Assassination in Arizona is taking - more and more - the colors of a terrorist act.

Is it just me, or is this what chaos looks like?

Why do we need governance again?

One thing I really don't understand. As I read from today's newspaper ("Folha de São Paulo") the murder arrived the place handling a gun (meaning: the gun was at his hand & not in a holster), asked by Miss Giffords and was pointed the end of a line. In short, he entered in a line to commit assassination, handling a gun and nobody did anything before he unload it...

Isn't this a screwed up world????

I was just stunned to find out that there was no security at Giffords' event. After the windows in her office were smashed after the health care reform passed, and certainly being aware of how many people in the State feel about her and her politics, it was stupid of her to have such an open event.

That being said, how sad is it that it's her, not her active duty military husband, recovering in the hospital from a gunshot?

When I worked for the State of Arizona, Giffords came to our office (when she was still a State representative, not yet in Congress) and gave a talk. She seemed to be a genuinely nice person. She didn't talk in sound bites, or encourage us to put her political opponents in our crosshairs. She seemed reasonable, intelligent, articulate, and sincere. Whatever her faults as a person or a politician, she didn't deserve to be shot in the head by some whackjob.

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I was just stunned to find out that there was no security at Giffords' event. After the windows in her office were smashed

Getting bodyguards after some smashed windows seems a little out of proportion.

Of course, in restrospect, she needed security.

But I don't think it would have been sane to assume that a bullet in the head was the next logical step after broken windows.

Reasonable people wouldn't think so, no. But apparently someone did. If I had been in her place I would have at least had one or two people on the lookout for trouble--not that I'd think of getting shot, but certainly would have expected hecklers and troublemakers.

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Why do we need governance again?

We don't need governance; governance needs us.

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Originally posted by ArkanGL:

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I was just stunned to find out that there was no security at Giffords' event. After the windows in her office were smashed

Getting bodyguards after some smashed windows seems a little out of proportion.

Of course, in restrospect, she needed security.

But I don't think it would have been sane to assume that a bullet in the head was the next logical step after broken windows.

In a capitalist society, property damage is considered an act of violence, and as such should very well have served as a warning that she was being targeted.

Because she was.

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Is it odd that the site could so thoroughly scrubbed so fast? Not just taken down but taken down like it never existed.

It's notable. At least someone had the foresight to make a copy of it. Or anyway, one page of it. Google cache still shows the text from the page, but there's no formatting or images. Waybackmachine has no record of it. I think the political right's efforts to disassociate themselves with this tragedy will be just as interesting as the investigation of the event itself.

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Originally posted by BIOH4Z4RD:
(...)
It's notable. At least someone had the foresight to make a copy of it. Or anyway, one page of it. Google cache still shows the text from the page, but there's no formatting or images. Waybackmachine has no record of it. I think the political right's efforts to disassociate themselves with this tragedy will be just as interesting as the investigation of the event itself.

This is the kind of event with power enough to annihilate (in the political sense) extreme right plans for forthcoming times.

It can be compared to incidents involving KKK in the beginning of the 1960ies that resulted first in the elimination of segregation and later in the establishment of legislation ensuring equal rights for Caucasian and Afro-descendants.

Extreme right (just like extreme left) will always rely on ignorance, prejudice and hate to achieve their intents. The 2007-2009 crisis just gave them fuel enough to get out of the sewer where they were hiding. Just hope now they go back to the place they belong to...

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In a capitalist society, property damage is considered an act of violence, and as such should very well have served as a warning that she was being targeted.

Dude, your country is severely fucked up.
But you already know that

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Getting bodyguards after some smashed windows seems a little out of proportion.

Of course, in restrospect, she needed security.

It is unlikely she could afford it. Not that congressmen are poor but in general they don't have gigantic incomes... $200k a year is the average and, although it sounds lame, that only covers an upper middle class lifestyle with two residences. Not a bad living but no way they are going to afford real security details on that kind of pay.

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Originally posted by ArkanGL:

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In a capitalist society, property damage is considered an act of violence, and as such should very well have served as a warning that she was being targeted.

Dude, your country is severely fucked up.
But you already know that

D00d, it ain't my country!

If it were, things would be very different.

And, Edit... How seriously would you take someone who said: "I only make 200 grand a year. Security is too expensive.

Even if she only hired a consultant to analyze her current detail, it'd have helped.

$200,000.00 a year puts her firmly in the upper class, and as such, she could have afforded decent security if she weren't living beyond her means. Now, if a public official is living so far beyond their means that they have a catastrophic failure to perform their duties to their constituants, who'sa fault is that?

Perhaps she only needed one house? Then she could have afforded to DO HER FUCKIN" JOB, instead of getting shot.

Congresspersons and Senators are required to maintain two residences--one in the State they represent and one in DC. So, she had no choice in the matter.

However, I am certain she could have afforded *some* security. Between her income and that of her Navy officer husband they probably aren't doing too badly in that department.

Her income alone makes them rich in my book. For that money, I could hire a great security team.

..they'd be Crips or HA, but shit, they'd have been better than nothing.

A public servant should be well aquainted with frugality.

Yes, I agree, Boog. Plenty of...semi-professional "security" workers in Tucson.

I read an article about the shooter. Turns out he'd been upset with Giffords for the last three years.

There was no need for this, and it reeks of an orchestrated publicity stunt. Mainly because if public officials are this stupid, there's no need for them at all.

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Originally posted by BIOH4Z4RD:
I think the political right's efforts to disassociate themselves with this tragedy will be just as interesting as the investigation of the event itself.

At least Glenn Beck's website contains a sensible, measured response:



What a complete tool...

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Originally posted by Boogerhead:
Her income alone makes them rich in my book. For that money, I could hire a great security team.

..they'd be Crips or HA, but shit, they'd have been better than nothing.

A public servant should be well aquainted with frugality.

No you couldn't, even bar bouncers make 10-15 an hour. Real bodyguards I've known make twice that. Times two guys, times two shifts, figure if not 24 hour coverage then minimum of 100 man hours of work per week. Guys that good won't take a job with no hours so you have to garauntee a minimum number of hours. Plus you have to transport, feed, and, if traveling, house them. If you hire a private security company your looking at even more money.

So yeah, she doesn't make enough for security. More importantly, she shouldn't need it.

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It is unlikely she could afford it. Not that congressmen are poor but in general they don't have gigantic incomes... $200k a year is the average and, although it sounds lame, that only covers an upper middle class lifestyle with two residences.

So that's another job they can cram up their asses. I don't know what I'm going to do when I grow up.