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Arizona Shootings: 'It Was a Colossal Failure of Journalism'
American Spectator ^ | on 1.9.11 @ 10:24AM | By Robert Stacy McCain

Posted on 01/09/2011 11:18:10 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines

There is no evidence that Loughner was a Sarah Palin fan. There is no evidence that he was associated with the Tea Party or that he was concerned with immigration. Instead, there is a steadily growing heap of evidence that Jared Loughner was suffering from a mental illness, quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia.

One of Loughner's classmates in high school and community college, Caitie Parker, voided much of the baseless media speculation with a few Twitter messages Saturday afternoon. Parker, herself a liberal, said Laughner was "a really good friend," whom she described as having been "left wing," "a political radical" and "quite liberal" when she knew him, although she lost touch with him after 2007 when he "became very reclusive." Loughner was a "loner" and a "pot head," Parker said ....

There was clear evidence that Loughner's mental condition was deteriorating. "He disrupted class frequently with nonsensical outbursts," said one student who had attended a pre-algebra class... with Loughner. In mid-December, Loughner wrote on his MySpace page, "I don't feel good: I'm ready to kill a police officer!"

In his recent online activity -- including a series of YouTube video texts transcribed by conservative blogger Warner Todd Huston -- Loughner unloaded paranoid gibberish about brainwashing and "mind control." Loughner listed Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto among his favorite books....

None of this lines up with the early reporting on the Tucson shooting which heavily implied that Gabrielle Giffords and 17 others were shot because of political activity of Palin and the Tea Party. And yet none of the news organizations that fed that frenzy of speculation has apologized for their irresponsible reporting.

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: gifford; giffords; jaredloughner; journalism; loughner; obama; palin; reichstagfire; shooting
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To: Williams
Plus he was a Gifford supporter, mad at her for voting against Pelosi. He had attended Gifford political events by invite in the past.

You are referring here to "Blue Boy", a poster on Daily KOS--let's get this straight - this is NOT Laughner.

There is reference, however, to a 50 year old possible accomplice - I would imagine "Blue Boy" has had a knock on his door for questioning if this person of interest has not yet been found.

41 posted on 01/09/2011 11:50:03 AM PST by Mygirlsmom (Giving back a little of what has been given to me: Proud monthly sponsor of FR.)
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To: Steely Tom
"conscious dreaming,"

I was wondering if that's what he was trying to say.

42 posted on 01/09/2011 11:57:29 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (DNC memo - "Don't let this thing go to waste! Exploit! Exploit! Exploit!")
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To: Grampa Dave
Actually there was some excellent reporting done as shown in the link below.

By the time the FBI finishes their clean-up most of the items on your list won't exist.


43 posted on 01/09/2011 11:58:32 AM PST by Iron Munro (When a society loses its memory, it descends inevitably into dementia - Mark Steyn)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
This whole thing ticks me off.

The mass murderer was a loser pothead emo freak. And insane. Period.

But instead of blaming HIM we get political grandstanding and calls to stifle our free speech because a member of the elite protected ruling class was one of the unfortunate victims. John Brown was a loon not only inciting violence but going around killing - should the passionate calls to end slavery have been muted?

A 9 year old girl was gunned down too but hey let's not focus on that let's score a few baseless political points.

This loser freak should have offed himself or been locked up a long time ago. He needs to be fried ASAP
44 posted on 01/09/2011 12:06:45 PM PST by over3Owithabrain
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To: Grampa Dave

To whom did he make death threats before, and why did the police who contacted him not have him psychologically evaluated and steered into some kind of mental health program? Somebody should ask the Sheriff that.


45 posted on 01/09/2011 12:09:47 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: B4Ranch

You should make that list with clickable links to document what was said, and then that post should go viral.


46 posted on 01/09/2011 12:10:54 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: FlingWingFlyer

conscience dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming while the dream is going on


47 posted on 01/09/2011 12:10:59 PM PST by kcvl
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To: FlingWingFlyer
What the hell is “conscience dreaming

Joe Biden has been doing that for 35 years.

48 posted on 01/09/2011 12:12:15 PM PST by Rome2000 (OBAMA IS A COMMUNIST CRYPTO-MUSLIM)
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To: butterdezillion

Get started on it and you can claim the honors.


49 posted on 01/09/2011 12:13:28 PM PST by B4Ranch (Do NOT remain seated until this ride comes to a full and complete stop! We're going the wrong way!)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

There are exceptions. Remember the “Operation Tailwind/Valley of Death?” story? CNN had to cough up significant $ after accusing the US military officers of using sarin during Vietnam. Also then-CNN star, Peter Arnett, producer April Oliver and others were summarilly canned by CNN. CNN had to run an on-air apology for a protracted period of time following the retraction.

Accusing Sarah Palin/Beck/Limbaugh/the Tea Party movement, etc. of driving a mental case to murder may just meet the exceptions.

If nothing else, a lawsuit would force said “journalists” and/or Congress(wo)men or the entities that employ them to fork up legal fees, and give negative headlines to the purveyors of the slander. They have to face responsibility for their own actions and words before accusing others. If it takes a law suit, so be it.


50 posted on 01/09/2011 12:18:24 PM PST by EDINVA
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To: EDINVA

Miltary officers aren’t the same as politicians under the Public Figure doctrine. Furthermore, starting a losing lawsuit will just embolden the left when the case gets tossed.


51 posted on 01/09/2011 12:20:45 PM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
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To: wolf24

The political elites ARE fearing violence from the left, if what Jeff Kuhner says is correct. He says that the media folks won’t address Obama’s eligibility situation because they know there’s something there, and as long as it is the patriots being shafted there won’t be violence. Once it’s the leftists being found out there will be violence.

IOW, while the media parrots the line that Constitutionalists are violent, they know where the real violence always comes from. That’s why they are pointing the finger and accusing as violent the enemy of the leftist terrorists - to appease the leftist terrorsts and stay safe.


52 posted on 01/09/2011 12:21:04 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Outrageous, outlandish slander is slander. And, those unfounded statements cannot be made against anyone, even a ‘public figure.’ Some of the military men were considered ‘public figures’ at the time the story was aired on CNN.


53 posted on 01/09/2011 12:24:17 PM PST by EDINVA
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To: Mygirlsmom

If the DHS has ever been involved in this case there will be no questions asked that will get to the bottom of this.

I want to know why Linda Lopez was spouting off about the perp being an Afghan War vet - as if she knew who this guy was and the false implications he made of being associated iwth the military, before anybody was naming names.

Where did she pull that from?

Somebody needs to request to see the reports from when the police visited Loughner for making death threats to somebody - find out when those happened, who he threatened, and what was done about him. But I won’t count on either DHS or the FBI checking any of that out. They already have their meme, that he was a racist anti-Jewish person connected to a website which links to Tea Party events. Now they just need to plant some evidence to support that and silence the evidence already in existence refuting that.

Does anybody actually trust either Janet Napolitano’s DHS or the FBI? Who oversees the FBI anyway? Is that a DOJ thing?


54 posted on 01/09/2011 12:26:45 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
No mention in this article that his facebook page said he was "Interested in: men".

The need to tell the whole story.
55 posted on 01/09/2011 12:26:45 PM PST by Antoninus (Fair warning: If Romney's the GOP nominee in 2012, I'm looking for a new party.)
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To: Antoninus

We have to be careful though, because as soon as the name was released, Facebook pages for Jared LAUGHNER (CNN’s misspelling of the name) showed up. So we know that somebody has engaged in a disinformation campaign. And that should also be investigated.

So whatever is claimed, you have to check to see whether it was from the sites legitimately belonging to Loughner before Saturday morning, or whether it was from a disinformation site.

The media should be reporting on the disinformation also, so that people are aware of what is genuine and what is not, and even be aware that there are copycat sites spreading disinformation. Even better, the media should expose who is doing the disinformation.

I don’t know where the gay claims are coming from so I can’t say whether they are genuine.


56 posted on 01/09/2011 12:32:52 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: FlingWingFlyer
'What the hell is “conscience dreaming”?'

I don't know his version, but to me it's living in a world that "isn't there"....i.e., utopia, the lefts fascination.

57 posted on 01/09/2011 12:34:35 PM PST by NoGrayZone ( Thus far, ALL the violence has come from the left. Mirror anyone?)
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To: Iron Munro; KansasGirl

Well, those blog posts could be wrong I guess. lol. It’s not like the media would tell us.


58 posted on 01/09/2011 12:36:24 PM PST by GeronL (How DARE you have an opinion!!)
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To: Mygirlsmom
"I nearly walked out of church"

Not only SHOULD you have walked out, but never return. God warns us of being fooled, especially by "churches". Seems like yours is one of them.

59 posted on 01/09/2011 12:37:35 PM PST by NoGrayZone ( Thus far, ALL the violence has come from the left. Mirror anyone?)
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To: kcvl
"conscience dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming while the dream is going on"

I have only had that happen while I was sleeping. I actually had a dream within a dream, although I knew in the 1st dream I was dreaming the 2nd, as well as the 1st.

I have very vivid and colorful dreams.....WHILE ASLEEP, but never experienced one while awake.

60 posted on 01/09/2011 12:44:19 PM PST by NoGrayZone ( Thus far, ALL the violence has come from the left. Mirror anyone?)
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