This was a political shooting. A deranged person would have just shot anybody at random. He aimed

[mfcorey1]

at and shot a duly elected member of the United States Congress. The talking heads can spin all they want to but the facts are the facts. Mentally unstable would have just chosen the people in the store. It is time to cut the crap or this kind of thing will continue.

[peacebird]

1. repubs have learned well that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes accepted as truth

They used it with weapons of mass destruction, mushroom clouds, health care death panels....

Why would they drop their winning strategy in favor of honesty?

[Lucinda]

2. True...by all accounts she was a deliberate target. He also shot a young girl

I don't see anything political in that. I see mental instability in that.

[CanonRay]

3. Spot on

a true deranged person would have shot up the Safeway, or the parking lot.

[malaise]

4. No they can't - officials have stated that Gabby GIffords was

the target. That is a fact they cannot deny.

[northernlights]

5. bullshit.

a mentally ill person doesn't shoot at random. They shoot at their delusion.

In this case, it may well have been a politically-motivated delusion.

It's not either/or. Suggestion: don't fight ignorance with more ignorance.

[mfcorey1]

6. Chill. I stand by my statement. Measure ignorance another way. nt

[upi402]

8. Because he was ill doesn't absolve the RW inciters to violence

Beck, Palin, Hannity, Savage, Sharon Angel, Bill-o, Rush... there are so many. This guy's lack of stability does not mean these haters are not culpable. They are fully aware of what they are doing.

[TBF]

9. The fact that he apologized on the internet before doing it shows

premeditation - this is not going down as "insanity".

[Strelnikov_]

11. Yep n/t

[HereSince1628]

14. Could you PM me a link to the study of the mentally ill's target choices?

There are so many mentally ill shootists that their target images have been studied and found to be their delusions?

I don't believe that that's true.

For all you good intent, you've over-generalized and too broadly extrapolated.

[Strelnikov_]

7. Appears he was unstable. Most assassins through history could be considered 'unstable'

Point is, with the discourse pushed by the Republican Party, demonize and divide, it is lighting a match under individuals like the shooter.

With everything Republican, if they spin one way, the truth is in other direction.

[stray cat]

10. mentally Unstable people can not be angry at an individual? Not true

The congresswoman was unable to answer his question at a meeting

[tekisui]

18. You think he just had the gun, and got mad because his question

went unanswered? You a digging an incredible hole for yourself.

[pacalo]

12. Oh my. Yes, a deranged person could single out someone as a target.

[pintobean]

13. Hinckley

[90-percent]

15. Speaking of Hinkley

I wonder if it will soon be discovered somewhere, that, like Hinkley, the Loughner family has a long standing relationship with the Bush family?

Just wondering. Pure left wing liberal delusional and unfounded speculation.

-90% Jimmy

[cali]

16. it's clear you know nothing whatsoever about mental illness. Nothing at all.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

17. Not necessarily true. Many mentally unstable people still function in society

while having some really warped ideas. My take at this point is that he seems more crackers than political.

Giffords was a SW Democrat. Pro gun, pro military, pro 1070, voted against Pelosi for Minority leader, but supported the President on health care reform, and was pro choice. If it was truly political, I could think of many others who would be targeted first.

For now I am waiting to see what comes and hope for the best for the wounded.

[justiceischeap]

19. She also supports gay-rights and is Jewish

If the reports that he was associated with American Renaissance, an anti-semite group, are true, then that too could be motivation.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

25. Even so, it would seem there were more left wing targets out there

Its one of the reasons I am tending to the crackers theory.

[Erose999]

20. He did shoot at other people though, right? Including a (R) Judge and a little girl.

I read one report that said something like 18 people were shot.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

24. I was somewhat surprised he did not take his own life

But crackers is as crackers does

[justiceischeap]

27. Maybe he planned on suicide by cop but was stopped before they got there (eom)

[slackmaster]

21. Yes, definitely political

By someone who took his politics and himself far, far too seriously.

[fascisthunter]

22. he was coached by right wingo media

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mopinko]

26. i don't think there is any evidence out there to support

your conjecture. if you can find any, please put up a link.

[unblock]

28. random shootings are rare. you usuallyneed to be both violently crazy/psychopathic AND have a target

the key is that responsible public figures should have the ethics and decency not to feed those delusions and anger or to paint targets on peoples' heads.


i'm still royally pissed at bernie shaw for asking the "what if kitty dukakis were raped" question. some people criticized it for the politics of it, how nasty it was to *michael* dukakis, but my problem with it was that it was horrendously irresponsible to plant that suggestion on live t.v.

fortunately, no harm ever came to kitty, but if she WERE raped after that but some crazy, we'd know who to blame.

there are some things that you just don't say on the air, and talking about hypothetical violent acts against named individuals is most definitely one of them.