Jim Thompson – RedState
"Then J6 happened. Although the mob was removed from the Capitol with the vote to confirm completed within hours, those few hours of mayhem convinced a vast cohort of the crazy left that “democracy had been on the brink.” Transfer of power and democracy were never in danger, but the cult of the deranged had formed."
"Before the ink was dry on the gunman’s fingerprint sheet, the elected Sheriff of Pima County, Clarence Dupink, passionately proclaimed that “political vitriol” was “absolutely to blame” for the shooting. By early afternoon, Jared Loughner had been identified as the shooter – and identified as white and male. These two latter facts apparently were enough to get the yellow journalism machine in full throttle as Loughner was instantly labeled a neo-Nazi and white supremacist. Then Loughner was a Tea Party guy, an ultra “right” guy, a veteran. None of it was true.
"The “person of interest” the media was hunting was a cab driver, and Giffords wasn’t dead – Facts were intruding on the myth, but true believers were too red-faced with hate to bother with facts. Yellow journalists went into overdrive.
"By late afternoon of the shooting, the kooks on MSNBC were exploding with insults – all aimed at the right. The HuffPo and the DailyKosers were ranting about violence and, at the same time wishing death to conservatives. Twitter lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The theme was the same: The shooter, they wailed, was provoked by the “right.” Sarah Palin and her “target map” showing congressional districts Republicans wanted to flip. They wailed that Palin had incited the killer. Broadcast media was soon showing the soon-to-be-famous Palin “target map” as Exhibit A. Giffords' district was on that map, so, ipso facto, Palin had put the gun in the assassin's hand.
"They concluded Palin’s rhetoric generally and her target map specifically caused Loughner to turn to mass murder. By nightfall, the torches were lit, and the pitchforks were out. The mob was collectively screaming for blood; the mob wanted Palin’s head on a pike. By the next day, facts had gotten in the way.
"Loughner wasn’t a white supremacist. He wasn’t a foot soldier in a conspiracy; he wasn’t a “right-wing kook”; he wasn’t a vet. He was simply – a kook. Loughner was described by acquaintances as strikingly anti-social. He was often seen talking to himself, and when he spoke to others, he made little sense. He didn’t watch TV and didn’t listen to talk radio. The types of books he favored were written by Adolf Hitler and Karl Marx. He wasn’t part of the “Tea Party” or any party or group for that matter. Loughner was a drifter, a loser, a nihilist, and crazy person.
"No one needed a degree in psychology to determine that Loughner wasn’t a political assassin — he was just nutty as a fruitcake. Loughner attended Giffords events three years before his rampage and apparently didn’t get the attention from Giffords he thought he deserved and started a slow boil. He held a personal grudge, and on January 8, 2011, he acted on it. This rebuff occurred three years before he pulled a gun and shot 19 people. It predated Palin and her target map. It predated Arizona’s SB 1070 and predated Obama. This information, coupled with his disinterest in TV, cable news, or talk radio (and adding his mental illness to the mix) would lead anyone with the IQ of a gnat to the conclusion that Loughner’s rampage had no link to political rhetoric, political imagery or current events. " . . .
Opinion | Yes, it’s okay to compare Trump to Hitler. Don’t let me stop you. - The Washington Post
"During the pandemic, Mr. Trump often referred to Covid-19 as the “China virus” or the “Kung Flu,” angering Asian Americans who said he was being racist. "The Biden campaign has been battling to turn the nation’s attention back toward Mr. Trump after the president’s poor debate performance caused panic among some Democrats who worry he is too old to win re-election. Polls show that a majority of Democratic voters now want Mr. Biden to drop out of the race." . . .
Comperatore was an avid supporter of Trump and excited to be at Trump's rally Saturday in Butler, Shapiro said. He was there with his wife and two daughters and dove over them to protect them when gunshots were heard in the crowd.
"Corey died a hero," Shapiro said.
"Shapiro described Comperatore as a "girl dad" who went to church every Sunday and loved his family and community." . . .
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