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Hoping that this thread can stay NEWS RELATED.

Given that we're all quite concerned about the future, both immediate AND long term, it might not be so bad an idea to see how the general dissemination of hard news proceeds,...Local v. National v. International.

So,....Hats OFF to Danny Hernandez !

GTC

[Linked Image]

Meet Daniel Hernandez, the intern who likely saved Gabrielle Giffords� life
By Holly Bailey

By Holly Bailey � 1 hr 24 mins ago

Daniel Hernandez had only been Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' intern for five days, and on Saturday, he may have saved her life.

The University of Arizona junior was standing 30 feet away from the Democratic congresswoman when she was shot in the head at a meet-and-greet event in her district, and he immediately rushed to her side. As everyone on hand waited for emergency medical support to arrive, Hernandez held Giffords's head in his lap and applied pressure to her wound.

At the same time, Hernandez advised others on providing help for the other 20 others injured and killed in the attack—and that quick thinking has led many to label him a hero in Saturday's horrific event.

"When I heard gunshots, my first instinct was to head toward the congresswoman to make sure that she was okay," Hernandez said in an interview with ABC's Christine Amanpour Sunday. "Once I saw that she was down, and there were more than one victim, I went ahead and started doing the limited triage that I could with what I had."

Hernandez, who is 20, told ABC that he simply "shut off all emotion." "I knew I wouldn't be good to anyone if I had a breakdown," he recalled. He noted that he went to help because he had "limited experience in triage and training."

He lifted up Giffords' head, because he feared she might choke on her own blood, and used smocks from the grocery store's meat department as a makeshift bandages for her and other victims.

Giffords, he says, was alert, but couldn't talk.

"'Just grab my hand to let me know that you're okay,'" he recalls telling the injured lawmaker.

According to Hernandez, she squeezed his hand, and he didn't let go, riding with her in the ambulance to the hospital, where she was rushed into emergency surgery.

"It was probably not the best idea to run toward the gunshots," he told the Arizona Republic. "But people needed help."

(Photo of Hernandez and Giffords: James Palka/AP)
_________________________
MEMBER,CLAN OF THE BORDER RATS

"You border rats, better get used to how things are, don't see much change coming..." HUNTER1960

Prety amazing performance by this young man in a terribly high pressure situation.

Prayers,...if you got em'

Link: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/9a649630-1c14-11e0-8039-001cc4c03286.html

Giffords' medical condition called 'very precarious'

By Rhonda Bodfield, Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Sunday, January 9, 2011 10:17 am

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was in surgery within 38 minutes of arriving at University Medical Center with a gunshot "devastating wound" to the head that required the removal of half her skull, doctors said at a news conference this morning.

Doctors said Giffords is sedated and remains in critical condition, though she is responding to simple commands. She is in a medically-induced coma and doctors called her medical condition �very precarious,' but said they remain cautiously optimistic about her prognosis.

Giffords was shot on the left side of the head and the bullet traveled from the back to the front, said Dr. G. Michael Lemole Jr., one of the neurosurgeons who operated on Giffords. The left side of the brain controls speech and right side strength on most people..

Giffords remained on a ventilator today. He said he eyes are swollen shut.

While doctors said Giffords was responsive they were cautious of overstating her condition, saying several times she was in critical condition.

Lemole says surgeons worked to reduce pressure from swelling in the brain by removing bone fragments.

Giffords was shot by a gunman on Saturday as she met with constituents outside a grocery store.

Six others were killed, and 14 wounded, including the congresswoman.

Dr. Peter M. Rhee said he expects to have a better idea about Giffords' prognosis in the next few days.

Doctors credited several reasons for her survival, including good luck and the fact that paramedics got her to surgeons quickly.

"This is about as good as it is going to get," said Dr. Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon. "When you get shot in the head and the bullet goes through your brain, the chances of you living is very small and the chances of you waking up and actually following commands is even much smaller than that. Hopefully it will stay that way."

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

Thanks for the updates, GTC.

This is bone stock A.P. coverage, looks to be worth putting up

GTC

Link: http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/surgeons-say-giffords-showing-positive-signs-1.2596596

Surgeons say Giffords showing positive signs

Originally published: January 9, 2011 7:01 AM

TUCSON, Ariz. - (AP) � Doctors treating wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords provided an optimistic update Sunday about her chances for survival, saying they are "very, very encouraged" by her ability to respond to simple commands along with their success in controlling her bleeding.

The FBI said law enforcement could bring charges against the gunman as early as Sunday, and House Speaker John Boehner said normal House business this week has been postponed in the aftermath of the shooting.

Surgeons said a bullet went through Giffords' head on the left side of the brain, but she is still able to respond nonverbally to commands such as squeezing a hand or showing two fingers. They credited several reasons for her survival, including good luck and the fact that paramedics got her to surgeons quickly � in under 40 minutes.

"This is about as good as it is going to get," said Dr. Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon. "When you get shot in the head and the bullet goes through your brain, the chances of you living is very small and the chances of you waking up and actually following commands is even much smaller than that. Hopefully it will stay that way."

Surgeons worked to reduce pressure from swelling in her head by removing bone fragments, and they also removed a small amount of badly damaged brain. Giffords cannot speak because she is on a ventilator.

Dr. Michael Lemole of the University Medical Center in Tucson would not speculate on her degree of recovery. "We talk about recovery in months to years," he said.

The medical prognosis came as authorities investigated the motivation of a gunman in an attempted assassination of the three-term Democrat and the killing of six people, including a federal judge, an aide to Giffords and a 9-year-old girl who was born on Sept. 11, 2001.

Mourners crammed into the tiny sanctuary of Giffords' synagogue in Tucson to pray that she quickly recovered. Outside the hospital, candles flickered at a makeshift memorial. Signs read "Peace + love are stronger," ''God bless America and "We love you, Gabrielle." People also laid down bouquets of flowers, American flags and pictures of Giffords.

Police say the shooter was in custody, and was identified by the FBI as Jared Loughner, 22. He was described by friends as a pot-smoking loner who was rejected by the Army when he tried to enlist in 2008. He dropped out of a local community college after having five contacts with campus police for classroom and library disruptions last year.

His motivation was not immediately known, but Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described him as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice.

Authorities said Giffords, 40, was targeted at a public gathering by a man with a semiautomatic weapon around 10 a.m. Saturday outside a busy Tucson supermarket. Fourteen people were injured.

He also fired at her district director and shot indiscriminately at staffers and others standing in line to talk to the congresswoman, said Mark Kimble, a communications staffer for Giffords.

"He was not more than three or four feet from the congresswoman and the district director," Kimble said, describing the scene as "just complete chaos, people screaming, crying."

One of the victims was Christina-Taylor Green, who was a member of the student council at her local school and went to the event because of her interest in government. She is the grandaughter of former Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green.

She was born on 9/11 and featured in a book called "Faces of Hope" that chronicled one baby from each state born on the day terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people.

The fact that Christina's life ended in tragedy was especially tragic to those who knew her. "Tragedy seems to have happened again," said the author of the book, Christine Naman. "In the form of this awful event."

Authorities said the dead included U.S. District Judge John M. Roll; Greene; Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Scheck, 79. Judge Roll had just stopped by to see his friend Giffords after attending Mass.

His office said a man possibly associated with Loughner (pronounced LAWF'-ner) who was near the scene was being sought. Law enforcement released an image of a man photographed by a security camera at the Safeway store. He was described as white with dark hair and 40-45 years old.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said Loughner bought the Glock 9-mm handgun last year.

In one of several YouTube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new U.S. currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords' congressional district in Arizona.

"I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote. "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 (sic)."

In Loughner's middle-class neighborhood � about a five-minute drive from the scene � sheriff's deputies had much of the street blocked off. The neighborhood sits just off a bustling Tucson street and is lined with desert landscaping and palm trees.

Neighbors said Loughner lived with his parents and kept to himself. He was often seen walking his dog, almost always wearing a hooded sweat shirt and listening to his iPod.

The assassination attempt left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge.

Giffords faced frequent backlash from the right over her support of the health care reform last year, and had her office vandalized the day the House approved the landmark measure.

When asked if Loughner had any contact with Giffords in the past, Mueller said the alleged gunman attended a similar event three years ago.

Dupnik lashed out at what he called an excessively "vitriolic" atmosphere in the months leading up to the rampage as he described the chaos of the day.

The sheriff said the rampage ended only after two people tackled the gunman. A third person intervened and tried to pull a clip away from Loughner as he attempted to reload, the sheriff said.

"He was definitely on a mission," according to event volunteer Alex Villec, former Giffords intern.

Giffords expressed similar concern about the political atmosphere, even before the shooting. In an interview after her office was vandalized, she referred to the animosity against her by conservatives, including Sarah Palin's decision to list Giffords' seat as one of the top "targets" in the midterm elections.

"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 gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action," Giffords said in an interview with MSNBC.

In the hours after the shooting, Palin issued a statement in which she expressed her "sincere condolences" to the family of Giffords and the other victims.

A shaken President Barack Obama called the attack "a tragedy for our entire country."

Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement Sunday that FBI Director Robert Mueller was traveling to Arizona to help coordinate the investigation.

In a brief statement Sunday morning, House Speaker John Boehner said flags on the House side of the Capitol in Washington will be flown at half staff to honor Giffords' slain aide, Gabe Zimmerman. Boehner says normal House business this week is postponed to focus on any necessary actions in the shooting aftermath.

___

Associated Press Writers Jacques Billeaud, Raquel Maria Dillon and Terry Tang contributed to this report.

That is simply bone-chilling.

Thank God for the home of the brave:

The sheriff said the rampage ended only after two people tackled the gunman. A third person intervened and tried to pull a clip away from Loughner as he attempted to reload, the sheriff said.

Put elsewhere, but lost there:

The deceased, from a lunatic's actions - a federal judge who happened to stop by at the wrong time, a 9-year-old child, born on 9/11, a man who'd recently become engaged, a husband shielding his wife...

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/09/arizona-shooting-latest-developments/?hpt=T2

In addition to the 12 people wounded in the shooting, the following six were killed:

� John Roll, 63. A native of Pennsylvania, Roll was a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona who had served the legal system for nearly 40 years. He began his career as a bailiff in Pima County Superior Court and rose to be chief judge for the District of Arizona, a position he held since 2006.

He received death threats two years ago after he ruled that a $32 million civil-rights lawsuit filed by illegal immigrants against a rancher in the state could proceed. He had been assigned to hear the ethnic studies ban case out of Tucson that involves a new law banning certain ethnic studies programs in public schools, according to the lead attorney on the case, Richard Martinez. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts called Roll's death a tragic loss.

� Christina Taylor Greene, 9. She was born on September 11, 2001, according to CNN affiliate KVOA. Family members described her as "excited" about the political process, and said the desire to learn more about it had motivated her to go to the Gifford event, the affiliate said. Christina had just been elected to the student council at her school, the Arizona Republic reported. She died at a hospital, and not at the scene like the other five.

� Gabe Zimmerman, 30. A Tucson native who was engaged to be married, Zimmerman was the director of community outreach for the congresswoman.

� Dorwin Stoddard, 76. Dory, as his family calls him, was a retired construction worker, said Pastor Mike Nowak at Mount Avenue Church of Christ in Tucson. Witnesses told CNN that Stoddard tried to shield his wife, Mavy, was shot in the head and fell on her. The wife was shot three times in her legs; the bullets were removed and she is expected to make a full recovery.

� Dorothy Morris, 76

� Phyllis Scheck, 79

With acknowledgment that my observations are just impressions from a distance based on information from the current news:

The Pima County sheriff sounds like an idiot. He is past the age when he should retire gracefully, and this coming from another 70+ y/o. He continues to rant in a manner that reflects contempt for both the First and Second amendments, which is inexcusable in any public official, let alone senior law enforcement.

In contrast to the cautious public statements from the team of doctors, learned men schooled in science where speculation is frowned upon, Sheriff Dumass offers wild speculative amateurish theories of causes and effects of behavior.

Probably a topic for another thread, but this makes a good case for well educated people in law enforcement, particularly at the senior levels. I'm sure there are plenty of people who think the sheriff is just chock full of "good ol' common sense". Check out the Huffpo for their take on this guy. They are all humping the sheriff's leg. Truly educated people are aware of the limitations of their knowledge, and are cautious in their conclusions.

Rant mode off.

Paul

I'm almost reticent to put this up,....but hey, it IS part of the big picture,....sad

GTC

Daily Kos publisher blames Palin for Giffords shooting

Link: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...re-battle-over-motive-political-rhetoric

Shooting sparks left-right blog battle over motive, rhetoric
By Shane D'Aprile - 01/09/11 12:29 PM ET

Reaction on the blogosphere was swift Saturday to the mass shooting in Arizona that killed at least six and critically wounded Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But expressions of shock and sympathy for the victims of the shooting quickly gave way to a left-right battle over what may have motivated the gunman.

Several liberal bloggers pointed to the Tea Party and the heated rhetoric that characterized much of the 2010 campaign season, with many on the left turning the focus to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The liberal blog Daily Kos highlighted the "target list" posted on the website of Palin's political action committee and the former governor's Facebook page. It was a list of 20 House districts carried by the McCain-Palin ticket in 2008 that were represented by Democratic lawmakers who had voted in favor of healthcare.

Over each of the targeted districts, including that of Giffords, was the crosshairs of gun sights.

Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas tweeted this early Saturday: "Mission accomplished, Sarah Palin." The tweet included a link to Palin's target map.

Kos also recycled a clip of Giffords reacting to the map on MSNBC, where she warned Palin of potential consequences to such visuals.

"The way that she has it depicted, has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district," Giffords said. "When people do that, they've got to realize there are consequences to that action."

Conservative Andrew Breitbart responded on his own website and on Twitter Saturday, tweeting this warning: "For the love of God, @markos. Stop it. Don't go there, trust me. Trust me. Trust me. You will not like the blow-back, I assure you."

Moulitsas, who is also a contributor to The Hill, re-tweeted the message, accompanied by an "LOL."

Breitbart later criticized what he termed wild speculation on the potential political motivations of the alleged shooter on his website BigJournalism.com.

"If it is a lone gunman on the left, we will be at the forefront of policing those on the right who would try to seize upon this tragedy for political purposes," he wrote. "This is a sincere plea to those with whom we wage battle on a daily basis in a robust democracy with an appreciation for the First Amendment, but this is also a plea to our political way of thinking who would like to claim victory from a national tragedy."

Liberal commentators joined in the fray, for the most part focusing on Palin. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann called on Palin to repudiate her part in "amplifying violence and violent imagery in politics."

Just hours after the shooting, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik sounded off at a news conference, pinning blame for the tragedy squarely on "the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government." Dupnik proclaimed, "the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous."

"This may be free speech," he said. "But it's not without consequences."

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His comments flew across Twitter and were highlighted by a Daily Kos blogger who praised Dupnik for not being afraid "to point the finger at who is culpable."

On the conservative blog RedState, Erick Erickson accused the left of "using this tragedy to score political points," recalling that when a gunman took hostages in the headquarters of the Discovery Channel last year, "the left immediately accused the man of being a tea party activist. Unfortunately for the left, the man turned out to be an envirowacko leftist."

In another blog posted Sunday, Erickson said, "The shooter is neither left-wing nor right-wing. He is crazy and evil -- a word not used enough."

Erickson concluded: "By the way, as an exit thought, the tea party movement won in November. Winners don't go on shooting sprees."

The blame game and rampant speculation over the possible political motivations of the shooting starting in earnest Saturday and continued on Sunday morning's political shows despite there still being little public information about the 22-year-old held in the shootings.

Jared Lee Loughner's YouTube and other Internet postings don't appear to indicate a coherent political motive or very many coherent political thoughts, for that matter. They include rants on currency and ramblings about Loughner's distrust of the government and public officials.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that after watching the videos and reading Loughner's writings, he saw evidence of someone suffering from "paranoid schizophrenia."

The Arizona Daily Star spoke to former community college classmates of Loughner who described him as "very disturbed," "Left wing" and someone who was prone to interrupting class discussions frequently with "nonsensical outbursts."

Fox News reported Sunday morning that an internal Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by the network indicated that Loughner, 22, is "possibly linked" to an anti-Semetic, white supremacist group.

The DHS memo called the group American Renaissance "anti-government, anti-immigration, anti -ZOG (Zionist Occupational Government), anti-Semitic."

The information reportedly came as Loughner's computer and personal effects were searched in the shooting investigation. 

Giffords, who attends a Reform synagogue in Tucson, is Arizona's first Jewish congresswoman.

While Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.) played down any suggestion that there was a direct connection between rhetoric emanating from either party and the Arizona shooting on "Fox News Sunday," she did note some of the alleged gunman's favorite books as highlighted on his YouTube page -- The Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09shooter.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

..."Paul Schwalbach, the spokesman for the Pima Community College, said one video that Mr. Loughner had prepared was considered particularly troubling by campus administrators, motivating them to suspend Mr. Loughner in September.

College �police and other officials viewed it and found it very disturbing,� he said. After he was suspended, Mr. Loughner and his parents met with administrators, who said he would require a mental health clearance if he wanted to return to college. It could not be learned on Saturday whether Mr. Loughner ever saw a psychiatrist or other professional or was diagnosed with a mental illness.

But the rambling, disconnected writings and videos he has left on the Web are consistent with the delusions produced by a psychotic illness like schizophrenia, which develops most often in the teens or 20s."...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110109/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot_gun

..."By ALICIA A. CALDWELL, Associated Press Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated Press � Sat Jan 8, 8:55 pm ET
WASHINGTON � A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that the handgun used in a shooting that killed a federal judge and wounded a U.S. congresswoman in Tucson, Ariz., was purchased legally. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head Saturday morning during an event with voters outside a local grocery store. U.S. District Judge John Roll, and at least five others, were killed in the attack.

The official, who has been briefed on the investigation, spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the case. Officials have identified the shooter as 22-year-old Jared Loughner of Tucson. He is in custody. The Washington Post reported late Saturday that Loughner purchased the gun Nov. 30 from the Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson."...

Originally Posted by Paul39

With acknowledgment that my observations are just impressions based on information from the current news:

The Pima County sheriff sounds like an idiot. He is past the age when he should retire graciously, and this coming from another 70+ y/o. He continues to rant in a manner that reflects contempt for both the First and Second amendments, which is inexcusable in any public official, let alone senior law enforcement.

In contrast to the cautious public statements from the team of doctors, learned men schooled in science where speculation is frowned upon, he offers wild speculative amateurish theories of causes and effects of behavior.

Probably a topic for another thread, but this makes a good case for well educated people in law enforcement, particularly at the senior levels. I'm sure there are plenty of people who think the sheriff is just chock full of "good ol' common sense". Check out the Huffpo for their take on this take guy. They are all humping the sheriff's leg. Truly educated people are aware of the limitations of their knowledge, and are cautious in their conclusions.

Rant mode off.

Paul

He's the consummate "Over the Hill" political animal, and long ovedue for a younger , brighter replacement, Paul.

I'm trying to chase down a report about his recent "Hit and Run" which was "Reduced" to leaving the scene of an accident.

Hard news to find ,....how VERY surprising.

GTC

Senator Kyl had an uncomplimentary view of Dupnik's drivle.

Kyl: Too much credit to give shooter 'coherent political philosophy'
By Bridget Johnson - 01/09/11 11:50 AM ET

Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl (R) suggested Sunday that the 22-year-old accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was likely too mentally unstable to be operating out of political aims.

On CBS' "Face the Nation," Kyl was asked about the comments of Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who critcized vitriol in his state while giving an update on the case to the press.

"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," said the sheriff. "And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."

"I didn't really think that that had any part in a law enforcement briefing last night," Kyl said. "It was speculation."

Kyl said the only thing about Jared Lee Loughner that seems clear is that he is a "very mentally unstable" person.

"It's probably giving him too much credit to ascribe a coherent political philosophy to him," he said. "We just have to acknowledge that there are mentally unstable people in this country. Who knows what motivates them to do what they do? Then they commit terrible crimes like this."

Kyl said that Giffords would be the first one "to say don't rush to judgment here."

"She herself was a proponent of the Second Amendment," the senator said. "She read, as has been pointed out several times, the First Amendment part of the constitution on the floor of the House the other day. She was doing what she likes to do most with her constituents. She meets constituents all the time. And she would not want to be restrained in any way from her ability to do that."

Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he agreed with the sheriff's comments.

"Far too many broadcasts now and so many outlets have the intent of inciting, and inciting people to opposition, to anger, to thinking the other side is less than moral," he said. "And I think that is a context in which somebody who is mentally unbalanced can somehow feel justified in taking this kind of action."

Hoyer said he had talked to Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, who is "very angry, Very angry about the level of angry rhetoric that he believes incites people."

"We're going to have to find out exactly what the motivation here was," Hoyer said, adding that everyone in the public square needed to "fashion our rhetoric so that it does not incite but informs."
Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...ve-shooter-coherent-political-philosophy
The contents of this site are � 2011 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.
Comments (13)

Quote

Daily Kos publisher blames Palin for Giffords shooting

Link: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...re-battle-over-motive-political-rhetoric

[bleep] vultures.

Breaking

"Man sought as 'person of interest' in Giffords shooting case cleared"

Link: is acting like those of last night,....for what it's worth, here....

Link: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/1ecff40c-1c27-11e0-9dc8-001cc4c03286.html

Better .....

Link: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_51bb5006-1bd6-11e0-9fec-001cc4c002e0.html

Authorities clear man called 'person of interest' in Giffords shooting case

* Story

Authorities clear man called 'person of interest' in Giffords shooting case

By Kim Smith, Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Sunday, January 9, 2011 2:44 am

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Detectives with the Pima County Sheriff's Department interviewed the "person of interest" in Saturday's mass shooting and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The man, a cab driver, told detectives he gave Jared Loughner a ride to the Safeway and they entered the store together so Loughner could obtain change to pay his fare, said Bureau Chief Richard Kastigar.

Records substantiate the driver dropped Loughner off at 9:59 a.m., Kastigar said.

The first report of a shooting came in 10:11 a.m. and paramedics were on scene at 10:16 a.m., Kastigar said.

FBI Director Robert Mueller announced this morning he anticipates federal charges will be filed this afternoon against Loughner in the death of U.S. District Judge John Roll and the shootings of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her staff members.

Discussions are underway as to the filing of state charges in regards to the other victims, Mueller said.

Authorities also today released more gripping details of the event that killed six people and wounded 14 others at a Congress on Your Corner event.

Seconds after Loughner emptied the clip of a 9 mm Glock into the crowd at Safeway, one of the women he shot grabbed the magazine in an effort to stop him, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said this morning.

"The woman went up and grabbed the magazine and tore it away from him," Dupnik said.

Loughner was able to insert a second, 31-round magazine, but because the gun malfunctioned and two men tackled him, a "greater catosphere" was averted, Dupnik said.

The names of the three heroes have not yet been released.

Mueller and Dupnik said Loughner attended a 2007 Congress on Your Corner event after exchanging correspondence with Giffords' office and being extended an invitation. Authorities continue to work around the clock to determine why Loughner committed such a "heinous act," Mueller said.

When asked if Dupnik would classify the incident as a hate crime, he said, "You could probably call most murders a hate crime."

Mueller said he was not discounting the possibility of charging Loughner with crimes under domestic terrorism statutes, but said it was "premature to say what the motivations were or to draw generalizations."

A suspicious package found at Giffords' office following the shootings did not contain any explosive materials, but investigators are looking into who sent the package and why, Mueller said. FBI lab analysts will attempt to obtain DNA and fingerprints from the package, he said.

Loughner purchased the Glock from a gun store in November, Mueller said. He was not legally prohibited from purchasing the gun.

Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or [email protected]

Copyright 2011 Arizona Daily Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Oh, Godspeed , little one,.....and may he hold your family and friends in his arms.

[Linked Image]

Link: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_28c8e686-1ca6-5b3e-ab85-965bd22c68c0.html

CHRISTINA-TAYLOR GREEN

With a birthday on 9/11, she was patriotic, interested in politics

Born, died between 2 tragedies

Stephanie Innes Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Sunday, January 9, 2011 12:00 am

Aspiring politician Christina-Taylor Green was born in the midst of tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, and died Saturday morning while trying to meet Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The strong-willed 9-year-old third-grader had gone to meet Giffords with a neighbor when she was shot. She died later at University Medical Center.

Her neighbor was shot four times and was recovering from surgery Saturday evening.

Christina-Taylor had just been elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School and had been interested in politics from a young age, her father, John Green, said Saturday night.

"She was a good speaker. I could have easily seen her as a politician," her father said.

The brown-eyed athletic girl had one sibling, an 11-year-old brother named Dallas, and the two loved to go swimming together.

She'd already told her parents she wanted to attend Penn State one day and have a career that involved helping those less fortunate than her.

She also loved animals and was a passionate dancer who loved ballet, hip-hop, jazz and gymnastics and was the only girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team, "The Pirates." She played second base.

Christina-Taylor came from a family of baseball players. Her grandfather, former major-league pitcher Dallas Green, was team manager for the Philadelphia Phillies when they won the World Series in 1980.

"She kept up with everyone, she was a strong girl, a very good athlete and a strong swimmer," said her mother, Roxanna Green. "She was interested in everything. She got a guitar for Christmas so her next thing was learning to play guitar."

Christina-Taylor also enjoyed singing in a church choir at St. Odilia's Catholic Church, where she had received her first Holy Communion in the spring.

"'Let the children come to me,' Jesus said (Matthew 19:14). Christina is with Him," Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas wrote in a letter to parishioners sent from Jordan, where he is attending a bishops' meeting.

Already aware of inequalities in the world around her, Christina-Taylor often repeated the same phrase to her mother: "We are so blessed. We have the best life."

Her birth date no doubt helped inspire Christina-Taylor's interest in politics, Roxanna Green said. She was one of 50 9/11 babies featured in a book called "Faces of Hope."

"She was born back east and Sept. 11 affected everyone there, and Christina-Taylor was always very aware of it. She was very patriotic and wearing red, white and blue was really special to her," her mother said.

"She was all about helping people, and being involved. It's so tragic. She went to learn today and then someone with so much hatred in their heart took the lives of innocent people."

Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at [email protected] or 573-4134.

Originally Posted by crossfireoops

Oh, Godspeed , little one,.....and may he hold your family and friends in his arms.

Amen.

Dats a picture of a Glock 17!

I don't know anything about em' T., honest.

That's what the Arizona Star's got up.....

GTC

It that does not bring tears to your eyes the I would have no respect for you. A sadness that is like a dark cloud hang over me. This is so wrong. I It is not political. No one deserved this. It is a loose situation for every living American.

Originally Posted by VAnimrod

Originally Posted by crossfireoops

Oh, Godspeed , little one,.....and may he hold your family and friends in his arms.

Amen.

Yes, A M E N.

Originally Posted by crossfireoops

I don't know anything about em' T., honest.

That's what the Arizona Star's got up.....

GTC

Says so right on the slide but I first noticed the barrel was too long for a 19, made me look closer at the picture.

Originally Posted by Scott F

Yeah, I can't look at or read that without.......

GTC

Mountain View High School/Handout SALES

Jared L. Loughner, identified by U.S. federal law enforcement officials as the suspected gunman in the shooting of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others in Tucson on Saturday, is seen in this undated high school yearbook photo from the 2006 Mountain View High School yearbook obtained from a classmate of Loughner's in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011.

And I am trying to distract myself me thinks. That is just too much for the mind to wrap around itself.

Originally Posted by crossfireoops

Oh, Godspeed , little one,.....and may he hold your family and friends in his arms.

[Linked Image]

God be with her and her family

The "Dupnik Follies" expand their notoriety.This man is an absolute DISGRACE

LOTS of video in the link.

GTC

Link: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47293.html

Liberal Ariz. sheriff Clarence Dupnik sees cause of violence

Clarence Dupnik voiced what many on the left were thinking, but hadn�t yet said. | AP Photo Close
By ANDY BARR | 1/9/11 12:47 AM EST

By declaring Arizona a �mecca for racism and bigotry� and blaming heated rhetoric on the right for the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik gave voice to those looking for a cause of Saturday�s violence.

With Democratic party leaders for the most part showing restraint in their comments following the shootings, Dupnik expressed at a news conference Saturday night in Tucson what many liberals were thinking, but hadn�t yet said.

�Let me say one thing, because people tend to pooh-pooh this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that,� the sheriff said during a press conference. �That may be free speech, but it�s not without consequences.�

During an interview earlier in the day that aired on MSNBC via local NBC affiliate KPNX, Dupnik declared that �it�s time that this country take a little introspective look at the crap that comes out on radio and TV.�

The seven-term sheriff and Bisbee native is well known in Arizona for speaking his mind and has established himself as one of the leading liberal voices in a state that boasts only a handful.

Dupnik, 73, supported Giffords during her campaigns for congress and attracted headlines last spring as one of the most prominent opponents of the state�s controversial immigration law, S.B. 1070, which was signed by GOP Gov. Jan Brewer. Though the policy has been blocked from implementation by a federal court order, Dupnik vowed that he wouldn�t enforce the �racist� law.

On any other day, a warning from a county sheriff � even one known to the national media � to cool overheated talk show chatter wouldn�t have moved the needle much. But with the political class at a total loss over the tragedy and the left aching from the attack on one of their own, Dupnik�s comments have carried outsized weight in driving Saturday�s dialogue.

MSNBC�s Keith Olbermann called Dupnik�s word �extraordinary� in a special Saturday night edition of �Countdown,� and highlighted the sheriff�s media criticism on Twitter.

In a special comment later in the program, Olbermann linked the incident to Giffords being identified last year as one of former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin�s 20 �targets� for the November election, identified by a website showing crosshairs around 20 Democratic districts.

�This morning in Arizona, this age in which this country would accept �targeting� of political opponents and putting bullseyes over their faces and of the dangerous blurring between political rallies and gun shows, ended,� the liberal host said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47293.html#ixzz1AZcev6Z1

upnik�s comments were also spotlighted in a series of posts at the top of the liberal Daily Kos.

�Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik isn�t afraid to point the finger at who is culpable,� wrote one Daily Kos blogger.

Listen to this article. Powered by Odiogo.com Listen

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) echoed Dupnik�s sentiments in an interview with the Huffington Post.

�The climate has gotten so toxic in our political discourse, setting up for this kind of reaction for too long. It�s unfortunate to say that. I hate to say that,� Grijalva said. �Anybody who contributed to feeding this monster had better step back and realize they�re threatening our form of government.�

Dupnik�s recognition in local political circles as an outspoken Democrat may end up backfiring for those on the left spotlighting his comments in attempts to pin conservatives with inciting violence.

Several on the right have accused Dupnik and those spotlighting his remarks of exploiting the tragedy for political gain. And local conservatives are quickly spinning his comments as those of a partisan.

�For out of state folks perplexed by Pima County Sherriff comments: Pima County is to AZ as Austin is to TX. Dense Dem area comparatively,� tweeted Pamela Gorman, a conservative activist in Phoenix who ran in a primary campaign against Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.).

And a blogger for the Tucson Citizen identified the �Democrat County Sheriff� in a post attacking Dupnik�s �outrageous� use of the incident for �political reasons.�

The blame of overheated rhetoric on the right incensed leading conservatives, many of which offered statements of support for the congresswoman currently recovering from surgery in an Arizona hospital.

�The left is using this tragedy to score political points. Rep. Giffords was on Gov. Palin�s target list for defeat this past November. The left claims Gov. Palin has blood on her hands. So does the tea party movement,� wrote RedState founder Erick Erickson on his blog. �Let�s not let the left, yet again, spin this against the tea party movement, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or Sarah Palin inciting violence. That�s both a profound lie and just another, though lesser, bit of evil.�

�Politicizing this is repulsive,� added Rebecca Mansour, a spokeswoman for Palin, in a tweet.

This got lost in the septic sludge that our local Anarch-Holes inflicted on the other thread, .....

wort the re-boot

Gabby in happier times.

GTC

Link: http://americanpatrol.com/WMV/GiffordsTWDouglas.wmv

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110109/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot

..."Investigators said they carried out a search warrant at Jared Loughner's home and seized an envelope from a safe with messages such as "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and the name "Giffords" next to what appears to be the man's signature. He allegedly purchased the Glock pistol used in the attack in November at Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson.

Court documents also show that Loughner had contact with Giffords in the past. Other evidence included a letter addressed to him from Giffords' congressional stationery in which she thanked him for attending a "Congress on your Corner" event at a mall in Tucson in 2007.

Heather Williams, the first assistant federal public defender in Arizona, says the 22-year-old suspect doesn't yet have a lawyer, but that her office is working to get one appointed. Williams' office is asking for an outside attorney because one of those killed was U.S. District Judge John M. Roll."...

It's nuts out there right now. Some acquaintances of ours are on their facebook pages blaming Palin for the shooting. All because a set of crosshairs were used for each of the targeted democrats in the last election and these idiots believe the crap out there on the blogs. One has even gone so far as to "say" she's sent a warning to the one other person on that list who actually got re-elected. Apparently they think that person is next.

Gawd, the stupidity is simply boggling.

It's completely apechit here, too, Alaska.

Panic fueled by ignorance, incited by fear mongers, and being eyed for it's value by the corrupt.

John Kyl is REALLY pizzed at Dupnik, I am told.

GTC

Originally Posted by crossfireoops

He was dumb enough to be interviewed by Megyn Kelly just recently . ( within the last hour ou two )
azzhole had no back up for the crap he spewed while making the " official press conference "
Official statements and soap box have no right being on the same platform .

Local Politicians,....Video

Link: http://www.fox11az.com/video?id=113168609&sec=546642

Judge John McCarthy Roll,....

Video Link: http://www.fox11az.com/video?id=113138854&sec=546642

'Giffords story: A lesson in leaping to conclusions'

Or in more basic terms, A look at a Charlie Foxtrot.

GTC

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110110/ap_en_tv/us_congresswoman_shot_media

y DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer David Bauder, Ap Television Writer � 1 hr 8 mins ago

PASADENA, Calif. � The rapidly replicated false report that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had died after being shot in the head provided media outlets another lesson this weekend in the danger of leaping to conclusions.

NPR News' executive editor apologized Sunday to Giffords' family for the false report. That story came only an hour after NPR scored a significant scoop in reporting on Saturday's shooting in Tucson, Ariz., itself.

Media organizations also faced scrutiny for how they speculated on potential causes of a gunman's rampage in a shopping center where Giffords was meeting with constituents.

National Public Radio had reported on its 2 p.m. EST newscast � and in subsequent e-mail alerts to subscribers � that Giffords had died from her injury when, in fact, she was still in surgery. Dick Meyer, executive editor of NPR News, said the information came from two different government sources, including one in the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"This was a serious and grave error," Meyers said in a note posted on NPR's website Sunday. He said that on behalf of NPR News, "I apologize for this mistake to the family of Rep. Giffords, to the families of everyone affected by the shootings, to our listeners and to our readers."

Click image to see scenes from the shooting in Arizona

AFP/Getty Images/John Moore

Mistakes in the rush to gather facts in a fast-breaking story aren't new. Yet in today's media environment, amplified by the speed and viral nature of social media, they're likely to spread farther and faster than ever before.

Within a half hour, all three cable news networks had bannered the headline of Giffords' supposed death. Reuters cited NPR in a story that appeared on the front of the Yahoo! News site. CBS broke into the coverage of a women's college basketball game to report that Giffords had died. NBC had a similar special report.

ABC was more cautious about 15 minutes after the others, noting reports that she had died yet quoting her communications director that she was still alive. The Associated Press, unsatisfied that the reports of Giffords' death were accurate, did not make a mistaken report.

Ironically, NPR's own work earlier in the day may have given its report more weight than it deserved. NPR appeared to be the first national news outlet to report on the shooting after the wife of Arizona Public Media News Director Pete Michaels witnessed the scene and called her husband.

Fox News Channel's Bret Baier said on the air at 2:18 p.m. that NPR and one of his own sources reported that Giffords was dead. Fox's screen carried the headline: "AZ Rep. Giffords Has Died After Being Shot in the Head." Another Fox reporter said that the shooting suspect had himself been shot before being taken into custody, and there's been no evidence of that happening.

CNN went with NPR's report, and Martin Savidge quickly added that CNN had confirmed the "death" as well.

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather said that if he were covering the story in the 1970s and 1980s, he would not likely have gone with the NPR report. But if he were in the anchor chair in 2011, he probably would have.

"The pressure is immediate and almost crushing on you and your news organization to match that," he said. "Mostly what you hear are sets all over the world going to your competition and computers, handheld or otherwise, going to a different site."

NPR's reputation as a news organization would carry weight, particularly since television news organization knew NPR was more likely to have people close to the scene.

He recalled that following the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981, there were reports � even from the White House � that press secretary James Brady had died after being shot in the head. Yet CBS reporter Phil Jones urged restraint, saying he had other sources that didn't trust that report, and CBS held back, he said.

Now the reporting ranks have been thinned to the point that many news organizations are, in effect, relying on each other.

"Most news sites, whether they be on the Internet, television, radio or print, have been hollowed out to the point where they are news packagers and not news gatherers," Rather said.

Paul Levinson, chairman of the communications and media studies department at Fordham University, was more forgiving and noted that the erroneous reports on Giffords' death were quickly updated.

"We can't get away from the fact that reporters are human beings," Levinson said. "They do their best. There will be errors at institutions like this."

Commentators were quick to weigh in. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said in an editorial late Saturday that politicians and talk show personalities � himself included � needed to swear off any kind of violent imagery so as not to incite anybody into acts like the Giffords shooting. Those who don't, he said, should be judged silently complicit of the act.

News organizations were closely watched in how they offered context to the events. The conservative watchdog publication Newsbusters, for example, faulted the AP for noting that Giffords' district was targeted by supporters of Sarah Palin while not discussing left-wing commentators' criticism of Democrats who did not support Nancy Pelosi for minority leader.

Originally Posted by crossfireoops

I don't know anything about em' T., honest.

That's what the Arizona Star's got up.....
GTC

Good enuff to make your points. (THANKS!)

Please continue to keep us informed, along with your "local perspectives."

The spinning begins.....e.g. "a heated debate over gun control"

GTC

Sun Jan 9, 1:51 pm ET
Giffords shooting sparks gun law debate

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelo.../giffords-shooting-sparks-gun-law-debate

Yesterday's shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 other people at a Tucson public event is sparking a heated debate over gun control, as information emerges about how the suspect in the attack obtained a weapon.

The suspect, Jared Loughner, purchased his 9mm handgun legally at a sport store about a month before the shooting, the Washington Post has reported. That has some suggesting that the state's gun laws -- among the most lenient in the country -- are in part to blame for the shooting, which killed six people, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old child, while injuring 14.

"Gun laws have to be examined," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the chair of Congress's Progressive Caucus, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" this morning.

Earlier this year, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed a bill that made Arizona became only the third state -- after Alaska and Vermont -- to make it legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Brewer's predecessor as governor, Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, had vetoed similar efforts in the past. Since taking office in 2009, Brewer has also signed a bill allowing loaded guns in bars and restaurants, and another bill that prohibits property owners from banning guns from parking areas, as long as the weapons are kept locked in vehicles.

But Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kent.) said he didn't think the concealed weapon law was relevant. "I don't think that that plays into this at all," Paul, a gun-rights supporter, said on Fox News Sunday. "Really, I think they're unrelated."

Loughner purchased a 9mm Glock handgun at a Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson on November 30th, the Post has reported. That would have required a mandatory background check on Loughner to ensure he was eligible to make the purchase. Federal law prohibits the sale of firearms to people who have been convicted of a felony (unless the person's rights have been restored by the state) as well as to anyone who has been "adjudicated as a mental defective," or who has been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.

But Loughner likely would have passed the check, even though he had been denied further attendance at Pima Community College until a physician could ensure he did not pose a threat to himself or others there. He reportedly had an arrest record, and Pima Community officials had suspended him after he'd posted a Youtube video claiming that the school acted in violation of the U.S. Constitution. But he had no criminal record, and although his online postings clearly indicate a troubled young man, no evidence has yet emerged that he had been declared mentally ill in the sight of the law--the key benchmark that would have denied him the right to purchase a gun.

Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the gun used in the shooting could hold about 30 or more rounds, two or three times a normal magazine capacity. The federal assault weapons ban, put in place under the Clinton administration, prohibited magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The ban expired under the Bush administration and has not been renewed.

Former White House press secretary Jim Brady and his wife Sarah issued a statement calling for America to become "a place where gun violence doesn't happen so easily and destroy so many." Brady was shot and nearly killed during the 1981 assassination attempt of President Reagan. Since then, he has become a leading gun-control advocate.

Giffords herself is a staunch supporter of gun rights. She welcomed a 2008 Supreme Court decision that struck down Washington D.C.'s handgun ban. "As a gun owner, I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," Giffords said in a statement at the time. "This is a common-sense decision that reaffirms the Constitutional right - and Arizona tradition - of owning firearms."

This attack happened within a few miles of my parents house, whre I was at at the time of the attack. I have been to that Safeway many times. I only wish I would have been at that safeway at the time of attack so that I could do something to help.

"Not Cooperating"

Link: Can't get one at this time

Sheriff says Ariz. rampage suspect not cooperating
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

This March 2010 photo shows a man identified as Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books in Tucson, Ariz. The Arizona Daily Star, a fest AP � This March 2010 photo shows a man identified as Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books �

* Ariz. mourns for shooting rampage victims Slideshow:Ariz. mourns for shooting rampage victims
* Natl. moment of silence to remember Ariz victims Play Video Video:Natl. moment of silence to remember Ariz victims AP
* Raw Video: Shooting victims remembered at vigil Play Video Video:Raw Video: Shooting victims remembered at vigil AP

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press � 1 hr 2 mins ago

PHOENIX � A 22-year-old man described as a social outcast with wild beliefs steeped in mistrust faces a federal court hearing on charges he tried to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a Tucson shooting rampage that left six people dead.

Public defenders are asking that the attorney who defended Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Timothy McVeigh and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski defend Jared Loughner, who makes his first court appearance Monday at 2 p.m. MST (4 p.m. EST).

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said Loughner was not cooperating and told ABC's "Good Morning America" the suspect had said "not a word" to investigators. Dupnik said authorities were all but certain Loughner acted alone, saying "he's a typical troubled individual who's a loner."

The hearing in Phoenix comes just a few hours after President Barack Obama leads a shocked and saddened nation in a moment of silence for the victims and their families. Obama will observe the moment of silence at 11 a.m. EST with White House staff on the South Lawn.

As authorities filed the charges against Loughner Sunday, they alleged he scrawled on an envelope the words "my assassination" and "Giffords" sometime before he took a cab to a shopping center where the congresswoman was meeting with constituents Saturday morning.

Click image to see scenes from the shooting in Arizona

AFP/Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox

A federal judge, a congressional aide and a young girl were among the six people killed, while Giffords and 13 others were injured in the bursts of gunfire outside a Tucson supermarket.

Giffords, 40, lay in intensive care at a Tucson hospital, after being shot in the head at close range. Doctors said she had responded repeatedly to commands to stick out her two fingers, giving them hope she may survive.

Neurosurgeon De. Michael LeMole of Tucson's University Medical Center, appearing Monday on CBS's "The Early Show," said, "the best way to describe her this morning is that she's holding her own."
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* News outlets follow Loughner�s social media trail

Map

LeMole said he removed a portion of her skull in order to perform the surgery but likely will replace it at some point.

"We don't close the book on recovery for years," he said, "so it'll take as long as it takes. I think the real question will be how long it will take before she's out of the woods."

About 200 people gathered outside Giffords' Tucson office Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil. Earlier in the day, people crammed the synagogue where Giffords has been a member, as well as the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, which lost one member in the attack and saw another one wounded.

"I don't know how to grieve. This morning I don't have the magic pill, I don't have the Scripture... I can't wrap my head around this," said the church's Rev. Mike Nowak, his strong preacher's voice wavering.

Authorities weren't saying late Sunday where Loughner was being held, and officials were working to appoint an attorney for him. Heather Williams, the first assistant federal public defender in Arizona, said they're asking that San Diego attorney Judy Clarke be appointed.

Clarke, a former federal public defender in San Diego and Spokane, Wash., served on teams that defended McVeigh, Kaczynski and Susan Smith, a South Carolina woman who drowned her two sons in 1994.

Loughner is charged with one count of attempted assassination of a member of Congress, two counts of killing an employee of the federal government and two counts of attempting to kill a federal employee. More charges are expected.

Discoveries at Loughner's home in southern Arizona, where he lived with his parents in a middle-class neighborhood lined with desert landscaping and palm trees, have provided few answers to what motivated him.

Court papers filed with the charges said he had previous contact with Giffords. The documents said he had received a letter from the Democratic lawmaker in which she thanked him for attending a "Congress on your Corner" event at a mall in Tucson in 2007.

Investigators carrying out a search warrant at his parents' home in a middle-class neighborhood found an envelope in a safe with the words "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and the name "Giffords" next to what appears to be his signature.

Neighbors said Loughner kept to himself and was often seen walking his dog, almost always wearing a hooded sweat shirt and listening to his iPod.

Comments from friends and former classmates bolstered by Loughner's own Internet postings have painted a picture of a social outcast with almost indecipherable beliefs steeped in mistrust and paranoia.

"If you call me a terrorist then the argument to call me a terrorist is Ad hominem," he wrote Dec. 15 in a wide-ranging posting.

Two high school friends said they had fallen out of touch with Loughner and last spoke to him around March, when one of them was going to set up some bottles in the desert for target practice and Loughner suggested he might come along. It was unusual � Loughner hadn't expressed an interest in guns before � and his increasingly confrontational behavior was pushing them apart. He would send bizarre text messages, but also break off contact for weeks on end.

"We just started getting sketched out about him," the friend said.

Around the same time, Loughner's behavior also began to worry officials at Pima Community College, where Loughner began attending classes in 2005, the school said in a release.

Between February and September, Loughner "had five contacts with PCC police for classroom and library disruptions," the statement said. He was suspended in September after college police discovered a YouTube video in which Loughner claimed the college was illegal according to the U.S. Constitution.

He withdrew voluntarily the following month, and was told he could return only if, among other things, a mental health professional agreed he did not present a danger, the school said.

Police said he purchased the Glock pistol used in the attack at Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson in November.

An official familiar with the shooting investigation said Sunday that local authorities were looking at a possible connection between Loughner and an online group known for white supremacist, anti-immigrant rhetoric.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said local authorities were examining the American Renaissance website for possible motives.

The group's leaders said in a posting on their website that Loughner never subscribed to their magazine, registered for any of the group's conferences or visited their Internet site.

Giffords, a conservative Democrat re-elected in November, faced threats and heckling over her support for immigration reform and the health care overhaul. Her office was vandalized the day the House approved the landmark health care measure.

It was not clear whether those issues motivated the shooter to fire on the crowd gathered to meet Giffords.

The six killed included U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63, and 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, who was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and was featured in a book called "Faces of Hope" that chronicled one baby from each state born on the day terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people.

The author, Christine Naman, said: "Tragedy seems to have happened again."

Green was recently elected as a student council member and went to the morning's event because of her interest in government.

Others killed were Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Schneck, 79.

___

"Liberal Raves"

"Star Sheriff"

Link is blocked.....

Arizona's New Star Sheriff

NEW YORK � Arizona's New Star SheriffSheriff Clarence Dupnik is overshadowed by Phoenix's infamous Joe Arpaio. But Tucson's top lawman is winning liberal raves for his handling of Arizona's shooting spree.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, leading the investigation into the tragic Tucson shooting spree that gravely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Gifford and 13 others and claimed six lives, is not your typical Arizona lawman.

Dupnik, a Texas native who joined the Tucson Police Department in 1958, became an overnight Internet sensation after taking over the probe into Saturday�s bloodbath. Prominent liberal blogs hailed him as a paragon of virtue, and urged readers to email their thanks for announcing that hate speech can have dangerous consequences. Fans set up a new Facebook page, dubbed �Clarence Dupnik is my Hero,� after he denounced his home state as a �Mecca for prejudice and bigotry� and blamed political �vitriol� for the actions of the gunman who left Rep. Giffords on the operating table, shot through the brain and fighting for survival, still in critical condition more than 24 hours after the incident. He�s even scheduling press interviews as early as 4 a.m.

On Sunday, Dupnik, looking tired and angry, really played against type, blasting Arizona�s lax gun laws�including a new measure aimed at allowing anyone over 21 to carry guns on college campuses�and confessing, in a rare personal moment, �extreme sadness, sorrow, and shock� over the shooting of the congresswoman, a friend and political ally.

That sort of behavior stands out in a state more accustomed to the hard-nose, hard-line antics of Dupnik�s neighbor to the north, Joe Arpaio�who likes to call himself �the toughest sheriff in America,� parade inmates around in their underwear, and proudly heads what he calls an �illegal immigration posse� to lock up migrants suspected of being in violation of Arizona�s harsh new immigration law.

But then, Dupnik is no Arpaio. A no-nonsense centrist Democrat who favors community policing and drug-prevention programs, he�s served for 30 years as the chief lawman in Pima County, dominated by Tucson, a sleepy artistic city and the home of the University of Arizona. Tucson has always honored its centuries-old Hispanic heritage, while Phoenix, the state�s center of commerce and government, fights a rap among Hispanics as a racist town.

Arpaio gleefully supported passage of SB 1070, Arizona�s notorious immigration law that makes it a state crime for unauthorized immigrants to set foot in Arizona. Dupnik vowed not to enforce the �stupid law� which he figured would foster racial profiling. (Thus far, he�s been able to honor his pledge; the harshest parts of the law have been temporarily stayed by a federal judge.)

Arpaio has enforced other controversial immigration laws imposed by Arizona�s legislature, randomly rounding up hundreds of unauthorized immigrants in their workplaces and neighborhoods. Dupnik has instead targeted criminal immigrants.

And Arpaio is very at home with a high-octane political rhetoric�the sort of talk that Dupnik thinks has fueled an anti-immigrant climate in the state.

That rhetoric, Dupnik has said several times, may have set off the alleged killer in the Tucson shooting spree, a 22-year-old apparently mentally unstable Tucson man named Jared Lee Loughner, who on Sunday was charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder in connection with Saturday�s shootings.

Arizona�s new star sheriff still hasn�t come up with a motive for the mayhem. But, as he said during his Sunday press conference, �you can call most murders a hate crime.�

Two days before Giffords was shot, Dupnik spoke with Newsweek reporter Eve Conant about the heightened tensions and misinformation surrounding immigration issues in Arizona. Although illegal immigration along the border has been a problem for decades, border apprehensions have declined 75 percent in the last decade, crime hasn�t risen in border communities, and the border is �as secure as it�s ever been,� he said.

But the 2010 election set off national alarm bells about the safety of American citizens in the borderlands in part, Dupnik said, because "Senator McCain and Senator Kyl were screaming and yelling at Obama, talking about 'that dang fence' and so on. Now they're back in Congress and we haven't heard a word," he said.

"Border issues are very complicated,� Dupnik said, �but the American public tends to derive very simple solutions to complicated problems."

Arpaio�s most recent solution to border complexities is indeed a simple, if unworkable one; in December, he suggested erecting tents along the border to warehouse those wily bordercrossers.

Arpaio, a Tea Party favorite, has clashed for years with the U.S. Department of Justice, which is now investigating him for alleged civil-rights violations and alleged abuses of power. (Arpaio has denied wrongdoing.)

While Arpaio wars with the feds, Dupnik works with them. The Tucson shootings investigation that Dupnik oversees involves several cooperating federal, state, and local agencies. That includes the FBI, whose director, William Mueller III, was dispatched to Tucson by President Barack Obama after the tragedy. Dupnik stood to the side while Mueller fielded press questions.

Hours later, the feds charged Loughner with two counts of murder (of federal employees Judge John Roll and Gifford aide Gabe Zimmerman) and three counts of attempted murder (of Giffords, and aides Ron Barber and Pamela Simon).

Loughner, a loner who had made death threats before, has not been arraigned and has yet to respond to the federal charges.

If additional charges are filed involving the four deaths and 12 injuries of non-federal employees, it�s likely they will be handled by the Pima County Attorney�s Office.

A second man that Dupnik originally thought might be involved in the crime turned out to be a cab driver who�d dropped Loughner off at the shootings site. Dupnik, Arizona�s new star sheriff, still hasn�t come up with a motive for the mayhem. But, as he said during his Sunday press conference, �you can call most murders a hate crime.�

For his part, Arpaio has yet to issue a statement regarding the shootings. His media relations office, usually buzzing with press releases, has been unusually quiet; not a single press communiqu� for 2011 is posted on Arpaio�s website.

Eve Conant and Claire Martin contributed to this report.

Terry Greene Sterling is an Arizona journalist who blogs about immigration in Phoenix at terrygreenesterling.com. Her book, ILLEGAL, Life and Death in Arizona's Immigration War Zone, was published July 1st by the Globe Pequot Press.

Quote

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer Alicia Chang, Ap Science Writer � 2 hrs 28 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � Doctors treating U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Monday the congresswoman was responding to verbal commands by raising two fingers of her left hand and even managed to give a thumbs-up.

Giffords, 40, is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Tucson's University Medical Center after she was shot through the head Saturday during a meet-and-greet with voters outside a supermarket. Two patients were discharged Sunday night. Eight others, including Giffords, remained hospitalized.

Recent CAT scans showed no further swelling in the brain, but doctors were guarded.

"We're not out of the woods yet," said her neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Lemole. "That swelling can sometimes take three days or five days to maximize. But every day that goes by and we don't see an increase, we're slightly more optimistic."

After Saturday's operation to temporarily remove half of her skull, doctors over the past two days had Giffords removed from her sedation and then asked basic commands such as: "Show me two fingers."

"When she did that, we were having a party in there," said Dr. Peter Rhee, adding that Giffords has also managed to give doctors a thumbs-up and has been reaching for her breathing tube, even while sedated. "That's a purposeful movement. That's a great thing. She's always grabbing for the tube."

Giffords family is by her side and is receiving constant updates from doctors. On Monday, two well-known doctors with extensive experience in traumatic brain injury arrived in Tucson to help consult on Giffords' case.

Here is the unedited text of Brewer�s speech today:

STATE OF THE STATE

Speaker Adams, President Pearce, Honorable Senators and Representatives of the Centennial Legislature, Chief Justice Berch and Justices of the Supreme Court, constitutional officers, tribal leaders, honored guests, and my fellow Arizonans:

I had intended to deliver a State of the State address to you today � remarks that outline an exciting and solid plan for job creation, education, and tax reform . . . and I WILL deliver that plan to you.

But, not now.

Not today.

Tragedy and terror sometimes come from the shadows � and steal our joy and take away our peace.

That happened on Saturday when a gunman took away people we love, innocent people, and outstanding public servants a like U.S. District Judge John M. Roll.

Judge Roll had just come from the light of a Catholic Mass a and confronted the darkness of a madman.

The gunman gravely wounded others � people we love and respect � like Gabby Giffords, my good friend.

This past weekend's events have caused me � caused all of us � to reflect on many things, including how we respond to those terrible events.

First, our response to this tragedy must be led by prayer and comfort for the victims and their families.

So, please � join me in a moment of silence as we pray for all those we've lost � for the injured � and for the suffering.

Thank you.

With our faith and our courage tightly in place, we will step forward from this Chamber, dedicated to the Lord's work � continuing our service to the public.

One year ago, from this very place, I told you I would serve beside you � proud to serve the people of Arizona.

I said then, that public service is acting NOT in self-interest � but on behalf of others.

And, I asked people to join me in the field.

Gabby Giffords DID join me in the field.

And, we worked together, knowing that when our public service ended, we would be judged LESS by what we achieved than what we over-came.

In addition to Judge Roll � Arizona also lost � Dorothy Morris, Dorwan Stoddard, Phyllis Schneck, and Gabriel Zimmerman.

Let me take a moment to recognize the acts of extraordinary Arizonans � who responded with professionalism � and saved lives � law enforcement, emergency responders, the Tucson medical community, and the staff at the University Medical Center.

Daniel Hernandez, a University of Arizona junior showed no fear in the face of gunfire.

His quick action in going to Gabby Giffords' aid � likely saved her life.

Daniel is here today and I'm going to ask him to stand and receive the thanks of a grateful state.

It was a sunny Saturday at the supermarket in Northwest Tucson.

It was a picture of what our country is all about: Public servants doing their duty, citizens, old and young coming to hear -- coming to participate -- in the beauty of our government in action.

We lost someone else on Saturday ... nine-year-old, Christina Green.

She was just elected to her student council.

She was hoping to be a positive part of the future of America.

And, she has become just that.

She loved baseball � she was the only girl on her Little League baseball team; and she loved to wear red, white and blue.

I should tell you, Christina was born on September 11th, 2001.

She thought of her birthday as a day of hope � a time to find goodness in America.

As her mother said, �Her light shines on all of us today.�

Saturday�s events were not just an attack on those individuals we loved and lost, but an assault on our Constitutional Republic � on our democracy � on all we treasure and hold dear � as citizens and public servants.

Arizona is in pain, yes.

Our grief is profound.

We are yet in the first hours of our sorrow � but, we have not been brought down.

We will never be brought down!

In fact � we've been lifted up by America's thoughts and prayers � and we're deeply grateful for them.

Arizona, like all of America -- has been through difficult times before.

But, those times have united us, and made us stronger -- more enduring.

Let those of us who serve our state and country do so in a way that honors those we have lost.

Our meetings on sunny days will not end.

Like the words from Isaiah, I believe Arizona will rise on wings like eagles � we will run, and not get weary � we will walk, and not grow weak.

So � I ask for your help � and your continued prayers, as we step from here, and guide this Great State with courage and devotion.

May God bless all the victims and their families and those suffering from Saturday's tragedy.

May God bless those who serve us in the cause of freedom and justice.

May He bless you and your families and our Great State of Arizona.

And may God always bless and protect the United States of America.

Thank you.

Giffords moves arms, survival odds at '101 pct'

Originally Posted by AP Science Writer Alicia Chang

By ALICIA CHANG, , Ap Science Writer
17 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � One of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' doctors declared Tuesday she has "a 101 percent chance of surviving," as she made more progress, moving both arms and breathing on her own for the first time � just three days after a bullet shot through her brain.

Doctors emphasize she is in for a long recovery, and her neurosurgeon repeated his cautionary phrase of "she's holding her own."

But there was no denying what was clearly good news.

Giffords, a three-time Democrat, remains in critical condition at Tucson's University Medical Center where she was operated on Saturday after being shot during a meeting with constituents outside a Safeway supermarket. The attack killed six and injured 14 others. Six remained hospitalized.

Doctors previously reported Giffords raised two fingers of her left hand and gave a thumbs-up when responding to verbal commands. Now they say she is moving her arms.

Although her condition has remained virtually unchanged the past few days, doctors were hopeful.

"She has a 101 percent chance of surviving," said trauma chief Dr. Peter Rhee said. "She will not die. She does not have that permission from me."

And while she can breathe on her own, Giffords still has a breathing tube in place as a precaution, said her neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Lemole.

In their briefing Tuesday, doctors also reversed themselves in describing the path of the bullet. They now believe she was shot on the left side of the forehead, with the bullet exiting the back.

They previously thought she had been shot in the back of the head. They came to the new conclusion after reviewing X-rays and brain scans and consulting with two outside physicians with experience treating combat victims who were brought in on Monday.

Giffords is lucky the bullet did not cross into both sides, or hemispheres, of the brain, which can leave lasting damage, her doctors have said.

As doctors continued to monitor Giffords' recovery, details emerged about the care she received when she was rushed by ambulance to the hospital.

Trauma surgeon Dr. Randall Friese was the first to treat Giffords.

"I immediately went over to her bedside and began to coordinate her care," he said.

That meant going through a checklist much like what a pilot would do before taking off. Doctors checked to make sure there weren't any other bullet wounds, put in a breathing tube and assessed her mental state.

Despite not knowing if Giffords could hear him, Friese said he took her hand and told her that she was in the hospital and that doctors would take care of her.

"Then I said, 'Squeeze my hand, Mrs. Giffords.' And she did," recalled Friese.

He asked her several more times to press his hand and she responded.

That is great news, kudos to her dr's.

the human brain capable of "rewiring" itself after an injury provided the life support functions aint damaged and there isnt massive damage across both hemispheres.....she has likely lost some things but in theory there is no reason that she wont get alot of it back via rehab.....lots and lots of rehab.....

"a car trunk"

OK,....we're playing twenty questions now,.....

WHOSE "Car Trunk" ?

Bad reporting, or obfustication,....WTF , over ?

From today's "Red Star":

Officials reveal content of notes found in Loughner's home

Jared Lee Loughner wrote "Die, bitch" in a note found at his home, a sheriff's official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Investigators believe Jared Loughner's handwritten message was a reference to Giffords, said Rick Kastigar, the Sheriff's Department's Pima County chief. It was found in a safe alongside other notes, including ones saying, "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and the name "Giffords."

Authorities also revealed other new information about the hours leading up to the Saturday shooting that killed six people and injured 13 others, including Giffords. That morning, Jared Loughner's father saw him take a black bag out of a car trunk, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told the AP.

The father approached Loughner, and he mumbled something and took off running, Dupnik said. The father got in his truck and chased his son as he ran off on foot.

The Associated Press

Key mysteries of the Loughner family remained locked inside the four walls of the northwest-side home where mass-murder suspect Jared Lee Loughner has lived all his 22 years, despite a throng of reporters waiting outside Tuesday in hopes of revealing them.

Did Loughner ever get help for apparent mental-health problems?

How did he get $500 to pay for a gun in November?

How did his parents respond to the young man's apparently accelerating mental deterioration?

The questions went unanswered after Loughner's parents, Randy and Amy Loughner, spent the afternoon inside their house with San Diego attorney Judy Clarke, a veteran of death-penalty cases who was assigned to represent Loughner at trial. At about 4 p.m., a man emerged and handed reporters a brief statement from the Loughner family, which extended condolences and an apology to the families of the six people killed Saturday.

"It may not make any difference, but we wish that we could change the heinous events Saturday," the statement said.

Loughner, facing federal murder and attempted-murder charges stemming from Saturday's shooting, is the only child of the Loughners, who live behind thick desert vegetation on North Soledad Avenue, a residential street.

Neighbors say Randy Loughner didn't have a paid job over the years, and that he seemed to be the primary child-rearer. Property records show he has lived there since 1977.

Amy Loughner is the manager at Agua Caliente Park on the Tucson's northeast side, making $53,452 a year, said Gwyn Hatcher, Pima County's human-resources director. She was hired by the county in 1987 as a park maintenance worker.

James Knoll, president of the Friends of Agua Caliente, said he has been working with Amy Loughner on park issues for six years. "I've been impressed with her all along," Knoll said. "She's extremely professional - kind of quiet and kind of reserved, but she takes the business out at the park very seriously."

George Gayan lived next door to the Loughners for 30 years and didn't know their last name, he said. At one time, he was in low-grade communication with Randy Loughner, Gayan said, but over the years that drifted into no communication at all.

"We weren't friends, and we weren't enemies," Gayan said.

But on the other side of the Loughner home, 19-year-old Anthony Woods said Randy Loughner has been overtly hostile, "constantly yelling very loud at us."

About a year ago, Woods was searching for a lost football on his own family's property, next to the Loughner property. The elder Loughner demanded to know what he was doing and said the young man shouldn't be there, Woods said.

Jason Johnson, who has been staying with his father across the street for two or three months, said he tried to greet both Randy and Jared Loughner at different times. Both turned and walked away without saying anything, Johnson said.

When he spoke to Jared Loughner, "it was like he wasn't home," Johnson said. "The lights were on, but nobody was in there."

Loughner's parents showed up at the doorstep of Roxanne and George Osler IV's house in 2008 looking for their son, who had left home about a week before and had broken off contact, the Oslers said. The Oslers' son, Zach Osler, told them the name of the local hotel where their son was staying, and Jared moved back in, Zach's father said.

Several neighbors who came by the Loughner house Tuesday to see why dozens of reporters, photographers and cameramen were staked out on the street in front of the house said it's important not to villainize the parents for what their son did.

"This is not medieval times; these parents are not responsible for the sins of the child," Brandalyn Clark said. "They weren't out there. They didn't pull the trigger."

Clark's brother went to high school with Loughner, and she said she would bring her two sons by the Loughner house for trick-or-treating at Halloween.

"Their son has problems, and if anything, it goes to show that the community did not step up and give their son the support he needed," Clark said.

Janie Bracamonte, a mother of three who dealt with one of her own children getting involved in drugs, said she could only imagine the pain that Amy and Randy Loughner are enduring.

"No matter what they do, you love your children unconditionally, regardless if they are good or bad. You don't love them any less because they are bad," Bracamonte said. "The only thing that helps is praying."

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact reporter Tim Steller at 807-8427 or at [email protected] Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or [email protected]

**********

From Sarah Palin, some evocative text,....there's a audio clip in the..........

Link: http://www.examiner.com/political-b...-also-a-victim-of-the-giffords-shootings

Since six people were killed and fourteen more injured at a public event hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords nearly everyone has commented publicly on the incident. President Obama and Speaker Boehner have appeared before cameras to makes statements. Keith Olbermann made a special comment condemning heated political rhetoric and Rachel Maddow has advocated for more gun control. Glenn Beck has blamed the incident on mental illness and Rush Limbaugh has blamed Democrats. The one gigantic missing piece in the puzzle of political discourse was Sarah Palin, who has now not shown herself for 72 hours after the incident. Today Palin still did not appear on live camera, but did read a statement and post it on her Facebook account. In the statement Palin does not back down when it comes to political rhetoric she has used in the past, and goes further in claiming that she is a victim of "blood libel" following the shootings.

Palin has been a major topic of discussion after the shooting because of a map she released in 2010 showing Giffords� district targeted by a �bullseye� in her own words. Many liberals have criticized the Palin map and her use of the phrase �Don�t retreat, reload!� Today Palin finally responded. She first expressed her sympathy for the victims, and then quickly turned ot a spirited defense of her own speech and that of others. Palin never mentions her map or "Don't retreat, reload!" comment, but does mention her warnings against violence in the last campaign. The strongest wording comes in the middle of the post when Palin states she has been a target of "blood libel" in the past few days. Palin may later regret using those words. The phrase "blood libel" has been used in the past to falsely accuse Jews of killing Christian children in order to conduct religious rituals.

Below is a full copy of Palin's statement.

"Like millions of Americans I learned of the tragic events in Arizona on Saturday, and my heart broke for the innocent victims. No words can fill the hole left by the death of an innocent, but we do mourn for the victims� families as we express our sympathy.

I agree with the sentiments shared yesterday at the beautiful Catholic mass held in honor of the victims. The mass will hopefully help begin a healing process for the families touched by this tragedy and for our country.

Our exceptional nation, so vibrant with ideas and the passionate exchange and debate of ideas, is a light to the rest of the world. Congresswoman Giffords and her constituents were exercising their right to exchange ideas that day, to celebrate our Republic�s core values and peacefully assemble to petition our government. It�s inexcusable and incomprehensible why a single evil man took the lives of peaceful citizens that day.

There is a bittersweet irony that the strength of the American spirit shines brightest in times of tragedy. We saw that in Arizona. We saw the tenacity of those clinging to life, the compassion of those who kept the victims alive, and the heroism of those who overpowered a deranged gunman.

Like many, I�ve spent the past few days reflecting on what happened and praying for guidance. After this shocking tragedy, I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and now with sadness, to the irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event.

President Reagan said, �We must reject the idea that every time a law�s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.� Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with those who proudly voted in the last election.

The last election was all about taking responsibility for our country�s future. President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process. Two years ago his party was victorious. Last November, the other party won. In both elections the will of the American people was heard, and the peaceful transition of power proved yet again the enduring strength of our Republic.

Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions. And after the election, we shake hands and get back to work, and often both sides find common ground back in D.C. and elsewhere. If you don�t like a person�s vision for the country, you�re free to debate that vision. If you don�t like their ideas, you�re free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.

There are those who claim political rhetoric is to blame for the despicable act of this deranged, apparently apolitical criminal. And they claim political debate has somehow gotten more heated just recently. But when was it less heated? Back in those �calm days� when political figures literally settled their differences with dueling pistols? In an ideal world all discourse would be civil and all disagreements cordial. But our Founding Fathers knew they weren�t designing a system for perfect men and women. If men and women were angels, there would be no need for government. Our Founders� genius was to design a system that helped settle the inevitable conflicts caused by our imperfect passions in civil ways. So, we must condemn violence if our Republic is to endure.

As I said while campaigning for others last March in Arizona during a very heated primary race, �We know violence isn�t the answer. When we �take up our arms�, we�re talking about our vote.� Yes, our debates are full of passion, but we settle our political differences respectfully at the ballot box � as we did just two months ago, and as our Republic enables us to do again in the next election, and the next. That�s who we are as Americans and how we were meant to be. Public discourse and debate isn�t a sign of crisis, but of our enduring strength. It is part of why America is exceptional.

No one should be deterred from speaking up and speaking out in peaceful dissent, and we certainly must not be deterred by those who embrace evil and call it good. And we will not be stopped from celebrating the greatness of our country and our foundational freedoms by those who mock its greatness by being intolerant of differing opinion and seeking to muzzle dissent with shrill cries of imagined insults.

Just days before she was shot, Congresswoman Giffords read the First Amendment on the floor of the House. It was a beautiful moment and more than simply �symbolic,� as some claim, to have the Constitution read by our Congress. I am confident she knew that reading our sacred charter of liberty was more than just �symbolic.� But less than a week after Congresswoman Giffords reaffirmed our protected freedoms, another member of Congress announced that he would propose a law that would criminalize speech he found offensive.

It is in the hour when our values are challenged that we must remain resolved to protect those values. Recall how the events of 9-11 challenged our values and we had to fight the tendency to trade our freedoms for perceived security. And so it is today.

Let us honor those precious lives cut short in Tucson by praying for them and their families and by cherishing their memories. Let us pray for the full recovery of the wounded. And let us pray for our country. In times like this we need God�s guidance and the peace He provides. We need strength to not let the random acts of a criminal turn us against ourselves, or weaken our solid foundation, or provide a pretext to stifle debate.

America must be stronger than the evil we saw displayed last week. We are better than the mindless finger-pointing we endured in the wake of the tragedy. We will come out of this stronger and more united in our desire to peacefully engage in the great debates of our time, to respectfully embrace our differences in a positive manner, and to unite in the knowledge that, though our ideas may be different, we must all strive for a better future for our country. May God bless America.

- Sarah Palin"

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Sarah Palin says she is a victim of 'blood libel' after Tucson shootings (Video) - National Political Buzz | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/political-b...-of-the-giffords-shootings#ixzz1Aq3X60P2

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110112/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot

By AMANDA LEE MYERS and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Amanda Lee Myers And Justin Pritchard, Associated Press � 2 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � Authorities say the busy morning for the suspected gunman in the Arizona rampage included trips to Walmart, a traffic stop and a confrontation with his father before the shooting.

Capt. Chris Nanos of the Pima County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that Jared Loughner made some purchases at Walmart, but he wouldn't say what he bought. Authorities say Loughner was then pulled over for running a red light, but was let go with a warning.

A short time later, he had a confrontation with his dad over a black bag and Loughner took off running.

Loughner is accused of then going to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' event at a Tucson grocery store and firing on the crowd, gravely injuring the congresswoman and killing six people.

___

Associated Press writers Alicia Chang and Gillian Flaccus in Tucson, Jacques Billeaud and Bob Christie in Phoenix, Christy Lemire in Los Angeles and news researcher Julie Reed in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Click image to see scenes of mourning for the shooting victims

AP/Charlie Riedel

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) � A wildlife officer pulled over the suspect in the assassination attempt against an Arizona congresswoman less than three hours before the deadly attack, authorities said Wednesday as they pieced together more details of a frenzied morning.

Jared Loughner ran a red light but was let off with a warning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said. The officer took Loughner's driver's license and vehicle registration information but found no outstanding warrants on Loughner or his vehicle.

Wildlife officers don't usually make traffic stops unless public safety is at risk, such as running a red light. The stop was on an access road that connects to Interstate 10, well away from the grocery store, said Game and Parks spokesman Jim Paxon.

"He had a valid license, the car was registered, he had insurance," Paxon said. "He was warned and released because we had no probable cause to hold, or do an extensive search."

It's the latest evidence of Loughner's busy morning before police say he showed up at a Tucson grocery store in a taxi at 10:11 a.m. and shot 19 people, killing six, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl.

Also that morning, Loughner, 22, ran into the desert from his angry father, who was chasing his son after seeing him remove a black bag from the trunk of a family car, said Rick Kastigar, chief of the department's investigations bureau. Investigators are still searching for the bag.

Hours after the attack, sheriff's deputies swarmed the Loughners' home and removed what they describe as evidence Loughner was targeting Giffords. Among the handwritten notes was one with the words "Die, bitch," which authorities believe was a reference to Giffords.

Investigators with the Pima County Sheriff's Department previously said they found handwritten notes in Loughner's safe reading "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and "Giffords." Capt. Chris Nanos said all the writings were either in an envelope or on a form letter Giffords' office sent him in 2007 after he signed in at one of her "Congress on Your Corner" events � the same kind of gathering where the massacre occurred.

Meanwhile, the city held a tribute to victims the eve of a presidential visit.

On Tuesday night, several hundred mourners filled a Tucson church for a public Mass to remember the slain and pray for the injured. As people filed in, nine young girls sang "Amazing Grace." The youngest victim of the attack, 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, was a member of that choir.

"I know she is singing with us tonight," said Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas, who presided over the service.

President Barack Obama visits Arizona Wednesday and will honor the victims in a speech to a rattled state and nation.

In one apparent reaction to the shooting, the FBI said background checks for handgun sales jumped in Arizona following the shootings, though the agency cautioned that the number of checks doesn't equate to the number of handguns sold.

Still, there were 263 background checks in Arizona on Monday, up from 164 for the same day a year ago � a 60 percent rise. Nationally, the increase was more modest: from 7,522 last year to 7,906 Monday, a 5 percent jump.

Loughner's parents, silent and holed up in their home since attack, issued a statement Tuesday, expressing remorse over the shooting.

"There are no words that can possibly express how we feel," Randy and Amy Loughner wrote in a statement handed to reporters waiting outside their house. "We wish that there were, so we could make you feel better. We don't understand why this happened.

"We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss."

Giffords is breathing on her own and responding non-verbally to doctors after being shot in the head.

"We have really decreased the amount of sedation we are giving her and as a result of that, she's becoming more and more spontaneous all the time," said Dr. Peter Rhee, trauma chief at the University of Arizona.

Sheriff's deputies had been to the Loughner home at least once before the attack, spokesman Jason Ogan said. He didn't know why or when the visit occurred, and said department lawyers were reviewing the paperwork and expected to release it Wednesday.

The visits were for nonviolent incidents, including a report by Jared Loughner of identity theft, a noise complaint and Amy Loughner's claim that someone had stolen her license plate sticker, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

In addition to the new details about the hours before the shooting, interviews with those who knew Loughner or his family painted a picture of a young loner who tried to fit in.

Before everything fell apart, he went through the motions as many young men do nowadays: Living at home with his parents, working low-wage jobs at big brand stores and volunteering time doing things he liked.

None of it worked. His relationship with his parents was strained. He clashed with co-workers and police. And he couldn't follow the rules at an animal shelter where he spent some time.

Loughner was arrested in October 2008 on a vandalism charge near Tucson after admitting he scrawled the letters "C" and "X" on a road sign in a reference to what he said was Christianity. His address listed on the police report was an apartment near his home.

Loughner eventually moved back in with his parents.

Even when Loughner tried to do good, it didn't work out.

A year ago, he volunteered walking dogs at the county animal shelter, said Kim Janes, manager of the Pima Animal Care Center. He liked dogs; neighbors remember him as the kid they would see walking his own.

But at the shelter, staff became concerned: He was allowing dogs to play in an area that was being disinfected after one had contracted a potentially deadly disease, the parvovirus. Loughner wouldn't agree to keep dogs from the restricted area, and was asked to come back when he would. He never returned.

Loughner grew up on an unremarkable Tucson block of low-slung homes with palm trees and cactus gardens out front. Fittingly, it's called Soledad Avenue � Spanish for solitude.

Solitude found Loughner, even when he tried to escape it. He had buddies but always fell out of touch, typically severing the friendship with a text message. Zach Osler was one such friend.

Loughner's father moved into the house as a bachelor, and eventually got married, longtime next-door neighbor George Gayan said. Property records show Randy Loughner has lived there since 1977. Unlike other homes on the block, the Loughners' is obscured by plants. It was assessed in 2010 at $137,842.

Randy Loughner apparently has not worked for years � at least outside his home.

Amy Loughner got a job with the county parks and recreation department just before Jared was born, and since at least 2002 has been the supervisor for Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Park on the outskirts of the city. She earns $25.70 an hour, according to Gwyn Hatcher, Pima County's human resources director.

Linda McKinley, 62, has lived down the street from the Loughner family for decades and said the parents could not be nicer � but that she had misgivings about Jared as he got older.

"As a parent, my heart aches for them," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Alicia Chang and Gillian Flaccus in Tucson, Jacques Billeaud and Bob Christie in Phoenix, Christy Lemire in Los Angeles and news researcher Julie Reed in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.

Documents detail Ariz. suspect's college outbursts

TUCSON, Ariz. � For four years, Jared Loughner was an unremarkable college student, commuting to classes near his home where he studied yoga and algebra, business management and poetry.

But last year, his classroom conduct began to change. In February, Loughner stunned a teacher by talking about blowing up babies, a bizarre outburst that marked the start of a rapid unraveling for the 22-year old, who is accused of slaying six people and wounding 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

After his first flare-up, campus police decided not to intervene.

"I suggested they keep an eye on him," an officer wrote.

Loughner's on-campus behavior grew increasingly erratic, menacing, even delusional. Fifty-one pages of police reports released Wednesday provided a chilling portrait of Loughner's last school year, which ended in September when he was judged mentally unhinged and suspended by Pima Community College.

As the records were released, President Barack Obama visited Giffords in the hospital. Later, during a nationally-televised memorial service, the president revealed the congresswoman had opened her eyes shortly after he left her bedside.

Obama touched on themes of unity, patriotism and heroism in his address to the crowded arena with about 14,000 people, and he spoke at length about 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest victim of the attack. Her funeral was set for 1 p.m. MST (3 p.m. EST) Thursday, the first of six funerals.

As Tucson and the nation remembered the victims, new details surfaced about the busy morning Loughner had in the hours before the shooting.

According to authorities, Loughner hustled to Walmart twice, was caught by police running a red light but was let go with a warning, and later grabbed a black bag from the trunk of a family car before fleeing into the desert on foot with his suspicious father giving chase. Eventually, he took a cab to the grocery store where he opened fire on Giffords and a line of people waiting to speak to her.

Just three months earlier, he had been kicked out of school.

In a Sept. 23 campus police report, days before his suspension, an officer called to quiet another one of Loughner's outbursts described him as incomprehensible, his eyes jittery, his head awkwardly tilted.

"He very slowly began telling me in a low and mumbled voice that under the Constitution, which had been written on the wall for all to see, he had the right to his 'freedom of thought' and whatever he thought in his head he could also put on paper. ... His teacher 'must be required to accept it' as a passing grade," the officer wrote.

"It was clear he was unable to fully understand his actions."

The school reports provide the most detailed accounts so far of Loughner's troubles at the college, and he is depicted at times as "creepy," "very hostile" and "having difficulty understanding what he had done wrong in the classroom." School officials have not said if the reports were shared with any authorities beyond campus.

During his first outburst, in a poetry class, he made comments about abortion, wars and killing people, then asked: "Why don't we just strap bombs to babies?"

In an April report, librarians called police because Loughner, with ear buds, was making so much noise at a computer it was disturbing others. He promised it would not happen again.

But a month later, he became hostile with a Pilates instructor when he learned he was going to receive a B in the class. The teacher told police Loughner said the grade was unacceptable.

Outside of class, she spoke with Loughner and later told police she felt the discussion "might become physical." The professor was so concerned she wanted a campus police officer to watch over her class.

According to school officials, Loughner studied at the college from the summer of 2005 to September, when he was suspended after campus police discovered a YouTube video in which Loughner claimed the college was illegal under to the U.S. Constitution.

In all, he had five run-ins with police on two campuses.

In early June, the dean's office received a report that Loughner had disrupted a math class when he started arguing with the professor about a number. The possibility of a suspension was raised at the time, but no action was taken.

In a second memo on the math class, Loughner proclaimed he had a right to exercise his freedom of speech. "I was not disruptive, I was only asking questions that related to math."

DeLisa Siddall, a counselor in the Educational Support Department, asked Loughner to explain the dispute. "My instructor said he called a number 6 and I said 'I call it 18.'"

According to the police report, Loughner said he paid $200 for the class "so he should have a right to speak." He said he felt that he was being scammed, as he had been in other classes.

Loughner was warned that the behavior had to stop or disciplinary action would begin. Since Loughner chose to continue attending class but remain silent, she "had no grounds to keep him out of class."

On Nov. 30, the same day he bought the Glock, Loughner posted a YouTube video, seething about campus police and the college.

"If the police remove you from the educational facility for talking then removing you from the educational facility for talking is unconstitutional," he said on the video. "The situation is fraud because the police are unconstitutional. ... Every Pima Community College class is always a scam!"

School officials told Loughner and his parents that to return to classes he would need to undergo a mental health exam to show he was not a danger. He never returned.

Kelsey Hawkes said Thursday on CBS' "The Early Show" that when she dated Loughner six years ago when they were both in high school, he showed no violent tendencies.

"Back then he was completely different of a person. Very caring, very sweet, a gentle, kind, you know, a little bit quiet. But altogether a pretty great guy," she said.

Major milestone: Wounded Giffords moves arms, legs

Originally Posted by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer

By Alicia Chang, Ap Science Writer 10 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is opening both eyes, moving both legs and arms and is responding to friends and family. Her doctors call it a "major milestone" in her recovery. "We're hoping that she crosses through many more," said her neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Lemole.

Her remarkable recovery five days after being shot through the head has provided a much-needed dose of jubilation after a tragic week that left the nation in mourning.

Giffords and 18 others were shot Saturday when a gunman opened fire at a meet-and-greet she was hosting outside a supermarket in her own hometown. Six people died, including a 9-year-old girl whose funeral was Thursday.

The three-term Democrat first opened her eyes on her own Wednesday evening while surrounded by her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, and close friends from Congress.

Her left eye, which was unbandaged, started to flicker and she struggled a bit to widen it.

"Gabby, open your eyes, open your eyes," her husband urged her.

Kelly told her to give him a thumbs-up if she could hear him. She did more than that. She slowly raised her left arm.

President Barack Obama, who had just left her bedside to speak at a tribute for the shooting victims, announced the news to the thousands gathered in the University of Arizona arena � and to the world.

The arena erupted in thunderous applause. There were tears. And hugs.

First lady Michelle Obama embraced Kelly, sitting beside her.

Giffords' movements left her friends astonished.

"It felt like we were watching a miracle," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was at the bedside. "The strength that you could see flowing out of her, it was like she was trying to will her eyes open."

At a news conference Thursday at Tucson's University Medical Center, Lemole smiled when asked if it was a miracle. Then, he spoke carefully, as those trained to operate on the most delicate of organs do. He knows all too well the setbacks that could lurk.

"Miracles happen everyday," he said. "In medicine, we like to very much attribute them to either what we do or others do around us. But a lot of medicine is outside of our control and we're wise to acknowledge miracles."

He called her movements a "leap forward." Her doctors said her progress was not completely unexpected, but still remarkable.

Giffords was still in critical condition, with part of her skull removed to allow for brain swelling.

Few people survive a bullet to the brain � just 10 percent � and some who do end up in a vegetative state.

The fact that Giffords is alert and moving "puts her in the exceptional category," Lemole said.

The doctors figured Giffords would open her eyes soon enough and were pleased that it coincided with Obama's visit. She can now keep them open for up to 15 minutes at a time.

Trauma chief Dr. Peter Rhee said Giffords acts like a bleary-eyed person just waking up.

Giffords yawns, rubs her eyes and tries to focus, he said. Doctors don't yet know if she can recognize her surroundings, but there are signs her eyes are beginning to track movements.

She is receiving physical therapy, which includes dangling her legs from her bed while propped up by nurses. Doctors hope to have her sit in a chair by Friday.

They also hope to remove her breathing tube � what they called the next milestone.

Kelly has remained by her side the whole time, doctors said. He is scheduled to command NASA's last space shuttle flight, but that's uncertain now. NASA announced a fill-in commander Thursday just in case.

The latest progress is a far cry from last week, when a shocked nation braced for the worst, holding candlelight vigils outside the hospital and Giffords' Tucson office.

But as the days ticked by, doctors shared signs of improvement. There was a glimmer of hope early on: Giffords was able to squeeze a doctor's hand in the emergency room.

Giffords survived the gunshot wound for many reasons. The path of the bullet, quick and quality medical care, and a stroke of luck meant the difference between life and death, say her doctors and brain experts.

Doctors think the bullet pierced the front of Giffords' head and exited the back, slicing the left side of the brain, which controls speech abilities and muscles on the right side of the body.

They did not explain why her right eye was bandaged.

Had the bullet damaged both sides of the brain or struck the brain stem, which connects to the spinal cord, the outcome would likely be worse � extensive permanent damage, vegetative state or death.

"So far, she's passed with flying colors of each stage" of her recovery, said neurologist Dr. Marc Nuwer of the University of California, Los Angeles, who is not involved in the congresswoman's treatment.

It is too early to tell the extent of damage, but experts say it is rare for people with gunshot wounds to the head to regain all of their abilities.

Damage to the brain's left side can result in memory loss, difficulty reading and hand-eye coordination problems. Her doctors have not been able to determine whether Giffords can speak, since she still has a breathing tube.

"Her full-time job now for the next year is working on her recovery and rebuilding her life around her disability, whatever it may be," said Dr. Stephan Mayer, professor of clinical neurology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who has no role in Giffords' care.

Link:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110114/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot

Security tight at funeral for slain Arizona judge

A hearse carrying the remains of U.S. District Judge John Roll arrives at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church before his funeral on Friday, Jan. 14, 20 AP � A hearse carrying the remains of U.S. District Judge John Roll arrives at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton �

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press � 17 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � One day after mourning a bubbly 9-year-old slain during the attempted assassination of a congresswoman, residents and fellow jurists gathered Friday at the same Tucson church to remember a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge John Roll, who served nearly 40 years, had stopped by a supermarket meet-and-greet for Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday when he was shot and killed, along with five others. Thirteen were wounded, including Giffords, who was shot in the head.

Security was tight Friday morning as the hearse entered the church parking lot and U.S. marshals checked the IDs of everyone entering the lot. Four big coach buses brought dozens of judges who knew Roll over the years.

Dignitaries including former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, and former Vice President Dan Quayle will attend, said Adam Goldberg, a spokesman for the fire department and the event. Quayle will present a handwritten message from former President George H.W. Bush, who appointed Roll to the bench in 1991, Goldberg said.

The security stood in contrast to another funeral at the same church the day before for the youngest shooting victim, Christina Taylor Green.

Most of the nation had never heard of Green before the tragedy Saturday, but Roll, 63, had attracted death threats and become a lightning rod in the state's immigration debate after his ruling in a controversial border-crossing case two years ago.

For the dark-haired third-grader's funeral, 2,000 mourners packed the church and hundreds more � including dozens of children � lined both sides of the street outside for more than a quarter-mile to show their support. Hundreds of motorcycle riders from all over stood guard. More than a dozen residents were dressed as angels and some mourners dressed in white placed candles alongside the road leading to the church.

On Friday, an hour before Roll's funeral was to begin, cars lined up for nearly a mile, waiting to enter church grounds, but the streets around the church were mostly empty except for media, about a dozen mourners outside the church and a strong showing of patrol cars and SWAT officers in all-green uniforms.

Tucson resident Mary Kool, 58, came to both funerals, wearing white Friday and carrying a red rose.

"I feel like it's important to support all the families and let them know Tucson cares," she said. "We are so devastated. We need to get together somehow and stop the violence."

Before her service, Christina's family and closest friends gathered under the enormous American flag recovered from Ground Zero and paused for a moment of silence, holding hands and crying.

"Her time to be born was Sept. 11, 2001," said Bishop Gerald Kicanas. "Her time to die was the tragic day, Jan. 8, 2011, just nine years old she was. But she has found her dwelling place in God's mansion. She went home."

The flag was no longer hanging over the church Friday.

Roll, 63, was heralded as a stern but fair-minded judge on the bench, and as a fun, family-loving man outside court. The father of three was Catholic and attended daily Mass. He had just come from a service when he stopped by the local Safeway to see Giffords, by some accounts to thank her for her support in addressing the issue of a federal judge and court shortage in Arizona.

Roll died on a Saturday full of mundane errands, but he was no stranger to death threats and controversy during his years on the federal bench.

Two years ago, Roll presided over the case of 16 illegal immigrants who had sued border rancher Roger Barnett, saying he threatened them at gunpoint, kicked them and harassed them with dogs. Barnett argued that the plaintiffs couldn't sue him because they were in the U.S. illegally, but Roll upheld the civil rights claim and allowed a jury to hear the case.

The panel eventually awarded the illegal immigrants just $73,000 � much less than the millions sought � but the case was a flash point in a state that struggles to curb crossings at its border.

Roll received death threats was under around-the-clock protection while hearing the case.

"It was unnerving and invasive ... by its nature it has to be," Roll told the Arizona Republic in a mid-2009 interview.

He said he followed the advice of the Marshals Service to not press charges against four men identified as threatening him.

Roll also had taken a leading position in pressing for more courts and judges to deal with the dramatic increase in federal cases caused by illegal immigration. A week before his death, he declared a judicial emergency in southern Arizona as the number of federal felony cases more than doubled, from 1,564 to 3,289, the Los Angeles Times reported.

He asked the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for an emergency declaration extending the time to bring felony defendants into court from 70 days to 180 days, the paper reported.

Roll previously served as a state trial judge and as a judge on the midlevel Arizona Court of appeals. He also worked as a county and state prosecutor.

Roll was a Pennsylvania native who got his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, three sons, and five grandchildren.

While Roll attracted the vitriol of some, he was loved and respected by his colleagues � and by those attorneys who appeared before him, whether they prevailed or not.

"He was famous for being able to say so many genuinely nice things about people without having to consult notes, for he so genuinely loved people and had such a remarkable mind," said 9th Circuit Judge Mary M. Schroeder of Phoenix, a former chief judge of the circuit.

"Judge Roll will be greatly missed and will continue to provide inspiration for the generations of lawyers and judges who were fortunate enough to know him."

For Giffords, Tucson Roots Shaped Views

Originally Posted by NY Times

January 14, 2011
For Giffords, Tucson Roots Shaped Views
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and WILLIAM YARDLEY

TUCSON � Gabrielle Giffords grew up in an old house filled with old things at the edge of a city being remade by the new. While strip malls and subdivisions were rising everywhere else, her rambling brick residence was surrounded by 18 arid acres of cactuses and mesquite trees and decorated with Mexican art and Southwestern relics.

When she gave up her big-city dreams in New York to come home and run her family�s tire business, she passed on a new condominium or house in the suburbs, instead moving into an adobe duplex in an old neighborhood with shade trees, where crime might be higher but people knew who lived down the street.

And when Ms. Giffords, now a congresswoman, married an astronaut years later, she borrowed her Vera Wang wedding dress, served dinner on plates made of biodegradable sugar cane, had a cook make tortillas on the spot and invited fellow lawmakers to the working farm where she said her vows.

�The D.C. people were wearing high heels that would sink into the dirt,� said Ilana Addis, a friend from high school. �The Tucson people knew not to do that.�

And Ms. Giffords, very deliberately, is a Tucson person.

�If you live in a place and you stay there forever, you�re known as a good old Joe,� said John Hosmer, a former high school teacher of Ms. Giffords�s. �But if you leave, even for just a little while, and then come back, you kind of have a little piece of magic about you,� he said. �There�s something special about going away and coming back to your roots.�

Yet the city Ms. Giffords grew up in was changing rapidly, from the wide open desert town it had been when her grandfather � the son of a Lithuanian rabbi � sold retread tires to motorists in the 1950s, to the oasis for retirees, East Coast transplants and Mexican immigrants that made it a symbol of 1980s sprawl. Tucson was learning to compromise, and as Ms. Giffords moved into civic life and politics, so would she.

Over the past week, as the nation has followed her first tentative steps toward recovery from the would-be assassin�s bullet that ripped through her brain, Ms. Giffords, a Democrat, has become perhaps America�s best-known member of Congress. Her political views have come into the spotlight, too, setting off debate among outsiders about their seeming contradictions. But here in Tucson, it is clear how much her views have been shaped by this place.

From a culture that embraces independence, Ms. Giffords, 40, voted against Representative Nancy Pelosi in her symbolic quest to remain House speaker in the new Congress, instead casting a vote for Representative John Lewis, the civil rights leader. A fluent Spanish speaker with a Mexican half-brother, Ms. Giffords fought hard for legislation that would have granted citizenship to students who are illegal immigrants, but she also wants the tough border security favored by many in her Republican-leaning district.

She is a champion of solar energy, important to the Tucson economy. She opposes the death penalty, but backs gun rights. A victim of two home burglaries, she owns a 9-millimeter Glock.

�We are, in Tucson, a very diverse community in so many ways � socioeconomically, ethnically, religiously � and other parts of the state or region can be put into a box more easily than Tucson is,� said Bill Nugent, a close friend of Ms. Giffords�s. �Tucson, above all, has had to learn to compromise and to be compassionate and responsive to people, mostly because of their differences.�

�That is part of Gabby�s upbringing,� he said, adding, �She�s not going to take the strict party message.�

A Place to Start Over

Tucson is the kind of place where people come to reinvent themselves, and so it was with Ms. Giffords�s family. Her grandfather, the rabbi�s son, began life as Akiba Hornstein and moved here in the 1940s from New York. As Gif Giffords, a name he adopted to avoid anti-Semitism, he founded El Campo Tire and Service Centers.

He was an adventurer and a bit of a huckster; he and his wife, Ruth, once drove off to Panama in their 1957 stick-shift to promote Dunlop tires. He made a brief foray into politics, running unsuccessfully as a Democrat for the State Senate. But longtime residents here remember him mostly as a colorful character on radio and television in the 1950s, hawking his tires in spots that doubled as philosophical expositions.

�It�s a good, good evening,� was Mr. Giffords�s familiar greeting.

Decades later, as the company�s 27-year-old new president, Ms. Giffords carried on the tradition, starring in television commercials that perhaps not coincidentally gave her just the name recognition she needed as she prepared for her first run for political office. �She was a natural,� said Gina Brandt, the advertising executive who produced them.

Ms. Giffords grew up on North Soldier Trail outside the city center, in the Tanque Verde Valley, where cottonwood trees rise along a dry riverbed. There were no sidewalks, no corner stores, not even a next-door neighbor. She began mucking out horse stalls at age 8 in exchange for riding lessons, and eventually got a horse of her own. She named it Buck-Stretcher, the El Campo slogan.

�She loved her horse and her horseback riding, and that actually takes a lot of time,� said Cathy Nichols, a close high school friend. �She rode alone.�

In a city that was becoming increasingly transient, Ms. Giffords�s parents were fixtures. Her father, Spencer, raised as a practicing Jew, ran El Campo Tire and was elected to the Tanque Verde school board. Her mother, Gloria, a Christian Scientist originally from Kansas and nicknamed Jinx, is a painter and art conservator who worked on preserving Tucson�s historic Spanish art and missions.

They spent family vacations taking road trips across the border to Sonora, collecting art and books in tiny towns. (Ms. Giffords also has an older sister, Melissa, and an older half-brother, Alejandro, a son from her father�s first marriage, who lives in Mexico City but spent his high school years in Tucson with his father�s new family.)

�Her dad is this sort of bald, crotchety, crusty, tough-minded businessman, and her mom is artsy, chatty, constantly telling stories, talking, hugging,� said Jonathan Paton, a Republican who befriended Ms. Giffords after he ran against her and lost. �I think that Gabby in a lot of ways has those two personalities inside her. People who underestimate her � and I did � don�t see that tougher side that she gets from her dad.�

Even as a teenager, Ms. Giffords seemed destined for someplace bigger. Sharp and sure of herself, with a penchant for leather jackets and clunky Doc Marten shoes, she would sit in the front row of her Advanced Placement history class at University High School, an elite public school for gifted and talented students.

When Mr. Hosmer, the teacher, gave an incorrect date for the Treaty of Utrecht, she had no qualms about correcting him. �She was an 18-year-old girl who was really a 40-year-old woman,� he said. �She had a lot of internal self-confidence.�

She was not a student council type, though she did register to vote promptly at 18 � as a Republican, because it was her mother�s party. �She didn�t have strong feelings one way or the other,� Ms. Nichols said. (In the late 1990s, she switched her affiliation to Democrat.) She spent a high school semester in Spain, and chose Scripps College, a tiny, all-female institution in California.

As a double major in Latin American studies and sociology, Ms. Giffords pulled together the various strands of her life into her intellectual pursuits. Spurred by an interest of her mother�s, she spent a year after graduation as a Fulbright scholar in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, studying Mennonites.

�She was like an anthropologist in training,� Kim Welch, her Scripps thesis adviser, said.

After a brief stint in San Diego, Ms. Giffords left for Cornell University to pursue a graduate degree in regional planning � an endeavor partly motivated, said her close friend Ms. Nichols, by the growth and rapid expansion of her hometown. She cut a striking figure in snowy Ithaca, N.Y., in her Western garb and cowboy boots; when she was done, she landed in Manhattan as a consultant for Price Waterhouse.

�It seemed like the beginning of a grand and glittering adventure in the big city: posh apartments, pointy-toed shoes, and maybe even my first martini,� Ms. Giffords recalled in a 2009 commencement address to Scripps College. �But then an unexpected call came from my father.�

In failing health and eager to retire, Spencer Giffords wanted to keep El Campo Tire in the Giffords family. Ms. Giffords�s homecoming in 1996, which she has called �one of the most powerful transformations� in her life, had not been in her plans. But her friends are convinced that the tug of Tucson would eventually have brought her back.

�I think that she really did miss Tucson and sort of the horseback-riding, motorcycle-driving freedom that is out here in the West,� Mr. Paton said, adding, �There was probably a sense of relief about being able to go home.�

A New Direction

Ms. Giffords threw herself into the tire business and civic affairs. But Spencer Giffords did not get his wish; three years after his daughter took over, El Campo was sold, a victim of competition from big chains. The company Gif Giffords founded 50 years earlier was consolidated into a real estate concern.

By that time, Ms. Giffords already had designs on a new life, in politics.

She had �frustration with how things were working� in Arizona, Ms. Nichols said, on issues like health care and small business taxes.

Julia Liss, a Scripps professor, said, �She really was somebody who took life seriously; life was about doing things that mattered.�

She won a seat in the Legislature in 2000. Five years later, when she was a state senator, The Tucson Citizen�s business magazine named her its woman of the year. A relentless campaigner and prodigious fund-raiser, she greeted constituents with hugs instead of handshakes. Most people already knew her, or of her family.

�There�s still a very small town feel here,� said the magazine�s former editor, Teresa Truelsen. �Everybody thinks of her as their own.�

When she ran for Congress, to fill the seat of Jim Kolbe, a Republican who was retiring, in 2006, she began actively seeking Republican support. When she won, she kept on some of Mr. Kolbe�s staff. As Mr. Paton, her one-time Republican opponent, said, �She was very disciplined about meeting the people she needed to meet.�

The outreach came in handy; several prominent Republicans threw their weight behind Ms. Giffords during her tight race with a Tea Party-backed candidate last year, when she took criticism for supporting President Obama�s health care overhaul. Among them was John Wesley Miller, a longtime homebuilder who said his decision was based partly on Ms. Giffords�s pragmatic Western outlook.

�She�s a conservative with a conscience,� Mr. Miller said.

Her marriage in 2007 to Capt. Mark Kelly, an astronaut, created some intrigue, both here and in Washington. They met in 2003 on a trip to China (he was married and she was seeing someone) and Ms. Giffords was obviously smitten. A year later, he was divorced and they were dating. At their wedding, the huppah, the traditional Jewish canopy, was carried down a grassy aisle to the strains of a mariachi band.

�Gabby waited a long time to marry because she just never found the right guy,� said Marc Winkelman, one of the huppah carriers.

They have a long-distance marriage; Captain Kelly makes his home in Houston, where he has two daughters, while Ms. Giffords splits her time between Washington and Arizona. The result is what Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat and a close friend of Ms. Giffords�s, calls �a constant state of newlywed.�

On the night before she and 18 others were shot, 6 of them fatally, Ms. Giffords arrived here from Washington and was picked up at the airport by one of her closest friends, Raoul Erickson.

They stopped at her condominium, near her district office, decorated with the same kind of lively folk art � she once kept a motorcycle painted in Southwestern images � as her childhood home had been. Then Ms. Giffords suggested they go for an evening bicycle ride, as they often did. They rode 10 miles � Mr. Erickson objected at first, saying it was too cold, but Ms. Giffords persuaded him � with the congresswoman snapping their picture with a cellphone along the way.

�I know nothing about her politically,� said Mr. Erickson, who met Ms. Giffords in the 1990s, when he helped upgrade the computer system at the tire business, �but I know that when we�re out, she�ll stop and help anybody.�

When she first ran for Congress in 2006, opponents tried to cast Ms. Giffords as an outsider who had gone to college in California and lived in New York. The campaign responded by reminding voters that Ms. Giffords was a �third-generation Southern Arizonan,� and branding her as �an Arizona original.� Ms. Giffords appeared in a commercial on horseback, with the desert and mountains behind her.

�I love this place!� she declared from the saddle.

Husband Offers Message From Giffords�s Bedside

Quote

January 16, 2011

This article is by Michael Luo, Sam Dolnick and Jennifer Medina.

TUCSON � On a day when Representative Gabrielle Giffords�s condition was upgraded to serious from critical, her husband, Mark Kelly, spoke publicly for the first time on Sunday. He left his wife�s hospital bedside to take the stage at a memorial service for Gabriel Zimmerman, an aide who was killed in the shooting rampage that left Ms. Giffords grievously wounded.

Mr. Kelly told the several hundred mourners gathered in the courtyard at the Tucson Museum of Art that he had just come from the hospital and that his wife was �improving a little bit each day. She�s a fighter.�

�I know someday she�ll get to tell you how she felt about Gabe herself,� Mr. Kelly said.

His wife loved Mr. Zimmerman �like a younger brother,� he said, and was inspired by �his idealism, his strength and his warmth.�

At almost the exact same time, about a half-hour�s drive east, another shooting victim � Dorwan Stoddard, 76, known as Dory to friends � was eulogized at a church filled with hundreds of mourners.

�There are no monuments to Dory, there are no streets named after him,� said the Rev. Mike Nowak, his pastor. �He was just an ordinary man. He did not become a hero that day � he was a hero every day of his life.�

At University Medical Center, officials said on Sunday that Ms. Giffords�s condition was upgraded because she was no longer on a ventilator. Doctors announced on Saturday that they placed a tracheotomy tube in Ms. Giffords�s throat as a precautionary measure.

�The congresswoman continues to do well,� a spokeswoman said in a statement. �She is breathing on her own. Yesterday�s procedures were successful and uneventful.�

Jared L. Loughner, the man charged in the shooting that left six dead and 13 wounded, is in the custody of federal marshals at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix, which houses almost 1,100 prisoners about 25 miles north of downtown.

According to an official familiar with the prison, Mr. Loughner, who federal records say is registered as inmate No. 15213-196, is being held in �segregation� for his own protection. Prisoners in segregation are closely monitored, the official said, and generally spend 23 hours of the day alone in their cells and have an hour or so a day for exercise and showering.

Mr. Loughner, 22, has no contact with other prisoners, said the official, who added that the prison�s past inmates included Salvatore Gravano, the Mafia informer and hit man known as Sammy the Bull.

The funerals on Sunday marked the fourth and fifth for victims of the shooting, leaving just one remaining, that of Dorothy Morris, 76, whose husband, George, remains hospitalized after the shooting. A date has not yet been set, said Bill Royle, a family friend, because it depends in part on Mr. Morris�s recovery.

On this cool, sunny day, it seemed as though this reeling community, despite the tears, had finally begun to slip back into a semblance of its former rhythms, as the horde of news media that descended upon the city finally began to pack up and leave.

Grocery carts trundled through the aisles at the Safeway where the shooting occurred, though shoppers continued to pause and reflect in front of a makeshift memorial outside. The neighborhood where Mr. Loughner lived with his parents, Randy and Amy, was quiet on Sunday afternoon, with nary a satellite truck in sight.

About 300 people gathered at a midtown park on Sunday morning and marched about two miles to Ms. Giffords�s district office in what organizers called a �walk for peace� to honor the victims of the shooting.

The event was the brainchild of Amanda Lopez, 23, and Amanda Hutchison, 20, who had been grappling with how respond to the rampage, ultimately coming up with the idea of the peace walk.

Some marchers carried babies in slings or pushed strollers, others walked their dogs. To avoid politicizing the event, the organizers decided not to allow anyone to hold signs, but distributed yellow ribbons to commemorate the victims.

�It�s time for people to reflect, for the city of Tucson and the rest of the country to come together and reflect,� said Yvette Patterson, 42, who was among the marchers. �It�s important that we really see the humanity in each other. If we don�t start to lower our barriers, maybe we could get torn apart.�

When the crowd reached a collection of tributes outside Ms. Giffords�s office, a woman began singing �Amazing Grace.� Others in the crowd softly sang along.

The effects of the shooting, like pebbles in a pond, continued to ripple on Sunday, as one of the 13 people wounded spent the day in a mental health center by police order.

The wounded person, J. Eric Fuller, 63, a military veteran, was arrested on Saturday after disrupting a forum being taped for broadcast by ABC News. He was said to have blurted out �You�re dead� to Trent Humphries, the founder of the Tucson Tea Party, who was speaking.

Mr. Fuller had showed flashes of anger, railing against the �Tea Party crime syndicate� in an interview with The New York Times in the early days after the shooting.

He was being held for a 72-hour mental health evaluation, said Jason Ogan, a spokesman for the Pima County sheriff�s office.

The sheriff�s office forwarded charges of threats, intimidation and disorderly conduct against Mr. Fuller to the county attorney�s office, Mr. Ogan said.

At Mr. Zimmerman�s funeral, Mr. Kelly, an astronaut who is supposed to lead the crew of the shuttle Endeavour this spring on its final mission, spoke for several minutes. He was one of a long train of speakers that included childhood friends, relatives and staff members in Ms. Giffords�s office.

As Ms. Giffords�s director of community outreach, Mr. Zimmerman helped prepare for the �Congress on Your Corner� event at the Safeway on Jan. 8. He arrived early, as he often did. When Ms. Giffords was shot, Mr. Zimmerman, 30, was standing nearby and lunged to help her.

He was remembered on Sunday as a passionate idealist, able to put anyone at ease, dedicating his life to helping others.

He proposed to his girlfriend last summer while on a 5 a.m. run through the mountains. He was addicted to diet sodas. He was so good with angry callers that his nickname in the office was �The Constituent Whisperer.�

Ron Barber, another of Ms. Giffords�s aides who was shot in the attack, took the stage with the help of a walker. He said Mr. Zimmerman was a genius at connecting with people from across the political and social spectrums.

�He had the integrity, he had the heart, he had the personality,� Mr. Barber said.

The story of Mr. Stoddard, mourned at the day�s other funeral, has become part of the tragedy�s lore. When the gunfire erupted, Mr. Stoddard knocked down his wife, Mavy, and threw his body on top of hers to protect her. Mrs. Stoddard was shot three times in the leg but was released from the hospital last week.

As the service was about to end, Mrs. Stoddard went to the microphone, wearing a red jacket and sitting in a wheelchair. Her hands shaking but her voice strong and firm, she said: �I am the woman who was married to this man. He loved God, and he loved me, and spoiled me rotten.�

A wave of laughter went through the audience. �The journey will be very, very difficult, but he died for me, and I must live for him,� she said.

�I will survive,� she added. �We will not let that gunman take that away.�

Thank you, for putting these up, Se�or.

GTC

de nada!

Here's some REALLY "local" text from my corner of the State.
Thanks, "Cochise County Independent Property Rights Association"
AKA "CCIPRA"
GTC

THE SHOOTINGS

Times are tough, and CCIPRA believes that for the foreseeable future, they'll keep getting tougher. In Washington, Arizona is not a very important state; in Arizona, Cochise County is not a very important county. On both sides of the border, big money is made by illegal methods that harm Cochise County; and legitimate government is finding it harder and harder to provide basic services. This means that people in Cochise County are going to have to work with each other, more each year.

On radio and television talk shows, some hosts often build ratings by saying things which divide people from one another, and which no national politician would say. For instance, "I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself .... I think I could." Or, in a skit where a Nancy Pelosi character drank wine, "I put poison in your ...." Or "Every night I get down on my knees and pray that Dennis Kucinich will burst into flames." Or "I want to kill Charlie Rangel with a shovel." Or "we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, uh Obama. Well, both, if we could."

Local politicians sometimes get careless and forget that government is a more serious business than entertainment. From a local political newsletter in March 2010: "here is a stress management technique .... Picture yourself lying on your belly on a warm rock that hangs out over a crystal clear stream.... The water is so crystal clear that you can easily make out the face of Nancy Pelosi, the person you are holding underwater. There!! See? It really does work. You're smiling already." See
http://littlebigdog.net/2010MarchMurderJoke.JPG
Can anyone still be smiling at that murder fantasy?

But local people sometimes also are more decent than national figures. During the 2010 campaign, the Palominas Tea Party ("PTP") circulated an email that included "WHO VOTED 'NO' TO MAKE ENGLISH OUR OFFICIAL LANGUAGE? It will soon be payback time for these traitors," and a local TP'er emailed CCIPRA "We have one more shot (figuratively) this November. If 'We the People' do not clean house at all levels, then I suspect the shots will no longer be figurative but literal." Because of those communications, CCIPRA dropped PTP events from its pre-election calendar. The PTP's Allen Goatcher emailed asking why; the answer included "I've seen the emphasis in your local notices about being courteous and orderly, etc., and I think that's great; but the big issue of threatening to shoot people, I just can't ignore;" Goatcher replied "I do not condone, endorse or subscribe to any action that can be viewed as Armed Revolt. If the National Tea Party Patriots ... so endorses I will no longer be a member of the Tea Party Patriots;" and, though Goatcher was speaking only for himself, CCIPRA resumed listing PTP meetings.

And local people can recover from lapses, instead of being locked into hatespeech when they slip. After the election, a local TP'er circulated an email including "It's now (November 3, 2010) Lame Duck hunting season.... Our fi[r]st political shot at Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona CD8 singed her hair, but she's still in office. We'll aim better in 2012." Yet after the Tucson massacre, the PTP expressed its dismay at the massacre, and passed on an email from the "Smart Girl" organization: "... we were mortified to learn of the senseless act of violence enacted toward Congresswoman Giffords, her staff members and members of the community, including Judge Roll. While we may not agree with Gabby, she didn't deserve to have this happen. Violence has no place in the political process.... the Westboro Baptist 'Church' is making plans to protest Christina Green's funeral on Thursday. This is an outrage and insult to the family and community. We are asking for anyone who is available and willing to attend the funeral to PEACEFULLY act as a 'Human Wall' to shield the family from this hate monger.... This is an opportunity to show the country how Arizonans come together to honor our own."

Major parties can be just as decent as the PTP. For instance, on Friday, January 14, the County head of one major party sent out notice including "WOMEN IN BLACK VIGIL 5PM TODAY. The Women in Black vigil is held each Friday from 5pm - 6pm in front of the former Bank of America office on Main Street in Bisbee. Today, it will honor Gabrielle Giffords, all the dead and wounded from Saturday, and all the victims of violence everywhere. You are invited to stand call for honest, polite and truthful and tolerant communication between us all, especially our leaders and our media. 'Take an hour, make a stand.'," and "On Saturday at noon, former pastor David Barkley is going to be outside [Giffords'] office ... to be in silence, to pray, to light a candle of hope for our dear Congressperson and all who were injured in the shooting last week, and for the families of those who died. So long as you have no political or personal agenda to display, he would love to have you join him."

Politics is not a gathering of angels. If Cochise County people will need to support each other as the government cuts back on basic services and obligations, we need to stand together now, when the pain of the Tucson massacre is fresh. Now, not later, is a time to build local politics based on cooperation in solving political issues, and to reject talk-show fantasies about murdering or maiming political opponents.

Email comments to CCIPRA via [email protected]

Hospital: Giffords moves to rehab facility Friday

Originally Posted by SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and MARILYNN MARCHIONE, Associated Press

By Susan Montoya Bryan And Marilynn Marchione, Associated Press 3 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � Fresh from a sunny outing that brought a smile, Gabrielle Giffords is moving to a Houston rehab center where her husband hopes the "fighter" continues on the path to a full recovery.

University Medical Center staffers took the wounded congresswoman to a deck at the hospital Thursday, where she breathed in the fresh air and felt the sun, trauma surgeon Peter Rhee said.

"I saw the biggest smile she could gather," Rhee said. "We are very happy to have her enjoying the sunshine of Arizona."

Early Friday morning, a handful of people strolled through the memorial area outside the hospital, where candles flickered and a throng of TV cameras were focused as Giffords prepared to leave.

She has been making progress nearly every day in her recovery from a bullet wound to the brain.

Doctors ticked off other markers of her continuing improvement: She scrolled through an iPad, picked out different colored objects and moved her lips. They are unsure whether she is mouthing words, nor do they know how much she is able to see.

Her husband, Houston-based astronaut Mark Kelly, believes she has tried to speak and can recognize those around her.

"I can just look in her eyes and tell," Kelly said at a final briefing Thursday at the Tucson hospital. "She is very aware of the situation."

On Friday morning he tweeted: "GG going to next phase of her recover today. Very grateful to the docs and nurses at UMC, Tucson PD, Sheriffs Dept....Back in Tucson ASAP!"

Kelly said he hopes she'll make a full recovery.

"Congresswoman Giffords is a fighter," her aide C.J. Karamargin said Friday on CBS' "Early Show. "She's as tough as nails. She's communicated with her husband in positive ways," he added, calling it a sign that she'll be "back very soon. There's no question about it."

The doctors who will help her offered a more sober outlook.

"Not everyone always gets 100 percent restoration, but we help them to get to a new normal," said Carl Josehart, chief executive of the rehab hospital that will be the Arizona congresswoman's home for the next month or two.

Giffords is expected to be moved on Friday morning, traveling by ambulance to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base with an escort from a group of motorcycle riders from a Veterans of Foreign Wars post who know her.

Kelly; Rhee; Giffords' mother, Gloria; an intensive care unit nurse and Giffords' chief of staff will be among those on the medical flight to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.

From there, she will be moved by helicopter to TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital. U.S. Capitol police arrived Thursday afternoon to set up extra security measures at the 119-bed facility that is part of the massive Texas Medical Center complex.

Dr. Gerard Francisco, the hospital's chief medical officer, will coordinate her care.

"It's going to be a very big team that will address different impairments, but they will have to work together," he said.

First, they'll check her vital signs � make sure her blood pressure and heart rate are good. Then specialists ranging from physical and occupational therapists to speech therapists and psychologists will give a slew of tests to see what she can and cannot do.

The strength of her legs and her ability to stand and walk. The strength of her arms, and whether she can brush her teeth or comb her hair. Whether she can safely swallow on her own. How well she thinks and communicates � not just her ability to speak but also to understand and comprehend, Francisco said.

It's unclear if she is able to speak. And while she is moving both arms and legs, it's uncertain how much strength she has on her right side; the bullet passed through the left side of her brain, which controls the right side of the body.

Giffords will stay at Memorial Hermann until she no longer needs 24-hour medical care � the average is one to two months. Then she can continue getting up to five hours a day of physical and other rehab therapies on an outpatient basis, Josehart said.

"It's hard to speculate on the trajectory or course that any one patient will have," he said.

Despite the steady progress, Giffords has a long road to recovery. Doctors are not sure what, if any, disability she will have.

Sometimes, areas of the brain that seem damaged can recover, said Mark Sherer, a neuropsychologist at the rehab center.

"Some of the tissue is temporarily dysfunctional, so the patient appears very impaired very early on after the injury," but may not be permanently damaged, he said.

A gunman shot Giffords and 18 other people Jan. 8 as she met with constituents outside a grocery store in Tucson. Six people died and the others wounded. All survivors, except Giffords, have been released from hospitals.

The suspect in the attack, Jared Loughner, 22, of Tucson, is being held in federal custody.

"The last 12 days have been extraordinarily difficult for myself, my family, but not only us," Kelly said. "I think it's been very difficult for the city of Tucson, southern Arizona and our country.

Kelly added that Giffords would be proud of the way Tucson has responded. Memorials continued to grow Thursday outside the hospital, in front of her office and at the scene of the shooting.

"I know one of the first things Gabby is going to want to do as soon as she's able to is start writing thank you notes," he said.

___

Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione reported from Houston. AP aerospace writer Marcia Dunn contributed to this story from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press Marilynn Marchione And Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press � Fri Jan 21, 8:21 pm ET

Doc: Giffords heard cheers leaving Ariz., smiled

HOUSTON � She heard them, smiled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110122/ap_on_he_me/us_congresswoman_shot

The caravan carrying Rep. Gabrielle Giffords swept past cheering crowds Friday as she left the hospital in Tucson, Ariz., where she dazzled doctors with her recovery from being shot in the head two weeks ago, and was moved to Houston for rehabilitation.

Children sat on their parents' shoulders as the motorcade passed. Many waved. Others carried signs wishing "Gabby" well.

"It was very emotional and very special," said Dr. Randall Friese, who traveled with Giffords.

By Friday afternoon, after a 930-plus-mile trip that doctors said went flawlessly, Giffords was in an intensive care unit at Texas Medical Center, where a new team of doctors planned to start her therapy immediately.

After several days of evaluation, she will be sent to the center's rehabilitation hospital, TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Giffords has "great rehabilitation potential," said Dr. Gerardo Francisco, chief medical officer of Memorial Hermann.

"She will keep us busy, and we will keep her busy as well," he said.

The first thing is to determine the extent of Giffords' injuries and the impact on her abilities to move and communicate. She hasn't spoken yet, and it's unknown whether she will suffer permanent disabilities.

A gunman shot Giffords and 18 other people on Jan. 8 as she met with constituents outside a grocery store in Tucson. Six people died. The suspect in the attack, Jared Loughner, 22, is being held in federal custody.

Since she was hospitalized at University Medical Center in Tucson, Giffords has made progress nearly every day, with characteristically cautious surgeons calling her improvement remarkable.

Each new press conference seemingly yields a few more details about the Giffords that her family knows.

Tracy Culbert, a nurse who accompanied Giffords and the congresswoman's husband, Houston-based astronaut Mark Kelly, on the flight, described her as being captivated by a ring on Culbert's finger. The nurse took it off and Giffords put it on her own hand.

"She was taking it off my hand and I asked if she wanted to see it," Culbert said.

Asked how she felt about leaving Giffords on Friday to return to Arizona, Culbert replied, "Do you want me to cry?

"She's a very gentle person," Culbert said, "and her personality is coming out with her touches, the way she touches us, the way she looks at us, and I am very lucky to know her."

Then, she added: "I have a lot of hope for her, and I know she's going to do great."

Doctors said Giffords will stay in the intensive care unit for now because she has a drain to remove fluid buildup in her brain. She was going to begin rehab immediately, with a session scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Because part of her skull was removed during surgery, a helmet was made to protect her brain. Friese said Giffords' husband asked them to make another one � with the Arizona flag on it.

"We immediately got one the next day," Friese said.

Well, ....the Circus begins.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_congresswoman_shot

Suspect pleads not guilty in deadly Ariz. shooting
AP

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press � 12 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. � The man accused of carrying out a mass shooting in Tucson pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he tried to kill Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides.

The plea by Jared Lee Loughner marked his second court appearance since he allegedly shot the congresswoman and 18 others at Giffords' meet-and-greet event on Jan. 8 outside a grocery store in Tucson. Six people died, including U.S. District Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old girl. Thirteen others were wounded.

Loughner, 22, faces federal charges of trying to assassinate Giffords and attempting to murder two of her aides. He will later face state charges dealing with other victims.

At least eight U.S. Marshals were present at the hearing in the Phoenix courthouse, where Loughner entered Monday afternoon smiling and wearing an orange prison suit and glasses.

Investigators have said Loughner was mentally disturbed and acting increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting. If his attorney uses mental competency questions as a defense and is successful, Loughner could be sent to a mental health facility instead of being sentenced to prison or death.

U.S. District Judge Larry Burns of San Diego asked Loughner attorney Judy Clarke whether there was any question about her client's ability to understand the case against him.

"We are not raising any issues at this time," Clarke said.

Prosecutor Wallace Kleindienst estimated that he would know within the next 30 days whether additional federal charges would be filed against Loughner. Kleindienst said prosecutors provided defense lawyers with records taken from Loughner's computer and documents of about 250 interviews made in the case.

The judge did not rule on prosecutors' request to move the federal case back to Tucson so that victims and witnesses do not have to make the four-hour round trip drive to Phoenix to attend court hearings. The case was moved because one of those killed, Roll, was a federal judge.

Clarke said she didn't oppose the request, but questioned where Loughner would be jailed in Tucson if the case were moved.

Clarke has not responded to requests seeking comment. She is one of the top lawyers in the country for defendants facing prominent death penalty cases, having represented clients such "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski and Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph. She has a reputation for working out plea deals that spare defendants the death penalty, as was the case for Rudolph and Kaczynski.