Loughner - good story at Mother Jones

Not much to the phone message, but good background on Loughner.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/jared-lee-loughner-friend-voicemail-phone-message

"[Loughner] told me that Giffords opened up the floor for questions [in 2007] and he asked a question. The question was, 'What is government if words have no meaning?'" He said, 'Can you believe it, they wouldn't answer my question.' Ever since that, he thought she was fake, he had something against her."

Giffords' answer, whatever it was, didn't satisfy Loughner. "He said, 'Can you believe it, they wouldn't answer my question,' and I told him, 'Dude, no one's going to answer that,'" Tierney recalls. "Ever since that, he thought she was fake, he had something against her."
[....]
Tierney notes that Loughner did not display any specific political or ideological bent: "It wasn't like he was in a certain party or went to rallies...It's not like he'd go on political rants."

Palin's famous map and Kelly's ad

Here is Palin's map. The crosshair symbols occurred only on the map, showing congressional districts that she thought the GOP might pick up in the next election, because they had voted for McCain but had Democratic Congressmembers.

ETA: Here's the list that appeared below the map. Note no pictures, no crosshairs.

ETA: Below is an ad for an event with Gifford's opponent. Palin had endorsed him but had nothing to do with planning or advertising the event sfaik.

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Tucson -- needs gun control, imo

Why was Loughner able to buy his gun and multiple rounds of ammunition, a couple of months before the shooting -- legally and locally?

Sorry I don't have good cites handy, but he had been reported as disturbed and dangerous -- and iirc the Sheriff admits that Loughner was on record as making death threats.

Loughner - his ammunition

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/01/high-capacity_magazines_aka_cl.php

The magazine -- also known as the "clip" -- of a firearm is a spring-action stick of ammo that allows multiple rounds to be fired quickly from semi-automatic guns. (With a semi-auto, one bullet comes out each time the trigger is squeezed. Fully automatic machine guns keep firing while the trigger is held down.)

Jared Loughner's Glock had a clip that held 31 rounds, which is a big reason he was able to shoot so many people, so quickly. He was tackled before he could reload his weapon with another 31-round clip he was carrying.

Unfortunately, Giffords was 'targeted' from both Left and Right

From Democratic source Daily Kos, graphics similar to those Palin was criticized for.

ETA: Added detail on source of map.

[A] nearly identical map, included in a Democratic Leadership Committee publication in 2004, featured nine bullseyes over regions where Republican candidates were considered vulnerable that year, and was accompanied by a caption reading: TARGETING STRATEGY. A smaller caption, beneath the bullseyes, read: BEHIND ENEMY LINES. The map illustrated an article on campaign strategy by Will Marshall of the Progressive Policy Institute…
www dot foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/10/arizona-massacre-prompts-political-cheap-shots/



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