Giffords som sköts i huvudet för lite mer än ett år sedan i Arizona har nu bestämt sig för att inte kandidera för omval. Se hennes meddelande i denna video:

2 foton har släppts på kongressledamoten Gabrielle Giffords som skjöts i huvudet i Tucson.

Se foton här

I en längre text i Washington Post beskriver John McCain sin syn på den hårda politiska dialogen. Det är ett stöd till Palin (även om hennes namn aldrig nämns) och ett tack till Obama. McCain är senator från Arizona och var på plats under [...]]]>

I en längre text i Washington Post beskriver John McCain sin syn på den hårda politiska dialogen. Det är ett stöd till Palin (även om hennes namn aldrig nämns) och ett tack till Obama. McCain är senator från Arizona och var på plats under minnesstunden.

I disagree with many of the president’s policies, but I believe he is a patriot sincerely intent on using his time in office to advance our country’s cause. I reject accusations that his policies and beliefs make him unworthy to lead America or opposed to its founding ideals. And I reject accusations that Americans who vigorously oppose his policies are less intelligent, compassionate or just than those who support them.

”To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like [...]]]>

”To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.

There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: the hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in your grief. And we add our faith to yours that Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy pull through.

As Scripture tells us:

‘There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.’

On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech. They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders – representatives of the people answering to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns to our nation’s capital. Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” – just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.

That is the quintessentially American scene that was shattered by a gunman’s bullets. And the six people who lost their lives on Saturday – they too represented what is best in America.

Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years. A graduate of this university and its law school, Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain twenty years ago, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and rose to become Arizona’s chief federal judge. His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit. He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his Representative. John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons, and his five grandchildren.

George and Dorothy Morris – “Dot” to her friends – were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters. They did everything together, traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon. Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their Congresswoman had to say. When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife. Both were shot. Dot passed away.

A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 year-old great-granddaughter. A gifted quilter, she’d often work under her favorite tree, or sometimes sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants to give out at the church where she volunteered. A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better.

Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard grew up in Tucson together – about seventy years ago. They moved apart and started their own respective families, but after both were widowed they found their way back here, to, as one of Mavy’s daughters put it, “be boyfriend and girlfriend again.” When they weren’t out on the road in their motor home, you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ. A retired construction worker, Dorwan spent his spare time fixing up the church along with their dog, Tux. His final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers.

Everything Gabe Zimmerman did, he did with passion – but his true passion was helping people. As Gabby’s outreach director, he made the cares of thousands of her constituents his own, seeing to it that seniors got the Medicare benefits they had earned, that veterans got the medals and care they deserved, that government was working for ordinary folks. He died doing what he loved – talking with people and seeing how he could help. Gabe is survived by his parents, Ross and Emily, his brother, Ben, and his fiancée, Kelly, who he planned to marry next year.

And then there is nine year-old Christina Taylor Green. Christina was an A-student, a dancer, a gymnast, and a swimmer. She often proclaimed that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her. She showed an appreciation for life uncommon for a girl her age, and would remind her mother, “We are so blessed. We have the best life.” And she’d pay those blessings back by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate.

Our hearts are broken by their sudden passing. Our hearts are broken – and yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.

Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday. I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. And I can tell you this – she knows we’re here and she knows we love her and she knows that we will be rooting for her throughout what will be a difficult journey. We are there for her.

And our hearts are full of gratitude for those who saved others. We are grateful for Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby’s office who ran through the chaos to minister to his boss, tending to her wounds to keep her alive. We are grateful for the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload. We are grateful for petite Patricia Maisch, who wrestled away the killer’s ammunition and undoubtedly saved some lives. And we are grateful for the doctors and nurses and first responders who worked wonders to heal those who’d been hurt.

These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, all around us, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, just waiting to be summoned, as it was on Saturday.

Their actions, their selflessness, poses a challenge to each of us. It raises the question of what, beyond prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?

You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations, to try to impose some order on the chaos, and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health systems. And much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.

Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, ‘when I looked for light, then came darkness.’ Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.

For the truth is that none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped these shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind.

Yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.

But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other. That we cannot do. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.

After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose someone in our family -– especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken out of our routines, forced to look inward. We reflect on the past. Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in awhile but every single day?

So sudden loss causes us to look backward – but it also forces us to look forward, to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us. We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness, generosity, compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we may question whether we are doing right by our children, our community, whether our priorities are in order. We recognize our own mortality; we are reminded that in our fleeting time on earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.

That process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions – that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires. For those who were harmed, those who were killed – they are part of our family, an American family 300 million strong. We may not have known them personally, but surely we see ourselves in them. In George and Dot, in Dorwan and Mavy, we sense the abiding love we have for our own husbands, our own wives, our own life partners. Phyllis – she’s our mom or our grandma; Gabe, our brother or son. In Judge Roll, we recognize not only a man who prized his family and doing his job well, but also a man who embodied America’s fidelity to the law. And in Gabby, we see a reflection of our public spiritedness, that desire to participate in that sometimes frustrating, sometimes contentious, but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union.

And in Christina, in Christina we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic, so full of magic. So deserving of our love.

And so deserving of our good example. If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point-scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better – to be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, it did not, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.

We should be civil because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

They believe and I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that’s entirely up to us. And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine, imagine here for a moment, a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just beginning to glimpse that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism, vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.

This was already mentioned, Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. ‘I hope you help those in need,’ read one. ‘I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.’

If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here, on this Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and we commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.” (CNN)

SvD

President Obama håller just nu sitt tal med anhöriga till offren närvarande, Giffords man, läkare, politiker och vanliga medborgare från detta community i Tucson, Arizona. Tidigare under dagen besökte han Giffords på sjukhuset. Under besöket öppnade hon ögonen för första gången. [...]]]>

President Obama håller just nu sitt tal med anhöriga till offren närvarande, Giffords man, läkare, politiker och vanliga medborgare från detta community i Tucson, Arizona. Tidigare under dagen besökte han Giffords på sjukhuset. Under besöket öppnade hon ögonen för första gången.

Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday. I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak.

And I can tell you this … Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.

Se hela talet här

DN

John Cook:

An obviously deranged man killed six people with a legally purchased and legally carried pistol on Saturday, and the only thing we’re arguing about is whether he was listening to Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin till Glenn Beck:

I hate violence. [...]]]>

John Cook:

An obviously deranged man killed six people with a legally purchased and legally carried pistol on Saturday, and the only thing we’re arguing about is whether he was listening to Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin till Glenn Beck:

I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence. Thanks for all you do to send the message of truth and love and God as the answer.

Michael Moore:

If a Detroit Muslim put a map on the web w/crosshairs on 20 pols, then 1 of them got shot, where would he b sitting right now? Just asking.

Sharron Angle som talade om ”second amendment remedies” har än så länge hållt tyst. Kanske bäst så.

Gabrielle Giffords själv får sista ordet (se henne säga detta i klippet nedan från i höstas):

This is a situation where — people don’t — they really need to realize that the rhetoric and firing people up and, you know, even things, for example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list. But the thing is that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gunsight over our district. And when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there’s consequences to that action.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tea Party rörelsen slår ifrån sig (DN)

I gårdagens skjutningar riktade mot kongressledamoten Giffords dog en nioårig flicka. Hennes namn var Christina och hon föddes den 11 september 2001. I en bok med titeln ”Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11″ fanns hon med. Hon ingick i studentrådet [...]]]>

I gårdagens skjutningar riktade mot kongressledamoten Giffords dog en nioårig flicka. Hennes namn var Christina och hon föddes den 11 september 2001. I en bok med titeln ”Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11″ fanns hon med. Hon ingick i studentrådet på sin skola och blev inbjuden av en granne till gårdagens möte.

Uppdatering:
Foto på en ytterligare man som söks av polisen för inblandning i dåded finns på CNN.

Uppdatering 2:
Mannen som misstänktes vara en medhjälpare är inte längre misstänkt för något brott.

Texten uppdateras…

02:39 svensk tid söndag morgon: Sheriffen Dubnik säger på presskonferensen att ”vitriol might be free speech, but it’s not without consequences” angående det politiska hat som sprids främst genom radio i USA.

02:10 svensk tid söndag morgon: Polisen uppger att man misstänker att [...]]]>

Texten uppdateras…

02:39 svensk tid söndag morgon: Sheriffen Dubnik säger på presskonferensen att ”vitriol might be free speech, but it’s not without consequences” angående det politiska hat som sprids främst genom radio i USA.

02:10 svensk tid söndag morgon: Polisen uppger att man misstänker att mördaren haft en medhjälpare och att man har foton på honom. Medhjälparen har inte skjutit. Möjligtvis rör det sig om någon som kört mördaren till platsen, men polisen ville inte gå in på mer detaljer.

Väldigt motstridiga uppgifter om hon överlevt eller inte just nu. Flera uppgifter gjorde tidigt gällande att hon dött (NPR tex). Senaste uppgifterna (jag följer amerikansk tv live) gör dock gällande att hon är på sjukhus och lever. Hon är allvarligt skadad och har precis genomgått operation, men väntas kunna klara sig uppger läkare. Skottet har gått genom hjärnan. Sex bekräftat döda, varav ett ungt barn – en nioårig flicka. En federal domare, John Roll är en av de döda. 19 personer skjutna av halvautomatisk pistol. President Obama säger att Giffords kämpar för sitt liv.

40-åriga kongressledamoten Giffords från Arizona sköts i huvudet med en pistol med utökat magasin under ett kampanjmöte idag. Hon är demokrat och har tidigare mottagit flera allvarliga hot (vilket även drabbat andra kongressledamöter senaste året). 18 personer sköts, varav flera uppges ha dött. Mannen som sköt har gripits av polisen. Han är 22 år gammal och heter Jared Lee Loughner. Han uppger på sitt YouTube konto att han försökt bli militär rekryt i Phoenix, Arizona. Han antogs inte. Ett återkommande tema för denna man verkar vara kritik mot valutan, som man från Tea Party och libertarianer vill koppla mer till guld.

Giffords var en av 20 personer på Palins kontroversiella targetmap med måltavlor. Palin har idag raderat denna targetmap. Kvar finns fortfarande gamla tweets med följande meddelande: ”Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: ”Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!” Pls see my Facebook page.”

Gabrielle Giffords kampanjkontor vandaliserades förra året och det var även en incident med vapen på hennes kampanjmöten.

Hennes motståndare i senaste valet förlorade knappt. Han heter Jesse Kelly och är fd marinkårssoldat som gärna fotograferades med vapen även i annonser. Se fotot intill (RINO står för Republican In Name Only, dvs en republikan som egentligen stöder demokraternas politik). Han höll också i en skjutövning som ett kampanjevent med texten: ”Get on Target for victory in November Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly”.

Här segertalar Giffords efter 2010 års kongressval då hon omvaldes till en tredje period.

Mer: CNN, DN och SvD.

Igår hölls primärval i fem stater under tisdagen. Några av valen var extra intressanta, vilket vi skrev om igår. Alla röster är ännu inte räknade, men det finns ändå en del resultat att rapportera.

John McCain vann med betryggande marginal över J. D. Hayworth. I skrivande [...]]]>

Igår hölls primärval i fem stater under tisdagen. Några av valen var extra intressanta, vilket vi skrev om igår. Alla röster är ännu inte räknade, men det finns ändå en del resultat att rapportera.

John McCain vann med betryggande marginal över J. D. Hayworth. I skrivande stund leder McCain med 24 procentenheter. McCain betraktade redan från början Hayworth som ett verkligt hot och har kampanjat därefter – ofta hårt och negativt.

Senatsvalet i Florida kommer att stå mellan tre kandidater. Kendrick Meek (D) slog Jeff Greene (D) och kommer att möta Marco Rubio (R) och den sittande guvernören Charlie Crist (I) som efter usla opinionssiffror i våras bestämde sig för att dra sig ur republikanernas primärval och istället ställa upp som en oberoende kandidat. Den andra självfinansierade kandidaten vi skrev om igår, Rick Scott, vinner den republikanska nomineringen i guvernörsvalet över Bill McCollum.

Primärvalet i Alaska mellan republikanerna Lisa Murkowski och Joe Miller är för jämnt för att det ska gå att utse en vinnare, men just nu lutar det åt att Miller blir den som kniper nomineringen. Det skulle i så fall vara en viktig seger även för Sarah Palin, som då lyckats pricka rätt med samtliga sina endorsements under gårdagens primärval.

… för att försvara sin hemstat som är oväntat jämn (McCain cirka +6%). Obama kommer därför annonsera i Arizona sista dagarna av kampanjen. Liberala grupper som MoveOn satsar också på annonser i delstaten.

Andra bloggar om: usa, [...]]]>

… för att försvara sin hemstat som är oväntat jämn (McCain cirka +6%). Obama kommer därför annonsera i Arizona sista dagarna av kampanjen. Liberala grupper som MoveOn satsar också på annonser i delstaten.

Andra bloggar om: usa, presidentvalet, usa-valet, arizona, john mccain, barack obama