SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Being said its a risk every politician has faced since the beginning of politics itself, and you'll find most assailants have a mental or radical background, I don't really find it surprising. Its unfortunate and from what we're told seemed pretty unpreventable and impossible to predict. But I have more of a problem with this person causing harm not only to the congresswoman, the judge, and staff, people who may or may not have done things to create resentment, but to the bystanders, especially the children. For killing that 9 year old girl, Jared Loughner deserves the most severe punishment short of the death penalty, regardless of what his "mental state" is.

Its also unfortunate that it will either (give a reason for some politicians to avoid the public, or just scare them into submission). I feel though a lot of people are going to take advantage of the incident and it downright disgusts me. Also I'll throw it out there that Sara Palin is absolutely despicable, very rarely do you see somebody so fake and full of crap, and it astounds me just as much as to how so many people buy into it, a clear example of the sad direction America is headed in. The way she campaigns on propaganda, hate, and portraying everybody as anti-American makes me want to vomit.

UGH.

In the midst of this unfortunate incident, my condolences go out to the family of the victims and those affected by this situation. But now isn't the time for people or politicians to point fingers at either side for blame. It is acknowledged that both Democrats and Republicans use fighting words and images in both of their campaigns. It would be foolish to rush to say that Sarah Palin is at fault for this. In the 1969 Supreme Court case Brandenburg v. Ohio, it was ruled that government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless it is directed to inciting and likely to incite imminent lawless action. Many politicians, not only Palin, have published inflammatory text and images. Any impartial judge would rule that imminent lawless action was not likely to be incited. Palin is far from the perfect politican out there, but she can't be held liable for the actions of a deranged individual acting on his own agenda.

The shooting was done by a mentally deranged invididual with ultra-left political ideologies. He was not a mainstream Democrat, Republican, tea partier, etc. He does not represent the vast majority of Americans. He is just a sick individual who is part of a beyond obscure minority. Currently, he's being held without bail in court, and his sentence will be either life in prison without possibility of parole, or the death penalty. It is certain he will be convicted of 6 first degree murders, assault with a firearm, attempted/premeditated murder (especially that of a public servant), and other counts that I probably forgot to mention. It's Arizona also, making it all but inevitable that Loughner will be put to death. As much as I wish that he would be made to suffer for every minute of life he stole from his victims, we are a nation of laws and we must observe them. Society shouldn't have to bear the costs of his imprisonment and this sick individual should be put to death for the common good of society.

Also, what sickens me is that many people and politicians are both directly and indirectly attempting to turn this tragedy into a political weapon. It truly goes to show how divided America is. We as a nation cannot hope to stand forever if a tragedy like this divides us so greatly. Now is the time for mourning of the victims, not the time to play political games.

As for the Westboro Baptist Church planning to picket the funerals of the victims, how low can these sick people get? It's almost as if they are competing to be the most famous real life trolls or something. It's pathetic how this travesty of a group calls themselves God fearing Christians when they so blatantly violate and reject Jesus Christ's teachings. Apparently, nothing is sacred in our society anymore. And it's sad how their speech is protected under the First Amendment. In my point of view, their arrests or deaths would do modern society a favor, because their uncivilized behavior and ideology does not have a place in a truly civilized society. I hope the proposed bill to protect funerals from protestors is passed, since the dead deserve their peace and the private mourning of their friends and family without intrudence from individuals with a sick pseudoreligious/political agenda.

It is sad that Palin is a figure head for the conservatives...probably because she is easy to look at and doesn't look like a wrinkly old white guy. With that being said...What is really sad is the crazy liberal media is pointing blame at Palin. What intellectual cripple actually thinks she influences anyone to kill people? I guess we should blame the liberals for all of the church burnings and defacements...please..Really?...People as mentally unstable as that tool that shot everyone don't need any help being mental tools, they are already there. The "cross hairs" Palin used is a metaphor. Only the brain donors and whack jobs can't see that. The liberal media always tries to up its ratings by posting such obvious pandering. The conservative media does the same kind of things...they are both despicable IMO.

Did you see that they passed a law there about protesting funerals within 300 feet? Good for them! Those "church" people are as mental as the gunman. They obviously have no idea what it means to be a Christian....it is about love, not about hate. My heart goes out to those families of the victims. I was especially affected by the little girl. I have a daughter about that age and I would want blood. I would fully support a rule that lets the father have 15 minutes alone with that gunman. Let's get him on the fast track to the electic chair and do it over the net. It might not be right, but it would make me feel better to watch that guy fry.

I think you hit it on the head with the news being skewed one way or the other network by network as the cause of the problem Phil. The people do tend to only watch the news outlets that they agree with. While I understand that shortsightness, I don't agree with it. How are you suppose to have an intelligent debate with someone if you don't even understand their point of view or know the facts or opinions that they base their view on? I believe that is why the debates always seem to degenerate into basically name calling. Liberals fall back on deducting 50 IQ points from anyone who doesn't think the way they do and consevatives think liberals are moral cripples. Neither is fully true. I believe that happens because they simply don't know enough about each other and are unwilling to look at each others view of things.

I actually listen to talk radio at work because I only like a small genre of music and it repeats too often. I listen to a station that has a liberal, but honest, big government type in the morning.....a libertarian conservative, small government guy in the afternoon and a duo of fun and right down the middle for the drive home. A well rounded set of information is critical to critical thinking.

Blaming something someone said used as a metaphor.....Phil is right, it is not a big jump....but it is only not a big jump for dishonest or ignorant people. If Bush had been shot, we would have had to blame 90% of the liberals and most of the media I guess for their words about him? If anyone doesn't agree with that last hypothetical fits this Palin scenario....your bias runs so deep that I don't hold out much hope for us.