several members of her staff have been injured only one day after she proposed a 5% pay cut for Congress on Fox News.

It's true that we've become a shameless nation since we've allowed the rightwingnuts to take over our government. We bomb innocent populations, expressly forbidden by the Geneva Conventions, from unmanned drones; brag that we are the only nation trustworthy enough to keep all of the other nations on earth in thrall to our every wish; and are moral enough to determine how everyone else should live. It's a real shame that such a grand bunch of inquisitors should be so easily exposed.

Giffords was one of only two Members (of the House of Representatives) targeted by Palin to escape defeat. Would it be so hard for this hellcat from Grifterville to admit that she was wrong, apologize and promise to stop inciting hate?

After reading the above post at Balloon Juice I could only think, "Apologize? Come on. Don't you know she's always the victim? Always being persecuted by the godless, horrible 'Liberals' who dominate the MSM and really run the country? (Who, of course, become the ultimate victims - along with the rest of the populace - of these so-called "moral people") We can only hope that this is the beginning of the end of hearing about her as a serious candidate for the Presidency again as the only thing that could possibly stop this nonsensical fantasy of the right wing might be that someone actually files suit against her for assault (stemming from her threats of violence against Harry Reid and others). (Although fat chance of that in a land where the worst are always given the slack and the best are shot at.) I've been trying to think of how to best address the latest attack and resultant revulsion our country has received at the hands of the right wing, and just cannot find it in my heart to say anything very kind or understanding about the violence of those with ready guns for their enemies and/or people who are uninformed, misinformed, confused or mentally debilitated (who are legally packing). I don't really want to respond that way anyway, and as there are tons of right-wing trolls already attacking many a "liberal" blog with lies and bluster about both sides being guilty equally of murder, arson, etc., of their foes, I'm glad I haven't. If the right-wing troll attack continues, I'm sure that soon we'll be assured by someone on the Faux Snooze channels that the shooter was a liberal in favor of immigration who disliked Rep. Giffords because she was too much of a Blue Dog. Which would be funny if it were not their way of muddying the waters of thought since Ronnie Raygun's fantasies of how he was in Europe with the troops as they first entered one of the concentration camps when he actually never budged from a Hollywood back lot. Right. And no one in the MSM ever mentions this paragon of original right-wing non-think as a known, committed liar for the cause. Giffords herself observed in her efforts to tone down the negative rhetoric that:

“We’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list,” Ms. Giffords said last March. “But the thing is the way that she has it depicted has the cross hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they’ve got to realize there’s consequences to that.”

Ah, if there only were. From Rumproast we receive more informed opinion on the events leading up to this attack:

Giffords’ Palin-endorsed, Tea Party-backed opponent held a fund-raising event in which he invited supporters to “Get on Target for Victory in November Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly [sic — and sick].”

Whether or not they feel personally responsible and regardless of whether the shooter turns out to be motivated by anything other than personal demons, if they’re human beings, Palin and Kelly must’ve both experienced a Fisher King “oh shit” moment upon hearing the news.

The consciences of others should be touched as well — Palin-endorsed Senate candidate Sharron Angle for her irresponsible talk of “Second Amendment remedies.” Palin-endorsed Florida Congressman Allen West and his initial pick for chief of staff’s declaration that “if ballots don’t work, bullets will.”

Today, Gabrielle Giffords fights for her life, one of 19 victims of a political assassination that include a federal judge and 9-year old girl. The shooter is undoubtedly an insane man who acted on the murky motives of psychosis. Another time, another day, that may have been explanation enough. In 2011, it is not.

Over the next few days, conservatives will condemn these political assassinations in stentorian tones, repeating over and over that they do not condone violence. John "Hell No" Boehner, who must no doubt be pleased with the media stock photos of him and Giffords sharing a laugh, tells us that "Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society." (Apparently, those of us who are not public officials are out of luck.)

But that isn't the issue.

The question isn't whether conservatives condone murder. Few people do. But they have fomented it with their unveiled threats to water the the tree of liberty with blood of supposed tyrants; with their dark talk of a second civil war; with their wild accusations that anyone not like them is a dangerous socialist; with their portrayal of President Obama as a psychotic villain; with their threats and calls to arms; with their advocating the lynching of US senators; and with their use of rage and lies as a substitute for the honest debate that they cannot win. And for some, though the Susan Collinses and Olympia Snowes will deny it, it has come with their silent acquiescence to things that one hopes troubles them deeply.

And no matter how many graphics and pictures disappear mysteriously from right-wing sites, they know what they are responsible for. And that both sides are not guilty of the same level of hate let alone the actions springing therefrom. What they don't know (or want to know since they will never win another election if they admit to knowing) is how to stop being the forces that bring darkness upon us all. One more bit of insight can be gained here: Jared Lee Loughner and the Far Right. Wonder if he was home schooled (not that there's anything wrong with that)? Suzan _________________