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Showing posts with label victims of Tucson AZ shooting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victims of Tucson AZ shooting. Show all posts
ELIZABETH WARREN is being attacked by right wing extremist and fanatics, at least one of which has made reference to going for his gun in response her comments on class warfare and taxes. The hatred and suggestion of violence is reminiscent of the extremist comments, blog post and political campaign ads before Rep Gabrielle Giffords D AZ was shot and 6 innocent people were killed and 13 injured at a "Congress On Your Corner" event. The leadership of the gop and the tea-baggers have a responsibility to loudly, publicly condemn these comments. Sign this petition to show Elizabeth Warren you support her right to free speech even if you don't support her politics. And if you want to see what she said check out my earlier blog post this month Elizabeth Warren Blasts GOP 'Class Warfare' Charge, Tax Cuts For The Rich (VIDEO) 22SEP11 This from Daily KOS....
Elizabeth Warren is really pissing off Wall Street and their pro-plutocrat allies in the right-wing media.
After a video of Warren talking about the deficit and the social contract went viral last week (see above), Rush Limbaugh, the Fiscal Times and Rich Lowrey all spent time attacking her. Now, Lowrey has decided to spend another column going after her, and places like the Daily Caller and Reason have piled on. There is also this gem from right-wing blog Wizbang:
Text version:
When I hear the word “contract” I reach for my revolver think of two unique definitions — formally, a legally binding mutual agreement made between two or more parties, or idiomatically, an attempt to hire an assassin to kill one or more of your enemies.
Warren's rapid ascent is scaring apologists for the war that Wall Street, big corporations and the uber wealthy are waging on the middle class. They want to make sure when anyone debunks their nonsense like Warren has, that person takes a big hit so that no one follows.
We're not going to let that happen. At Daily Kos, we're joining with CREDO Action to thank Elizabeth Warren for speaking the truth. She needs to know—and those who might follow in her footsteps need to know—that we have her back in this fight. Please, click here to sign our petition thanking Elizabeth Warren for speaking the truth.
Originally posted to Chris Bowers on Tue Sep 27, 2011 at 10:46 AM PDT.
THANK GOD for Gabrielle Gifford's recovery and return to Congress. God Bless you Rep Gifford!!!!
WASHINGTON -- Seven months after she was shot in the head by a gunman in Tucson, Ariz., Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) made a surprise and emotional return to the House floor on Monday, casting a vote in favor of a bill to raise the nation's debt ceiling.
Giffords entered the chamber to sustained, standing applause, shaking hands with colleagues whom she had not seen since that January day. Her vote, a sideshow to the far more important and compelling personal drama, was in favor of the bill, which passed through the chamber by a margin of 269 to 161.
“I have closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed at what’s going on in Washington,” Giffords said, in a statement from her office. “After weeks of failed debate in Washington, I was pleased to see a solution to this crisis emerge. I strongly believe that crossing the aisle for the good of the American people is more important than party politics. I had to be here for this vote. I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy.”
Giffords' office tweeted word of her return to Washington after the vote had begun. And as she showed up on the floor -- smiling and with her hair cut short -- the attention of lawmakers drifted from the vote tally to her presence. Her office, in a statement, noted that in December 2009 and again in February 2010, she had objected to raising the nation's debt limit. This vote, the statement added, "was substantially different, with the strength of the U.S. economy hanging in the balance."
After the vote was cast, Giffords received multiple additional rounds of applause, as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called her "the personification of courage."
"Her presence here in the chamber as well as her service throughout her career in Congress, brings honor to this chamber," Pelosi said. "Thank you, Gabby."
Pelosi said she knew a Giffords visit "was possible" for a couple of days, but she urged the Arizona Democrat not to come unless she felt up for it.
"I did not encourage her to," Pelosi told reporters. "I told her first things first. But she was very eager to come."
Pelosi said she found out for sure that Giffords was returning from her chief of staff, John Lawrence, who is close with Giffords' husband Mark Kelly. When she saw Giffords come in, she said no words were exchanged as they greeted each other. Just "girl hugs," Pelosi said.
"Suffice it to say, it was one of the most thrilling moments to see this heroine return home, to the House. And to do so at such a dramatic time."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), one of Giffords' closest personal friends and one of the people who escorted Giffords into the chamber, said she was beside herself when she heard the House erupt into cheers as Giffords walked in for the first time since the January 8 shooting.
"The reaction in the chamber was the most enthusiastic, exuberant, exhilarating -- I mean we were all crying -- thrilled -- you know, we just knew she would make a triumphant return," Wasserman Schultz said, becoming visibly upset.
"It always felt like there were so many doubters and skeptics, but never doubt Gabby Giffords' determination. This is the first of many votes she's going to pass."
Wasserman Schultz, who is also the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, said she knew "sometime yesterday" that Giffords' visit was happening. She said she spoke late last night to Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, about the plan. Giffords had been following the debt limit vote from Tucson and "was ready to come and do the pivotal vote if she needed to," Wasserman Schultz said.
"At the end of the day, it was probably the most important vote we're going to cast this Congress. She wanted to make sure that her constituents were represented."
Vice President Joe Biden came to the Capitol to see Giffords, after being tipped off by Pelosi that she would be in attendance.
"I told her she was now a member of the cracked-head club like me, with two craniotomies," Biden told reporters. "You know what I mean? It was just so good to see her. But that's a private conversation."
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) found out about her return about an hour before the vote and helped to escort her into the chamber.
Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said he found out that Giffords would show for the vote when he saw her, hinting that Pelosi and others in the know played it close to the vest.
"I just said, 'I love you, glad to have you back, great to see you,'" he said. "I only found out when I saw her. [It was] a little emotional."
Below, a picture of the congresswoman on Capitol Hill from HuffPost's Jen Bendery:
Below, two additional photos via C-Span:
Video of Giffords' return:
This is a developing story. More details to follow.
I still say we need to level the playing field and remove all restrictions on guns in all government offices so the politicians who are too cowardly to enact reasonable gun control laws and enforce them face the same risk the rest of us do. And I still want to know, can a person visiting NRA offices keep their gun on them or does it have to be checked at the door?
WASHINGTON -- With the National Rifle Association set to host its first conference since the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others in Tucson, gun control advocates are getting confrontational.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's Educational Fund is placing full-page ads in Pittsburgh's two major papers -- the Post Gazette and the Times Review -- as a sober greeting for the estimated 70,000 gun lobby members expected to descend on the steel city. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) will be a featured speaker at the NRA's 140th annual meeting.
The ads are framed with a picture of a Tucson survivor on top and additional pictures of shooting victims from Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. Below the images is a letter from victims' relatives, asking for support for a more comprehensive background check system for gun licenses. Some 105 family members of shooting victims signed the letter.
“We are not politicians. And we are not interested in a debate on the Second Amendment. In fact, some of us are longtime gun owners ourselves,” the ad reads. “We are the families of Americans who were murdered or injured by killers who should not have had guns. And we hope you’ll talk to us during your annual meeting in Pittsburgh.”
There are other protests planned for the NRA’s weekend gathering. Patricia Maisch, the Arizona woman who wrestled away alleged shooter Jared Loughner's ammunition clip during the Jan. 8 Tuscon shooting, will be demonstrating outside the convention hall. A billboard truck, meanwhile, will be driving around the convention inviting NRA executive director and CEO Wayne LaPierre to discuss shoring up legal loopholes.
An email seeking comment from the NRA was not immediately returned.
The Giffords shooting hasn’t resulted in a single change of policy. Gun control advocates have waited months since Tucson for a pubic forum in which they could petition or demonstrate against the gun lobby. Now, with the congresswoman set to attend her husband's space shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral on Friday, and with the NRA meeting this weekend, the issue has risen once again. Operatives working on gun control policy hope the two events will help influence the outcome of ongoing legislative talks with Congress and the Obama administration.
H.R. 308:
Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act
112th Congress
2011-2012
Primary Source
See H.R. 308 on THOMAS for the official source of information on this bill or resolution.
This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee. [Last Updated: Apr 7, 2011 6:12AM]
Last Action:
Feb 7, 2011: House Committee on the Judiciary: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Related:
See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
OPPOSED by the nra and so has very little chance of becoming law because the American public is too stupid to demand it and our government is to cowardly to pass a law banning high capacity gun magazines. Click the link on the video to tell President Obama to support and pass the law to ban assault clips. Keep that in mind when we have our next mass murder in a school or shopping plaza or mall or theater or wherever.....
WASHINGTON -- One of the nation’s most powerful gun-control advocacy groups is out with a new ad, and a symbolic new spokeswoman, in an effort to persuade Congress to outlaw magazines that allow up to 32 shots without reloading.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence put out the new spot on Tuesday morning calling directly on President Barack Obama to take a stand against high-capacity magazines -- the clip used by Jared Loughner, the alleged shooter of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others in Tucson.
In conjunction with the ad’s release, the group is deploying a powerful new congressional liaison. Kelly O'Brien, fiancee of Gabe Zimmerman, the Giffords' staffer killed by Loughner, will be on the Hill Tuesday to endorse legislation sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) banning high-capacity magazines.
O’Brien’s entrance into the debate over gun control legislation carries the same type of emotional undertones that accompanied the founding of the Brady Campaign itself. Once titled Handgun Control Inc., the group evolved into its current incarnation and namesake after James Brady, a top aide to President Ronald Reagan who was permanently disabled during an assassination attempt on Reagan.
O’Brien isn’t the only deliberately heart-tugging symbol of the new Brady campaign. The ad includes the silhouette of a young girl on a gunman’s printable, target practice sheet -- riddled, after 32 shots, with bullet holes in the heart and head.
“A magazine that allows a gun to fire 32 shots in 16 seconds is good for only one thing: killing a lot of people fast; and that’s something we can live without. Assault clips: they make everyone a target,” the script reads.
And yet, for all the chilling imagery and sentimental lobbying power, the Brady Campaign still faces a heavy lift. The Obama administration has convened a series of gun-policy meetings at the Justice Department to cover what, exactly, can be done to tighten current law and ensure that unstable purchasers don't get their hands on firearms. High-capacity magazines, sources tell The Huffington Post, have not come up during the talks.
GUN control loopholes need to be closed, but unfortunately the nra will stop any consideration of addressing this problem because politicians of both parties are cowards. So I really do believe the 'playing field' should be leveled and all restrictions on guns in government offices should be eliminated so all politicians face the same risk of random gun violence as the rest of us. Fat chance of that ever happening though, just like the gun control loopholes will not be closed. So the American people and their elected leaders will continue to show hypocritical outrage and concerning the next time something like the Tucson shootings happens.....Click the header of the link to contact your Representative and Senators on this issue.
For all our communities, Congress needs to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
Tell your representatives in Congress to fix the gun loopholes.
Earlier this month we witnessed a tragic shooting in Tucson, AZ, leaving 6 dead, and 20 others — including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — injured. While rhetoric from the far-fight that feeds distrust and hatred towards our politicians (especially among the mentally ill) needs to be called out and countered, another factor jumps out. Someone like Jared Lee Loughner should never have been able to buy a gun.
We already have laws that make it illegal for criminals and the mentally ill to purchase guns. But a broken background check system and wide enforcement loopholes -- kept in place by the gun lobby and the National Rifle Association (NRA) -- have made it difficult to keep guns out of the wrong hands. It's time to close these gaps once and for all. You can help.
Please join us, along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and others, in making it clear to politicians that everyday Americans support common sense reform and will stand with them if they lead in keeping guns from the most dangerous among us; and please ask your friends and family to join as well. It takes just a moment:
Two commonsense reforms could prevent future tragedies. First, we should ensure that all the names of people who should be prohibited from buying a gun are entered into the background check system. Then we must close the loopholes that allow people to purchase guns with no background check at all. It sounds easy — but the powerful gun lobby, led by the NRA, has stood in opposition.
The attempted assassination of a member of Congress has frightening implications for our political culture that we should take very seriously. But we should also take this moment to remember that dozens of ordinary people are murdered with guns every day.
It’s a problem that everyone should care about solving — but it disproportionately affects Black, poor, and other disadvantaged communities. Black men are 9 times more likely than white men to be murdered with guns. In too many Black communities across the country, gun violence is a constant danger.
The danger is fueled by the easy availability of guns for those who are legally prohibited from possessing them. And it is so easy for dangerous people to puchase guns because of deep flaws in the systems meant to prevent this from ever occurring. One problem is that those who should be prohibited from buying guns, such as felons and the mentally ill, don’t always make it into the federal background check database. That means gun stores who are trying to follow the law may inadvertently sell guns to dangerous people.
But perhaps more troubling, there are huge loopholes in the law that allow people to bypass background checks altogether. For instance, in the well-known “gun show loophole,” anyone can purchase deadly automatic weapons — weapons designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible — from a gun show with no background check whatsoever.
If any lesson is to be taken from the tragic events in Tucson, it is that these gaps can have deadly consequences. Now, with growing public support for change, there is a unique opportunity to strengthen America’s gun laws to keep these weapons out of the wrong hands.
Please stand with us and our partners at Mayors Against Illegal Guns in asking Congress to do just that. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.
WELL said, and I have to try harder to be more civil in my speech as well as my postings on this blog. This from Sojourners....... "So let us begin anew -- remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us."
- John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, January 20, 1961. (Source: American Rhetoric)
After Tucson, the State of the Union
In Tucson, Arizona, President Obama spoke to the state of the nation's soul. Next Tuesday, January 25, he will speak to the state of the union. But these two topics are not as separate as they might seem. Presidents often use the State of the Union as a moment to talk about who we are, who we are not, and who we can be as a nation. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer and Republican Senator Tom Coburn will sit next to one another during the president's State of the Union as a testament to where both of these senators -- who have significant disagreements -- hope our nation's soul will come to rest. I share their hope for our nation.
The speech Barack Obama gave in Tucson was a memorial to the victims of a horrible tragedy, but the spirit of his speech could also shape Tuesday's State of the Union address by calling us to be worthy of each victim's sacrifice. The political leaders of the nation have shown signs of wanting a more civil discourse, and there have even been signs of reflection and re-examination in some of our media forums. The president should continue to build on this fresh, but still frail, desire for less rancor and a more democratic conversation.
The State of the Union could be a good time to call us to move beyond the exaggeration, caricature, misinformation, and demonization that occur too often in our public discourse today. Instead, President Obama could call us to clarify honest disagreements and identify potential points of unity.
Wouldn't we all rather see the end of a recession defined by more jobs on Main Street, rather than by more profit on Wall Street? Wouldn't we all like to create jobs using methods favored by both liberals and conservatives?
Couldn't now be a time to reaffirm a national commitment to care for the widow, the orphan, and the marginalized? Couldn't we agree that Social Security is good for society, and discuss the best means to make sure it is strengthened and available for today's seniors who need it, and for generations to come?
Can't we agree to hold our biggest banks and corporations accountable to simple standards of fairness and decency, without being anti-business in ways that hurt our economy?
Wouldn't we all like to see a broken immigration system (that both parties are responsible for neglecting) reformed in a humane way, rather than hear fruitless debates over extreme views on deportation versus amnesty?
Can't we all agree that we want more people covered by health care; the most egregious practices of health-care industry reformed; and the costs of health care better controlled? Can't we work to mend the health-care reform bill, rather than participate in the partisan, symbolic, shrill, and inconsequential battles over repealing it?
Can we agree that the deficit is a moral issue, but so are the ways we choose to reduce it? Can we agree not to resolve our deficit by making our most vulnerable citizens even more vulnerable? Can we agree that powerful special interest groups should not be allowed to keep their interests off the table of scrutiny?
Can't we see that the costs of the war in Afghanistan fall on too few families; that 10 years of the same policy is enough; and that in a time of deficit, an endless war is simply unsustainable? Instead, can we talk about our responsibility to the people of Afghanistan, to our own over-stretched veterans, and to our need for "nation-building" at home?
All of this may be far too hopeful, and I certainly don't want to be simplistic. But in the field of conflict resolution, there is a common and very effective technique that is often employed: You have to state the opinion of your adversary repeatedly until they agree that you understand their position, and that they have been heard correctly. Continuing to exaggerate, distort, misrepresent, and attack the other's position or opinions will not help resolve conflicts.
I often wonder if this same discipline needs to be used in solving the nation's biggest problems. Until we have listened long enough, carefully enough, and respectfully enough to the legitimate concerns of the other side, we will never accurately understand the issues, problems, disagreements, and ways we can find possible common ground -- or, at least, the necessary compromises. Even when there are clear clashes of interests that must be debated, won, or lost, it is still helpful to understand what those differences really are.
On Tuesday, the president can help call us to a new and better national discourse. He can, and should, state his own visions, goals, and priorities, and then invite the other side to offer their own in the days ahead. Maybe, just maybe, Tucson will help us change the terms, tactics, and tenor of our political battles. And the president has the opportunity to lead the way. Jim Wallis is the author of Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street -- A Moral Compass for the New Economy, and CEO of Sojourners. He blogs at www.godspolitics.com. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.
WE all need to try harder to be civil in our discussions, postings, interaction with each other, God knows I do and I am asking Him to help me do so. That doesn't mean not discussing and posting my opinions and articles reflecting my views, it does mean not including anything that incites hatred and verbal of physical violence, and not including anything that can not be backed up with some sort of facts. And I have the responsibility to make available, as well as possible, reference points and sources for anyone interested so they can go to them and make their own decisions on the issues of the day. This from Dan Balz of the Washington Post on Pres Obama's Tucson memorial speech and sarah palin's comments..... President Obama did not miss the moment. From the generally positive overnight reaction, Obama's speech in Tucson on Wednesday night struck just the right notes. Amid grief over a senseless tragedy and against a raging debate that threatened to further divide the country, the president urged healing and reconciliation.
The role of mourner-in-chief is relatively new in the history of the presidency, but it is now an important part of the job description for anyone who seeks the nation's highest office. In times of tragedy, people turn to presidents to help soothe the pain and bind the wounds, to give hope at times where there is little or resolve when it is needed.
Ronald Reagan did it with a short and eloquent Oval Office address the night that the shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff in 1986. Bill Clinton did it with a pointed and yet uplifting speech at a memorial after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. George Bush did it after Sept. 11, 2001, first at Washington National Cathedral with sobering words at a somber ceremony and later that day from the rubble of Ground Zero with belligerence offered through a bullhorn.
Obama had been there before - after the massacre at Fort Hood in the first year of his presidency and after the coal mine disaster in West Virginia last spring. But Tucson presented a unique challenge, with a congresswoman the target of the attack in a state that has been roiled politically by violence, hot rhetoric and strong actions that had drawn national attention and condemnation.
Wednesday's event in Tucson was billed as a memorial service to the six dead and the many wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who remains in critical condition after being shot in the head. It became something else, unsettling to some - a moment of release for a community still in shock, a pep rally of sorts complete with cheers and applause and whistling at every line from every speaker that was meant to convey hope and optimism. It was anything but the somber service that many people may have expected.
Before the speech, White House officials told reporters the president's remarks would mostly focus on the victims. While partly true, their description mischaracterized the totality of what Obama decided to try to do with his time on the stage. Without assigning blame and in words shorn of partisanship, he delivered a political message. He asked all Americans to use the tragedy to make themselves and the country better - as a way of paying tribute to those who had been killed or wounded.
"The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives - to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents," he said. "And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let's remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud."
The president's speech was unique, given the circumstances. It was lengthy - more than 30 minutes - when most presidents have chosen to be brief. It was not partisan but it was political, causing some negative reaction. Most important, it offered Obama an opportunity to reprise the message of unity and hope that first made him a national figure. If he offered implicit criticism of what has transpired since the shootings, it was aimed as much at those on the left who have sought to link the shootings to right-wing rhetoric.
He said: "At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized - at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do - it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."
Whether Obama's speech changes the trajectory of his presidency will be a subtopic of the post-Tucson political discussion. For all the reasons that people now point to Clinton's Oklahoma City speech as a turning point in his fortunes after the Democrats' debacle of 1994, many now will look to see whether Tucson proves that kind of moment for Obama.
Perhaps. The circumstances of the two events do not provide a neat comparison, given that the bombings were the acts of anti-government terrorists and the Tucson shootings appear to be the work of a deranged man with no clear political identity. More than public reaction to Obama's speech will determine its effect on his presidential fortunes. As important is how Obama internalizes this episode in the context of how he governs.
The political debate that erupted within hours of Saturday's shootings was a reminder of the depth of the divisions in the country today. Obama sought to elevate himself out of that climate of apportioning blame, as presidents can do in such circumstances. It is where he appears most comfortable as a politician but, as his presidency has shown, not an easily maintained position. In his first two years, he was unable to change the tone in Washington, as he had promised.
Policy debates await him that will soon thrust him back into the political and partisan realms, where he has sometimes proved thin-skinned and defensive. His calls for civility and unity will bump against the real differences that divide the two parties. Those times will test whether he can continue to unify the country or change the tone, or at least command a real majority.
The contrast between Obama and Sarah Palin was especially striking. Wednesday was a textbook example of how two politicians chose to handle a moment of national tragedy. Perhaps by an accident of timing, Palin put herself into the same news cycle as the president. After several days of silence, she offered her first extended commentary on the shootings.
Much of what she said was proper, but not all. Michael Gerson, who was Bush's chief speechwriter and has been no fan of Palin, observed on CNN Wednesday night that her speech was "seven minutes Reagan and 30 seconds Spiro Agnew." Her careless use of the charged words "blood libel" to criticize those who she believed had unfairly attacked her and other conservatives created more controversy, not less.
Obama has proven to be a polarizing figure in office, but on Wednesday he sought to unify. Palin ended up dividing. On a day of scripted messages, presumably carefully considered, Obama made the most of his. Palin did not.
Obama's powerful Tucson omission
By Jonathan Capehart
Some of the most poignant words of any speech are the ones that don't appear in the prepared text, if one exists. They are the ones that bubble forth during delivery. Because they are unscripted, their authenticity and their power are immediately felt. President George W. Bush's "I can hear you" moment on a smoldering pile at Ground Zero is a prime example. And last night, President Obama gave us one of his own.
The moment came near the end of his peroration on the need for civility in our national debate, and he tied it to the memory of slain nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green. The prepared text read:
I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us - we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.
But when it came to deliver the lines, Obama -- in either a rhetorical slip or a deliberate omission -- dropped the "us" in that first line. "I want to live up to her expectations," the president said.
For the first time in an address that soared at 30,000 feet, Obama came down to earth. Through a simple line, Obama powerfully and personally embraced his own demand of Americans. "All of us," he went on to say, "we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations." It was as if he were implicitly taking responsibility for whatever role he played in the nation's toxic political discourse. After a tragedy such as Tucson, that's what leaders do.
THIS IS PATHETIC....rather than join in the mourning for the dead, the celebration of what their lives were, and support with prayers and thoughts those who were wounded, michelle malkin wallows in the gutter and tries to drag others down with her. She chooses to continue the atmosphere of hate and intolerance in politics and society, a slap in the face of the victims of the Tucson shooting and their families and friends and society as a whole.
The White House "branded" the memorial service for the Tucson shootings with a "Together We Thrive" logo and slogan.
Michelle Malkin on Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 in a blog post
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The University of Arizona memorial service for the victims of the Tucson, Ariz. shootings was called "Together We Thrive." But Michele Malkin claimed the slogan was cooked up by the White House
In an opinion piece about the Jan. 12, 2011, memorial event, Malkin, a conservative pundit, accused the White House of "branding" the memorial service with the slogan, complete with its own logo.
Malkin noted that all 13,000 people who attended the "Together We Thrive" event were given blue and white T-shirts with the logo.
"Can't the Democrat political stage managers give it a break just once?" Malkin wrote in her column.
The Drudge Report subsequently ran a headline atop its web page, "Political Theme, T-Shirts at Memorial?" It linked to an AP photo of "Together We Thrive" T-shirts draped over the back of chairs before the memorial service at McKale Memorial Center on the University of Arizona campus.
But officials at the University of Arizona said the White House had nothing to do with the name or the logo.
"The name of the event and the logo for the event were done entirely by the university," said Johnny Cruz, a spokesman for the University of Arizona. "Branding of the event was not done in consultation with the White House, or any elected officials or political organization."
The T-shirts were also the university's doing, Cruz said.
"That was the university's idea," he said. "We wanted to give people something to remember, to symbolize the community spirit."
The university bought the shirts without the use of taxpayer dollars, although he wasn't sure if the cost was borne by donations.
"Almost everything was done by the university," Cruz said, including selection of the location for the event and planning the agenda. Once the president accepted an invitation, he said, the White House helped coordinate some logistics, such as security, but that was the extent of the White House involvement.
And "Together We Thrive" was conceived by a University of Arizona student, he said.
White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said during his briefing that the university was responsible for logistics. "I think it’s important to understand we were invited to and accepted quite happily the invitation of the university," he said.
We should note that Malkin later added an update to her blog posting that stated, "As noted above, the University of Arizona announced the Together We Thrive event — and a few readers wrote in to say that the campus initiated the logo/campaign. Given U of A president Robert Shelton's embarrassing, thinly-veiled partisan cheerleading for Obama tonight, it may indeed be a 100 percent-campus-initiated campaign. Given the Obama White House's meticulous attention to stage prop details, however, I would say the odds of involvement by Axelrod/Plouffe & Co. are high."
But university spokesman Cruz said all of the "stage prop details," as Malkin called them, were entirely conceived by and arranged by the college.
The burden of proof is on Malkin and she has failed to prove any White House involvement. She may believe she sees the handiwork of the White House at play, but there's no evidence to back that up. Certainly not enough to justify her claim the White House used the shooting tragedy as an opportunity to orchestrate a "branded" political event. We rate Malkin's claim False.
WELL SAID PATRICIA MAISCH, WELL SAID!!!!! a LADY BRAVE IN ACTION AND WORD!!!! Be sure to check out the video of her interview to her her words for yourself....
In an interview on Fox, the brave woman who helped stop Loughner calls out right-wing media for creating an environment that encourages violent impulses.
Patricia Maisch, 61, was the brave woman who kept alleged shooter Jared Loughner from unloading a second clip into a Tuscon crowd on Saturday. Wounded herself from a bullet, she saw him attempting to equip his gun with another magazine, grabbed him and knelt on his ankle, delaying the reload and potentially saving many more lives.
So when Fox News interviewed her on Sunday, they clearly wanted to know if her strength could translate to psychic healing as Americans grappled with the tragedy. “We've all noted the calmness with which all of you, who helped save the day, conducted yourself,” said Fox anchor Shepard Smith. “I just want to know now, a day later... if there's anything you can think of... that you might be able to turn into a positive. Is there anything that you can leave us with that will make us all feel better?”
“I think Sheriff Dupnik said it best that the extreme right reporters in radio and TV have added to this problem,” she responded. “And I'm just hoping that'll change because of this." She then specifically calls out Republicans for characterizing the health care bill as “job-killing.” "I think they've just gone over the top," she added. "I think that the extreme right has gone too far."
It probably wasn't the response Smith was looking for, but the irony of her comment on Fox -- which employs Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and many others accused of inflammatory rhetoric -- was not lost. Watch:
THE VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE TUCSON SHOOTING VICTIMS
Remarks by the President at a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona
McKale Memorial Center
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
6:43 P.M. MST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, please be seated. (Applause.)
To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants who are gathered here, the people of Tucson and the people of Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today and will stand by you tomorrow. (Applause.)
There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: The hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in your grief. And we add our faith to yours that Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy will pull through. (Applause.)
Scripture tells us:
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech. (Applause.) They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders –- representatives of the people answering questions to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns back to our nation’s capital. Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” -– just an updated version of government of and by and for the people. (Applause.)
And that quintessentially American scene, that was the scene that was shattered by a gunman’s bullets. And the six people who lost their lives on Saturday –- they, too, represented what is best in us, what is best in America. (Applause.)
Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years. (Applause.) A graduate of this university and a graduate of this law school -- (applause) -- Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain 20 years ago -- (applause) -- appointed by President George H.W. Bush and rose to become Arizona’s chief federal judge. (Applause.)
His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit. He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his representative. John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons and his five beautiful grandchildren. (Applause.)
George and Dorothy Morris -– “Dot” to her friends -– were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters. They did everything together -- traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon. Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their congresswoman had to say. When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife. (Applause.) Both were shot. Dot passed away.
A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her three children, her seven grandchildren and 2-year-old great-granddaughter. A gifted quilter, she’d often work under a favorite tree, or sometimes she'd sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants -- (laughter) -- to give out at the church where she volunteered. A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better. (Applause.)
Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard grew up in Tucson together -– about 70 years ago. They moved apart and started their own respective families. But after both were widowed they found their way back here, to, as one of Mavy’s daughters put it, “be boyfriend and girlfriend again.” (Laughter.)
When they weren’t out on the road in their motor home, you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ. A retired construction worker, Dorwan spent his spare time fixing up the church along with his dog, Tux. His final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers. (Applause.)
Everything -- everything -- Gabe Zimmerman did, he did with passion. (Applause.) But his true passion was helping people. As Gabby’s outreach director, he made the cares of thousands of her constituents his own, seeing to it that seniors got the Medicare benefits that they had earned, that veterans got the medals and the care that they deserved, that government was working for ordinary folks. He died doing what he loved -– talking with people and seeing how he could help. And Gabe is survived by his parents, Ross and Emily, his brother, Ben, and his fiancée, Kelly, who he planned to marry next year. (Applause.)
And then there is nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green. Christina was an A student; she was a dancer; she was a gymnast; she was a swimmer. She decided that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the Major Leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her. (Applause.)
She showed an appreciation for life uncommon for a girl her age. She’d remind her mother, “We are so blessed. We have the best life.” And she’d pay those blessings back by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate.
Our hearts are broken by their sudden passing. Our hearts are broken -– and yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.
Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday.
I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. And I want to tell you -- her husband Mark is here and he allows me to share this with you -- right after we went to visit, a few minutes after we left her room and some of her colleagues in Congress were in the room, Gabby opened her eyes for the first time. (Applause.) Gabby opened her eyes for the first time. (Applause.)
Gabby opened her eyes. Gabby opened her eyes, so I can tell you she knows we are here. She knows we love her. And she knows that we are rooting for her through what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey. We are there for her. (Applause.)
Our hearts are full of thanks for that good news, and our hearts are full of gratitude for those who saved others. We are grateful to Daniel Hernandez -- (applause) -- a volunteer in Gabby’s office. (Applause.)
And, Daniel, I’m sorry, you may deny it, but we’ve decided you are a hero because -- (applause) -- you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss, and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive. (Applause.)
We are grateful to the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload. (Applause.) Right over there. (Applause.) We are grateful for petite Patricia Maisch, who wrestled away the killer’s ammunition, and undoubtedly saved some lives. (Applause.) And we are grateful for the doctors and nurses and first responders who worked wonders to heal those who’d been hurt. We are grateful to them. (Applause.)
These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, all around us, just waiting to be summoned -– as it was on Saturday morning. Their actions, their selflessness poses a challenge to each of us. It raises a question of what, beyond prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?
You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations –- to try and pose some order on the chaos and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health system. And much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.
But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized -– at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do -– it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds. (Applause.)
Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, “When I looked for light, then came darkness.” Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.
For the truth is none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped these shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind. Yes, we have to examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of such violence in the future. (Applause.) But what we cannot do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other. (Applause.) That we cannot do. (Applause.) That we cannot do.
As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together. (Applause.)
After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose somebody in our family -– especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken out of our routines. We’re forced to look inward. We reflect on the past: Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices that they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in a while but every single day?
So sudden loss causes us to look backward -– but it also forces us to look forward; to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us. (Applause.)
We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we're doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order.
We recognize our own mortality, and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved -- (applause)-- and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. (Applause.)
And that process -- that process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions –- that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.
For those who were harmed, those who were killed –- they are part of our family, an American family 300 million strong. (Applause.) We may not have known them personally, but surely we see ourselves in them. In George and Dot, in Dorwan and Mavy, we sense the abiding love we have for our own husbands, our own wives, our own life partners. Phyllis –- she’s our mom or our grandma; Gabe our brother or son. (Applause.) In Judge Roll, we recognize not only a man who prized his family and doing his job well, but also a man who embodied America’s fidelity to the law. (Applause.)
And in Gabby -- in Gabby, we see a reflection of our public-spiritedness; that desire to participate in that sometimes frustrating, sometimes contentious, but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union. (Applause.)
And in Christina -- in Christina we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic, so full of magic. So deserving of our love. And so deserving of our good example.
If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate -- as it should -- let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. (Applause.) Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point-scoring and pettiness that drifts away in the next news cycle.
The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better. To be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors and coworkers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their death helps usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy -- it did not -- but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud. (Applause.)
We should be civil because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American Dream to future generations. (Applause.)
They believed -- they believed, and I believe that we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved life here –- they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that’s entirely up to us. (Applause.)
And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us. (Applause.)
That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. (Applause.)
Imagine -- imagine for a moment, here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council. She saw public service as something exciting and hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.
I want to live up to her expectations. (Applause.) I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. (Applause.) All of us -– we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations. (Applause.)
As has already been mentioned, Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. “I hope you help those in need,” read one. “I hope you know all the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart." (Applause.) "I hope you jump in rain puddles.”
If there are rain puddles in Heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. (Applause.) And here on this Earth -- here on this Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and we commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.
May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
GOD be with the families of these victims, we all need to keep them in our prayers, as well as the family of the shooter, and those people wounded in this attack, especially Rep Giffords, and the shooter, as he is a very disturbed person who has committed a heinous crime.....
Tucson shooting victims: lives remembered
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
From top left: Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Dorwin Stoddard and Phyllis Schneck (AP)
A third-grade budding school politician who wanted to meet her congresswoman. A 30-year-old community outreach worker who had a deep belief in his boss's work. A 76-year-old church leader who reportedly dove in front of his wife to block her from the gunfire.
Christina-Taylor Green, Gabe Zimmerman and Dorwin Stoddard were three of the 20 people shot on Saturday at a street corner meeting in Tucson between a local congresswoman and her constituents. The event turned into a massacre, when a man identified by police as Jared Loughner opened fire on the crowd with a semi-automatic weapon.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) remains in critical condition; six people were killed. Who were the vicitims? Read about their lives here and add your memories and condolences on each person's Face of the Fallen page: Christina-Taylor Green: A "Face of Hope," this 9-year-old politician often wore red, white and blue in honor of her country. Posted at 1:43 PM ET, 01/ 9/2011
Born on Sept. 11, 2001, Christina-Taylor Green was once featured in the book "Faces of Hope," about children born on the day the World Trade Center collapsed. A little more than nine years later, Green was killed in another act of violence, shot to death at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's Congress on the Corner meeting in Tuscon on Jan. 8, 2011.
Christina-Taylor, a third-grade student at Mesa Verde Elementary School, had recently been elected to her school council. She went to meet Giffords, eager to learn more about politics.
She also was an avid baseball player, fielding second base. Her father John Green is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and her grandfather is former major league pitcher and ex-Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green.
Read more about Christina-Taylor here.
Read about the reaction of the sports world to Christina-Taylor's death here.
Christina-Taylor Green's mother, Roxanna Green speaks about her daughter:
CHRISTINA TAYLOR GREEN, 9:
Christina Taylor Green was only 9, but the third-grader already was an aspiring politician. Her parents say Christina had just been elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School and had been interested in politics from a young age. She already had told her parents she wanted to attend Penn State and have a career that involved helping those less fortunate than her. The brown-eyed athletic girl loved to swim with her 11-year-old brother Dallas, her lone sibling. Her mother, Roxanna Green, said Christina also loved animals, singing, dancing and gymnastics. She also was the only girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team. Her grandfather, former major-league pitcher Dallas Green, managed the 1980 world champion Philadelphia Phillies. Christina's father, John Green, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Christina was born on the tragic day of Sept. 11, 2001.
Gabe Zimmerman: Recently engaged and one of Giffords's aides, he was known as a master in dealing with other people. Posted at 3:12 PM ET, 01/ 9/2011
Gabe Zimmerman: Arizona shooting victim, community outreach volunteer, and fiance
By James Buck
Gabe Zimmerman (AP)
Gabe Zimmerman, 30, was killed in the mass shooting at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's Congress on the Corner event. Zimmerman, a former social worker, was Giffords's director of community outreach and the organizer of the meet-and-greet event.
The Wall Street Journal writes that his mother Emily Nottingham said, "He loved his job working as a congressional aide because it allowed him to be involved in developing social policy while giving direct assistance to those who needed help, such as veterans and people with mental illness."
Zimmerman had worked with Giffords since her first congressional race in 2006, the Arizona Daily Star reports, and his friends described him as having a natural talent at working with other people.
Gabe Zimmerman in 2009 (Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans)
He received a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a master's in social work from Arizona State University. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his father, Ross Zimmerman, step-mother Pam Golden, brother Ben Zimmerman, and fiancée Kelly O'Brien.
The Wall Street Journal reports that there are no plans yet for a funeral service.
GABE ZIMMERMAN, 30:
Gabe Zimmerman, the director of community outreach for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, handled thousands of issues raised by constituents out of the congresswoman's offices in Tucson and Sierra Vista. Co-workers say Zimmerman, who had a master's degree in social work, cared passionately about helping people. "He was a master at dealing with people," said C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for Giffords. Zimmerman was one of the Giffords staffers who organized many public events where voters could meet Giffords and talk to her about issues. Zimmerman, who is survived by a brother, was engaged to be married.
John M. Roll: A widely respected federal judge, Roll received death threats in 2009 after his decision allowed a case brought forward by illegal immigrants to proceed to a jury trial. Posted at 3:03 PM ET, 01/ 9/2011
John M. Roll: Arizona shooting victim, federal judge and grandfather
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Federal District Judge John Roll (Dennis Cook/AP)
U.S. District Judge John Roll, the chief federal judge for Arizona since 1991, was killed in the shooting spree at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's Congress on the Corner event in Tuscon. Widely-acclaimed as a respected jurist, 63-year-old Roll was a longtime public servant who had received his law degree from the University of Virginia. Described as devoted, talented and gentle, Roll was believed simply to be out shopping at the Safeway where the shooting occurred.
"I have never met a more sincere ... fair minded, brilliant federal judge or any judge for that matter in my whole life," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told the Associated Press.
In 2009 Roll presided over a controversial immigration suit that sparked hundreds of death threats and was put under 24-hour protection for about a month. Roll told the Post in May 2009 that "any judge who goes through this knows it's a stressful situation" and that he and his family were grateful for the protection. Officials do not think the death threats were connected to Saturday's shooting.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who recommended Roll for federal appointment, said, "Words are inadequate to express such a profound loss to his family, friends, state and country, but it is appropriate to note that a man of great qualities and character was struck down today." Roll is survived by his wife, Maureen, three sons, and five grandchildren.
On his son Christopher's Facebook page, friends left messages of condolence, writing, "Chris your father is a true hero and mentor. He will be missed dearly." and "My dad and I were remembering what an amazing father, friend, and judge your dad was.
JOHN ROLL, 63:
Named Arizona's chief federal judge in 2006, U.S. District Judge John M. Roll won acclaim for a career as a respected jurist and leader who had pushed to beef up the court's strained bench to handle a growing number of border crime-related cases. Roll was appointed to the federal bench in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush. He previously served as a state trial judge and as a judge on the midlevel Arizona Court of appeals, and as a county and state prosecutor. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Church's Tucson Diocese said Roll was an active parishioner. "He lived his faith as a servant of our nation for the cause of justice," Kicanas said. 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.
Dorwin Stoddard: A fixture at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, Stoddard blocked his wife from gunfire, eyewitness reports said. Posted at 3:10 PM ET, 01/ 9/2011
Dorwin Stoddard: Arizona shooting victim, husband, church leader
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Dorwin Stoddard (AP)
Mavy Stoddard, 75, credits her husband Dorwan Stoddard, 76, with her life. According to Arizona Central, Stoddard covered his wife with his body when the shots rang out. She was hit in the legs by gunshots and survived the attack. Dorwin Stoddard did not.
The pair had met in their youth, but gone on to marry other people. After both their spouses passed away, they rekindled their love and married. The couple were active members at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, AOL News reports.
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Phyllis Schneck: A great-grandmother, the 79-year-old retiree admired Giffords's stance on border safety. Posted at 3:14 PM ET, 01/ 9/2011
Phyllis Schneck: Arizona shooting victim, widow, and great-grandmother
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
B.J. Offutt, daughter of Phyllis Schneck, holds up photos of her mother. (AP)
Phyllis Schneck (AP)
Phyllis Schneck was a 79-year-old widow who retired to Tucson from New Jersey. A lifelong conservative, Schneck voted for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and went to meet her after receiving a robo-call about the event, the Trentonian reports.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Schneck's daughter B.J. Offutt said that her mother was not particularly politically active, but that she admired Giffords' stance on border protection.
Schneck is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
PHYLLIS SCHNECK, 79:
When Phyllis Schneck and her husband retired, they spent their winters in Tucson and summers in their native Rutherford, N.J. "They didn't want to ever have to deal with the snow again," said Schneck's daughter, B.J. Offutt of Colorado Springs, Colo. Schneck, who continued to return to Tucson in the winters even after her husband died in 2007, was a homemaker who raised her two daughters and one son and had a talent for cooking. In retirement, Schneck kept herself occupied by volunteering at her church. Her home in Tucson was less than four miles from the supermarket where the shooting took place. Offutt said her mother's appearance at the store was surprising, because she normally shopped at a different store and wasn't very political. Schneck is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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Dorothy Morris: The 76-year-old retiree, Dorothy Morris, attended the event with her husband and high school sweetheart George Morris. Posted at 2:05 PM ET, 01/ 9/2011
Dorothy Morris: Arizona shooting victim, married to high school sweetheart, and mother
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Dorothy Morris (AP/The Arizona Republic)
Dorothy Morris, 76, and her husband George went to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's (D-AZ) Congress on the Corner event in Tucson, only to be caught in the line of fire. Dorothy Morris was declared dead on the scene, while her husband remains in critical condition at the University Medical Center in Tuscon, the Reno Gazette-Journal writes.
The couple were Reno High School sweethearts, according to the Gazette-Journal, and have two daughters, Kim Hardy and Tori Nelson, who live in Las Vegas.
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