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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 10:04

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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