Saturday, January 08, 2011

American Taliban (or just another publicity-seeking militant wacko)

Arizona is the American version of Pakistan, where militant conservatives kill progressives for God. In Arizona (and other Red states) extremists kill for God and the GOP.

'U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and six others have died after a gunman opened fire at a public event on Saturday, Pima County sheriff's office in Arizona confirmed to National Public Radio.

A gunman ran up to Giffords, 40, and shot her in the head as she addressed supporters outside a Safeway grocery store, according to media reports.

...Giffords, 40, a Democrat, is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. She took office in January 2007, emphasizing issues such as immigration reform, embryonic stem-cell research, alternative energy sources and a higher minimum wage.'

Update: "MSNBC says a surgeon on the scene claims that Giffords is still alive, in critical condition."

PS: I should not have assumed the murderer killed for God.

91 comments :

Mister Ghost said...

Arizona is the American version of Pakistan, where militant conservatives kill progressives for God.

Muhannad does satire.

Who knew?

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I think the crazies are coming out of the woodwork right now. My thoughts are with her.

Muhannad said...

The Republican leader in the house was quick to condemn the crime: "I am horrified by this senseless attack," said House Speaker John Boehner. "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve."

I wonder if he will cry. Yesterday a Republican Congressman was heard saying that we shouldn't challenge the "mendacity" of Mr. Boehner and that Mr. Boehner and the Republican leadership have established their mendacity for years. I agree!

Mister Ghost said...

Lynnette,
People wig out all the time, but there's likely more of it occurring now, due to the stressful nature of present American society, poorly run by the worst President in history.

But, Muhannad jumped the gun, quite a bit, with his pronouncement, considering we don't even know who the shooter is or their motivation.

Any ways, Muqtada's back to his old tricks

Muhannad said...

I betchya he's a teabagger.

Muhannad said...

The shooter is probably one of those "constitutional fundamentalists" who loathes socialism (especially socialized healthcare) and may believe the government should not fund education. He is likely to be a fan of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

But Mister Ghost is correct. I do not know who the shooter is or what his motivation was.

Muhannad said...

The shooter is likely to be "pro-life" and for Gov. Jan Brewer's death panels at the same time.

C.H. said...

Muhannad,

No one even knows who the shooter is...it could be the grandson of James Von Brunn -- the nutjob who opened fire at the holocaust museum -- for all we know. He raved against Israel, President Bush, and the Iraq War -- hardly the type of person you are thinking of.

Iraqi Mojo said...

"The Arizona representative was among several members of Congress whose vote in favor of Obama's health care legislation sparked vandalism and threats by opponents of the bill.

Just a few hours after legislators - including Giffords - voted to approve Obama's controversial health care bill in March 2009, the front door of Giffords' office in Tuscon was smashed in by vandals.

Last August, Giffords aides called the police after a man dropped a gun at a similar town hall style event at a Safeway.

She was among at least 10 congressional Democrats who expressed concern about their personal security in the face of anonymous threats after voting in support of the health bill. Reps. Bart Stupak of Michigan, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, and Democratic congressional candidate Tom Periello of Virginia were among those receiving threatening messages related to their support of the bill."

C.H. said...

Also worth noting that a Bush appointed Federal Judge is among the dead in this rampage.

Iraqi Mojo said...

"James Wenneker von Brunn (July 11, 1920 – January 6, 2010) was a white supremacist and Holocaust denier who perpetrated the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting in Washington, D.C. on June 10, 2009.

...Von Brunn was a member of the now-defunct American Friends of the British National Party, a group that raised funds in the United States for the far right and "rights for whites" British National Party (BNP). The group had been addressed on at least two occasions by Nick Griffin, an ex-member of the British National Front and chairman of the BNP.[24] A BNP spokesperson claimed after the shooting that the party had "never heard of" von Brunn.[25]

In 2004 and 2005 he lived in Hayden Lake, Idaho, the town where Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi organization led by Richard Girnt Butler, was based until 2001.[13] He was living in Annapolis, Maryland at the time of the 2009 incident.[13]"

C.H. said...

Should add that he despised John Mccain, Dick Cheney, and Sarah Palin too.

Mojo, Rep Giffords is Jewish...is it fair to jump the gun and say that the psycopath who comitted the murders is a neo-nazi and an admirer of Hitler? Let's find out the details first.

Iraqi Mojo said...

I did jump the gun a bit. Those are my predictions. I will follow this story in the comments for this post. I hope she lives.

C.H. said...

So do I...

This is allegedly the shooter's youtube page. These rantings are insane...the words don't even make sense. This is one very disturbed mind at work.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Classitup10#p/u/3/VhAx8WzNJT0

C.H. said...

The facts are slowly coming in...

Iraqi Mojo said...

"Jared Loughner, the 22-year-old man who sources identify to Fox News as the gunman in custody in the deadly shooting rampage Saturday in Arizona, is suspected of posting a series of YouTube videos that show a focus on literacy and currency -- as well as his distrust in the government."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/01/08/shooting-suspects-apparent-youtube-video/#ixzz1AUXQjHes

C.H. said...

"In Arizona extremists kill for God and the GOP."

The guy appears to be a militant atheist who loathed American currency for printing "In God we Trust".

C.H. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Iraqi Mojo said...

I may have got that one wrong.

Iraqi Mojo said...

I was thinking the shooter is a pro-life nut who wanted to kill doctors who perform abortions and members of congress who support stem cell research. It appears I was wrong.

Iraqi Mojo said...

'In an online posting accompanying one of his videos, Loughner refers repeatedly to Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution, which states that "No State shall...make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts."

Loughner writes: "What is section 10 you ask? If you make a purchase then it's illegal under section 10 and amendment 1 of the United States constitution. You make a purchase. Therefore, it's illegal under section 10 and amendment 1 of the United States constitution." '

Sounds like a constitutionalist and a future leader of the Tea Party.

C.H. said...

I'm not really buying that...I'm thinking the real headline should be "Deranged atheist assassinates Republican Judge, wounds moderate Democratic Rep"

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Giffords, 40, was not edgy, not at either end of the political spectrum. She’s a moderate Democrat and gun owner. Last week, she was one of 19 Democrats who declined to vote for Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader.

But she did support Obama’s healthcare reform. This made her, according to the New York Daily News, “a popular target of conservative talking head Sarah Palin and Tea Party members during the 2010 election. On her Facebook page last spring, Palin posted a U.S. map with crosshairs of a rifle scope over the districts repped by Giffords and 19 other Democrats.”

Last March, after the Health Care reform bill passed, she was the victim of several attacks against Democrats when vandals broke the door of her district office.

Giffords was also the first Jewish congresswoman representing Arizona.'

Iraqi Mojo said...

"After Rep. Giffords shot in Arizona, Palin's 'Take Back the 20' [website] goes down"

"This is a screengrab from Sarah Palin's website Take Back the 20, taken moments ago. One of the crosshairs in Arizona appears to be for the district represented by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat."

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Liberals on Saturday blamed the tea party movement's sometimes militant rhetoric -- for example, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's advice to her supporters via Twitter, "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD," or Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) advocating "second-amendment remedies" for some of the nation's problems. Palin had also posted a U.S. map depicting crosshairs over the states where she hoped to oust Democratic incumbents. That map no longer appears on the Web site of her political action committee.'

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Judge Kozinski speculated — “just a guess,” he said — that Judge Roll might have gone to the event on Saturday to thank Ms. Giffords for the letter. “And he gets killed for it.”

Judge Kozinski added, “If it can happen to him, it can happen to any of us.”

In a statement, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. of the Supreme Court called Judge Roll “a wise jurist who selflessly served Arizona and the nation with great distinction.”

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who lives in Arizona, said she was devastated by the news that Judge Roll had been killed. “It is a horrible event, and heartbreaking,” she said. “The judge was just wonderful.”

“It sounds like something that might happen in some place like Afghanistan,” she said. “It shouldn’t happen in Tucson, Ariz., or anyplace else in the United States.” '

Aton said...

"Hello, my name is Jared Lee Loughner. This video is my introduction to you!" the video, uploaded Dec. 15, says. "My favorite activity is conscience dreaming; the greatest inspiration for my political business information. Some of you don't dream -- sadly... My ambition -- is for informing literate dreamers about a new currency; in a few days, you know I'm conscience dreaming! Thank you!"

Aton said...

"If I define terrorist then a terrorist is a person who employs terror or terrorism, especially as a political weapon. I define terrorist. Thus, a terrorist is a person who employs terror or terrorism, especially as a political weapon," the video, entitled "Introduction: Jared Loughner," says. "If you call me a terrorist then the argument to call me a terrorist is Ad hominem. You call me a terrorist. Thus, the argument to call me a terrorist is Ad hominem."

Aton said...

"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!" it says.

Aton said...

"In the YouTube profile, the account holder, identified as Loughner, lists "The Communist Manifesto" and "Mein Kampf" among his favorite books."

Aton said...

"Arizona is the American version of Pakistan, where militant conservatives kill progressives for God."

ridicules.

Muhannad said...

LOL, I did jump the gun on this one.

Even if Loughner is an atheist, he does seem to be a "constitutional fundamentalist". He's also obviously a fan of guns, which is another attribute of the right wing.

Muhannad said...

The analogy is a poor one, I admit. I was thinking the shooter must be a pro-life extremist who wanted to kill member of govt in favor of funding stem cell research.

The people who kill abortion doctors are more like the Taliban.

Muhannad said...

"ridicules"

I admit the analogy is a poor one. Arizona is nothing like Pakistan.

The Americans who kill abortion doctors are more like the Taliban.

Muhannad said...

"Sharron Angle, in a January radio interview, warned that "if Congress keeps it up, people may find themselves resorting to Second Amendment remedies." Rep. Michele Bachmann said she wanted Minnesotans "armed and dangerous" in opposition to cap-and-trade. Jesse Kelly, who ran against Giffords in 2010, held a gun-themed fundraiser. The pitch read: "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office, shoot a fully automatic M-16 with Jesse Kelly."

I'm not suggesting that any of these individuals really meant to advocate for acts of violence. In fact, I'm sure all of them are sick to their stomachs tonight. And there is, for us and for them, comfort that today's events do not seem to have been an act of calculated political intent so much as an act of mental derangement. But today's shooting was a reminder of what real political violence in this country could look like, and the awful recognition that it could've easily fit with comments made by trusted political figures should stop us cold. We're lucky to live in a country where political violence is rare. We're lucky that that doesn't appear to have changed. But that may be dumb luck that we're benefiting from. It is hard to look through those statements and believe that we're doing enough to keep our political system peaceful."

Muhannad said...

"Alleged Ariz. shooting suspect Jared Loughner legally purchased the semi-automatic pistol he used to kill six and injure 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., according to the Washington Post.

Law enforcement sources told the newspaper that weapon was legally purchased on Nov. 30 at Sportman's Warehouse in Tucson.

...The source was unsure whether Loughner himself purchased the gun, or if someone else did."

Muhannad said...

“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,” the sheriff said. “And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

Don Cox said...

The killer seems to be simply crazy, and would probably have killed a governor regardless of her politics. Any important or famous person is a target for this kind of person.

The case seems to me to be more like the killing of John Lennon than it is like the killing of the Governor of Punjab.

Mister Ghost said...

Just another mentally unbalanced lefty pothead anarchist - probably kept a Che beret under his pillow. LOL.

He was no doubt driven over the edge from watching Michael Moore and Bill Maher, reading the Daily Kos and Democratic Undergound, and likely thought Jon Stewart was funny.

There are many more liberal whackos out there that we must vigilantly keep an eye on to keep our society civil.

C.H. said...

"Rep. Michele Bachmann said she wanted Minnesotans "armed and dangerous" in opposition to cap-and-trade"


The other side is "armed and dangerous" too...remember the Al Gore supporter who stormed the Discovery Channel HQ and took people hostage?

Aton said...

Loughner’s leftwing high school friend, Caitie Parker, remembers him as a “political radical”: “He was left wing,” she wrote; “As I knew him he was left wing, quite liberal.”

Aton said...

Loughner also has a “music video” up on YouTube, in which he is dressed as a terrorist and burns an American flag. FOX News has confirmed that the hooded figure in the video is indeed Loughner.

Don Cox said...

When someone is as crazy as that, it is pure accident whether they claim to be left or right wing. Whichever it is, he will be an extremist. (And his main political conviction seems to be that paper money is evil and unconstitutional.)

Sane left or right wingers, such as Al Gore or Sarah Palin, don't go around shooting famous people.

Maury said...

He's a fruitcake. The politics he expresses just show he was mentally unstable. At 22, he's barely old enough to vote. It's not normal to be that into politics at 22.

I remember 22 very well. I was into girls, cars, and fun. Any guy who says otherwise is probably a little unstable himself.....LOL.

Iraqi Mojo said...

The murderer was driven over the edge by watching Michael Moore and Bill Maher and reading the Daily Kos and Democratic Undergound, the people who wanted health care reform? So he went out and shot a Congresswoman who voted for health care reform? That doesn't make sense.

It makes more sense that the schmuck was influenced by Sarah Palin's map of the US showing crosshairs over districts of members of Congress who voted for healthcare reform.

'Comedian Frank Conniff tweeted: "Hey, Sarah Palin, hows that hatey, killy, reloady, crosshairsy thing working out for ya?" '

Sarah Palin is one stupid bitch, imo. Reminds me of the Islamic clerics who preach death and hatred for non-Muslims.

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Showing no sign of tamping down on divisive political rhetoric in the wake of the shooting of 20 people that left six dead in Tuscon Saturday, the Tea Party Nation group e-mailed its members Sunday warning them they would be called upon to fight leftists in the days ahead and defend their movement.

TPN founder Judson Phillips, in an article linked off the e-mail "The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and the left's attack on the Tea Party movement," described the shooter as "a leftist lunatic" and Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik as a "leftist sheriff" who "was one of the first to start in on the liberal attack." Phillips urged tea party supporters to blame liberals for the attack on centrist Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was shot through the head and is now fighting for her life, as a means of defending the tea party movement's recent electoral gains.'

Iraqi Mojo said...

A google search of "tea part guns" reveals some interesting articles and cartoons. Check out the cartoon showing a teabagger with a bunch of Somali gunmen. And the one showing a teabagger looking to go on vacation: "So, you hate taxes and government? I've got just the vacation spot for you!"

Maury said...

I don't like hateful politics. If you feel strongly about something, take it out on the voting lever. Kick the machine if you like. Politics in the US is like a big seesaw imo. A move to the left necessitates a move to the right, and vice versa. Nixon paved the way for Carter, who paved the way for a Reagan. Obama will likely mean someone to the right of Atilla the Hun gets in the oval office next time around.

Iraqi Mojo said...

Maury, you do seem to be more centrist and reasonable than Mister Ghost and other Tea guzzlers.

Maury said...

I think I'm a conliberate. Little bit of all that stuff.

I'm pro-life. I think the best way to do away with abortions is to have universal birth control, so every child is wanted.

I'm pro-gun. Every American should have a gun that's at least six feet long and weighs forty pounds. Adequate for self defense, but not so good for holding up liquor stores.

I'm pro-Israel. It's just that Israel should be re-located to Montana.

I'm pro-military. But, two old ladies with umbrellas could defend our borders. The rest could be laid off imo.

I could go on. All of my politics is pretty much the same. A bit of this, and a bit of that.

C.H. said...

"It makes more sense that the schmuck was influenced by Sarah Palin's map of the US showing crosshairs over districts of members of Congress who voted for healthcare reform."


No, it doesn't...and there's not a shred of evidence that he supported Sarah Palin or even followed her commentary. In fact, it won't surpise me if the facts reveal that he hated her in the coming days.

Giffords voted against Pelosi...she was hated by the extreme left just as much as the extreme right.

What makes the most sense is that the shooter was a deranged lunatic mingled with the most idiotic, fringe beliefs of both the right and the left.

C.H. said...

"Maury, you do seem to be more centrist and reasonable than Mister Ghost and other Tea guzzlers."


Mojo, you have a history of being reasonable on many opinions, but this post about "American Taliban" doesn't describe the person who attacked America yesterday at all. He was a pot smoking, flag-burning atheist...did you see the frightening video where he plays heavy metal music, dresses up as a terrorist, and sets the US flag on fire? Did Palin encourage that too?

Maybe it was remnants of the Bush Administration that made him do it.

Iraqi Mojo said...

There is no evidence Loughlin supported Palin. Still this does not look good for Palin and her gun-loving teabaggers.

"After posting the map on her Facebook page, Palin told her Twitter followers to go there with the message "Don't Retreat -- Instead RELOAD!" At the time, Palin was accused of using unnecessarily violent rhetoric. (This weekend, the map was taken offline.)"

Iraqi Mojo said...

You're right, C.H. I should not have titled the post "American Taliban" and I should not have said that conservatives in Arizona kill for God. I jumped to conclusions.

Iraqi Mojo said...

I just hate extremists who kill for whatever reason.

Iraqi Mojo said...

'On Sunday, Fox News quoted a Department of Homeland Security memo that states Mr. Loughner is "possibly linked" to American Renaissance, which DHS says promotes views that are "anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-ZOG [Zionist Occupational Government], anti-Semitic." Both Giffords and Mr. Zimmerman are Jewish.'

Mister Ghost said...

Muhannad,
Once again with the Tea Party nonsense. I don't even follow the Tea Party, am not a fan of Palin, and have been critical of conservatives. Granted, I'm more critical of liberals, but that's because I'm an advocate of lesser government, laws, and burdensome rules. We don't need a Nanny State to watch over us.

Meanwhile you're carrying on like a leftwing partisan hack, continually going off the deep end, and getting the facts wrong.

What about doing a new post on South Sudan or something? ))))

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C.H. said...

Interesting to hear that, Alvaro...I am in Quito right now.

Meanwhile, back in the US, things just keep getting worse...

http://www.examiner.com/religion-the-news-in-national/westboro-baptist-church-to-picket-the-funerals-of-arizona-victims

The Pro-Saddam Hussein Westboro Baptist Church is coming to the funeral of the little girl who was killed.

Iraqi Mojo said...

"I'm an advocate of lesser government, laws, and burdensome rules. We don't need a Nanny State to watch over us. "

Sounds like something a teabagger would say:) But thanks for clarifying your position, Mister Ghost. You said above that Obama is the worst President in history. Why do you believe Obama is the worst President in history?

Maybe I am partisan, or maybe I've become more partisan as I've seen the sudden rise of the Tea Party and its slogans about the need for lesser government, which could mean lower taxes, or the fear of higher taxes. I've seen Republicans tell us that Americans don't want healthcare reform when it's clear most Americans DO want healthcare reform. What kind of American wouldn't want a law that prevents health insurance companies from dropping patients who become terminally ill? What kind of American would not want a law that forces insurance companies to pay for healthcare for patients with pre-existing conditions? American owners of insurance companies, perhaps, and their American benefactors in government.

Since Obama's Presidential election I've seen right wing Americans become fearful and angry, as if they were not taxed before Obama was elected, as if there was no national debt that was blown up by Republican Presidents. As if Obama wants to take the teabaggers' guns away from them (I think he should), as if he's secretly a Muslim who wasn't born in America.

Obama's administration introduced mucn-needed healthcare reform to America and it was passed by American lawmakers. It was not what I would have liked to see - I want to buy health insurance directly from the federal govt. But it is what was passed by the House and Senate and it is what most Republicans are angry about today. Sarah Palin put fricking crosshairs on the districts of members of Congress who voted for healthcare. What kind of idiot does that shit? A gun-loving teabagger, apparently. Most Americans want healthcare reform. Get over it, teabaggers - this is democracy. Stop making threats and encouraging people to "reload".

Yes I have become partisan in the last few years. I certainly do not relate to the generally racist, backward, gun-loving, hate-mongering, bible-beating, constitutionally fundamentalist, anti-immigrant teabaggers.

Iraqi Mojo said...

Nicholas D. Kristof wrote on facebook about an hour ago: "Everybody takes different lessons from the Arizona shooting tragedy, but I keep coming back in my head to this: The suspect was considered too mentally unstable to attend college, but not to buy a semiautomatic Glock handgun. Look, I'm an Oregon farmboy who grew up with guns -- but I also think that if we regulate firecrackers and cars and mutual fund accounts, we should also regulate guns. Your thoughts?"

I agree.

C.H. said...

"Most Americans want healthcare reform. Get over it, teabaggers - this is democracy."


The election in November suggested something very different.

C.H. said...

"but I also think that if we regulate firecrackers and cars and mutual fund accounts, we should also regulate guns."


I agree too. That doesn't mean though, that citizens shouldn't have a right to self-defense.

Maury said...

Relax Mojo. Like I said before, American politics is cyclical. There's hardly ever anything new. The "tea party" movement is a lot like Republican's "Contract with America" back in '94, during Clinton's Presidency. It promised lower taxes and less spending, among other things. That was good for a 54 seat Congressional gain in those midterms.

I don't keep up with the tea party stuff, but I actually watched the broadcast that started the whole thing. A guy named Rick Santelli, a commentator on MSNBC, went off on a rant about mortgage relief, deficit spending and government spending in general. He got hot under the collar and went off for about ten minutes. This is a guy whose job was to report on the bond market every morning,LOL. Just google Rick Santelli tea party.

My wife can't stand Sarah Palin. I don't know why she strikes such a chord in people. Sarah Palin is out for Sarah Palin. Then again, what politician isn't? It WOULD be nice if all politicians looked that good though. It makes speeches a lot less boring.

Iraqi Mojo said...

The election in November was more about Obama and the economy than healthcare reform.

"Congressional Democrats suffered their worst electoral defeat in decades, losing more than 50 seats in the House of Representatives. Preliminary CBS News exit polls show that these results were fueled primarily by a depressed turnout among Democratic base groups, independents leaning Republican and voter backlash against President Obama and his handling of the economy."

Maury said...

Our forefathers guaranteed the right to bear arms. I think it would be fitting if Americans could only bear the kind of arms our forefathers did. Muskets and flintlocks.

This punk couldn't have killed 6 people with a musket. One shot and you're done. He couldn't have concealed it either. Hey, if those wise guys who wrote the constitution could defend their homes with muskets, why can't we?

Iraqi Mojo said...

Great idea, Maury:)

Aton said...

** Obama: “They Bring a Knife…We Bring a Gun!”
** Obama to His Followers: “Get in Their Faces!”
** Obama on ACORN Mobs: “I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!”
** Obama to His Mercenary Army: “Hit Back Twice As Hard!”
** Obama on the private sector: “We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.“
** Obama to voters: Republican victory would mean “hand to hand combat!”
** Obama to lib supporters: “It’s time to Fight for it.”
** Obama to Latino supporters: “Punish our enemies.”
** Obama to democrats: “I’m itching for a fight.”

Aton said...

It is a little disappointing that you have been infected by name calling.
So in your mind, because we oppose massive government expansion, the debasement of our currency, extended taxation, and institutionalized poverty, we (Tea Party Patriots) are complicit in the murder of a Republican Federal Judge, a Democratic Congresswoman, and five other innocent soles?
I see you’ve learned liberal logic!

Iraqi Mojo said...

Were you opposed to massive government expansion, the debasement of our currency, extended taxation, and institutionalized poverty before Obama was elected President?

Maury said...

He was if he was a Reaganite. Nothing new there. The left got just as riled up, and just as ugly, when Bush was President. It's a trend I personally detest. I wasn't particularly impressed with Bush, and Obama makes me yawn. Sorry, I just can't work up an emotion over the guy.

The "great ones" in my lifetime were Kennedy and Reagan. Nixon and Clinton were good orators, and made some fundamental changes. Carter and Obama are technocrats steeped in liberal ideology. Mere footnotes in history. Bush Sr.'s claim to fame is carrying on the Reagan Revolution. Bush Jr. was pretty embarrassing all around. But, he did have the strength of his convictions. Rare in these days of push polling.

Maury said...

Not that McCain wouldn't have made me yawn even more, mind you. As a white guy raised in the south, I was glad to see Obama elected. I got tired of hearing we'd never elect a black President, and I was beginning to wonder myself.

Dolly said...

aton quotes obama:
** Obama to democrats: “I’m itching for a fight.” ☼

Lefties are too wussy, so they wouldn't be insinuating that people should use guns.
On the other hand, the Tea Baggers are the opposite and have brought shotguns to rallies before, while holding threatening placards.

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking House Democrat, suggested Monday that the actions of alleged Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner were an example of the sort of "Second Amendment remedies" that former Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle referred to during last year's campaign.'

Sarah Palin said she "hates violence" after the crosshairs map disappeared from her website. I say BULLSHIT. The Teabaggers, led by Palin, love their guns and want to keep their guns.

The Tea Party patriots are shouting "don't blame the Tea Party!" after a mentally ill naive man shoots people in the head with a weapon he should not have been allowed to buy. If the Tea Party can be blamed for anything, it is their obdurate support of their gun rights - don't touch their fvcking gun rights. And they want lower taxes and lesser govt. And they want to see Obama's birth certificate, GODAMMIT. And they're suddenly concerned about the national debt. They will not retreat: instead they will RELOAD!

But don't blame the Tea party for the actions of a lone pot-smoking wacko! That's what the Wahhabi-influenced clerics in Iraq say when an unemployed, drug-addicted mentally ill kid becomes a suicide bomber and blows up a market.

In Iraq, America, Afghanistan, and all over the world, good leaders do not even imply that it's ok to keep assault weapons just in case you feel the urge to kill a cop, a member of parliament, a judge, or a member of congress. Even Muqtada al Sadr has changed his tune.

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Representative Carolyn McCarthy will try to ban "high-capacity clips" like the one police say was used by a gunman to gravely wound Giffords as she met with constituents, said spokesman Shams Tarek.

"She's been working on it. This is why she came to Congress in the first place. But certainly there's an extra push now in light of what happened" in Tucson, Tarek said in a telephone interview.

Democrat McCarthy, a proponent of gun control, came to Congress after her husband was one of several people killed in 1993 when an assailant opened fire on a New York commuter train.

Tarek said the high-capacity clips that hold dozens of rounds of ammunition had been prohibited in an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 after being in place for 10 years.'

C.H. said...

Rep. James Clayburn sounds like a political hack, an opportunist, and an idiot. Are these people reading about the same deranged lunatic (Loughner) that I am? What they are describing is totally different from what actually happened. Following the words of these leftists, you would think that the authorities had uncovered emails between Loughner and Palin, like the ones Nidal Hassan had with Anwar Al-Awaki.

I agree there is too much hatred in politics...but almost all of it comes from the left.

Unfortunately for the American left, the evidence and the truth is moving in the exact opposite of their statements.

C.H. said...

"That's what the Wahhabi-influenced clerics in Iraq say when an unemployed, drug-addicted mentally ill kid becomes a suicide bomber and blows up a market."


Come on Mojo, the American left(just like the Wahabbi clerics) cheered every time a bomb went off in Iraq the last 7 years.

Leftist logic: car bomb = Bush lied people died.

How can you forget about the hatred from the left during the Bush years, which was ten times worse than anything we've seen with Obama?

Sorry if I'm getting emotional here, the deceit and hypocrisy that is strangling America right now has made me more nauseous than the altitude in Quito.

I'm going to hijack the leftist logic and throw it back in their direction: the hatred has got to stop

Iraqi Mojo said...

Did anybody shoot a Republican in the head when Bush was President?

Iraqi Mojo said...

'The evidence also shows that Loughner rejected U.S. currency, apparently because it was not tied to gold or silver. He argued that he should not have to pay debts in currencies not backed by gold or silver and backed the creation of a new, alternate currency.

Opposition to currency not backed by silver or gold exists is particularly strong on the far-right antigovernment "Patriot" movement, as Potok notes; he writes that it is "linked to the core Patriot theory that the Federal Reserve is actually a private corporation run for the benefit of unnamed international bankers." '

Iraqi Mojo said...

'Loughner had lost his mind. Early reports have it that he had also posted on his MySpace page a photograph of a U.S. history textbook with a gun on top of it. In September police had to remove him from a classroom at Pima Community College, after he called the syllabus “unconstitutional” and delivered what his professor called “a rant about the Constitution.” In December he posted on YouTube a statement reading, “The majority of citizens in the United States of America have never read the United States of America’s Constitution.” '

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/01/jared-lee-loughner-and-the-constitution.html#ixzz1Afl2e4zJ

Iraqi Mojo said...

'What's even more disturbing are those Tea Party activists and Republicans who position themselves as the only true protectors of the Constitution. In fact, the whole exercise of reading the Constitution at the start of the new House session was designed to suggest that Republicans will be operating within the confines of the Constitution, in contrast with their Democratic counterparts.

It is ironic, therefore, that it's most often members of the Republican Party who seem most determined to change or overturn provisions of the Constitution — whether it's Iowa Rep. Steve King's new proposal to overturn the Constitution's birthright-citizenship provision or earlier efforts to amend the Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. Other Republican elected officials recently advocated nullification — the refusal by states to comply with federal law — a term most often associated with Southern resistance to school desegregation orders. But no matter. The Constitution — along with "patriotism," "national security" and "family values" — is fast becoming yet another term co-opted as part of the permanent GOP campaign. '

Iraqi Mojo said...

'The constitutional reading came as part of a Tea Party-inspired crusade to compel every proposed bill to justify itself with a reference to a Constitutional provision allowing it. Such a return to the fundamentals, so the logic goes, will prevent any further “monstrosities” such as last year’s health care reform, and focus citizens’ attention on our national Bible. The goal, its backers suggested, was to “underscore the limited-government rules the Founders imposed on Congress—and to try to bring some of those principles back into everyday legislating.” The point is to govern by the letter of the original document, and not to interpret its “spirit.” '

Iraqi Mojo said...

8 months ago: 'On Thursday, thousands of Tea Partiers marked Tax Day by trekking to Washington to protest. It was the usual stuff. The TPers complained about taxes. They carried signs showing Nancy Pelosi in a toilet. They compared the media -- except for Fox News -- to Pravda. One placard depicted President Barack Obama as a vampire sucking blood out of the Statue of Liberty. Another made this cogent argument: "Having Gov't Manage Your Healthcare Is Like Having Michael Vick Watch Your Dog." One sign was blunt: "Go Back To Kenya."

...On April 19, an assortment of gun-rights groups will mount the Second Amendment March at the grounds of the Washington Monument. On the Web site for the march, its founder, Skip Coryell, calls it a "peaceful" event. But these folks, as the Violence Policy Center points out in a new report, are pushing a virulent strain of anti-government extremism that certainly could drive a body to take violent action. '

Iraqi Mojo said...

"Jared Loughner may not have attended a Tea Party rally or registered with any Tea Party groups, but he shares several similarities with the Tea Party movement. The first obviously is his anger against the government. His violent act reflected the anger against government for health care, and immigration symbolized by Sarah Palin’s placement of Rep. Gifford in the crosshairs of gun.

While Loughner’s rants may seem like those of a madmen, so do most rants from Tea Party members. Several elements from Loughner’s rants directly tie him the Patriot Movement, anti-New World Order crowd, that is prominent in the Tea Party.

Like many in the Tea Party, Loughner was obsessed with the Constitution. He would use the Constitution to back up his nonsensical arguments constantly according to teacher’s and classmates."

C.H. said...

What about the Plane crash earlier this year that killed former Senator Ted Stevens? A Democratic State Representative mocked the event and stated that it would have been good if Palin had been on the plane too.

http://www.nowhampshire.com/2010/08/11/local-democrats-wish-death-upon-sarah-palin/

Now that is just evil.

C.H. said...

Republicans shouldn't have to take responsibility for an atheist madman shooting a Democrat. If the Taliban bomber had succeeded in killing Cheney, should the Democrats and the Daily Kos have to take responsibility and renounce the screeds of hate they had unleashed upon the man?

C.H. said...

"The Constitution — along with "patriotism," "national security" and "family values" — is fast becoming yet another term co-opted as part of the permanent GOP campaign."


The left screamed bloody murder about the constitution when news broke about the wiretaps back in 2006. Hatred of the government becomes popular among the opposition when their rivals are in power, whether its the left -- a la Bill Ayers -- or the right.

C.H. said...

Mojo,

As a writer, I have had problems with the tea party in my community back in the United States. Some of them say stupid things, but if you had paid attention to the hatred of Bush during his 8 years in office like I did you will realize that the "hatred" in American society today simply doesn't compare.

One of the dumbest complaints I have heard from leftists are "Obama-Hitler" signs featured at conservative rallies. Seriously.

Iraqi Mojo said...

The "Bush-Hitler" signs were ridiculous too. Ultimately only one person is responsible for killing innocent people in Tucson on Saturday: a deranged 22-year old named Jared Loughner. Even if he was a registered Republican, the Republicans should not be held responsible for the attack. The Republicans never take responsibility for anything anyway:)

But the incident raises some important issues, the most important being the need for greater gun control in America.

Maury said...

It's all background noise. Fact is, both sides seem to pursue the same policies. Social Security is untouchable. The military is sacrosanct. Both trip over themselves to sign free trade agreements. Pro-gun and anti-gun quibble over whether grenade launchers should be sold at garage sales.

Does it really matter who's in the White House anymore? Obama promised to end the Iraq war. Sure enough, the troops are coming home.....according to Bush's timetable. He promised to close Guantanamo. What happened there? Did Ace Hardware run out of sorry, we're closed signs?

Yap,yap,yap. That's all either side is good for anymore. It's past time for a third party. One that tunes into what Americans actually care about. Pro-life and pro-choice folks aren't so far apart. Each side realizes that unwanted pregnancies is the root of the problem. Do Dems or Repubs have a plan to tackle unwanted pregnancies? Of course not. Each is content to point fingers at the other side and trot out all the worn out slogans. Apparently, two million abortions annually doesn't bother either side a whole lot. Not enough to take action, at any rate.

Maury said...

Does either side have a solution to America's drug problem? Hell no. Both seem to think the "war on drugs" is winnable. Never mind that Mexico is coming apart at the seams because of America's insatiable desire for more drugs. Or that the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with half of the inmate population there because of a drug charge.

We need drug reservations. Tent cities for drug heads. Get all the crack, heroin, or whatever your drug of choice.....while getting your ass off our streets. Give them three meals a day, and a bed as well. Drug dealers will be the first to sign up. They're dealing drugs because they have a habit, and not because they think they can get rich. Get that shit off the streets today, and the next generation won't have it in its face.

I know I'm just talking shit. It can't, and won't, happen. There hasn't been a new idea out of Washington in generations. The last original idea was the New Deal. Everything since has been yap,yap,yap.