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11 Jan 2011 11:04

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Politics: Henry Rollins drops some knowledge on Jared Lee Loughner case

  • I could be completely wrong here, but I think there is a much harder-core element in American society that doesn’t listen to these pundits, doesn’t care who is president, and has nothing but contempt and hatred for government in general.
  • Henry Rollins • Offering his little piece of insight on the Jared Lee Loughner thang to Vanity Fair readers. Rollins’ argument? He just thinks the pundits on the right are too simple-minded to truly inspire this kind of rage. Sample: “I saw Glenn Beck in action last summer at his Restore Honor Rally. His speech sucked and his audience looked ancient and out-of-shape.” Oh wait, there’s more: “Rush Limbaugh makes money getting simpleminded people to feel good about their intellectually undernourished brain spasms. He’s very good at it, and I scarcely believe a fraction of what he says.” And finally: “Sarah Palin embarrasses herself almost immediately upon opening her mouth to speak or upon moving her fingers to send messages to her dull flock.” Instead, he feels that a guy like Timothy McVeigh didn’t really care who was president when he did what he did. In other news, Henry Rollins is now upmarket enough to write for Vanity Fair. source

11 Jan 2011 10:20

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U.S.: Counter-protesters using angel wings against Westboro Baptist Church

  • 42 people plan to use “angel wings” to protect mourners from Westboro Baptist Church protesters
  • 8×10 the size of the enveloping “angel wings” (in feet) – they’ve been around since 1999 source
  • » Protesting a 9-year-old’s funeral? Too far: These giant angel wings, which are designed to protect mourners from crazy folks like Fred Phelps, are being put into action thanks to residents of Tucson and the help of Facebook. “For something like this to happen in Tucson was a really big shock to us all,” said resident Christin Gilmer. “Our nightmare happened when we saw Westboro Baptist Church was going to picket the funerals.”

11 Jan 2011 10:04

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U.S.: Should Jared Lee Loughner’s criminal trial go out of state?

  • Loughner’s lawyer is reportedly pushing for this. And honestly, veteran defender Judy Clarke, who has previously defended such upstanding citizens as the Unabomber and the Oklahoma City Bomber, has a point. (And a lot of tolerance for people in rough situations.) Beyond gravely wounding an elected official, Loughner killed a federal judge in Tucson. And while judges in Tucson have already voluntarily recused themselves in the case, it may be better for Loughner to get a fair trial if it’s in another state. Ultimately, the significant evidence behind him (which includes surveillance video, witnesses and evidence of pre-meditation) will prove hard for Clarke to overcome. But the wounding of Giffords and the killings have hurt the state significantly, and it’s probably better for everyone involved that it just happen elsewhere. Even reported monsters deserve a fair trial. source

11 Jan 2011 09:48

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U.S.: Jared Lee Loughner’s parents: Recluses, shaken to the core

  • They’re in there now … They’re both in there crying. He’s crying and hanging on to me and she’s not even out of bed.
  • Wayne Smith • Regarding his neighbors, Randy and Amy Loughner, whose son Jared is the main suspect in Saturday’s Gabrielle Giffords shooting. Smith, who is not close to the couple, nevertheless has become a rock for the couple, who has a reputation for reclusiveness, since the shooting. Smith (who didn’t even know the family’s last name until Saturday) was the one who broke the news to them. “I said, ‘Guys, I hate to be the one to tell you, but he shot a bunch of people,'” Smith said. He was there for the Loughners, who had lived in the neighborhood since before Jared, 22, was born, in their time of great sorrow. “We stood right out there and cried for an hour,” he continued. “I’m a softie.” An awful incident all around. source

10 Jan 2011 10:46

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U.S.: Bryce Tierney: A close friend discusses Jared Lee Loughner

  • Hey man, it’s Jared. Me and you had good times. Peace out. Later.
  • Jared Lee Loughner • Leaving a voicemail for a good friend, Bryce Tierney, in the hours before Loughner shot and killed six people and wounded Gabrielle Giffords. Tierney has a long history with Loughner, and notes that the suspect had some strange quirks, including an obsession with lucid dreams: “I saw his dream journal once,” Tierney said. “That’s the golden piece of evidence. You want to know what goes on in Jared Loughner’s mind, there’s a dream journal that will tell you everything.” Tierney also said that Loughner had an apparent beef with Giffords that goes back years – specifically, he asked a question at one of her events that wasn’t answered to Loughner’s liking. The question? “What is government if words have no meaning?” Giffords’ answer to that pseudo-intellectual drivel may have slowly pushed Loughner over the edge. Really. source

09 Jan 2011 22:34

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Politics: Max Headroom: Sheriff Clarence Dupnik takes on “vitriolic rhetoric”

  • To simply the current societal argument going on right now: Some are arguing that the current anger and rage in our country’s politics have influenced events like the Gabrielle Giffords tragedy in Tucson on Saturday. Pima County, Az. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has perhaps been the leading voice for this kind of opinion. Many conservatives have been of the other opinion on this whole issue. This piece on Fox News, led by Megyn Kelly narrows the two points into one convenient video. Dupnik has some valid points, but Kelly arguably wins – she sticks to her guns and keeps asking for hard evidence, not speculation. She never gets it.
  • Olbermann’s repudiation hunt “If all of these are not responsible for what happened in Tucson, they must now be responsible for doing everything they can to make sure Tucson does not happen again.” It takes a few minutes for Olbermann’s main point to become clear, but when it does, it shines. The reason why it shines? Because he criticizes himself and his own side in the clip. That’s why it sticks to your bones.
  • The most heart-wrenching Story “I just assumed they got into a car accident.” When Christina Taylor Green went to witness Gabrielle Giffords speak on Saturday, she went with the kind of ambition that most nine-year-olds don’t have. And that’s what hurts the most about this incident. Gabrielle Giffords is still holding on and may make it. But her potential successor did not. You could feel it from the way her mom talks. Our heart breaks for her.

09 Jan 2011 19:56

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U.S.: Jared Lee Loughner charged: Gabrielle Giffords shooting update

  • NO the second person of interest wasn’t involved at all source
  • » Other updates: Jared Lee Loughner has been charged with five separate criminal charges, including multiple counts of murder and attempted assassination of a U.S. congresswoman – with evidence in the incident coming from, on top of other sources, surveillance tape. Loughner, by the way, isn’t talking, but he did leave a note on an envelope for investigators scoping out his home: “I planned ahead.” With the envelope was a letter from Giffords in appreciation of Loughner’s visit to a similar 2007 event as the one on Saturday. Oh, and the initial 911 call was released. Whew.
 

09 Jan 2011 12:08

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U.S.: Did Jared Loughner have ties to racist, anti-Zionist group?

  • claim A report from the Department of Homeland Security suggests that Gabrielle Giffords shooting suspect Jared Loughner has ties to American Renaissance, a group they called “anti-ZOG (Zionist Occupational Government) and anti-semitic.” Hmm.
  • denial The group’s founder, Jared Taylor, denies this: “I have absolutely no idea what DHS is talking about. We have never used the term ‘ZOG.’ We have never thought in those terms. If this is the level of research we are getting from DHS, then Heaven help us.” source

09 Jan 2011 09:51

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08 Jan 2011 22:20

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U.S.: To recap: Here’s what happened to Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson

  • one bullet went straight through Gifford’s brain – she’s currently getting heavy medical care
  • six number of deaths in the attack, including a judge; 13 more (beyond Gifford) were injured
  • nine the age of the youngest victim, an innocent bystander caught in the middle source
  • » A second suspect? Authorities are currently looking for a 50-year-old man who reportedly helped main suspect Jared Lee Loughner with the crime. He hasn’t been caught yet.