NY Times Tipped Off Shooter to GOP Practice Field Around Time He Moved to Area

Gateway Pundit   . . . "The New York Times tipped off the GOP shooter on the GOP baseball practice field in an April article.

“When members of Congress practice in the early mornings in an Alexandrea, Va., public park for their Congressional Baseball Game, plainclothes United States Capital Police are sitting there in a blac S.U.V.”

"Hodgkinson moved to the area and scoped out the the baseball field since April.

"Hodgkinson asked lawmakers, “Are those Republicans or Democrats?” before gunning down Rep. Scalise and his security detail.

"In addition to Scalise, those shot were Matt Mika, the director of government relations for the Washington office of Tyson Foods and a former congressional staff member who was shot twice in the chest; Zachary Barth, a staffer for Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), who was hit in the leg by a bullet and was treated and released; two Capitol Police officers who were part of Scalise’s security detail were wounded in the attack: Officer Crystal Griner was shot in the ankle, Officer David Bailey sustained minor injuries and was also treated and released."

Fox News Is Dropping Its ‘Fair & Balanced’ Slogan

New York

"As Fox News moves further into the post–Roger Ailes era, the network is shedding one of its most iconic elements. According to network executives, Fox News has abandoned the marketing slogan “Fair & Balanced.” The decision was made last August after Ailes’s ouster by Fox News co-president Jack Abernethy, because the phrase had “been mocked,” one insider said. Another executive explained that the tagline was “too closely associated with Roger.” Fox executives have been instructed by management to market the network by its other tagline: “Most Watched. Most Trusted.”

"It is hard to overstate the significance of what shedding “Fair & Balanced” means for Fox News. (It would be like the New York Times giving up “All the News That’s Fit to Print.”) Ailes invented the slogan when he launched the network in 1996, and over the years it became a quasi-religious doctrine among Fox’s anchors and viewers. The effectiveness of Fox News as a vehicle for conservative ideology depended on it. “If you come out and you try to do right-wing news, you’re gonna die. You can’t get away with it,” Ailes once told a reporter.

"Inside Fox, Ailes held “Fair & Balanced” seminars with staff members. “He would call a group of senior producers and make you watch the channel and he’d point out stuff, like a banner that’s slightly liberal,” a senior producer told me. “He would say, ‘The news is like a ship. If you take hands off the wheel, it pulls hard to the left.’” Ailes also used “Fair & Balanced” when making hiring decisions, such as saying a job candidate “wasn’t ‘fair & balanced,’” because the person went to a college he didn’t like.

"In the annals of modern advertising, “Fair & Balanced” will be considered a classic. The slogan was Ailes’s cynical genius at its most successful. While liberals mocked the tagline, it allowed Ailes to give viewers the appearance of both sides being heard, when in fact he made sure producers staged segments so that the conservative viewpoint always won."  [unlike the other sources where the anti-conservative view was emphasized. TD]

"A Fox News spokesperson confirmed that the network is dropping the slogan but said the branding change won’t affect programming or editorial decisions."

Do not believe that; the Fox heirs are solidly for Hillary and the rest of the left, as reflected by this cartoon in my opinion. TD

Some of the commentary on the GOP shooting

American Thinker:

Alexandria and the Right to Shoot Back  . . . "But for the Capitol Hill Police *

detail assigned to protect Scalise as a member of the House Republican leadership, the killer would have been free to roam the fenced-in field picking targets at random. The field would have been just another gun-free zone, as in

 

places like Paris, Orlando, and Aurora, Colorado where armed predators are free, thanks to gun control zealots, to ply their deadly trade.

"Let us not overlook the fact the Alexandria shooting comes amidst a torrent of vitriol directed at Republicans in general and President Trump in particular. It should not be lost on anyone that GOP congressmen and their staffs were deliberately targeted on President Trump’s 71st birthday. "

* When I heard the names of the two officers -- a man and a woman, David Bailey and Crystal Griner – there was nothing about those names that indicated any particular ethnicity. But when, late Wednesday, I saw their photos, it seemed pretty clear that both are black.

New York Times publishes despicable lies to soften its own culpability for left-wing violence   . . . "For a newspaper styled as "the newspaper of record" to outright lie in this way shows us that there is panic at the Gray Lady.  As on the left as a whole.  They have been caught out with the consequences of their fusillade of incitement to violence." . . .

Another congressman shot, and civility continues to crumble  . . . "It is wishful thinking that this toxic rhetoric will stop and people will learn their lesson.  It would be nice if an event like this recent shooting would make people rethink the way they speak.  As Congressman Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) told a radio show, "maybe this is a wake-up call.  Let's hope we could disagree on a more polite, conversational basis."

"The question remains: have Americans learned anything since the Gabby Giffords shooting?  The answer appears to be no."

The left's war on patriots and traditional America  . . . "The leftists believe that our borders should be open and that illegal aliens should not be sent home.  They believe that multiculturalism is always good and that America has a lot to apologize for.  The left and its antifa, Black Lives Matter, and stooges in the mainstream media would like to drown out the opinions of the rest of America."

Antifa terrorism  . . . "When we turn to the American left, what do we find?  A group of opinion leaders (Colbert, Griffin, Whedon, Kaine, Lynch), all fanatical adherents of a pseudo-religion, propagandizing and encouraging resistance to a subhuman enemy, the "deplorables," and their political representatives.  The means at their disposal consist not only of the internet, but the American media and entertainment spheres as a whole.  The network consists of millions of disconnected misfits seething with hatred and frustration.  The propaganda includes targets, methods, and repeated suggestions of violence up to and including murder.  All that's lacking is The Call of Global Antifa, but that may well be coming.

"And lo and behold, now we have terror attacks.  How could that possibly have happened?" . . .

More on this today...

Fake news media have blood on their hands

. . . Fake news media pretending to be outraged over the shooting is as absurd as a farmer planting corn and acting shocked when stalks appear. Fake news media's and Democrats' summer of violence has begun.

Lloyd Marcus   "I heard Rush Limbaugh say things are looking good regarding Republicans passing health care reform.  Paraphrasing, Rush says that if that happens, leftists' bad behavior will sink to new levels.

"When the GOP passes health care legislation, fake news media will gleefully incite leftists to new levels of violence.  Fake news media created the anti-Trump crazies for the distinct purpose of inflicting punishment on Trump supporters.  They hope chaos in our streets will ultimately lead to removing Trump from office.  In worship and furtherance of their leftist agenda, fake news media gladly throw American lives on the altar to be burned.

"Folks, I wish I could magically open the eyes of low-info voters to see that fake news media's sole motivation is advancing their anti-Christian agenda and usurping power to control every aspect of our lives.  They are not tolerant of any other point of view.  They are arrogant, believing themselves to be superior.

"While touting their superior compassion and preaching "give peace a chance," leftists beat the crap out of anyone they catch wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap or t-shirt.  Pictures of bloody Trump supporters attacked by peacenik leftists are all over the internet.

"The crews at CNN, MSNBC, and the DNC are despicable human beings with blood on their hands.  Their relentless 24/7 spewing of lies about Trump for the purpose of generating violence is harming people.  In essence, they have launched a clarion call to their enraged base and George Soros-funded hit-men to punish Trump supporters.  Victimized women, seniors, and children are deemed acceptable collateral damage.  This is evil from the pits of hell, folks.  Insidiously, fake news media shroud their disdain for everyday Americans and Trump in intellectual-sounding words." . . .

Wash Times: First Shots Of Second American Civil War Have Been Fired…

Weasel Zippers

"Starting all over again with an election.

"Via Washington Times:

The first skirmishes of a second American civil war have begun. No, this is not a metaphorical analogy to that bloody conflict that killed approximately 620,000 Americans. It is an objective statement of the reality in America.

Since the election of 2016, the left has gone crazy. Their version of the Tea Party is called “Resistance” and the spearhead of that is a loosely formed terrorist group called “Antifa.” Antifa is short for Anti-Fascist. The irony of their name is not lost on those who actually know history, as their tactics are straight from the fascist playbook.

In the last few months, these groups have repeatedly disrupted peaceful pro-Trump rallies. They have called for and used violence against people who support the president, disagree with them and even against members of the media who will report things Antifa doesn’t want reported.

Keep reading…

The 'Resistance' Goes Live-Fire With Even More Support From Chris Matthews

Can we fairly give credit for all this to Howard Zinn and his "young skulls full of mush"?

Ann Coulter . . . "In CNN's most fevered dreams about a violent uprising of Trump supporters, they never could have conceived of the level of actual violence being perpetrated by Americans who refuse to accept Trump's win. (See Hate Map.) 
      'It began with Trump's inauguration, when a leftist group plotted to pump a debilitating gas into one Trump inaugural ball, military families were assaulted upon leaving the Veterans' Inaugural Ball, and attendees of other balls had water thrown on them. 
     "Since then, masked, armed liberals around the country have formed military-style organizations to beat up conservatives. In liberal towns, the police are regularly ordered to stand down to allow the assaults to proceed unimpeded. 
     "The media only declared a crisis when conservatives fought back, smashing the black-clad beta males. ("Battle for Berkeley!") 
     "There is more media coverage for conservatives' "microaggressions" toward powerful minorities -– such as using the wrong pronoun -- than there is for liberals' physical attacks on conservatives, including macings, concussions and hospitalizations. 
     "And now some nut Bernie Sanders-supporter confirms that it's Republicans standing on a baseball field, before opening fire. 
     "In the media's strategic reporting of the attempted slaughter, we were quickly told that the mass shooter was white, male and had used a gun. We were even told his name. (Because it was not "Mohammed.") 
     "But the fact that Hodgkinson's Facebook page featured a banner of Sanders and the words "Democratic Socialism explained in 3 words: 'We the People' Since 1776" apparently called for hours of meticulous fact-checking by our media. 
"Did reporters think they could keep that information from us forever? 
     "The fake news insists that Trump's White House is in "chaos." No, the country is in chaos. But just like Kathy Griffin and her Trump decapitation performance art -- the perpetrators turn around in doe-eyed innocence and blame Trump. "

Congressman Gets Call Saying “Glad It Happened…Trump Needs to Be Next”  Video

Remorseless leftists celebrate mass shooting  . . . "In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s shootings, numerous leftists were similarly combative online. Some were shockingly remorseless in taking to social media to actually celebrate the attempted assassinations of GOP lawmakers." . . .

Chris Matthews Shows Sympathy for Shooter Who Tried To Kill Republicans!   "MSNBC’s Chris Matthews just showed me a side that I hope I never reach in my life."

. . . "Leftists always find a special place in their hearts for a Terrorist.  

"He was a Democrat/Bernie supporter who was fed a steady diet of hatred from the MSM/cable “news” shows/late night comedy(?) shows aimed at not only President Trump but Republicans in general. This was not an “if” situation, it was always a “when.”

"This shooting was inevitable, and just the beginning." . . .

15 Times Celebrities Envisioned Violence Against Trump and the GOP

Breitbart  "Hollywood has issued dire predictions and hysterical warnings about Donald Trump ever since the Republican businessman first announced his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015.

"But the level of vitriol and violent rhetoric against now-President Trump has increased substantially in recent weeks, from comedian Kathy Griffin’s now-famous shock “beheading” photograph to Shakespeare in the Park’s not-at-all-subtle “assassination” of Trump on a stage in New York City’s Central Park.

"Unfortunately, Griffin and the director of Julius Caesar are not anomalies in Hollywood; actors, writers, directors, and other celebrities have fantasized about using violence against Trump, his supporters, and other GOP lawmakers for at least the past 18 months.

"Below are 15 examples of celebrities who have used pointed, violent rhetoric to attack the president and other Republicans."

. . . 

9. Actress Lea DeLaria Threatens to ‘Take Out’ Republicans and Independents with Baseball Bat after Trump Win

Sarah Silverman, "the comedian and vocal leftist activist suggested the U.S. military could join the anti-Trump “resistance” and help overthrow the president.

“ 'WAKE UP & JOIN THE RESISTANCE. ONCE THE MILITARY IS W US FASCISTS GET OVERTHROWN. MAD KING & HIS HANDLERS GO BYE BYE,” Silverman tweeted.

"Silverman, who was one of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ earliest celebrity supporters, previously compared Trump’s victory to the Great Depression."

When losing an election makes you lose your mind

"When losing an election makes you lose your mind"  "Wow. This column validated by today's shooting." Lucianne

Alicia Colon

. . . "Ford was trying to save taxpayer money by threatening to veto any bill that would be a federal bailout for NYC to avert default. This angered the bureaucrats, political hacks and unionists who were responsible for the city's financial woes so the media went full tilt against Ford and the voters elected a peanut farmer governor of one of the poorest states in the union.

"This, in spite of the fact that his lieutenant governor was Lester Maddox and he was associated with noted racist George Wallace. Blacks voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats anyway." . . .

"The presidential election of 2016 was an entirely different ball game because the man who won was a completely different animal.

"A billionaire nonpolitician was elected who was also very dangerous to the settled bureaucratic elite in both parties because he is uncontrollable by the special interests that rule Congress. The wrath and derangement that spilled forth after the election and continues still is unprecedented yet not completely surprising.

"Although it made absolutely no sense, the hype for a Hillary Clinton presidency was relentless and overpoweringly waged in all sources, including the media, the Internet and social networks.

"There were very few critics asking the important question --- why this woman?

She carried more baggage than an airport porter yet only one candidate (Trump) chose to call her a criminal." . . .

Jeff Sessions slew the innuendo dragon today

Another Liberal Festival Fizzles

Legal Insurrection   "Finally confronting his Democrat accusers"

"Watching Attorney General Jeff Sessions testify before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence was both an inspiring and infuriating experience.

"When it comes to inspiration, there’s Jeff Sessions. He did as well as he possibly could in slaying the media and Democratic innuendo machine. For several months we have heard conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory about Sessions based on “contacts” with the Russian ambassador.

"The theory that a mere “contact” was evidence of impropriety never made sense, certainly not for an Ambassador who seems to be a well-traveled fixture on the D.C. political circuit.

"Sessions’ contacts were not suspicious in the least — one was at the Republican National Convention where the Russian Ambassador was among a large group of foreign diplomats brought by the Obama administration to witness the event. The second contact was at Sessions’ Senate office in the presence of career staffers.

"Never, ever has anyone pointed to anything substantive that Sessions allegedly said or did that was improper." . . .

House Democrats Battle Behind The Scenes Over Impeachment And Battling President Trump

Weasel Zippers

"Bipartisanship is outdated.

"Via The Hill:

The weekly meeting of House Democrats on Tuesday erupted over stark disagreements about how the party should fight President Trump.

Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), a leadership ally, stood during the Democrats’ closed-door caucus meeting to denounce Rep. Brad Sherman’s (D-Calif.) impeachment push as a selfish maneuver that could hurt fellow Democrats and candidates at home, according to a source in the room.

There must be ”a discussion within the caucus — in a public forum — before we do something that would position our colleagues or our future colleagues,” Capuano said, according to the source.

“Emotions are high. These issues have political implications and government ones.”

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the minority whip, also took issue with Sherman’s tactics on Tuesday after the meeting.

“We believe strongly that a discussion about impeachment is not timely,” he said.

James T. Hodgkinson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Heavy.com  "An anti-Trump, Republican-hating Bernie Sanders supporter with a history of domestic violence has been identified as the shooter who opened fire on Republican members of Congress Wednesday morning at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, the Washington Post reports. He was shot by police at the scene and later died at a local hospital, President Donald Trump said.

" 'James T. Hodgkinson, 66, was from Belleville, Illinois, the newspaper reports. A motive for the shooting is not yet known, but Hodgkinson’s Facebook page shows someone who had a high interest in politics, who supported Bernie Sanders during the presidential election and expressed anger with President Donald Trump and Republican Congressmen.

"The gunman was shot by two Capitol Hill Police officers who were at the scene as a security detail for Rep. Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who was among those shot. The two police officers, special agents David Bailey and Krystal Griner, were also wounded, along with Zack Barth, a staffer for Rep. Roger Williams of Texas and a former staffer turned lobbyist, Matt Mika. The victims are all expected to survive, but Mika was the most seriously injured and was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.

"Two Congressmen, Rep. Jeff Duncan and Rep. Ron DeSantis, described an encounter with a man who asked them if those practicing were “Republicans or Democrats” before the shooting. DeSantis, when shown a photo of Hodgkinson, confirmed he was the man who approached him, CNBC reports.

"Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown said his officers and Capitol Police officers exchanged fire with the gunman.

"Sources told the CNN it was a “deliberate attack.”

"The GOP baseball team was practicing at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria when the shooting occurred. The Republican team was preparing to play its annual game against Democratic congressmen at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

"This post will be updated as more information is made available. Here is what we know so far:" . . . Hat tip to Steve Alison

Gunman opens fire at congressional baseball practice...

Expect much sarcasm from the left, mixed with some rejoicing by academia and Hollywood. TD

UK Mail   "The gunman who opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice session on Wednesday morning, injuring four people including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, has been named as James T. Hodgkinson.  

"The shooter from Belleville, Illinois, fired up to 100 rounds from a high powered rifle from the third base dugout at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, as the group practiced batting at around 7.00 a.m.

"He was eventually shot by two U.S. Capitol Police officers who were accompanying Scalise. They were both wounded as they exchanged gunfire. 

"Hodgkinson, who was first named by CBS News, is now in custody and undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Acquaintances said the man was a staunch Democrat who volunteered for Bernie Sanders' campaign. 

"Zachary Barth, a congressional staffer for Texas Rep. Roger Williams was also shot. Senator Rand Paul, who was at the scene but was not injured, described it as a 'killing field.'

"Moments before the attack, a man - thought to be the shooter -  asked if the group were Republicans or Democrats, Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis said. North Carolina Rep. Mike Walker told NBC News the 'gunman was there to kill as many Republican members as possible.'

"Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop described how one man – thought to be part of Scalise’s Capitol Police protection detail – stood his ground to return fire as the congressmen and at least one of their children dove for cover in a dugout and Scalise dragged himself across the field after being hit, leaving a trail of blood behind him." . . .

Belleville suspect in congressional shooting belongs to anti-GOP groups

"James Hodgkinson of Belleville protests outside of the United States Post Office in Downtown Belleville in this file photo. Hodgkinson is part of the “99%” team drawing attention to the disproportionate amount of money and political power the top 1 percent of Americans have acquired."

. . . "Two days ago, Hodgkinson posted an angry tweet about President Donald Trump on Facebook.

“ 'I Want to Say Mr. President, for being an a-- hole you are Truly the Biggest A-- Hole We Have Ever Had in the Oval Office,” he wrote on Facebook.
Hodgkinson is a member of a number of anti-Republican groups on Facebook, including one called “Terminate the Republican Party.”
▪  “The Road to Hell is Paved with Republicans”
▪  “Donald Trump is not my President”
▪  “President Bernie Sanders”
▪  “Illinois Berners United to Resist Trump”
▪  “Boycott the Republican Party”
▪  “Expose Republican Fraud”
▪  “Terminate the Republican Party”