We’ve heard about the unknown nitwit who shot up Congresswoman Giffords’ office last year, but that was one of many real or threatened gun incidents last year.

What I did not know was that her office was shot up after a local Tea Bagger there said those who supported the heath care bill should have their windows smashed. Not sure where I read that but I don’t have it handy.

So yeah, there’s no direct link between telling people the president is a socialist, illegal alien Kenyan who wants to take your guns and that the country is run by Democrats who need to be “targeted” with “Second Amendment remedies” but it sure the hell doesn’t look good either.

This needs said.

By more people. In more places.

These supposed show two sides to the Tucson shootings:

But I LOVE the comment that captions the following:

Kyle elyK (repelican) wrote:
So the second cartoon implies that if Palin and Beck mate, the output is mental illness?

Yeah, I’ll buy that.

In the effort to become a “more perfect union” we have amended our Constitution to right wrongs and expand rights to more of our population. Conservatives want to turn back the clock by removing some of those amendments and stopping people from becoming citizens or having rights in the first place.

And it isn’t just the rabid newly-angry Tea Party types who only got engaged when they saw a black man become president of their WASP-y nation.

No, it also goes hand-in-hand with vile conservatives like Antonin Scalia, who is very damn sure that women do not have any Constitutionally-protected rights.

I’m not kidding. That’s his interpretation, and given his place on the Supreme Court, that’s a damn scary opinion to have with that much power in his hands.

MSNBC transcript link

For once, amazingly, a NPR article that doesn’t suck up to the right wing.

This one discusses how the Tucson shooter may have been influenced by anti-government hate speech in the media.

Go figure.

Their followup article is even better at detailing the current climate and those who stoked it’s fires.

Paul Krugman says a lot of what I’ve been thinking in this article. I, too, am not surprised this happened. Saddened? Disappointed? Yes. But something like this was going to happen eventually, especially with cheerleaders like Palin egging people on.

Rep. James Clyburn puts it more pointedly. “The fact of the matter is, we just came out of an election. We saw a candidate for the United States Senate saying ‘if you can’t get what you want at the ballot box, let’s seek second amendment remedies.’ What does that mean? That is a very vitriolic statement.”

Rep. Giffords herself had some concerns over Palin “targeting” her.

Been catching up on Robert Reich lately and here are a few nuggets to feed your mind.

The Shameful Attack on Public Employees

How the Republican Assault on Health Care Could Backfire On Them

The Big Lie

Enjoy!

Here is a really, interesting discussion on corruption and the lenses we use when discussing it in different parts of the world. Give it a listen.

Finally, someone is calling out the GOP for their not-so-veiled racism in regards to the community center in Manhattan.

For me, I just want to point out that two Christian churches exist in downtown Oklahoma City where the Christian terrorist McVeigh blew up a federal building and a bunch of children.

No one is talking about tearing those buildings down. Nor should they.

I keep telling you folks that Tulsa isn’t full of reactionary rednecks. Some, sure, but it’s a pretty progressive town considering where it is.