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The largest flag to survive the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 is hung outside St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucosn, AZ., as family, friends, and the nation gather to say goodbye to a young life that began on a day of national tragedy, and whose life was shattered and taken in another national tragedy.
The casket of Christina Taylor Greene is followed by her brother Dallas and her parents
Capt. Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is attending the funeral for Christina Taylor Greene, acoompanied by his wife’s mother and sister. Sen. Kyl and Sen. McCain are both in attendance as well.
8:00pm The President and Mrs. Obama are flanked by Capt. Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and the intern who saved her life, Daniel Hernandez. (Capt. Kelly probably had to be pried from his wife’s side.)
8:07pm “Native American Blessing” offerred by Native American professor, Carlos Gonzalez, who began by stating that he is a “poor barrio kid” could grow up, son of Mexican immigrants……. but we weren’t making this “political”.
The irony of the seating…… Gov. Jan Brewer seated by Attorney General Eric Holder, and with retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Others seated nearby include Justice Kennedy, Sen. Jon Kyl, Sen. John McCain and Cindy McCain, freshman Congressman Ben Quayle, Rep. Raul Grevalia (who must have forgotten his tie), Minority Leader (f/k/a Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.
8:15 The National Anthem
8:20 Daniel Hernandez…… I am not a “Hero”. On Saturday, we all became Tucsonians, we all became Arizonans, we all became AMERICANS”.
8:28pm Arizona’s great leader, Gov. Jan Brewer, addresses the crowd, thanking the President for coming to Arizona to help Arizona heal. “We will not be shattered by one madman’s act of violence”.
8:36pm Secretary Janet Napolitano, doing a reading from the Book of Isiah, a passage she chose herself. “Comfort my people”. Spoken with grace and with eloquence. (note- the room clapped as she finished, except for Michelle Obama).
8:40 Attorney General Eric Holder. He read from II Corinthians. (again, Michelle Obama was the only one not to react).
8:44 The President of the United States is introduced. (He had earlier visited the victims in the hospital, including Rep. Giffords). Carrying a notebook, it appears that TOTUS is not being used tonight. “I have come to you tonight as an American, like all Americans to pray with you, to stand with you tomorrow”.
“We mourn with you”
“We pray with you”
“A scene of Democracy…. shattered by a gunmen’s bullets”
“Our hearts are broken” “Our hearts are broke”…. “Yet Our hearts have hope”
“Gabby opened her eyes for the first time” as the Obama’s left the room.
“We are there for her… through an undoubtedly difficult journal”
A standing ovation for Daniel Hernandez, who is then hugged by Capt. Kelly.
” We are thankful to those who tackled the gunman as he attempted to ReLoad”
“Heroism does not require special training…. it is here, in the hearts of fellow citizens, waiting to be summoned……. selflessness that.. challenges each of us.” “What is required of us going forward, to honor the fallen, to be true to their memory”
“Conversation from gun safety to ………………. discourse so sharply divided”
“Talk in a way that heals, not wounds” (His aides said he would not go near the weekend rhetoric, yet he did, very carefully.)
“Have we shown enough compassion….. priorities in order”.
“How well have we loved, and what small part we have played in making the lives of others better.”
“Align our values with our actions.”
” In Christina we see all of our children…. so deserving of our good example”
“Lets make sure the debate is worthy of those we have lost”
“Let their deaths usher in a more civil discourse, though discourse did not cause this tragedy (para)”. “It did not”.
“First and foremost, we are all AMERICANS.”
“If there are rain puddles in Heaven, Christina is jumping in them”
Thirty four minutes………………..
The crowd claps loudly as the President takes his seat.
A moment of silence in remembrance.
Doctors say that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords continues to make improvements, and they remain cautiously optimistic about the strides she has made thus far. They note that she is still not out of the woods, but each passing day lessens the concerns over swelling, etc.
Last night, her family released a couple of photos……. and they say it all:
On Thursday, when the members of the House of Representatives took to the floor of the House to read the US Constitution, Arizona’s Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords read from the First Amendment about our right to “assemble, and to address our grievances”. Less than 72 hours later, a 22 year old opens fire in a crowd where Rep. Giffords was meeting with a crowd of constituents in the parking lot of a Safeway Grocery store in Tucson, one of her “Congress on the Corner” meetings.
When the shooting ended, at least 19 had been shot, with at least 5 dead. Among the dead was US District Judge John Roll, who had been appointed to the Federal judiciary by George HW Bush, and a 9 year old girl. As for Rep. Giffords, it is reported that she was hit by a bullet that when in one temple, and exited the other side. She is reportedly out of surgery, in critical condition, with doctors indicating that she is responding to commands and they are optimistic about her recovery. It has alse been reported that Rep. Giffords was conscious at the scene despite her injuries
“Gabby” Gifford would be considered a “fiscally conservative blue dog Democrat”, who was a Republican. She is “pro-life” and “pro-gun”, being a gun owner herself. Her district has 100 miles of border with Mexico. Her husband, Capt. Mark Kelly, is a space shuttle astronaut.
Immediately, as was to be expected, the media and the left bloggers were already blaming “right-wing extremist”, “Tea Party activists”, and the Daily Kos is pointedly blaming Sarah Palin. Ironically, Rep. Giffords was listed in 2008 in the Daily Kos as one of the legislators who had “bulls eye” target on them for certain votes. Initially it was reported that the shooter was a veteran having served in Afghanistan. The Pentagon is stating they have no record of the shooter.
In the hours since the shootings, with the suspect Jared Lee Loughren in custody, the emails, posts, MySpace comments, have come forward, showing a twisted individual, and one who is not the right wing individual that the media “wants” him to be. Hillbuzz.org is reporting that the suspect had posted comments that his Congresswoman (Giffords) had voted against Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, and that she was “Dead to me”. These posts were shown earlier on Daily Kos, but they have since been scrubbed, presumably because they do not fit the “right wing extremist” theory.
President Obama and Speaker Boehner both made statements that state there is no place for violence in our free and open society. One has to wonder what Frances Fox Piven or Van Jones are thinking right now, both having made statements recently calling for “violence”.
Hillbuzz.org ongoing coverage:
Links to the shooter’s ideology:
