Humanity lost: a post in two parts

Fox talkers demand Sheriff Dupnik produce evidence. Since when has evidence ever mattered to Fox talkers?
Bill O'Reilly stepped up last night to make his contribution to the Right's Jihad against Clarence Dupnik for speaking the truth about the environment in Arizona in which Jared Loughner's shooting rampage occurred, devoting three whole segments to running down Dupnik, including his opening "Talking Points Memo" segment in which he attacked Dupnik for mixing politics and Law Enforcement. This, from the guy who has a man-crush on Sheriff Joe Arpaio. At least the first featured a defense of Dupnik ...

Obama to attend Arizona memorial
President Barack Obama has arrived in Arizona to pay tribute to six people killed in a shooting and to honour US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was injured in the attack. The president is due to speak at a memorial service for Victims of the shooting in Tucson later on Wednesday. Suspected gunman Jared Loughner has been charged with several offences and could face the death penalty if guilty. Ms Giffords was shot in the head and remains in a critical condition. Thousands have gathered thr...

Liberals Seek Ban on Metaphors in Wake of Arizona Shooting
After the monstrous shooting in Arizona last week, surely we can all agree that we've got to pass Obama's agenda immediately and stop using metaphors. At least I think that's what the Mainstream Media are trying to tell me. Liberals instantly leapt on the sickening massacre at a Tucson political event over the weekend to accuse tea partiers, Sarah Palin and all Conservatives who talk out loud of being complicit in Murder by inspiring the shooter, Jared Loughner. You must login to comment. The Fo...

Attack on Democracy in Arizona
I first met Gary Ritterstein when he was working as Communications Director for Joe Sestak's Senate campaign. Today he's a communications Strategist who we're trying to presuade to share some of his insights here at DWT. His first guest post: When a self-described Terrorist fired shots into a crowd of folks at a political town hall event, the 20 Victims included a Federal Court judge who was among those killed and a Member of our U.S. House of Representatives who remains among those fighting f...

The Day Hope was Shot, in America and Europe: News, Switzerland
Does the reaction of U.S. lawmakers to the shooting in Tucson bode ill for some kind of healing process? Columnist Patrick Etschmayer of Switzerland’s News worries that the political gamesmanship that has already begun offers little hope that the Rhetoric in the United States - or in Europe for that matter - are likely to be tamped down anytime soon. For News, Patrick Etschmayer writes in part: For many who knew her, Christina Greene was a little vessel of hope. The girl, a li...

Liberal Seek Ban on Metaphors In Wake of Arizona Shooting
After the monstrous shooting in Arizona last week, surely we can all agree that we've got to pass Obama's agenda immediately and stop using metaphors. At least I think that's what the Mainstream Media are trying to tell me. Liberals instantly leapt on the sickening massacre at a Tucson political event over the weekend to accuse tea partiers, Sarah Palin and all Conservatives who talk out loud of being complicit in Murder by inspiring the shooter, Jared Loughner. Of course, to make their case...

What If Jared Loughner Was Muslim?
What if Jared Loughner had been a Muslim? Shamefully and sadly, the media would have covered his horrific Assassination attempt of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) and slaying and maiming of innocent Arizonans in a more responsible manner. They would have called for restraint and not violated the journalistic tenet of not assuming anything, a tenet they purportedly (and often facetiously sanctimoniously) claim to hold dear. But because Loughner was not a member of one of the Mainstream Media&rs...;

Blame Derrida!
It should be clear, by this point, to any rational person that the Left in this country has simply lost its collective mind. The “reality based community” has been hysterically shrieking for the past five days how Jared Loughner was inspired directly by the words of Sarah Palin (or Glenn Beck), despite the fact they had not a single piece of evidence to substantiate the charge. (“Reality,” for the Left, must be a strange thing devoid of any basis in fact it seems.) Toda...

Louie Gohmert hits the trifecta: violent rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and guns
While it would be impossible to top the self-centered offensiveness of today's Sarah Palin video -- where she used the attempted Assassination of Gabrielle Giffords to peddle her message of victimhood -- Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) gave it his best shot, but could only manage a trifecta of stupidity. First, his thoughts on the public comments by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik on today's political climate: I hope the sheriff tones his Rhetoric down. Well, sure. Sheriff Dupnik needs to tone d...

Gregory Kane: Sheriff Dupnik shoots before aiming
It wasn't long after the Tucson, Ariz., shootings before Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik went into full blowhard mode about who was responsible for the massacre. A hint: it's not suspect Jared Lee Loughner. According to a story on the Web site www.CNN.com, Dupnik "used a nationally televised Press Conference to condemn the tone of political discourse in his state." Oh, this gets better. Here's a direct quote from Dupnik, taken from the www.CNN.com story: "We need to do some soul-searching. ...

Misinformed? MSNBC viewers blame political rhetoric for Tucson shooting (Daily Caller)
Read more stories from The Daily Caller NJ Governor Chris Christie surges in statewide poll Assange claims to have dirt on NewsCorp in 'Insurance' file Misinformed? MSNBC viewers blame 'political Rhetoric' for Tucson shooting Friend: Loughner steered clear of politics, news Anti-Defamation League overall supportive, yet disappointed in Palin's use of 'blood Libel' term Despite overwhelming evidence that accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner was not motivated by either Left Wing or Right Wing p...

President Palin Addresses Her Nation
Today's big political sensation seems to be a video released by Sarah Palin providing her presumably definitive commentary on the shootings in Tucson, the Controversy over her PAC's targeting of Gabby Giffords with what looked like a bullseye on her district, and the broader argument about the possible connection of violent anti-government Rhetoric with acts of violence against government officials. Most of the commentary on the video has focused on her use of the term "blood Libel" to charac...

Police Records: Loughner Had Alcohol Problems And Complained Of Bullying
What is this? Records obtained from the Pima County Sheriff's Office by USA Today and The Arizona Republic detail about a dozen contacts Jared Loughner and his father had with police. They include: — May 2006: Police were called to Mountain View High School because Loughner was intoxicated. Loughner was taken to the Hospital and his stomach was pumped. The USA Today reports: "He told authorities he had consumed nearly half a bottle of vodka that morning because he "was very upset as his fa...

What Can We Expect Following Tucson?
It is difficult not to comment on the tragedy in Arizona. In the aftermath we have the same predictable round of finger pointing: left vs. right. Forget about sane discourse or compassion, this event will continue to be part of an ongoing political battle. First, the killer will be understood to be a lone psychotic who acted based on paranoid delusions about government conspiracies. As much as the left would like to connect him to the noxious political Rhetoric emanating from the right, there is...

House pays emotional tribute to Arizona victims
(01-12) 12:37 PST WASHINGTON, CA (AP) -- Grief-stricken members of Congress paid tribute Wednesday to the Victims of the Tucson shooting rampage amid consultations with security advisers on how they can protect themselves and their aides against such savage attacks. Still deeply shaken from Saturday's violence half a continent away, House Speaker John Boehner fought tears as he spoke of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' battle to recover from a gunshot wound to the head. "Our hearts are broken, but our...

Shooting suspect fell through mental health cracks
(01-12) 13:11 PST Tucson, Ariz. (AP) -- Jared Loughner had never been in major trouble with the law or overtly violent, but his behavior at his community college was so disturbing that Campus Police gave him and his parents an ultimatum: Get a Mental Health evaluation or don't come back. Loughner went away but his deteriorating mental condition didn't. Just more than three months later, he is charged in a horrific Mass Shooting that killed six people and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords clinging t...

Most Doubt Political Rhetoric a Major Factor in Ariz. Shootings
PRINCETON, NJ -- A new USA Today/Gallup Poll finds Americans dubious that the heated language used in politics today was a major factor that influenced the alleged gunman in last week's shootings in Tucson, Ariz. Twenty percent say such Rhetoric was a major factor in the shootings, while 22% cite it as a minor factor; 42% say it was not a factor at all. Democrats are more likely than Independents or Republicans to believe political debate played a role. The poll was conducted Jan. 11, three ...

The Daily Outrage: Making tax dollars into beautiful butterflies
What: Spent more than $394,000 to pay a developer to plant gardens designed to lure butterflies to schools. But the contract itself was worth up to $1 million. Why it's an outrage: The School District plans to lay off more than 1,305 teachers. How are butterflies more important? Where to vent: Call the Florida Commission on Ethics at 850-488-7864. THE 3-MINUTE INTERVIEW: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher Asst. Secretary of State links Arizona shooting to public discourse Before RFK Jr. blames right-wing fo...

The Madness of the Mainstream Media
If Michael Kelly and Tim Russert were alive today , they would be sickened and appalled to see the shambling madness that has descended upon their profession, most particularly as it manifests in the obsessive and whirling mania regarding Sarah Palin. When it gets to the point that Jonathan Chait has to marvel at his instincts to defend Palin, that’s a measure of their madness. Let’s begin at the beginning: on January 8, a madman in Arizona, listening to nothing but his own head̵...

Was the 18th century a 'climate of hate'?
In the aftermath of the Tucson tragedy that killed six and wounded 14 others, the Left has attacked Talk Radio, Fox News, Sarah Palin and anyone else it can smear. Never mind there is not a shred of evidence that the accused gunman, the mentally disturbed Jared Lee Loughner, ever watched Glenn Beck or listened to Rush Limbaugh (Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, a Democrat, irresponsibly suggested Limbaugh incited Loughner). Even if Loughner had watched and listened to conservative media, wha...

Tea party activists vow to continue fighting
A group of Tea Party Activists upset over the re-election of House Speaker Joe Straus vowed today to continue their fight for conservative principles such as Limited Government. Speaking to more than 100 people gathered at the south entrance of the Texas Capitol this afternoon, former state Rep. Rick Green said that it’s important for the Activists to continue making their opinions known to lawmakers - and to vote them out of office if necessary. “We the people are here to stay,̶...

A U.S. marshal's first impressions of prisoner Jared Loughner
Liberals and Conservatives who were hoping that Jared Loughner would speak out from captivity confirming or refuting suspicions about his motives in Saturday's massacre are going to have to wait a little longer. So far Loughner has been a man of few words, according to U.S. Marshal David Gonzales, who was interviewed by The Daily Beast. "I was with him Tuesday," Gonzales said. "He doesn't say much, he just sits in his cell with a smirk on his face, nothing else." Not a smile, just a smirk. ...

Happy 60th Birthday Rush Limbaugh!
One of my favorite, most surreal phone calls ever was from my friend Abbey in Cleveland back in October 2008. I answered the phone and heard Abbey, in shock, try to explain to me how she thought she’d driven her car through some tear in the fabric of reality, careening into a BizarroWorld where up was down, cats chased dogs, and rain was never wet. “Rush Limbaugh is on the radio right now.  He’s talking about you.  He’s reading things you’ve written.  ...

Free Speech Thought For the Day
I had a little discussion about political Rhetoric with a friend of mine on Facebook, a good guy who is concerned that perhaps Political Speech is getting too heated and needs to be toned down because it might inspire crazy people to crazy acts. After going back and forth a bit I closed with this: We'll never be able to make Speech safe enough that it can't be misinterpreted by a crazy person.That's the bottom line to all the calls to tone down the rhetoric. Crazy people don't hear the same thi...

Legitimate Passions
Anger in politics is the hot topic these days. The media has declared anger on the Right completely illegitimate, creating a Climate of Hate so intense that it provokes random nutjobs who aren’t even conservative to go on killing sprees. Meanwhile, the media goes to surreal lengths to pretend anger on the Left doesn’t even exist. The reason they do this is simple and cold-blooded: they want to stigmatize dissent from their preferred agenda, and bloody atrocities provide an excellent...