Posted on 01/12/2011 12:49:33 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
It's becoming increasingly clear that Jared Lee Loughner is mentally unstable. Sarah Palin's bullseye on Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords did not direct Loughner to shoot Giffords point-blank in the head on January 8, 2011.
Did the vitriol in political discourse, crosshairs and phrases like "Don't retreat, reload" (by Sarah Palin) or "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun" (by President Obama) influence Loughren's state of mind?
Perhaps in an idiosyncratic way, according to Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University. "Political rhetoric provided some of the context for his thinking, the pretext for his actions, but the core reasons for his actions were his psychosis," Lieberman told National Journal.
Regardless of what motivated Loughner to pull the trigger, the tragedy in Tucson has put the tone of political discourse, and those who tend to inflame more than inform, in the spotlight.
Campaigning has often been rough and tumble and full of venom and half-truths since the founding of the country, but as Giffords told MSNBC on March 25, 2010, after her campaign headquarters in Tucson was vandalized, "In the years that some of my colleagues have served--20 to 30 years--they've never seen it like this."
In reference to her district being targeted with the image of a crosshairs gun sight by Sarah Palin, Giffords said, "We're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, the way she has it depicted, it 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."
But Palin doesn't seem to think that there are any negative consequences associated with her campaign words and images.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
“...the tragedy in Tucson has put the tone of political discourse,and those who tend to inflame more than inform,in the spotlight.”
Uh...no. The media(like the writer of the article) put”the tone” on the shooting.
“It’s time for Palin and others engaged in the democratic process to stand back and consider the full impact of their words and images”
I think CBS ought to practice what they preach..
This man should lose his license!!
It’s obvious Farber missed the Ashleigh Banfield interview.
Its disgusting. Even though Sarah, Tea Party et al had nothing to do with this they put her and others at risk of physical violence.
THE LEFT IS SETTING THE TONE FOR VIOLENCE DIRECTED AT THE RIGHT AND CONTINUED DIVISION BETWEEN THE PARTIES. Imagine these fools telling people to “tone it down” in one breath and wrongfully accusing people of death, destruction of life in another. NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER WAS REQUIRED.
These people will never stop. We already know that, we must just keep dealing with it. Refute with facts, continue to answer back with truth.
Their voices ae getting smaller and weaker even as we speak. The dinosaur media is becoming extinct.
>>Campaigning has often been rough and tumble and full of venom and half-truths since the founding of the country<<
The phrase “Fake, but accurate” comes to mind. :)
Aren’t they also responsible for keeping the heated rhetoric going? If they think it’s a problem wouldn’t the responsible thing to do be to SHUT UP?
Giffords pretends to be a gun owner and a supporter of the second amendment.
I would like to know where she ever saw a shooting target shaped like the target on Sarah’s website.
We buy targets and they certainly do not resemble Sarah’s depiction of a political target.
The congresswoman added to the libel, didn’t she?
Well, the first page of comments took them to the woodshed. I’ll not go further. It’s SeeBS, after all...
So basically what CBS wanted her to do is come out and beg for forgiveness, am I getting close..I wonder how Catty Katie would react if someone had accused her of being a co conspirator to the deaths of 6 people..No one watches CBS news because they are NO longer legit news, they are nothing more than pimps for Obama and the progressive movement. Hey idiots in the press, Sarah IS the victim here, you guys day after day after day accused her of being a murderer, and you what, didn’t expect her to come out fighting back
And when did this "Dr" have time to examine him? He must have channeled Bill Burkett...
Its hard to tell who is more out of touch with reality, the shooter, or the MSM.
What about the "consequences" of Obama's negative words and rhetoric? Why is that glossed over? Oh, never mind...
Not accurate, Farber. It was you media pukes that put the "tone of the political discourse" in the spotlight.
Is this now what SeeBS has sunk to? Dishonest, hateful "editing."
Time for a new IncPen graphic.
LOL
They don't seem to mention that Obama hasn't acknowledged it, either.
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