I know the horrific events on Saturday still weigh very heavily on us - or, at least, the thinking & compassionate among us; discussion will abound tonight. However, with no disrespect to the sadness surrounding what happened, I want to go on with SOP for this diary because I think we could use a little levity.
Nothing for "this day in history" really interested me, so let's move onto the world of SPARK. Gentlemen, if you're less - than - thrilled with the size of your...uh...gee...um... "gentleman's area" (especially if you're Brett Favre!) & try to do something about it, you just might have recourse if things don't "rise to the occasion."
If a farmer is drunk & driving his goat to a date, does that make said farmer a pimp? I guess the goat should feel lucky it wasn't left on a corner to fend for itself! :D
To the great disappointment of many an airline pilot, there just might not be a strip club near the Dallas - Ft. Worth airport. Those fly boys will just have to find their happy ending during a layover someplace else!
Finally, there will have to be a new crime classification - RWI (Robbing While Intoxicated). Instead of a blood alcohol level test, a BRAIN MATTER TEST should be in order!
Let's Countdown...
Keith's "special comment" from the other night might be repeated, but it's worth viewing over and over and over and over again; he speaks for me.
#5 "Tragedy in Tucson" AKA "The Attempt to Kill a Congresswoman" AKA "Rep. Giffords: Her Condition" AKA "The Shooting: How and Why?" - Here are some who lost their lives in the horrific events on Saturday: federal judge John Roll, Gabriel Zimmerman (member of Rep. Giffords’ staff), Dorwan Stoddard, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, and Christina Taylor – Green (born on September 11, 2001).
Jared Loughner made his first appearance in court today. His family had blocked off entrance to their house until the FBI showed up. A note was found at his house targeting Rep. Giffords for assassination. His distrust of American government is clear even though possible "political leanings" are not; it shouldn’t matter what his "political leanings" are. Senator Kyl criticized the sheriff of Pima County for his frank statement about the state of political and other discourse today.
Here’s part of what Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had to say this past weekend:
I hope that all Americans are as saddened and as shocked as we are. And, I hope that some of them or most of them are as angry as I am and as a lot of us are, and I think it’s time as a country that we need to do a little soul searching because I think the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business and what we see on TV and how our youngsters are being raised that this has not become the nice United States of America that most of us grew up in.
Some of those in the radio & television business today responded that the rhetoric is just as violent on "the left" & criticism of violence based on politics is itself political rhetoric. SOS Clinton spoke about Saturday’s events overseas. Rep. Giffords’ BIL called for a tone – down of the hatefulness...from the International Space Station. Ugh...can you just imagine being up there knowing you can’t be there for the ones you love??!! President Obama is going to Tucson on Wednesday. Dr. Rainer Gruessner is one of Rep. Giffords’ doctors. Her condition has currently stabilized, others have been moved out of ICU, and others have even been discharged. Dr. Michael Lemole is Rep. Giffords’ neurosurgeon; tomorrow could be a very important day in her recovery. While she can respond to simple commands to raise her thumb or wiggle her toes, higher cognitive function cannot be assessed yet. Visible swelling has gone down, which has to be a good sign. Here’s Sheriff Dupnik {insert wild standing ‘o’ here}. He looks very very sad and tired. Mr. Loughner is a very troubled person; thoughts of strength & compassion need to go to his family and friends, too, because some of them might be just as confused or frightened as we are.
Look at that mug shot. How was he able to get his hands on a gun to begin with?! There had to have been a record of some kind of his erratic behavior in the past. Senator Kyl & Rep. Franks accused Sheriff Dupnik politicized what happened on Saturday.
#4 "Eyewitness" - The bravery and quick thinking of a whole lot of people kept what happened on Saturday from becoming much worse. This shooting happened at a "Congress on your Corner" event. Apparently, at least according to a few Reps. who talked on Diane Rehm’s show this morning, it is not uncommon for Congressional representatives to go back to their districts and/or to events WITHOUT any sort of security detail – not even mentioning to local law enforcement that they will be in the area! I imagine that will change now. Patricia Maisch disarmed Mr. Loughner; she was on the phone to another media outlet when President Obama called, so he had to leave a voice mail?! :D She had met Rep. Giffords before through some heating & air work at a previous residence. Wow, how ‘bout her story?!
I wonder what a bullet wound feels like?
Again...wow.
** "Crime and Punishment" To briefly exit the Saturday shooting in Tucson, former Rep. Tom DeLay was sentenced to up to 3 years in prison for his part in money laundering. He was released on $10K bond pending appeal. Huh...he wouldn’t be considered a flight risk?
#3 "Rights & Wrongs" - Jared Loughner wasn’t fit to neither join the military nor continue his classes at a community college but was able to buy an assault weapon and was approved to carry & conceal it. *&^%$#@! Had the Assault Weapons ban not been allowed to expire, he wouldn’t have been able to get it. Thank you, NRA!
You can take guns to the state capitol??!! Wow, it’s a wonder nothing like this had ever happened before now! Mark Potok is here to talk about the influence of hate speech on Mr. Loughner. The over – riding "theme" of Mr. Loughner’s online activities are along the lines of the individual VS. the tyranny of government. Only 44% of Americans support tougher gun laws. One of the backbones of nearly all conspiracy – type theories is that the government is going to take your guns away. Yea, how many times did I hear that just after President Obama was elected? Too sparkin’ many...
#1 "Denouncing Violence" - Lonesome Rhodes’ website did enlist people to take a stand against violence; it’s too bad he was brandishing a gun in the picture right next to it.
He also thinks all this linking to $aint $arah from Wasilla is an attempt to "shut her down." While she has absolutely no connection to the gunman, she did have targets on certain Congressional districts in the run – up to the election in November, she kept telling people to "reload," and a whole host of other violent rhetoric. Someone from her staff had the gall to claim those marks were surveyors’ marks. There was an online death threat against Keith yesterday?! O...M...G... Josh Marshall is in studio to talk about the influence of violent rhetoric. Some GOBP Senator had to talk about Saturday’s events in Tucson being "a cautionary tale" anonymously. There’s been a whole lot of scrubbing of right – wing websites over the last couple of days. Sharron Angle’s 2nd Amendment remedies was mentioned – and the lack of an appropriate response thereof.