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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

News Assholes

Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 4:51 PM

CNN's Erick Erickson is upset with what people aren't saying about the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: "Through it all though, well meaning people on both sides of the ideological and partisan divide are not talking about the one thing that should be talked about—a saving faith in Jesus Christ." For the record: Rep. Giffords is Jewish, so "a saving faith in Jesus Christ" might not be "the one thing that should be talked about."

Virginia Foxx:

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) says political rhetoric doesn't really incite violent behavior at all—but not before describing Arizona shooting suspect Jared Loughner as a "communist" and "the liberal of liberals."

Rush Limbaugh:

Rush Limbaugh reacted to the instantly infamous mugshot of Jared Lee Loughner, the suspected gunman in the Arizona shooting, by saying that the reason Loughner is smiling in the picture is because he knows he is backed by the Democratic Party.

Comments (45) RSS

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Loughner's mom is part Jewish.

So, please, try again...

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on January 11, 2011 at 4:58 PM

The shooter was an atheist

Posted by Reader1 on January 11, 2011 at 4:59 PM

When people show you who they are, believe them.

Posted by westello on January 11, 2011 at 5:01 PM

Honest to God Communism is to Democratic Politics as the Westboro Baptist Church is to Republican Politics. Certainly it can be said that leftists incorporate some Socialist values into their approach to public policy, but to anyone who cannot separate that from actual Communism, GTFO please. A little knowledge can be a scary thing. Communist =/= Liberal... at least not in any way that applies to mainstream American politics... let it go already. Fuck... I hate that.

As for some of his other interests/opinions... he was really all over the map. Anti-abortion, Gold Standard, intrusive (read: treasonous and illegal) government... yeah, he sounds real liberal to me.

He was NOT a liberal in any modern political context. Likewise, he really wasn't much of a conservative in any political context. I understand that he was a registered Independent, or so it's been reported. It doesn't matter though, if Fox News & Co. (hi2u Rush) claims that he's a liberal enough times on air, plenty of people will accept it as fact and it'll never go away I suppose.

Also, lol Erickson... good god what a moron. /facepalm

Posted by Nate on January 11, 2011 at 5:08 PM

So Loughner isn't the only one out there who's crazy. But we already knew that.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on January 11, 2011 at 5:13 PM

@4 socialism != communism, either :)

Posted by BEG

on January 11, 2011 at 5:17 PM

WAIT Wait wait...

Are they blaming Rep. Giffords for getting herself shot because she's not Christian?!

Posted by douchus on January 11, 2011 at 5:19 PM

@6 Agreed. I *think* the point about separating the two was made there, but if I wasn't clear, I meant to be.

Posted by Nate on January 11, 2011 at 5:19 PM

@1

GTFO you dumbshit. My parents are Christian, does that mean I fucking love every Christian?
Can we please remember our history and Hitler's Catholic parents. You didn't want to be a Catholic in WWII Germany.

Here's a link to Limbaughs backpeddalling.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11…

Posted by svensken on January 11, 2011 at 5:20 PM

It truth, the Lord God Himself sent Jared Loughner on his deadly mission; part of a divine (and hence, mysteriously moved) plan to derail the GOP's attempt at repealing Obama-care.

(Jesus always was a sucker for saving "the least among you" and comforting the infirm -- that damn commie-pinko!)

Posted by Timrrr on January 11, 2011 at 5:22 PM

People that will say anything + People that will believe anything = The reason we have bad government.

Posted by Fish Wrench Asteroid on January 11, 2011 at 5:25 PM

@11: Word.

Posted by venomlash on January 11, 2011 at 5:34 PM

They are just a bunch of Goat Fucking Child Molesters. Erick Erickson is particularly known for being fond of kids.

Posted by Gus on January 11, 2011 at 5:36 PM

@11 -- Beautifully put.

Posted by MythicFox on January 11, 2011 at 5:55 PM

If we all carried assault rifles none of this would have happened.

Posted by Last of the Time Lords on January 11, 2011 at 5:58 PM

Logic can be so illogical sometimes

Posted by Urgutha Forka on January 11, 2011 at 6:08 PM

@1: I know this is like asking a mayfly to explain the concept of a week, but what are you trying to say? Because your fragmentary thought has nothing to do with the post in question.

Posted by Cracker Jack on January 11, 2011 at 6:17 PM

here's the question.

why did barack obama fail to stop this domestic terrorist with all the clear warning signs blaring?

the internet is parsed daily for keywords. yet loughner passed through undetected!

as head of security, obama is responsible for the safety of all.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on January 11, 2011 at 6:24 PM

@ # 18 Are u Fucking serious?

Posted by Sconan421 on January 11, 2011 at 6:53 PM

@6, glad to see you back, BEG. One link from the last couple of weeks you might especially enjoy:

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/mobile/…

I know I always want to go back and read everything when I'm away for a few days, but it's hopeless, of course. I'm surprised Stranger HQ isn't bulging or sinking with the sheer bulk of all our comments.

Posted by rob!

on January 11, 2011 at 7:01 PM

Allah, Buddha, Christ, or Yehovah.... He belongs EQUALLY to us all....

Posted by treacle on January 11, 2011 at 7:02 PM

I'm just waiting for someone to blame gay marriage.

Posted by very bad homo on January 11, 2011 at 7:11 PM

@22 Fred Phelps weighed in as I understand, and is planning to picket the services. As for anyone serious... I doubt it'll happen, but you never know. XD

Posted by Nate on January 11, 2011 at 7:23 PM

@21: buddha is not a god.

Posted by Max Solomon on January 11, 2011 at 7:27 PM

listen, numb nuts, there is NO SUCH THING as being part-jewish. you're either jewish or you're not. and you're ONLY JEWISH if your mother was jewish at the moment you popped out her vagina. eli sanders and dominic holden will verify this, you stupid schmuck.

Posted by scary tyler moore

on January 11, 2011 at 7:32 PM

I love how whenever I see Virginia Foxx's name I think of porn.

Posted by eastcoastreader on January 11, 2011 at 7:37 PM

“Whether you believe it or not, here is the reality: beyond us is a world we cannot see with our eyes — a world of very real angels and very real demons, of a very real God and a very real devil. ”

So Loughner is not schizophrenic, it's the devil who made him do it?

The irony... ouch!

Posted by sirkowski

on January 11, 2011 at 7:39 PM

Wow. What is wrong with all of you? A very sick person killed and attempted to kill LOTS of people. We're lucky it's not worse!

Who gives a shit what party he was or was not associated with?

Go on with yourselves making a horrible tragedy even worse by casting blame. Hope all of you feel better about yourselves while denying we all participate in this.

Look in the mirror. We are all responsible.

Posted by MaiaD on January 11, 2011 at 8:11 PM

@11: I want that on a t-shirt.

Posted by Lissa on January 11, 2011 at 8:12 PM

@1, you are pathetic.

Posted by The troll's a bedbug on January 11, 2011 at 8:51 PM

#1 has been reading white supremacist websites. I unwittingly followed a link to one of them and of course they are blaming this on Da Jews.

Posted by sarah68 on January 11, 2011 at 9:37 PM

@28 Your mirror should look at itself.

Posted by sirkowski

on January 11, 2011 at 11:14 PM

The natural response to these statements is that they are not true. That's easy.

Unfortunately, that doesn't matter.

When you are an unaccountable member of the public discourse, claims do not have to be substantiated and anything you say takes on an element of truth.

Posted by DeaconBlues

on January 11, 2011 at 11:42 PM

WAIT Wait wait...

Are they blaming Rep. Giffords for getting herself shot because she's not Christian?!

@7 That's gotta be like why anything in my life ever goes wrong: Because God's punishing me for being gay. At least according to my ultra-conservative relatives. "What? Your car broke down? That's obviously because of your muff-diving habit." I shudder to think about what He would do to punish me if the hell-bound heathen that I am ever acquired office.

Gag. Gag. Gag.

@28 I'm assuming you've never heard the term "gallows humor"? What happened is reprehensible, nobody is denying that, but the spin people rush to put on it is even more so, IMHO.

Posted by Leaning Westward on January 12, 2011 at 12:53 AM

I was best friends with Jared. He said he was THIS close to running against Barak Obama because of how involved he was with democratic campaign. You saw how close he was in Iowa, everyone told him, Jared, you'll get him next time, you were only a few million votes off, next year you'll get to be the democrat in the white house. He didn't take the news so well...

P.S. I heard he was a registered independent. Oh my gawd congress has a 13% approval rating, I'M SO UNBELIEVABLY SHOCKED THAT SOMEONE REGISTERED AS AN INDEPENDENT. I still can't believe how dense people are.

Posted by watchout5

on January 12, 2011 at 1:55 AM

Dan, you should have credited Jamison Foser for the first quote- Erickson wasn't the one who pointed out that Giffords is Jewish.
Hope you get out of Chicago!

Posted by Janet_aaaaa on January 12, 2011 at 4:54 AM

Just a note from someone who voted AGAINST Virginia Foxx (Lord help me, she poorly represents my district) - she is a douche-canoe. We have known this for years. This is actually quite tame for her.

Posted by KV on January 12, 2011 at 5:40 AM

Nihilists, dude.

Posted by STJA on January 12, 2011 at 8:11 AM

So Rush Limbaugh is an asshole for politicizing this tragedy, yet the Stranger staff has been doing the same fucking thing since the story broke. Why am I the only person who sees this hypocrisy? This place has become a joke.

How the fuck did an asshole who calls himself Rotten666 become the voice of reason on the SLOG?

Posted by Rotten666 on January 12, 2011 at 8:56 AM

True enough, Rotten. You'll notice that I haven't been around much for the last few days. It's enough to make you sick to your stomach.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on January 12, 2011 at 9:04 AM

Loughner is a registered Republican according to the State of Arizona.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lesm7i7PE…

Regardless of the halo of authority Lintbomb likes to brandish.

Posted by tunanator on January 12, 2011 at 10:57 AM

Peter Daou, "Rightwing hate machine".

http://peterdaou.com/2011/01/gabrielle-g…

the right’s overarching purpose is to stoke hatred of the left, of liberalism. The right’s messaging infrastructure, meticulously constructed and refined over decades, promotes an image of liberals as traitors and America-haters, unworthy of their country and bent on destroying it. There is simply no comparable propaganda effort on the left.

Posted by tunanator on January 12, 2011 at 11:00 AM

@41, no, he isn't. That's fake. He's a registered independent. Pay attention.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on January 12, 2011 at 11:12 AM

@24- So you say, but given they way most Buddhists (ie-not Vipassana practitioners or Theravadan scholars) treat him, he is.

Posted by dwight moody on January 12, 2011 at 11:35 AM

"not before describing Arizona shooting suspect Jared Loughner as a 'communist' and 'the liberal of liberals.'" What the fuck? I thought "Communists", in their narrative, were all about big government, not anti-government. How much more blatant can you get with the "everything evil is Librul" meme? How the fuck can we want BOTH big government AND no government? Do people read that line and think it makes sense?

Posted by John Horstman on January 13, 2011 at 2:31 PM