cinnamitch
I’m old so shut up
I have no words
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704030704576070010694650214.html
A gunman shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, and a number of bystanders at an event outside a Safeway in Tucson, according to a local law enforcement official.
Local news reports and eyewitnesses said the congresswoman, who had just won a close reelection fight in November, had been shot in the head during a "Congress on Your Corner" event.
Two law enforcement officials confirmed that a federal judge was also shot at the scene and killed.
A spokesman for the University Medical Center in Tucson told CNN that Rep. Giffords is still in surgery. The Associated Press reported that an aide to the congresswoman was killed.
In all, local news reports say that over 12 people were shot. Police have taken the suspected shooter into custody, though no details were available on the suspect.
Ms. Giffords, 40 years old, was first elected to Congress in 2006 after serving several years in the Arizona state House and Senate. She married the space shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly in 2007.
President Barack Obama said in a statement that while many details remained unknown, Ms. Giffords had been "gravely wounded."
"What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers," he said.
"I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff," newly elected House Speaker John Boehner said. "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."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D, Calif.) called the shooting a "terrible act of violence" and "a national tragedy."
"This terrible act of violence is a national tragedy, and today is a very sad day for our country," she said.
Rep. Giffords was recruited to run for Congress in 2006 by Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff who was at the time head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Mr. Emanuel noted that she was shot while "doing the Congress on your corner" kind of event that he pioneered in his home district in Chicago and that he encouraged new Democratic lawmakers to do regularly when back home.
Rep. Giffords earned a reputation as a strong fundraiser and campaigner who was deeply engaged in Arizona's bitter immigration debate.
A member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, she won a tough reelection battle last fall against a Republican, Jesse Kelly, who was championed by many tea-party groups. She won the race by fewer than 4,000 votes.
Tea Party Nation, the group started by Tennessee lawyer Judson Phillips, put out a statement to its supporters decrying the shooting. "Congressman Giffords was a liberal, but that does not matter now. No one should be the victim of violence because of their political beliefs."
The statement went on to say that "no matter what the shooter's motivations where, the left is going to blame this on the Tea Party Movement."
The 8th District shares a 100-mile-long border with Mexico.
Ms. Giffords' district is overall politically moderate, represented for years by an openly gay, moderate Republican, Jim Kolbe, then by Ms. Giffords. But the GOP in southeastern Arizona is deeply divided. A moderate Republican hand-picked by Mr. Kolbe to succeed him after he retired in 2006 was beaten badly by Randy Graf, a staunch conservative who ran a strong, anti-immigration platform. He was in turn beaten badly by Ms. Giffords.
The pattern repeated itself in 2010. While Arizona Democrats were swamped in November, Ms. Giffords survived in large part because Republican primary voters picked the most conservative candidate to challenge her.
The district includes part of Tucson, but also large stretches of ranch lands stretching to the Mexico border, where anti-illegal-immigration sentiment runs strong. During the runup to the November election, the other Tucson representative, liberal Democrat Raul Grijalva, had his office vandalized.
Ms. Giffords' family owns tire stories in the area. She is Jewish
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704030704576070010694650214.html
A gunman shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, and a number of bystanders at an event outside a Safeway in Tucson, according to a local law enforcement official.
Local news reports and eyewitnesses said the congresswoman, who had just won a close reelection fight in November, had been shot in the head during a "Congress on Your Corner" event.
Two law enforcement officials confirmed that a federal judge was also shot at the scene and killed.
A spokesman for the University Medical Center in Tucson told CNN that Rep. Giffords is still in surgery. The Associated Press reported that an aide to the congresswoman was killed.
In all, local news reports say that over 12 people were shot. Police have taken the suspected shooter into custody, though no details were available on the suspect.
Ms. Giffords, 40 years old, was first elected to Congress in 2006 after serving several years in the Arizona state House and Senate. She married the space shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly in 2007.
President Barack Obama said in a statement that while many details remained unknown, Ms. Giffords had been "gravely wounded."
"What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers," he said.
"I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff," newly elected House Speaker John Boehner said. "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."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D, Calif.) called the shooting a "terrible act of violence" and "a national tragedy."
"This terrible act of violence is a national tragedy, and today is a very sad day for our country," she said.
Rep. Giffords was recruited to run for Congress in 2006 by Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff who was at the time head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Mr. Emanuel noted that she was shot while "doing the Congress on your corner" kind of event that he pioneered in his home district in Chicago and that he encouraged new Democratic lawmakers to do regularly when back home.
Rep. Giffords earned a reputation as a strong fundraiser and campaigner who was deeply engaged in Arizona's bitter immigration debate.
A member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, she won a tough reelection battle last fall against a Republican, Jesse Kelly, who was championed by many tea-party groups. She won the race by fewer than 4,000 votes.
Tea Party Nation, the group started by Tennessee lawyer Judson Phillips, put out a statement to its supporters decrying the shooting. "Congressman Giffords was a liberal, but that does not matter now. No one should be the victim of violence because of their political beliefs."
The statement went on to say that "no matter what the shooter's motivations where, the left is going to blame this on the Tea Party Movement."
The 8th District shares a 100-mile-long border with Mexico.
Ms. Giffords' district is overall politically moderate, represented for years by an openly gay, moderate Republican, Jim Kolbe, then by Ms. Giffords. But the GOP in southeastern Arizona is deeply divided. A moderate Republican hand-picked by Mr. Kolbe to succeed him after he retired in 2006 was beaten badly by Randy Graf, a staunch conservative who ran a strong, anti-immigration platform. He was in turn beaten badly by Ms. Giffords.
The pattern repeated itself in 2010. While Arizona Democrats were swamped in November, Ms. Giffords survived in large part because Republican primary voters picked the most conservative candidate to challenge her.
The district includes part of Tucson, but also large stretches of ranch lands stretching to the Mexico border, where anti-illegal-immigration sentiment runs strong. During the runup to the November election, the other Tucson representative, liberal Democrat Raul Grijalva, had his office vandalized.
Ms. Giffords' family owns tire stories in the area. She is Jewish
