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+--- Thread: Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! (/thread-5315.html)
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Peter Lemkin - 08-01-2011
Small crowd at some political event outdoors, I think. Shot in head at point blank range. America is on the verge of collapse and I think there are provocateurs pushing at the edges of the cliff/abyss! Others injured. She was Jewish and at a quick look, somewhat progressive.
Gabrielle Giffords, a congresswoman from Arizona, was shot in the head on Saturday at a public event at a grocery store in Tucson, according to her spokesman, C. J. Karamargin, and news reports.
She was taken to University Medical Center in Tucson, the trauma center for the area, about 10 miles away. She died in surgery.
CNN quoted a public information officer for the sheriff's office as saying that 12 people had been injured in all and that the shooting had occurred around 10 a.m. local time.
An employee at a nearby store told CNN that he heard a steady stream of gun fire that appeared sustained "random." Shortly after, emergency vehicles filled the parking lot around the grocery story and cordoned off the area.
The shooting occurred at a Safeway supermarket in northwest Tucson as Ms. Giffords hosted an event, called "Congress on Your Corner, to allow members of the 8th Congressional District to meet her individually. She has held several events since first taking office in January 2007. At one such event in 2009, a protester was removed by police when his pistol fell on the supermarket floor.
Last March, her Tucson office was vandalized a few hours after the House vote overhauling the nation's health care system, the authorities said. Earlier events in Tucson, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Sierra Vista, and Douglas had attracted between 75 and 150 people, according to a statement announcing the event. This was her first event since her re-election to a third term in November.
Ms. Giffords, 40, was interviewed on Fox news on Friday to talk about a bill to cut to congressional salaries by 5 percent.
She married Cmdr. Mark E. Kelly, 46, a NASA astronaut and Navy pilot from New Jersey, in December 2007 at a wedding attended by Robert B. Reich, the former Labor secretary.
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Giffords was first sworn in as a congresswoman on January 3, 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S. Congress. In her inaugural speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Giffords said a comprehensive immigration reform package needs to include modern technology to secure the border, more border patrol agents, tough employer sanctions for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and a guest-worker program. In her first month in office, Congresswoman Giffords voted to support increased federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, raising the minimum wage, endorsing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and supporting new rules for the House of Representatives targeting ethical issues. Giffords also voted to repeal subsidies to big oil companies and invest the savings in renewable energy. "We put our national security at risk by relying on oil from unstable regimes in the Middle East and Latin America," Giffords told her colleagues in a speech on the House floor during debate on the Clean Energy Act. The act repeals $14 billion in subsidies given to oil companies and establishes a Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve to increase research in clean renewable energy, to develop greater energy efficiency, and to improve energy conservation.
During the 2007 session of Congress, Giffords introduced a bill (H.R. 1441)[1] that forbids the sale of F-14 aircraft parts on the open market.[2] She also voted for the contentious May 2007 Iraq Emergency Supplemental Spending bill, saying, "I cannot, in good conscience, allow the military to run out of money while American servicemen and women are being attacked every day".[3]
Giffords is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition. She is the only member of the U.S. Congress whose spouse, astronaut Mark E. Kelly, is an active duty member of the U.S. military.[4] She is also known as a strong proponent of solar energy as well as for her work to secure the border with Mexico.[5][6]
On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot outside a Safeway in northwest Tucson during her first "Congress on Your Corner" gathering of the year. At least nine others were injured when a man ran up to the crowd and began firing.[7]
Committee assignments
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Readiness
Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Committee on Science and Technology
Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (Chairwoman)
Political positions
Abortion
Giffords is pro-choice and has a 100% rating from NARAL.[8]
Economic policy
Giffords voted for Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,[9] and for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[10]
Education
Giffords argues that Americans are competing on a global level and that this competition starts in the classroom. She is a critic of the No Child Left Behind law, viewing it as an unfunded federal mandate. She is a graduate of public schools and supports them with a variety of proposals to make them more effective.[citation needed]
Energy
Giffords believes that renewable energy sources needs to be a top public policy priority and she is a strong proponent of solar energy.[11]
Tucson Weekly noted a letter Giffords sent, on August 1, 2008, to congressional leaders regarding tax credits that were set to expire. She wrote "failure to extend the tax credits would deal a devastating blow to the U.S. renewable energy industry, just as it is beginning to take off."[12]
In September 2007 she released a report titled: The Community Solar Energy Initiative, Solar Energy in Southern Arizona. The report states that Arizona has enough daily sunshine to power the entire United States. It reviews current energy usage and discusses how to increase the production of solar electricity.[13]
Gun rights
Giffords has discussed her gun ownership and support for gun rights [14] opposing the DC gun ban and signing an Amicus curiae brief with the US Supreme Court to support overturning it. [14][15] She has a D+ rating from the NRA[16] and a D- from the GOA.[17]
Immigration and border security
Arizona's 8th Congressional District is one of 10 in the country bordering Mexico. Giffords has stated that the Arizona SB1070 legislation is a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job".[18] and saying that she hopes the legislation acts as a wake up call to the federal government despite the fact that it "does nothing to secure our border". [19]
On August 31, 2010 Congresswoman Giffords praised the arrival of National Guard troops on the border: "Arizonans have waited a long time for the deployment of the National Guard in our state. Their arrival represents a renewed national commitment to protecting our border communities from drug cartels and smugglers."[20]
Giffords worked to secure passage of the August 2010 bill to to fund more Border Patrol agents and surveillance technology for Arizona's border with Mexico. The legislation passed the House of Representatives only to be sent back by the U.S. Senate with reduced funding. Ultimately a $600 million bill was passed and signed in to law. The bill was over $100 million less than Giffords fought for, but she said that "This funding signals a stronger federal commitment to protect those Americans who live and work near the border."[21]
In 2008, Giffords introduced legislation that would have increased the cap on the H-1B visa from 65,000 per year to 130,000 per year.[22] If that was not sufficient, according to her legislation, the cap would have been increased to 180,000 per year.[23] The bill would have allowed, at most, 50% of employees at any given company with at least 50 employees to be H-1B guest workers.[24] A large number of H-1B visas are used by outsourcing companies, as five of the top ten users of the visa are regularly outsourcing corporations.[25] Giffords claimed the bill would help high-tech companies in southern Arizona, some of which rely on H1-B employees.[24] Giffords' bill was never voted on by the house of representatives.
Elections
2010
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2010#District 8
On November 5, 2010, the Associated Press declared Giffords the victor after a close race against Republican Jesse Kelly.[26] Kelly was listed as a top ten Tea Party candidate to watch by Politico. He is described as "so conservative that he's slammed Palin for endorsing candidates who are too moderate." [27]
2008
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2008#District 8
In 2008 Giffords was elected to a second term. Republican Tim Bee, a childhood classmate and former colleague in the Arizona State Senate, ran against her. Bee was then the Arizona State Senate President and was considered a strong challenger in this race. Despite the presence of McCain atop the ticket as the Republican presidential candidate, Giffords was reelected with 56.20 percent of the vote to Bee's 41.45 percent.[28]
2006
See also: Arizona's 8th congressional district election, 2006
Giffords launched her first candidacy for the U.S. Congress on January 24, 2006. The campaign received national attention early on as a likely pick-up for the Democratic Party. Prominent Democrats endorsed Giffords including Tom Daschle, Robert Reich, Janet Napolitano, and Bill Clinton. EMILY's List endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.[29] The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.[30] On September 12, 2006, Giffords won her party's nomination in the primary election.
Her Republican opponent in the general election was Randy Graf, a conservative former state senator known for his enforcement-only position on immigration and illegal aliens. Graf had run against Jim Kolbe in the 2004 GOP primary and had announced his candidacy in 2006 before Kolbe announced his retirement. The Republican establishment was somewhat cool toward Graf, believing he may be too conservative for the district. The national GOP took the unusual step of endorsing one of the more moderate candidates in the primary; but Graf won anyway, helped by a split in the Republican moderate vote between two candidates.
Not long after the primary, Congressional Quarterly changed its rating of the race to "Leans Democrat." By late September, the national GOP had pulled most of its funding, effectively conceding the seat to Giffords.
Giffords won the race on November 7, 2006, with 54 percent of the vote. Graf received 42 percent. The rest of the vote went to minor candidates.
Graf's candidacy was mentioned frequently in the national media as a test case of voters' feelings toward immigration issues, and Giffords' victory was portrayed as evidence that Americans are accepting towards comprehensive immigration reform.[31] Graf did not even carry a majority in Cochise County, a border region where illegal immigration is an important local issue. Nonetheless, Arizona's continuing interest in the issue is evidenced by the fact that all propositions in the general election relating to restricting benefits to illegal aliens did pass by wide margins.
Arizona State Senator and Representative
Giffords began her political career as a legislator in the Arizona House of Representatives, where she served from 2001 to 2003.
Giffords was elected to the Arizona Senate in the fall of 2002 and is the youngest woman ever elected to this body. She took office in January 2003 and was re-elected in 2004. She resigned from the Arizona Senate on December 1, 2005, in preparation for her congressional campaign.
In early 2005, Giffords said of the Arizona Legislature: "The previous two legislatures enjoyed the benefits of a working coalition consisting of Democrats and middle-of-the-road Republicans. Due to a lack of competitive legislative districts and low voter turnout during GOP primaries, a fairly large crop of mostly conservative Republicans will dominate the House and Senate in 2005." Giffords' concerns played out as an increasingly conservative legislature combined with a Democratic governor, led to increased polarity in Arizona politics.[32]
Expanding health care access was an issue of interest for Giffords when she served in the legislature. She also pushed for bills related to mental health and was named by the Mental Health Association of Arizona as the 2004 Legislator of the Year. Giffords also earned the Sierra Club's Most Valuable Player award.[33]
In the legislature, Giffords worked on the bipartisan Children's Caucus, which sought to improve education and health care for Arizona's children. Critics of this plan argued that it amounted to taxpayer funded daycare. She worked with Arizona's Governor Janet Napolitano to promote all-day kindergarten. Giffords supported raising more money for schools "through sponsorship of supplemental state aid through bonds and tax credits that could be used for school supplies." She was awarded Arizona Family Literacy's Outstanding Legislator for 2003.[34]
Business career
Giffords worked as an associate for regional economic development at Price Waterhouse in New York City.
In 1996, she became president and CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses. El Campo was a local automotive chain founded by her grandfather. In 2000, she oversaw the sale of the company to Goodyear Tire. At the time of the sale she commented on the difficulties local businesses face when competing against large national firms. Giffords said "I'm really proud of being able to return to Arizona and help my family and take over a tire business that had serious challenges."[35]
Education
Giffords graduated from Tucson's University High School.
She received a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American history from Scripps College in Claremont, California, in 1993, and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1996. She focused her studies on MexicoUnited States relations while at Cornell. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1996 and a fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Personal life
Giffords was born in Tucson, Arizona.
Giffords married U.S. Navy Captain and astronaut Mark E. Kelly on November 10, 2007. He was the space shuttle's pilot on STS-108 and STS-121. STS-121 in 2006 was the first shuttle mission to launch on the Fourth of July. Giffords participated in a NASA tradition when she selected "Beautiful Day" by U2 as one of the wake-up calls for the STS-121 shuttle crew. On May 31, 2008, Kelly launched into orbit for the third time as Commander of STS-124. This mission in to space marked the first time an astronaut was married to a sitting member of the U.S. Congress.[36]
Giffords' parents are Spencer J. Giffords and Gloria Kay Fraser Giffords. Giffords is Arizona's first Jewish Congresswoman.[37] She is a member of Congregation Chaverim in Tucson.
After Hurricane Katrina struck in the late summer of 2005, Giffords spent time as a volunteer in Houston, Texas, in relief efforts for Hurricane victims. She wrote about her experience in the Tucson Citizen.[38]
Giffords is an avid reader and was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition on July 9, 2006. She discussed books she was currently reading, including First Man, a biography of astronaut Neil Armstrong and The Heartless Stone a book by Tom Zoellner about the intricacies of the diamond industry across several continents. Congresswoman Giffords was periodically interviewed together with Illinois Republican Peter Roskam on NPR's All Things Considered. The series focused on their experiences as freshman members of the 110th Congress.
Death
On January 8, 2011, Congresswoman Giffords and at least nine other persons were shot at a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. The suspect was arrested. Giffords died later at University Medical Center in Tucson. [39]
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^ THOMAS Search Results: H.R.1441. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
^ House Votes Again To Ban Sales Of F-14 Parts To Iran. Aero-News.net, June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
^ Stanton, Billie. Stanton: Democrats damned by Iraq war vote. Tucson Citizen June 5, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
^ "Giffords for Congress 2010 » About Gabrielle". Giffordsforcongress.com. 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
^ "Senate rejects border funding; U.S. Rep Giffords is outraged". KGUN9 Tucson. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
^ "Solar energy, immigration top congresswoman's priorities". San Pedro Valley News-Sun. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
^ "Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona". NPR. January 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
^ "Project Vote Smart - NARAL Pro-Choice America Rating". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
^ "Vote switchers on financial bailout". USA Today. October 3, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
^ February 22, 2009 (2009-02-22). "Stimulus bill deserved my vote | Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords". Giffords.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
^ "The Science Coalition". Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ Schuster, John. "Power Play | Currents Feature". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
^ Giffords, Gabrielle (September 2007). "Solar Energy in Southern Arizona: Executive Summary".
^ a b Palmer, Christian (2008-03-21). "Arizona Democrats split on DC gun ban". Arizona Capitol Times.
^ "Brief for respondent District of Columbia v. Heller 07-290".
^ "Project Vote Smart National Rifle Association Rating". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
^ "GOA House Ratings for the 111th Congress". Gunowners.org. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
^ "Democrats call for elimination of Arizona's new immigration law". CNN. April 28, 2010.
^ "Giffords statement on Arizona's new immigration law and the us border". 2010-04-30.
^ "U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' STATEMENT ON ARRIVAL OF NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ON THE ARIZONA-MEXICO BORDER". 2010-08-31.
^ "U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WELCOMES PRESIDENT'S SIGNING OF BORDER SECURITY BILL". 2010-08-13.
^ "Bill Text - 110th Congress (2007-2008) - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Thomas.gov. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
^ "With Unemployment Near Ten Percent, Giffords Seeks Importation of More Cheap Foreign Labor". FAIR. October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
^ a b Gross, Grant (March 14, 2008). "Bill Would Double Cap on H-1B Visas". PC World. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
^ "InformationWeek".
^ "Gabrielle Giffords wins re-election in Arizona". AZCentral.com. November 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
^ "Top 10 "Tea Party' Candidates to Watch". AZCentral.com. September 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
^ http://www.pima.gov/elections/results.htm
^ "EMILY's List Announces Endorsement of Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona's 8th Congressional District". Emily's List. June 14, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
^ Sunnucks, Mike (June 13, 2006). "Democratic contender gets support in House race". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
^ "Voters reject immigrant-bashing among candidates". San Jose Mercury News. November 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
^ "Right-Wing Agenda Will Obscure our Most-Pressing Issues". Tucson Citizen (republished on candidate's web site). January 10, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
^ "Flunkies The Sierra Club grades the Arizona Legislature". Candidate's web site. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
^ "Track Record". Candidate's web site. June 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
^ "Gifford's campaign website". Archived from the original on 2007-04-21. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
^ Faherty, John (2008-06-01). "Congresswoman's husband now in orbit". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
^ Gelbart, Debra Morton (2006-11-08). "Jewish woman takes Arizona seat". JTA News Service (JTA.org). Retrieved 2010-05-04.
^ "Gifford's campaign website". Archived from the original on 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
^ "Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot And Killed." NPR News. 8 January 2011.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Peter Lemkin - 08-01-2011
15 shot, six dead, including Congresswoman. She was on Palin's 'hit list'.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Ed Jewett - 08-01-2011
Troubling comment about Palin's lists, Peter, especially given existence of prior and current "kill squads" of various stripes. Reference or link? Are we on the verge of open civil warfare with private armies, "militia" of various stripes and allegiances, and more?
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Peter Lemkin - 08-01-2011
Ed Jewett Wrote:Troubling comment about Palin's lists, Peter, especially given existence of prior and current "kill squads" of various stripes. Reference or link? Are we on the verge of open civil warfare with private armies, "militia" of various stripes and allegiances, and more?
I corrected my post above. Palin termed it her 'hit list' of candidates that had to be targeted for replacement by Tea Party neo-whatevers. She used a visual map of the USA [below] with gun-sights at the locations of those districts/members on her 'hit list'.
The man who shot hasn't been identified in any manner yet, but shot over 20-25 shots in rapid fashion. Most killed were the Congresswoman's staff apparently.
Party's over in America...has been a long, long time...I'd date it to Dallas...myself. Certainly picking up steam and about to blast-off into Fascist-Land - a new Disney Theme Park where once stood Amerika.
Quote:Back in September:
Twenty House Dems from districts that McCain carried in 2008 voted for the health care bill, and Sarah Palin has a target on every single one.
The targets were released on the six month anniversary of Obamacare, and include a lot of familiar names such as John Boccieri (OH), Chris Carney (P N) Gabrielle Giffords (AZ) and Ann Kirpatrick (AZ). The site invites donations, social networking, and the unbeatable Sarah love that has led to a 26:11 win/loss record of candidates in GOP primaries. Granted, some of those were in safe districts, but she's also pulled off massive upsets that probably outshadow her less successful picks.
Regardless, this site should go a long way towards knocking off the politicians who put their party affiliation ahead of their constituent's demands. It was announced via a tweet from SarahPalinUSA: "Lies, Damned Lies Obamacare 6 Months Later; It's Time to Take Back the 20!"
Quote:Sarah Palin:
Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead RELOAD!" Pls see my Facebook page.
Metaphor, no more…:mexican: I'd say today there are other persons who need to beef up their security pronto!!!
-------------------------------------------
If only there were an easier way to get rid of these Dems--say, a death panel, or something. Sarah Palin has published a list on Facebook of 20 Democratic representatives she wants conservatives [B][B]to target[/B] in November[/B]. In order to qualify for Palin's hit list, these Democrats had to vote "yes" on health care and also come from a district that the McCain-Palin ticket won in 2008. We're going to fire them and send them back to the private sector, which has been shrinking thanks to their destructive government-growing policies," Palin threatens. She directs readers to her website, sarahpac.com, to donate to the cause.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Ed Jewett - 08-01-2011
Thanks, Peter. 'sho nuff.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Ed Jewett - 08-01-2011
There are mixed reports as to the status of the Congresswoman, some indicating she is dead, some of them retracted, some indicating that she is gravely wounded, in surgery. The spin is already beginning, the demonization, etc. I think I'll sit back and watch without comment.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Peter Lemkin - 08-01-2011
Reports now have her alive and critical after surgery, but with a Glock gun at point blank range......I hate to sound pessimistic.....if these reports are even true. Part of another article:
Last March, Giffords was one of ten House Democrats who were the subject of harassment over their support for the national health care overhaul. At the time, the front door of Giffords' Tucson office had been shattered in an early morning incident.
Giffords had been a top target by Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections, but managed to win a tough re-election battle against a tea party candidate.
The up-and-coming lawmaker, known as a moderate Democrat who paid close attention to constituent concerns, had been singled out by Sarah Palin's SarahPac as one of the 20 Democrats on the ballot in November who represented states that supported Sen. John McCain for president in 2008. "It's time to take a stand," Palin's fundraising appeal said of Giffords and the other Democrats, who had all supported the health-care bill.
House Speaker John Boehner (R.Ohio) put out a statement saying: "I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords... An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society."
NPR reported that Giffords was talking to a couple outside of a local Safeway when the suspect ran up and fired indiscriminately from about four feet away. The man, described by witnesses as in his late teens or early 20s, was tackled when he tried to flee the scene. Police confirmed that a young man was in custody in connection with the shooting.
The "Congress on Your Corner" program was popular among Democrats elected in recent years from swing districts, as a way of keeping in regular contact with local concerns. The event was the first of Giffords' third term; she took the oath of office for the 112th Congress on Tuesday.
Arizona has been a political hotbed in recent months, especially after the state approved last April restrictive immigration laws that became a conservative rallying cry.
Giffords is a member of the House Blue Dog Democrat coalition, a bloc of moderate and conservative Democrats whose ranks were ravaged by losses in November. Her husband is astronaut Mark E. Kelly.
Her 8th congressional district borders Mexico, and Giffords was judicious in her response to the Arizona immigration law, describing it as a "clear calling that the federal government needs to do a better job."
This was not the first time someone brought a gun to a Giffords event. A protester in August brought a gun to Giffords' Congress on Your Corner event in Douglas. Police were alerted after he dropped the firearm. :mexican:
"When you represent a district that includes the home of the O.K. Corral and Tombstone, 'the Town Too Tough to Die,' nothing's a surprise out in Cochise County," Giffords, D-Ariz., said Tuesday in an interview with The Arizona Republic Editorial Board.
The man in question shouted "some pretty disparaging comments," Giffords said, but "at no point did I ever feel in danger and at no point did I ever feel there was a problem."
Giffords is a former Arizona state senate and house member who had previously served as president of a tire company founded by her father. She was a top recruit in 2006 by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rahm Emanuel, viewed as the type of young, middle-of-the-road candidate with crossover appeal. She is a Spanish speaker whose hobbies include motorcycle racing.
Giffords beat a crowded Democratic primary field in 2006, and won 54 percent of the vote in the general election against immigration opponent Randy Graf, to succeed retiring Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.). She easily won re-election in 2008.
But the immigration debate sparked by the legal crackdown in her home state became a defining issue in Giffords' campaign last year. She denounced the law as "extreme" and has supported legislation to provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrations. But she supported a Republican effort to add National Guard troops along the border, and opposed a crusade led by her homestate colleague Rep. Raul Grijalva (D) to boycott Arizona businesses, in protest of the state law.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Ed Jewett - 08-01-2011
Arizona: U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot in the Head
January 8th, 2011 Via: Federal Judge John M. Roll Killed in Arizona Attack
Via: MSNBC:
Federal officials told NBC News that U.S. District Court Judge John M. Roll was among those who was shot and had died. He was the chief judge in Arizona, appointed in 1991 by the first President Bush. He became chief judge in 2006.
End Update
Update: Gabrielle Giffords Alive, But in Critical Condition
Via: AZ Capitol Times:
A hospital spokeswoman said Giffords was alive and in critical condition after the shooting.
End Update
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Peter Lemkin - 08-01-2011
Jared Laughner, the man who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), was described by eyewitnesses as a young white man who looked like a "fringe character."
Laughner shot Giffords and 12 others at a public event at a Safeway grocery store in Tucscon. He reportedly shot the congresswoman "point blank" in the head and may have come from inside the store. After shooting Giffords, he allegedly fired 20-30 rounds and hit "a number of people," including a child. He attempted to flee after running out of ammunition and was tackled by one of Giffords' staffers. Where the F were the police? Waiting for him to fire his last shots?!!~
Eyewitnesses have described Laughner as "young, mid-to-late 20s, white, clean-shaven with short hair and wearing dark clothing."
He was arrested upon arrival of the sheriff's department.
Arizona Congresswoman Shot dead at point-blank range moments ago~! - Peter Lemkin - 08-01-2011
Six now confirmed dead, including a young child and Federal Judge.
Officers with the Capitol Police force advised members of the House and their aides to "take reasonable and prudent precautions" about their own security in the wake of the shooting.
HA! Anyone left of far right in Nut Nation should buy full body armor now! IMHO...or start thinking to move out of the country.....