Sunday, January 9, 2011

(Posting #5) Reactions to the AZ shooting

"TUCSON, Ariz. – Federal prosecutors brought charges Sunday against the gunman accused of attempting to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing six people at a political event in Arizona." (Read full story from the Associated Press HERE.)

U.S. District Judge John M. Roll and five others were killed in the tragedy at a Tucson-area Safeway supermarket, and US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) remains hospitalized in critcal condition with a bullet wound in her brain.

Journalist Corey Dade wonders whether the "inflammatory language" that is increasingly characteristic of American political discourse could be a root cause of Saturday's shooting. Read Wade's article HERE. Pima (AZ) County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik (D) reacted in a similar way at a press conference later on Saturday afternoon; view an excerpt of his comments in a YouTube video.

What are your reactions?

71 comments:

Erin said...

Jared Loughner definitely had different political views than Rep. Gabrielle Giffords which angered him. I think it is okay to have different political views than your congressman, but that gives no one a right to kill anyone. Especially a 9 year old child. In a way I also find it peculiar that she was born on September 11, 2001 and died on a tragic day in America also. I think this man should be proven guilty and go to jail for a lifetime because he had NO right to kill her because of her thoughts about the health care reform. Some people disagree with it but that doesn't make them want to kill anyone, it just angers them which is understandable. This guy has issues.

Unknown said...

Hallie -
What occured in Tuscan last week was a terrible tragedy. Everyone should be heart broken to know that a fellow American shot at a congress woman and many innocent citizens. People have reasons to be upset with the government, but there is no exception for this kind of action. I cannot imagine why this gunman thought this was the only way to be heard.

Abby Winslow said...

This is an extremely tragic thing that happened in Tucsan. It is horrible to think that this is the way the gunman sought to fix the problems that he was concerned with in government, leaving 6 people dead including a 9 year old child. Although the gunman clearly had different political views as Gabrielle Giffords, there is no excuse for acting the way he did.

-Abby W.

Alex and Maddie said...

I think it is very unfortunate that this incodent has taken place. We live in America where we should feel safe and free and proud of our country. More and more incodents similar to the event that happened this past weekend in Tuscon Arizona seem to be coming up. Whether it is a US congress women being shot at, or a random person on the street being shot at it is absalutely NOT okay. and the violence in this country has continued to grow. County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik at the press conference saturaday the 8th made a point that America as a whole needs to do some soul searching. He said that America is not the same is it was when his generation were kids. As young citiciens of America we are playing a MAJOR role in the future of America and I feel as though the generation after us is being brought up very differently than our generation and generations before us.

Alex Y.

Eric Edwards said...

It shocks me that someone would do this. Giffords was just trying to help out the community by telling them publicly about her views and what her actions will be in the future of politics and also gathering opinions from the people that came to listen to her. Loughner obviously had different views and didn't like what Giffords was doing and decided he would do something about it. Obviously, what he did was terrible, and nothing like this should ever happen again. I appreciate what Giffords did and there should be more people like her.

Eric Edwards

Caitlin C. said...

This was a horrible event that happened this weekend. I think it is sad that someone's political disagreement had to come to this type of ending. Yes, people do have the freedom of speech, but I do believe that this was taken too far by Mr. Loughner. This man does have the right to be angry with the government, but he does not have the right to take innocent lives on account of his personal political views. What is event more disturbing is the fact that this man killed a 9 year old child. I cannot begin to imagine what this man was thinking.

Caitlin C.

Shahrukh Lalani said...

The tragic event that occured in Tuscan on Sunday is unacceptable. Jared Loughner should not have responded to Giffords' views the way he did. There are many other ways to speak up against congressmen and this is definetely not one of them. What is worse is that not only did he attempt to assasinate Giffords, but he also killed 6 other innocent people. If this man is guilty, he needs to be sentenced to a lifetime in prison.

Nathan G. said...

I think that this man defenently deserves to go to jail for the rest of his life. Important people are going to continue to do public speaking, so all we can do is try to maximize security to the fullest. There is always going to be crazy people that feel they have to get their views out with violence. So if there continues to be public speaking, and people who are mentally unstable, im sure this is not the last time something like this will happen. At every event there needs to be a metal detector and security guards looking around. Having an event at a grocery store, where anyone can walk in was probably not the best thing to do. Jared Loughner had no right to do this, just because his political views were differnt than Gabrielle Giffords.

- Nathan G

jcjones9393 said...

Jordan:
My reaction to this event is that I'm so incredibly heartbroken for the innocent people who were shot. The girl who was nine years old had so much of her life ahead of her and the other four who were killed were not ready to die yet. It makes me sad that their lives were taken away from them and it's completely wrong. I can understand frustration with the government's actions and wanting to find a solution but there are other ways of making points known other than killing people. What the shooter did was completely wrong and out of hand and over the line. People should realize that they can't try to force people into changing something through fear-it's unfair and wrong on so many levels. I feel so sad for all of those people's families and close friends and they were simply trying to do what they thought was right. No one should have to die because of that.

Pacman said...

I agree with everyone, this was a very sad event in America. Almost everyone in America has some sort of conflicting view with someone else but does not require serious action, unfortunately Jared Loughner did not see that and felt is was necessary to try to take out Gabrielle Giffords. This event was bad enough, but for some reason Jared thought there was a need to shot everyone else there including a 9 year old child. So because of the irrational actions that were performed by Jared I believe he should be sentenced to life in prison because of his cruel and unusual punishments towards the Reps at Safeway and the 9 year old child.
-Tanner P

Anonymous said...

My reaction is a reaction shared with many; shock, surprise. It is a unbelievable that Loughner tried to assassinate Gabby Giffords for the reasons he did. He took his opinions to the extreme, which he should not have done. His actions were unnecessary and unexcused.

Kate M said...

After learning about the shooting on Saturday I am extremely disheartened that in such a developed country as this something this unruly can take place. I honestly feel that some of this leads back to people’s voice politics. As we discussed earlier with the Political Action Projects, a citizen of the United States should understand that he/she does play a part in government and that they can make a difference. Unfortunately, many people do not realize and understand that they do have these opportunities. While I completely understand that there may have been other factors that could have led the shooter to such rage in this assassination attempt,but I still believe it can be said that some Americans become upset when feeling as though they have no part in government and act out in ways like this to try and make a point, especially in a time when our country is changing so drastically. This shooting was a horrible event and lives were lost that never should have been taken that day. However, I also think this incident can be taken as a warning that as our country is making such large alteration the people and their concerns should be top priority to help ensure something this horrifying does not happen again.

Kate M

Addie A. said...

My reaction was shock. I know plenty of people with varied political views which will lead to the occassional heated argument, but the thought of them being so outraged they felt the only way to handle it is by killing those you oppose with, is scary. Jared Loughner is one of those poeple. He hilled rep. Gabrielle Giffords for not agreeing with what she stood for, but didn't just take it out on her, he attempted to harm every person there supporting her. He killed a federal judge and a 9 year old girl who was interested in politics and wanted to see her congress woman speak. He killed many others and wouldn't have stopped if the police hadn't tackled him and removed the gun. He can have an opiniom on political movements, but this is way too extreme and he should be proven guilty in this trial. I hope this won't happen again.
-Addie A.

Unknown said...

This was avery alarming tragic event that took place in Tuscon. But it is definetly a reflection of the tumultuous political enviroment in the United States. Debate and tension have recently dominated the polictical process. Compromise has been thrown out of the window. This leaves many Americans frustrated and doubtful. The unstable nature of American politics has dominated.

Aaron D

Taryn said...

I'm shocked and saddened by what happened in Tuscon, Arizona. It's ridiculous to think that a Congresswoman can't go to the grocery store without worrying about getting shot. This event will hopefully encourage political leaders to be more careful when they travel around to meet their supporters. It makes me so sad to think about all the other innocent people that were murdered as well. No matter how much the shooter disagrees with the Congresswoman's views, he should not have taken it to the extent of murdering her and her other supporters. I'm hoping that no events similar to this ever happen again.

-Taryn D

Alanna M. said...

I feel the event that occurred in Tuscon is sad and unfortunate.Even if you have different political views violence shouldn't be used to make your opinion known. Everyone has the right to protest, but this man went too far. Any kind of political protest should be peaceful and civil.We want to impact the world positively not negatively.-Alanna Moore

Kendall Healy said...

This is obviously a sad thing to happen to both the people of Arizona and for the members of Congress. The fact that the man shot her on purpose has to say something about his views on the Republican party of Congress. One can tell that the sheriff’s opinion of the Congresswoman is very respectful and loved, but is it all true. To say that someone who not only belongs to a political party but was elected in Congress for that political party, is “not about democrats or republicans,” but is for, “the United States of America,” sounds a little like propaganda. I think that people don’t know enough about what is going on in the shooters mind yet. There was a motive to kill her, so obviously he either has to have something wrong with him or he had to have had a reason against the Congresswoman that would lead him to feel the need to kill her. It is the other lives that were lost that is truly sad. The man had no right to go around shooting innocent people, and for that not only is Arizona in mourning but also the whole country. - Kendall H.

Mason.Reiter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lizzie-sanders said...

The event that took place in Tuscon on Saturday is extremely unfortunate. It is incredibly sad that Jared Lougher used violence as his method to make what ever statement he was trying to make. I understand that there are reasons to be angry with the government but you do not need to turn to violence to make your point. There are plenty of other ways to make statements or voice opinions without hurting perfectly innocent citizens.

-Lizzie Sanders

Katherine Diamond said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katherine Diamond said...

When I heard about the tragic event that happened this past I was sad and shocked just like many others. All of us don’t really understand the guy’s motives to shoot Representative Gabrielle Giffords, but there was obviously no good reason for him to go up and shoot her. Along with the six other people killed this event has caused sadness all around are nation. I believe that all people have the right to speak against certain action that has taken place, but Loughner took it way too far with the shooting that took place in Arizona.

-Katherine Diamond

kinsey budagher said...

It makes me sad that this gunman found the only way to be heard was through violence. I would like to know and understand better why he had so much hatred for Gabrielle Giffords, and not only that but why he had so much anger inside him in order to take it out on inocent civilians, as well. There is evidence pointing to the fact that this was not the first time the gunman had encountered Giffords, so I wonder what it was about her political actions that brought so much lothing into the gunmans heart. Overall I would have to say that my basic reaction can be defined as "confused", I cannot bring myself to believe there is any reason in this world that gives a person a right to kill another. For this I do not believe the gunmans acions can be reconed with, even if Gifford was the worst political leader in history. The gunman had no right to take another life, especially not multiple lives.

-Kinsey Budagher

Mason.Reiter said...

The events that transpired in Tuscon, AZ were truely tragic. After watching County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik's speech, I understand the feelings he has towards this situation. He says that the United State's needs to do some soul searching; and as hard as that sounds it is true. Crime in any country or city will never not occur, but tragidies like this make humans ask "why?" Everyone is entitled to their own views and all Americans should be mature enough to realize that. We were given the right to free speech and with that we can express our views freely. No man/woman should be shot due to what they believe in, it is just not right. It shocks me and angers me to see that Americans have yet to grow up and understand that though we dont always see eye-to-eye, a person must be able to understand that anyone is entitled to their own opinion.

-Mason Reiter

Connor Fagin said...

I guess i'm still trying to understand why someone would do something like this. It saddens me to hear about things like this happening, but I feel that all we can do at this point is learn from our mistakes. Should someone with obvious psychological disturbances be allowed to posess a semi-automatic weapon? What was the security situation at the time of the shooting? I agree with Lizzie's assessment completely: violence simply isn't the way to make a point in today's society.

Alix H said...

Unfortunately there will always be extremist views and unstable people ready to take them up in a violent way. It might be possible that the Tea Party movement's message is more easily warped into a violent idea but everyone is entitled to their own view point, only actions are punishable. The Tea Party did not tell this man to shoot anyone, so they are not to blame at all for this tragedy. I am very sad about this event and hope for the speedy recovery of the congresswoman.

- said...

What occured in Tuscan Arizona is truly tragic and makes me angry and uncomfortable. Yes, the shooter was mentally unbalanced and out of line to commit such a terrible action, but I get the picture that he had the feeling that he was not being heard. Just to make myself clear, I do not agree with his action one bit, but I feel like he's being attacked by the sheriff because he is "mentally ill." Is there proof to his mental illness? What was his real reason for the attack? If he is mentally unbalanced, he is just one man and those who are "mentally ill" should not be associated with this tragedy. Non the less, it was a terrible action and I am truly sorry for all the loses and hope for the best recovery for Rep. Gifford.

I get the impression that some Americans feel as if there is no way of getting what they want, that the government has too much power and that this is their way of getting their voices heard. Violence is never the answer, but hopefully, the government will begin to work better with citizens' opinions to prevent another tragic event like this from happening again.
-Haley R

Max said...

The shooting that took place in Tucson Arizona was very tragic. This terrible event will be remembered for years to come. Listening to County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik's speech made me think about the nation in general. I agree with Dupnick, and I believe we need to change our country dramatically. We neeed to wake up as one and try to stop these horrific events that will change the way we look upon politics.

Jason Kern said...

It is clearly a tragedy what happened in AZ. How can we stop things like this from happening in the future? Will dialing down the "inflammatory language" that Dade speaks about in his article solve the problem?

As Alix said "everyone is entitled to their own view point, only actions are punishable" but yet you cannot yell "Fire" in a crowded theater. So obviously when you factor in that along with the statutes against libel, slander and defamation some spoken or written words are punishable. However, does that mean that the language of political parties led to this shooting?

Do the current political times have similarities to when Reagan was shot, JFK was assassinated or even when Booth shot Lincoln?

Austin Miller said...

I can not understand how someone could do something so tragic. Not only did he kill someone because he felt that what they were doign wasnt right, but he killed inocent people. There isalways going to be violence and people are always going to what to voice their opinions, but it shouldn's have to be like this. There are other ways to get your message across, like doing a political action project like we did. Everyone can make a difference without hurting people. The man probably thought he was doing what he had to do to make his life better, yet now he will pobably be in jail for the rest of his life. I dont know about you but i would rather live following someone i dont want to, them be behind bars knowing that I had shead the blood of inocient people.

Dallas Alderton said...

What happened in Arizona is absolutely horrible. This man should of had a bigger consequence than having to stay in prison for the rest of his life! Sure we all have our differences in one anothers political views, but like Abby said, this is no excuse for acting the way he did. And he has no idea how the parents of that 9 year old girl feel or what they have been through. This is outrageous

Bri Sharp said...

This shooting was a very awful event that took place due to a selfish gunman that disagreed with the views of Gabrielle Giffords. Many people have disagreements with leadership in America, however they react in a more proper and appropriate way. This was taken out of hand, not only trying to kill Gabrielle but also killing and injuring the innocent people around. I agree with the views of the county sheriff, Clarence Dupnik in the way that our country needs a change in the violence because of people's reactions. People need to come up with better solutions and our country needs to stand up to these people to make an end to the tragic events that keep taking place.

Cameron Casey said...

What happened in Arizona was a terrible tragedy and my condolences go out to Rep. Gifford's family and friends. This event, unfortunate and terrible in its nature, does not surprise me. I believe many people would agree with me when I say that there are close to 350 million people in this country and atleast one is bound to have a screw loose. On another note, events like this has not been occurring too frequently, however I believe that we can conclude that they will be occurring much more often in the future as the population gets bigger and the anger within people grows. My biggest fear about this event is that it will cause congress men and women to act out of fear, not sound judgement. In conclusion, the shooting was a horrific tragedy and we can only hope that it won't be repeated again.

Haley B. said...

I think that this incident is very sad, Giffords was making an effort to talk to the people that she represented but it turned out to be tragic. The gunman obviously has some serious issues with Giffords and probably with his mental state. He has the right to be upset with her but what he did what outrageous. I think that the only way to come out of this positively is to provide more protection for government officials in public so that hopefully an incident like this will not happen again.

Andrew V said...

When I heard about what had happended over the weekend I was shocked, it saddens me that a human being is capable of these atrocious actions. Also I can completely understand from where the Judge is coming from, as of recently the state of Arizona has become the center of a heated political division because of there recent passing of a controversial immigration law. I also agree that these people who commit politically motivated killings are more than likely influenced by those who need to resort to those underqualified to win office, who have to resort to spreading fear to have any chance at winning office, The person that i am talking about is Sarah Palin, recently she had posted an image on her website with crossbow targets representing people in office who she wanted to "take out" of office. these violent images can only influence the mentally disable to commit these actions... it saddens me that a 9 year old girl had to die because of this spread of "fear" across the nation
-Andrew Velvin

George Rodriguez said...

This was the not the way AT ALL to handle the matter of the way he felt about the government. Completely showing up in the middle of a crowd and shooting the women Governor. Killing a nine year old just because she was curious about politics will have to be on his mind forever. Personally I could never shoot a child... But, he did not handle this the right way at all. Even though the gunman did not agree with her, he should not have walked up to the women and straight shot her in the head. Violence is not the answer to anything, especially something opinionated towards the government.
-George R.

Elianah Gorin said...

I find it very sad that a man would put so many people in danger just ot make a statment. I feel he laked the consideration of his actions apon other that were there. As for the little girl its very sad that someone at such a young age that had a passion for politics was harmed. The intent of the man was far from a reality of what should have happen if he would have just used word instead of action we might be somewhere different today.
elianah g.

Andi said...

It saddens me to hear the recent news of the shooting in arizona. Although Loughner did not agree with the views of Gabrielle Giffords, the ways in which he reacted to her beliefs and efforts in the community was outrageous! People have a very significant voice in our country whether they choose to believe it or not. The actions of our citizens effect our country and must bring forth change in our country as County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik stated in his speech. For a man to be so extremist as to kill innocent citizens, especially a 9 year old child, in order to prove is point is wrong. We need to also think about why he shot these innocent citizens...was he sane? does this say something about our peoples voices in government! I hope this man has a great punishment following his actions! Its sad to say we are americans when citizens of our country do horrible actions like this!

Will Noble said...

The happenings in Tusca were tragic and extrememly uncalled for. The gunman may have had ideas opposing the congresswomans but at the cost of 6 innocent lives, his reaction was completly unecessary. Yes I do believe citzens have a right to express their views but through the means of violence is no means necessary appropriate. This man deserves harsh prosecution and life time in jail for his awful crime.

Chris said...

What happened in Arizona was a terrible tragedy. i agree with connor in that should people with obvious mental issues should not be allowed to be in possesion of semi automatic m9 glocks. this man should definately not be allowed to carry a hand gun. it truely sadens me to know that so many lives were taken for such an unjust cause. especially the life a nine year old girl whose only purpose in being there was to learn more about government and becoming involved :)

Chris K

Meggan Sher said...

I am in shock that someone would do this. I also, agree with connor and chris that people will mental issues should not be allowed to carry a hand gun. It makes me sad to see people try to kill anyone for an unjust cause. The worst part is that he not only tried to kill someone in high power, he also killed a 9 year old and other innocent people, that just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Meggan S

Haley said...

This is an awful happening, and should shed some light on the current gun provisions that are currently held. Someone with mental disabilities should not be allowed to purchase a gun, and niether should anyone that has past criminal backgrounds. I know there are people who strongly disagree with the goverment, but with this situation happening, further precautions should be taken. Even though the article written by Wade say's this is a risk with the job.
-Haley M

Moriah said...

Jared Louhner took the life of a congresswoman into his own hands. Although Americans believe in freedom of speech and expressing your opinion, but Loughner took things too far. I think that it is unfortunate that people get so caught up in their views on politics that they feel that they have to do these kinds of things. We have all these freedoms as citizens of Americans but sometimes people are taking advantage of it and resorting to taking it out on political officers like this situation. It’s sad to say that not much can be done to prevent these things except for higher security for political officers or taking away people freedoms which will not be happening. I am terribly sorry and sad that those people had to die and I’m sure that the American people will forever remember them.

Holly Williams said...

The gunman, no matter what his reasoning, took wrong actions in this situation. If he had different feelings towards subject matter than his Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shooting her in the head wasn't the answer. Obviously, the gunman Jared Loughner was looking for attention and found it but through an idiotic process: he had no plan in this act and will pay severly for it. As for killing an innocent child, Christina Taylor Green, I feel that was totally unnecessary and many grievances has been and will be given for her family.

Logan Weissler said...

It remains to be seen whether or not Jared Lee Loughner was at all motivated by political causes or beliefs. However, it is not up for debate that political rhetoric in the united states has risen to a physically dangerous level. Political pundits "representing" both sides of the isle; Glenn Beck, Bill O Reilly, Keith Olbermann, and Sarah Palin to name a few have created an atmosphere of hate and fear in the political spectrum. For Sarah Palin's role in the making of a poster with Congressman Giffords and other public servants posing with a giant crosshairs on them she deserves the unconditional boot from the republican party and subsequent American politics, Mrs. Palin has surpassed her previous idiotic antics with one of the most egregious and unacceptable actions in American political history. She is a complete embarrassment to her family, her state, and this country. It is simply shameful that many of these cartoon characters that call themselves public servants or newsman represent this country. The time for these extremists to exit stage right of the political scene has come. The hot oven of American political rhetoric has already started a tragic fire, now it’s time to put it out.

Caitlin Harrington said...

I think that what happened in Tuscon was terrible. The fact that a young, 22 year-old man thought that it was necessary to kill a State representative just because he wanted to make a point about the new immigration laws within the state. There are many other ways for his voice to be heard. And in his process to "make a statement" he killed a poor 9 year-old girl who had nothing to do with the laws. It is a terrible incident that happened and it saddens me that someone would do this just to make a point.

Amber Stephens said...

Although Jared Loughner disagrees with the views of Gabrielle Giffords, he has NO excuse to kill anyone. We are all free to our own thoughts and life and no one should be able to take those things away from us. He must be a sick man to think that it is okay to kill a child, and five other people. I can't even imagine thinking that is okay...

He should go to jail...for a LONG time.

Amber S.

Blake said...

What happened in Arizona was not only a tragedy but a wakeup call Americans needs to carefully monitor their actions, and political figures be aware of their rhetoric. Allowing this dangerous gunman to not only buy a weapon but use it to take so many life’s seems to be just another problem in the easy access associated with guns. Although it would be impossible to completely blame certain individuals for sparking the gunman to act, I do believe the public should scrutinize radical political speeches. While everyone deserves the right to speak freely, that does not mean they have the right to encourage radical action. Furthermore encouraging individuals to appropriately act out there beliefs political must be the job of both teachers and individuals nationwide. Writing on blogs emailing political figureheads and finding constructive outlets for one’s beliefs must be a goal for future and current American generations otherwise violent action and rhetoric will be justified.

Blake A.

SarahAllegro said...

As Americans, we the people have been granted many rights. We were granted these rights, to be able to speak and do things as we please in a just and fair way in our free nation. It worries me that many people such as the shooter in Arizona take these rights and privilages for granted. Even though, obviously, the shooter has different views on government than his higher power, and state representative, violence is no way to seek attention to try to fix this you think are wrong. What we learned as children, that violence does not fix anything, and it only makes this worse, still applies to all people today, even if you aren't 8 years old any more.

Allie said...

My initial reaction to hearing about the incidents in Tucson, Arizona was anger. It makes me sick how a 22-year old young man would purchase a gun, and not only proceed to shoot a Congresswoman, but also more than a dozen other people, among which a nine-year old girl was present. It's awful to read the stories of the victims and just think how many people he has affected; family members, friends...etc. This incidenct was shocking to the entire nation, and I feel as though, whatever punishment he is given, he fully deserves.

-Allie A.

Santiago Zapata said...

It is very sad to hear this story that Jared Loughner had to voice his thoughts through the murder of six people, and specially the murder of a 9 year old. It is ok to have different views than Gabrielle Gifford , and there are many ways to voice your opinion in a peaceful manner. Jared Loughner should go to jail with life sentence for his actions. As well, government should have a better control over the sale of guns to prevent this type of incidents from happening.

-Santiago. Z.

Meghan Mitchell said...

There is no excuse for what happened in Tuscon. Jared Loughner spoke his opinion in the most abrupt way possible killing innocent people. I truly believe there are people in this world that are just plain crazy. He might have thought this was the only way for people to notice him and his opinions but that doesn't make it right. This man deserves the highest punishment America has to offer. He didn't just go there that day to kill Gabrielle Gifford... he went there to send a message. He completed his mission too! He was finally heard and now America is in a state of utter disbelief because of his violent action. I feel very sorry for the people of this tragedy and they are in my thoughts and prayers!

Arin McGovern said...

The shooting of representative Gifford is a tragic event that directly displays the rising tensions between American citizens and the government. With our economy in such a poor state, and the controversial issues of immigration and healthcare constantly in the news, it is fair to say that many American citizens are less than impressed with the government. This being said, Mr. Loughner's actions are in no way justified, and only demonstrate an act of stupidity as apposed to an impactful one. I believe that many people are feeling unheard and that this action was Mr. Loughner's attempt to be heard, and to help solve a controversial issue by taking away one of its important supporters. There are many other ways to be heard and attempt to publicize your views. Mr. Loughner is obviously very troubled, and I believe that America supports Representative Gifford and hopes for her fast recovery.
Arin M

Teal C. said...

What happened in Arizona was a tragic and embarrassing for our nation. By living in the united states of america we are entitled to express our opinion, yet there are many other ways to express ourselves than to murdering innocent citizens. This man deserves cruel punishment for his disgusting actions. I feel extremely sorry for the innocent people who were affected by this tragedy and they are in my prayers!

Teal Cooper

Iram M said...

The gunman was mental; he obviously had something wired wrongly in his head if he was able to kill six people. I get that he was upset with Representative Giffords but it does not give him the right to express his hatred by killing people. There have been too many assassinations in America because of people not being able to cope with different opinions. Violence leads to nothing.

analisa said...

My reaction to this event was that this gunman was crazy, literally mentally unstable. I cannot believe that this guy felt the need to shoot all of these innocent people. I thought this was a truly tragic event. I thought that the gunman's opinions could have been expressed in many different, unharmful ways. He not only almost killed a representative, but he did kill several other innocent people. This truly was a tragic event that I think really effected everyone in the U.S..

Analisa A.

mark said...

I believe this event was truly horrific. The gunman was mentally unstable and was especially vulnerable to the political rhetoric being used in society today. Yes, everyone has their own opinions about how things should be, but with the way the leaders of politics are speaking, people's opinions are getting twisted to the extent that those with especially weak minds take things to the extreme, which I think was what happened in this situation. This over exaggerated rhetoric needs to stop so more people wont be put into more danger.

-Mark E.

z-man said...

Everyone seems to be ignoring what this situation really is. True, it was a tragic event, and a horrible happening, but I believe everyone is looking too deeply onto the situation. From what I can tell, this shooting was just a broken psychopath that got his hands on a gun. This was not a result of increased political encouragement and allegory. There have always, and will always be extremists and extremist groups that disagree with the greater powers that they are under. It's purely coincidental that this event occurs in the wake of a serious bill-based argument that has seen more and more extremists on either side of the argument. People have siezed this opportunity to make the government out to be the villain yet again, and I disagree with the logic that supports that murderers are the work of political speech and debate.

Zander m.

george said...

Although the gunnman was not all there, there is still no excuse for his actions. I believe however that he should be sentenced less than if he was not mentally slow; but what he did was still wrong. I believe that in his mind, he still knew what he was doing was wrong. If he was smart enough to go buy a gun and to know what beliefs the government official had, then the excuse of him not being mentally all there does not make his actions excused. this is a tradgedy, and the gunnman deserves to be sentenced for life in my oppinion; especially if he makes the case that he wasnt mentally stable enough to know what he was doing would point me to say that he should at the least, be locked up in a physchopath house for the rest of his life.

George Collins

Henri Levy said...

Considering the intense political environment that Arizona has been feeling for quite some, I am not surprised that this has happened as tragic as it is. It was only a matter of time until someone took their views and feeling to the extreme. I am slightly disappointed though that already we have moved on to his motives and his “statement” instead of morning the dead. This indeed was a tragedy… we shouldn’t forget that.

Matt Willis said...

The shooting in Ariziona was a tragic misfortune that gives America just one more problem. I feel as though the gunman did what he did out of hatred towards our government, and in particular Congresswoman Giffords. I think that this man is unstable, and what he did was drastic and wrong. He took his emotions to the next level. Yes, a lot of people dislike or are having trouble agreeing with our governments decisions, but shooting down a representative is no way to handle that. That is why we have a democracy, so that you speak your voice through your vote and your representatives, but not through irrational actions. This shooting just adds more stress to the American public, by attracting more attention the fact that there is a growing population of unhappy people in our nation who are becoming more and more aggressive in their actions against the government.

Asante said...

I agree with everyone about the Tucson shooting as being a very sad event. I also disagree with the way Lougher chose to display his feelings. I do not feel that there was a specific motive in his mind when he shot at more people than just Giffords. If he was sane in his attempt to kill Representative Giffords, I feel that she would be the only one he tried to shoot at; but his actions proved the opposite. I agree with my classmates in that other representatives should be especially careful and mindful of the people that disagree with their political views. All we can do now is hope that this type of behavior doesn’t spark any similar behavior in the future that could put our country in an even worse state of turmoil than it’s already in.

hayden said...

Jared Lougher had no right to kill and shot a group gathering for a political rally. Even though he had different political view, that doesnt give him the right to go and shoot whom ever he wants. I also think that he is insane because you have to be to go and shoot a bunch of people. I believe that his goal was not to shoot everyone but to just shoot the representative, once he shoot the representative he realized that he could not get away without shooting everyone else and thats is why he did that. But over all I believe that he is insane and shoyuld be put away for life or just killed right away.

Johne McMahon said...

The event that occurred at a political rally in Tuscan Arizona is a terrible tragedy. I believe that the gun man should be locked up for life or have the death penalty for his actions. Not only did he wound a Rep, but he also took 6 other lives. Even though he has the right to have had different views about how government should be run, he does not have the right to take someone else's life for it. Voicing ones opinion is one thing but doing it through the acts of violence is another. I personally believe that this man should get a taste of his own medicine.

Catherine G said...

This story is a shock to me as I am sure it is to many. It is scary to think that someone would take it into their own hands to end the life of a political figure because of differing views on government. We often see politics resulting in harsh words or impolite altercations but it is rare to see them be escalated to this magnitude. I feel for her fellow congressmen as they face the reality that their opinions can provoke such strong reactions. His actions were totally out of line and should have been dealt with in a very different way. With all the commotion of this case it is plausible to think that this could impede the progress made by our democracy. People could become more scared to share their opinions and speak out in the future. I hope that everyone can pull together and overcome this tragedy.

Unknown said...

Any eye for an eye. This guy Should absolutley be punished via death penalty for his actions. This really isn't a tragedy in my opinion. Bad thngs always happen to good people, so what difference does it make if the guy at subway or the senator were shot. The term Tragedy is over used and is out of context. Regardless, I am very sorry for what happened at subway to the congress men/woman.

ABBY said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ABBY said...

I think the guy should be punished because obviously he knew what he was doing. It's sad that he had the nerve to end a little girl's life. This action might serve as proof that there are people that are irrational about certain political views that are endangering the life of many Americans. I think many politics must have some of security around them when they are in public nowadays because they might be the next victim. I am glad that Representative Giffords is recuperating from the shot.

Abby G.

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