Gabrielle Giffords shot

Ariz. Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been shot in the head at point blank range according to reports. We will endure a lot of inquiry and investigation. Perhaps this is a personal rather than a political attempted assassination. But given some of the rhetoric of the far right, one can't help speculating that we may have our first bloody victims of their hateful words.

Palin Puts Giffords in the Crosshairs

Her Opponents Campaign


1/14/11 Note: I have edited this post to remove an intemperate word of my own. The so-called "Tea Party" includes several organizations and people of a variety of conservative political beliefs. Some I would not hesitate to characterize as extremist, but many who identify themselves in general with the "Tea Party" movement do not qualify for that adjective.

[A totally unrelated tirade about grammar: 

I hesitate to use "extremist" as an adjective in the above sentence for fear it will be taken as a noun. There are in the body politick a large percentage who do not realize that the plural of a noun ending in "-ist" should end in "-ists". One Methodist, two Methodists. One extremist, two extremists. This is a constant aggravation to me. How many times have you read a comment during the last ten years about a bunch of "terrorist". Aaaiiiiiiaiiiiiiii!

I feel better now.]