U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot During Killing Spree; Predictably Blame Flies

Yesterday 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner embarked upon a shooting spree killing six, and critically wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords an Arizona Democrat. Among the six people killed were a nine-year-old girl and Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court Arizona John Roll (a George H. W. Bush appointee). The tragedy of the incident should speak for itself.

Predictably and shamefully, what has followed has been a mad dash to politicize the event.

Legal Insurrection has a decent sampling of some of the comments offered up by Leftists bloggers including the tweet from Daily Kos creator Markos Moulitsas.

The AP attempted to blame the Republican candidate Jesse Kelly defeated in by Giffords in the election-- although no scrap of evidence suggests any link between Loughner and Kelly. Tom Blumer has an excellent piece regarding the AP's atrocious handling of the story.

CBS pushed Palin-blame as reported here.

New York Times' columnist Paul Krugman has leveled blame at the GOP in general and Sarah Palin in particular.

Inconveniently, nothing ties the shooter Loughner to the Republicans, Palin, nor the political Right at all. Merely the fact that Giffords was a Democrat was all that was needed for Lougher to immediately be depicted as a crazed Fox News/Palin junkee murderer. Indeed, as more is learned of Loughner, the more he appears to be mentally unbalanced and separated from reality to such an extent that political labels are absolutely meaningless.

From the Arizona Daily Star article by Tim Stellar:

"A former classmate of Loughner at Pima Community College said he was 'obviously very disturbed.'

"'He disrupted class frequently with nonsensical outbursts,' said Lynda Sorenson, who took a math class with Loughner last summer at Pima Community College's Northwest campus.

"Sorenson doesn't recall if he ever made any threats or uttered political statements but he was very disruptive, she said. He was asked to leave the pre-algebra class several times and eventually was barred from class, said Sorenson, a Tucson resident.

"Another Pima classmate, Lydian Ali, said Loughner would frequently laugh aloud to himself during the advanced-poetry class they attended. Only about 16 people were in the class, so Loughner's behavior stood out, Ali said.

"'It almost seemed like he was on his own planet, because his comments would have nothing to do with what we were talking about,' Ali said.

"MySpace, YouTube and Facebook accounts maintained by Loughner suggest he has spent most of his life on the northwest side: His profile says he attended Thornydale Elementary, Tortolita Middle School, Mountain View High School

"The online accounts also contain bizarre discussions of a new currency and literacy, as well as threatening and despairing messages.

"'WOW! I'm glad i didn't kill myself. I'll see you on National T.v.! This is foreshadow .... why doesn't anyone talk to me?..' he posted on MySpace Dec. 14.

"On Dec. 13, he wrote: 'I don't feel good: I'm ready to kill a police officer! I can say it.'

"In a posting on YouTube, Loughner wrote repeatedly about a new currency.

"'I'm thinking of creating a new currency,' he wrote. 'Therefore, I'm thinking of a design for my new coins size, shape, color, material, and image to start a new money system.'

"He also wrote repeatedly about literacy. In a written message on YouTube, Loughner said: 'The majority of people, who reside in District-8 are illiterate - hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure.'

"In a message posted on his MySpace account, titled 'Goodbye friends,' Loughner said: 'Dear friends...please don't be mad at me. The literacy rate is below 5%. I haven't talked to one person who is literate.' It was unclear when it was posted.

"In a MySpace profile, Loughner said 'My favorite interest was reading, and I studied grammar. Conscience dreams were a great study in college.'

"He lists among his favorite books 'Mein Kampf" and 'The Communist Manifesto'. But he also includes a broad variety of other titles, including: 'Animal Farm,' 'Brave New World,' 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

"In another YouTube message, Loughner said: 'I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen.'

"'In conclusion, my ambition - is for informing literate dreamers about a new currency; in a few days, you know I'm conscience dreaming! Thank you!'

"In a YouTube video dated Dec. 15, titled 'Introduction: Jared Loughner' the accused gunman describes himself as a U.S. military recruit who had applied to join the Army. The Army, however, said it rejected Lougher as a recruit in 2008."

Obviously Loughner was unbalanced. No where is it mentioned that Loughner had any connection to Sarah Palin, Fox News, Glenn Beck, Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh, Republicans, nor any other political Right target that the AP, CBS, Left blogosphere, and a NYT columnist have accused. No where.

The tragedy itself is senseless, the result of a pathetic little wretch obsessing over "conscience dreaming" a "new currency," and some bizarre idea of "literacy."

Yet, the ensuing media frenzy in the aftermath of this attack is a sad reflection on the state of politics in this country. So desperate is the Left and powerful aspects of the MSM that within 16 hours they overlay innuendo, conjure "evidence," level accusations, wag fingers, and erase their own heated rhetoric, for political gain. It is pathetic, and it is distasteful.