Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot at Grocery Store Event

[Dos Equis]

Gabrielle Giffords Cleared To Attend Shuttle Launch, Husband Mark Kelly Says
04/24/11 07:22 PM ET   

HOUSTON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will attend husband Mark Kelly's space shuttle launch in Florida on Friday, Kelly said, allowing the Arizona congresswoman to travel for the first time since she was flown from Tucson to Houston more than three months ago to recover from a gunshot wound to the head.

In an interview with CBS' Katie Couric, Kelly said Giffords' doctors had given her permission to travel to Cape Canaveral, Fla., for the launch of Endeavor, which is scheduled for 3:47 p.m. Friday. Kelly is the commander of the shuttle mission.

CBS released excerpts of the interview Sunday, and it was scheduled to air Monday on "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," according to a network statement.

"I've met with her doctors, her neurosurgeon and her doctors, and ... they've given us permission to take her down to the launch," Kelly said in the interview in Houston. The network statement did not specify when the interview occurred.

James Harsfield, spokesman for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, referred all questions about Giffords to the congresswoman's office, where there was no immediate comment.

President Barack Obama and the first family also are scheduled to watch the launch, although it's unclear if they will watch it with Giffords.

Families view launches at Kennedy Space Center from a restricted area, and there are no plans for Giffords to make a public appearance.

It will be the first time Giffords has traveled since she was flown from Tucson, Ariz., to Houston on Jan. 21 for rehab. The Democrat was shot in the head Jan. 8 in a shooting in Tucson that killed six people and injured 12 others.

Giffords' spokesman, C.J. Karamargin, and her chief of staff, Pia Carusone, plan to hold a news conference after the launch to discuss the congresswoman's reaction, but Giffords will not go to the news conference because it could be an emotional moment for her, Karamargin said.

Giffords went to Kelly's last launch in 2008, when he commanded the space shuttle Discovery. The two married in 2007.

Obama last saw Giffords on Jan. 12, just four days after the shooting, when he visited her intensive care hospital room in Tucson and reported that she opened her eyes for the first time a few minutes after he left.

More recently, he wrote a tribute about the congresswoman in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world, saying that she wasn't known before the shooting, but now "she's got the prayers of a nation rooting for her."

He also wrote that Giffords is "a needed voice that cannot return soon enough."

The shooting happened as Giffords was holding a community outreach event in the parking lot of a Tucson shopping center. A gunman shot her in the head and worked his way down the line of her staff members and people waiting to talk with her. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the attack and is in custody.

Giffords has not been seen publicly since the shooting and has spent the last three months relearning how to speak, walk and take care of herself. She has been singing – as part of musical therapy – asking for her favorite foods and visiting with family, friends, and her rabbi.

Kelly returned to training for the shuttle launch in February after taking time off to be at his wife's hospital bedside.

Endeavor's two-week trip will be the last for that shuttle and the next-to-last shuttle mission. Shuttle Atlantis will close out the 30-year shuttle program this summer. Kelly and five crewmates will deliver a $2 billion physics experiment to the International Space Station, as well as critical spare parts to keep the orbiting outpost running for another decade.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/24/gabrielle-giffords-shuttle-launch_n_853065.html

[Soul Crusher]

The crazies at HP are claiming racism that the intern lost the studet election.   Ha ha ha ha - cant wait for HP to go down in flames.   

What a freaking joke 99.99999% of far leftist commies are.   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/23/daniel-hernandez-loses-student-election_n_852945.html

[garebear]

Which far left commies do you think are not jokes?

[George Whorewell]

Which far left commies do you think are not jokes?

Obama is not a joke at all. He should be taken quite seriously.

[Dos Equis]

Giffords celebrates Endeavour's final voyage
By: CNN Wire Staff

Kennedy Space Center, Florida (CNN) - The Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head just four months ago sat comfortably Monday morning, watching and cheering as the space shuttle Endeavour, with her husband aboard, took off on its final voyage.

Mark Kelly commands the shuttle's 16-day mission to the International Space Station. His wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, watched as Endeavour launched from the Kennedy Space Center just a few months after an assassination attempt at a public event in Tucson, Arizona.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/16/giffords-celebrates-endeavours-final-voyage/

[Dos Equis]

Judge rules Loughner is not competent to stand trial
By Ted Rowlands and Michael Martinez, CNN
May 25, 2011

Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- Jared Lee Loughner, accused in January's mass shooting in which he allegedly tried to assassinate a congresswoman, isn't competent to stand trial, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The judge said he based his decision on a mental evaluation of Loughner.

During his hearing, Loughner was removed by marshals from the courtroom after an outburst, in which one reporter heard him say, "Thank you for the freak show. She died right in front of me," and "You're changing."

After the recess, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns asked Loughner if he wanted to watch the remainder of the proceedings on a television monitor, Loughner said yes, and he was removed from courtroom.

The hearing was held on whether Loughner is mentally competent to stand trial on charges of trying to assassinate a congresswoman.

Loughner, 22, of Tucson, Arizona, faces multiple charges -- including murder and attempted murder -- related to the January 8 mass shooting in a grocery store parking lot in Tucson.

He entered the courtroom Wednesday no longer bald and clean-shaven, as he was depicted in his mug shot shortly after the shootings. Loughner now has a full head of hair, along with facial hair.

Burns is expected to consider the results of a mental evaluation that Loughner underwent in Springfield, Missouri.

Loughner is charged with killing six people and wounding 13 more, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, who was holding a meet-and-greet with constituents at the time. Authorities say Giffords was the target of the attack.

Loughner was indicted in March on 49 counts, including murder and attempted murder. He has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation to help a judge determine if he is competent to stand trial in the case.

Loughner is accused of killing John M. Roll, a federal district judge; Gabriel M. Zimmerman, a staff member for Giffords; Dorothy J. Morris; Phyllis C. Schneck; Dorwan C. Stoddard; and 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Shot through the head and brain, Giffords is recovering from surgery that implanted a synthetic bone and a shunt in her skull, her doctors said last week.

She was in attendance last week when the space shuttle Endeavour took off with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, in command.

Among those attending Wednesday's hearing was Susan Hileman, 58, who was wounded in the shooting, and her husband, Bill. Susan Hileman was the neighbor who brought 9-year-old Christina to the supermarket meet-and-greet with Giffords.

Christina has often been remembered as the child shooting victim who was born on September 11, 2001.

Also attending were friends and co-workers of Judge Roll, whose courtroom was in the same courthouse as Wednesday's hearing.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/25/arizona.loughner.competency/index.html?hpt=C1

[Soul Crusher]

Obviously motivated by Palin.   

[Dos Equis]

Obviously motivated by Palin.   

Undoubtedly.  Had to be the website with the targets.   

[Option D]

na... obama did it... 

[Dos Equis]

Giffords released from hospital, will begin outpatient treatment
June 15th, 2011

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been released from a Texas hospital where she has been recovering from a January gunshot wound to the head, and she soon will start outpatient treatment at the same facility, the hospital said Wednesday.

Giffords, D-Arizona, will move into the home of her husband, NASA astronaut and Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, in League City, Texas, according to TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

"Congresswoman Giffords has shown clear, continuous improvement from the moment she arrived at TIRR five months ago," Dr. Gerard Francisco, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said in a news release. "We are very excited that she has reached the next phase of her rehabilitation and can begin outpatient treatment. We have no doubt that she will continue to make significant strides in her recovery."

Six people were killed and 13 others, including Giffords, were wounded when a gunman opened fire in front of a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is charged in the shooting. A federal judge ruled last month that he is not competent to stand trial, based on the results of court-ordered medical evaluations of Loughner. The U.S. attorney general will take custody of Loughner for a period not to exceed four months, during which he will be taken to a hospital for further evaluation to determine if he will become competent to stand trial.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/15/giffords-released-from-hospital-will-begin-outpatient-treatement/

[Hugo Chavez]

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is charged in the shooting. A federal judge ruled last month that he is not competent to stand trial, based on the results of court-ordered medical evaluations of Loughner. The U.S. attorney general will take custody of Loughner for a period not to exceed four months, during which he will be taken to a hospital for further evaluation to determine if he will become competent to stand trial.

They need to cut the bullshit on this one.  This guy needs to pay the price for what he did.  I really don't give a rats ass if he's nuts or not.  He seems nuts to me, I still want to see his ass put down for what he did.

Good to see Giffords is doing well.

[Dos Equis]

They need to cut the bullshit on this one.  This guy needs to pay the price for what he did.  I really don't give a rats ass if he's nuts or not.  He seems nuts to me, I still want to see his ass put down for what he did.

Good to see Giffords is doing well.

Agree.

[Dos Equis]

Appeals court temporarily halts forced medication of Jared Loughner
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 5, 2011

(CNN) -- A federal appeals court in San Francisco has temporarily halted the forced medication of Tucson shooting defendant Jared Loughner until a three-judge panel can hear competing arguments from his lawyers and prosecutors by mid-week.

Loughner is charged with seriously wounding U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a January rampage that also left six others dead.

The brief order from a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals set a tight deadline for lawyers from both sides to file more detailed legal briefs. The federal government has until 5 p.m. PT Wednesday to argue the involuntary medication should continue.

Loughner's lawyers had appealed Friday an earlier ruling allowing prison doctors to forcibly medicate him with strong drugs.

The appeals judges will decide whether to issue a permanent order that could extend the ban on forced medication, or allow the procedure to resume. There was no indication how soon the panel would rule.

Last week, a federal judge in San Diego rejected a motion by lawyers for Loughner to prevent prison doctors from forcibly medicating the Arizona shooting suspect.

"I defer to medical judgment," U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns said in ruling that prison doctors were within their rights to force Loughner to take mind-altering psychotropic drugs against his will. "I have no reason to disagree with the doctors here."

Burns also ordered that sensitive medical and legal documents relating to Loughner's treatment for mental illness remain sealed.

Loughner has already started receiving the powerful drugs, and lawyers representing Loughner contend that forcing him to take the drugs against his will violates his rights.

Authorities at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where Loughner is being held, should have tried lesser restraints such as milder tranquilizers, argued Reuben Camper Cahn, one of Loughner's lawyers.

Prosecutors responded in last week's hearing that prison officials acted properly in ordering the medication, which they said was necessary for Loughner to control his mental illness.

"This is a person who is a ticking time bomb," prosecutor Wallace Kleindienst said. "He's lunged at his defense counsel and spits at her."

Loughner, 22, is charged in the January mass shooting in which six people were killed and 13 wounded, including Giffords, in front of a Safeway grocery story in Tucson, Arizona.

A federal judge ruled last month that Loughner was not competent to stand trial, and he was sent to the federal facility in Springfield.

Loughner's lawyers said prison officials held a deficient hearing process and used faulty reasoning in deciding to drug Loughner against his will.

For example, Loughner had no attorney present at the June 14 hearing, the lawyers said in their motion, and officials failed to state the drug and dosage he should receive.

According to the emergency motion filed last month, authorities had earlier assessed Loughner as dangerous because of incidents before his transfer to the Springfield prison: He threw a chair against a door and spat at an attorney.

However, the reasoning by prison officials in Springfield for deciding to administer the drugs was to treat Loughner's mental illness, rather than to subdue any dangerous behavior, the motion said.

Prosecutors had argued in their response that Loughner received a proper administrative hearing on the matter, and the medication prescribed was necessary to prevent him from being a danger to himself and others.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/05/loughner.forced.medication/index.html?hpt=ju_c2

[Dos Equis]

Lawyers Seek to Stop Loughner's Forced Medication
Published September 24, 2011
Associated Press

PHOENIX-- Lawyers for the Tucson shooting rampage suspect asked a federal court again Friday to stop his forced medication at a medical facility in a Missouri prison.

Jared Lee Loughner's lead attorney, Judy Clarke, wrote in an emergency motion that the ongoing forced medication of her client is unlawful. She said Loughner will suffer "irreparable harm" unless the prison is ordered to cease giving him a daily "four-drug cocktail," or at least start tapering him off it.

Loughner, 23, has been at the Springfield, Mo., facility since May 27 after he was found to be mentally unfit to stand trial. Experts have concluded he suffers from schizophrenia and are trying to restore his competency.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges stemming from the Jan. 8 shooting at a political event outside a northwest Tucson supermarket. The rampage left six people dead and 13 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is still recovering.

Prison officials have forcibly medicated Loughner with psychotropic drugs after concluding he posed a danger at the facility. Federal prosecutors have previously argued Loughner should remain medicated because his mental and physical condition has been rapidly deteriorating.

Clarke said Loughner "has an exceptionally strong interest in not being executed." But she noted it is "no secret" that the government may seek the death penalty if the case is eventually tried.

Clarke said the prosecution's position of seeking to forcibly medicate Loughner so he can be found mentally fit to stand trial "raises the specter of medicating him to execute him."

"The forced-medication road taken by the government here is one that potentially leads to Mr. Loughner's death," she wrote.

An after-hours call to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tucson for comment on Clarke's filing wasn't immediately returned Friday night.

U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns ruled Aug. 26 that prison doctors may continue to forcibly medicate Loughner, noting the suspect kept himself awake for 50 hours straight after an appeals court stopped the forced medication July 1.

Clarke wrote in her Friday motion to Burns that "psychotropic drugs alter the chemical balance in a patient's brain and can have serious, even fatal, side effects."

She said there is no legal basis to forcibly medicate Loughner, and the Missouri prison has no authority to do so for competency restoration.

That decision can only be made by a court after an adversarial hearing, Clarke said.

Loughner is expected to attend a hearing Wednesday in Tucson where Burns will consider whether it's probable Loughner can be made mentally fit for trial and whether to extend his nearly four-month stay at the Missouri facility by another eight months.

Loughner was forcibly medicated between June 21 and July 1 after prison officials determined his outbursts there posed a danger to others. He was given twice daily doses of Risperidone, a drug used for people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe behavior problems.

Prison officials stopped doing that on July 2 after the 9th Circuit granted his lawyers' request for a temporary stay of involuntary medication. But prosecutors said Loughner was put on a 24-hour suicide watch in mid-July after he asked a prison psychologist to kill him.

Prosecutors also said Missouri prison staff reported Loughner had been pacing in circles near his cell door, screaming loudly, crying for hours at a time and claiming to hear messages from a radio.
Records show the prison's medical and psychology staff feared Loughner's condition could worsen without immediate care and resumed medicating him July 18.

Loughner's lawyers haven't said whether they intend to present an insanity defense, but they have noted in court filings that his mental condition will likely be a central issue at trial.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/24/lawyers-seek-to-stop-loughners-forced-medication/

[Dos Equis]

Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Giffords, retires from Navy
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 9:51 AM EST, Sat October 1, 2011

(CNN) -- Mark Kelly, the astronaut and husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, formally retired from the Navy on Saturday.

Kelly, 47, is a former Navy combat and test pilot who went on to command Space Shuttle flights in 2008 and again in May, several months after his wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was wounded in a shooting at a constituent event in Tucson, Arizona. He also flew as part of Shuttle crews in 2001 and 2006.

He announced his retirement in June and it became effective on Saturday.

In a posting on his Facebook page at the time, he said he wanted to devote more time to helping Giffords recover from her injuries, and also to spend more time with his daughters from a previous marriage.

"This was not an easy decision. Public service has been more than a job for me and for my family," Kelly wrote on his Facebook page at the time.

Kelly joined the Navy in 1987 after graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1986.

Kelly and Giffords have a book coming out on November 15.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/01/us/nasa-mark-kelly/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Dos Equis]

Tweet of the day: Giffords returning to Washington


(CNN) - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona will make her second trip to Washington since being gravely wounded in a mass shooting in January.

The Democratic congresswoman will attend a military retirement service for her husband, astronaut and Navy captain Mark Kelly, at the White House on Thursday, with no plans to stop by Capitol Hill.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

[Dos Equis]

Ceremony marks Navy retirement of Gabrielle Giffords' husband
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 5:20 PM EST, Thu October 6, 2011

Washington (CNN) -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords joined about 50 dignitaries and family members Thursday in Washington to mark the retirement of her husband, Mark Kelly, from the U.S. Navy.

Kelly, 47,enlisted the military in 1987 and served as a combat and test pilot before joining the U.S. space program. He was part of space shuttle flights in 2001 and 2006, and then commanded ones in 2008 and again in May.

The last one took place several months after Giffords was among 13 people wounded in a shooting at a constituent event outside a Tucson, Arizona, supermarket. Six others -- including a federal judge and child -- were killed.

Since then, the Arizona Democrat has been mostly out of the public eye and in intense rehabilitation in Arizona and Texas. One exception, prior to Thursday, was her August 1 return to the Capitol to cast a vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

She attended Thursday's event inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next to the West Wing of the White House, along with her congressional chief of staff, Pia Carusone, plus her and Kelly's mothers and his two teenage daughters from a previous marriage.

Sporting glasses, black pants, running shoes and a brace on her right hand, Giffords smiled as she entered to prolonged applause and sat in the front row.

Kelly officially retired from the Navy on Saturday. Thursday's event to commemorate the occasion was attended by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and several other members of Congress.

At one point, Giffords helped present her husband with the Distinguishing Flying Cross medal, in honor of his fourth space shuttle mission.

Vice President Joe Biden presided over the ceremony, attaching a Legion of Merit pin to Kelly's jacket and later offering remarks.

"It's not every day you encounter examples of sheer, sheer courage and selflessness and dedication like you see in this couple," he said of Giffords and Kelly.

Kelly also spoke, extending thanks to those who have offered their "boundless friendship and optimism" over the past eight, trying months. And he made a plea for NASA to "remain a permanent part of the fabric of this great country."

The former astronaut gave flowers to his daughters and wife, then addressed her in front of the crowd.

"Gabby, you remind me every day to deny the acceptance of failure," he said. "I look forward to the next phase of our life together and watching all of your future achievements."

Kelly announced his retirement in June, writing then on his Facebook page that he wanted to devote more time to helping Giffords recover from her injuries and spend more time with his daughters.

"This was not an easy decision. Public service has been more than a job for me and for my family," he wrote.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/politics/kelly-retirement/index.html

[Dos Equis]

Gabrielle Giffords gives first TV interview since shooting
By Richard Allen Greene, CNN
updated 11:09 AM EST, Tue November 15, 2011


Gabrielle Giffords, left, who was shot in January, is pictured with her mother Gloria after months in recovery.

(CNN) -- Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head during a gun rampage in January, appeared in her first television interview late Monday night, clearly understanding the questions put to her but able to respond only in simple words.

"I cried," she told ABC's Diane Sawyer in response to a question about how she felt when her husband told her what had happened.
"Died," she said.

"Sad," said her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.

 Giffords hopes for Congress return

"Sad," Giffords agreed. "I cried. A lot of people died."

But she said she never got angry about it.

"No," she said. "No. No. No."

She paused.

"Life," she said, then shrugged. "Life."

Jared Loughner, 23, is accused of wounding Giffords and 12 others and killing six people in the shooting at a meet-and-greet event for the congresswoman outside a Tucson, Arizona, shopping center.
Giffords, a Democrat, posted a video address to her constituents on the Arizona Daily Star website, saying she missed them and Tuscon: "The mountains, the blue skies, even the heat.

"I'm getting stronger, I'm getting better," she says, adding that she wants to go back to work.

She sat with her husband on a couch for the ABC interview, wearing a lime green jacket.

She wore her hair short and smiled often.

Giffords said: "Pretty good," when Sawyer asked how she felt.

Sawyer asked Giffords if it was painful to move her right arm, and Giffords said it was not.

"Difficult," she said twice, then grinned and swung her left arm.

"Strong!" she said, getting a laugh from Sawyer. "Strong, strong!"

Giffords was shot in the head, with the bullet passing through the left side of her brain, which controls the right half of the body.

Her right arm lay unused on her lap during the interview.

But before the interview began, she leaned over to fix Sawyer's hair with her left hand.

Giffords has made what doctors call a miraculous recovery since the shooting.

She was shown in therapy, struggling to come up with a word when asked what she would use to tell time.

"W....," the therapist prompts.

"Wwwwwwatch!" Giffords says, to the delight of the therapist.

She and Kelly told Sawyer she did two hours of therapy a day in their home.

Giffords has clearly retained a sense of humor; her husband teases her when Sawyer asks what she loves by interjecting: "Football! Gabby loves the NFL."
"No, no, no," she giggles. "Stinks!"

Loughner is in mental health treatment and will be re-evaluated early next year to determine his competency to stand trial.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/15/politics/gabrielle-giffords-interview/index.html

[240 is Back]

msnbc using it to whine about the fact the kid had a mental condition, but was stil able to buy the gun.

in this case, it wasn't a matter of the law not being right - it was shitty arizona law enforcement that didn't enforce the law.

[Dos Equis]

Husband: Giffords will come back 'stronger than ever'
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 10:45 PM EST, Wed November 23, 2011

(CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords works hard every day to overcome the devastating effects of a gunshot wound in the brain that would have killed most people.

The grueling physical, occupational and speech therapy is helping the Arizona congresswoman get to a point where she can make a decision about returning to office, said her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.

Thursday, the couple will spend an emotional Thanksgiving in Tucson.

There's "a lot to be thankful for," Kelly told CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" in an interview broadcast Wednesday.

 Mark Kelly on Sarah Palin's target Loughner's mental state improving Gabby Giffords' road to recovery


"Gabby's alive, first of all, and ... she's been able to recover," Kelly said. "She'd remind people to be thankful for your health, your family and for being alive. "

Giffords is generally in an "upbeat mood," Kelly said, and is not angry about what happened to her. "She'll come back stronger than ever, I'm convinced."

The couple have chronicled their experience in a new book, "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope."

Jared Loughner, 23, is accused of wounding Giffords and 12 others, and killing six people, in the shooting at a meet-and-greet event for the congresswoman outside a Tucson shopping center in January.
Early on, Kelly said, Giffords said she would like to see Loughner' "rot" if convicted.

"I think she feels differently now," Kelly said. "She understands he's very sick and needs to be treated."

Last week, Giffords told ABC's Diane Sawyer that she was sad about the six people who died in the shooting.

"I cried. A lot of people died," Giffords said, telling Sawyer she doesn't remember the next 13 days at a hospital in Tucson before she was flown to a rehabilitation hospital in Houston.

Kelly told Morgan he initially did not tell Giffords about the people who died that day. Eventually, the congresswoman saw newspaper articles about the incident.
Giffords caught him when he skipped over the deaths when reading one article, Kelly said.

"She was reading over my shoulder and pointed out that I'd left that out," Kelly said. "I read the paragraph where it talked about six people being killed."

Giffords appeared "shocked." A few minutes later, she broke down in the middle of her speech therapy class. "It was tough," said Kelly, who retired last month as a Navy captain.
The nature of her brain injury allowed Giffords during therapy to sing an entire song, even when she couldn't speak a sentence, Kelly said.

"So she would sing a song. And the therapists kind of used that to help rebuild connections," Kelly said. "They talk about the plasticity of the brain and that it's able to form new connections."
A therapist would play songs by U2, a favorite band of Giffords.

The former astronaut, 47, recalled the 30 minutes that transpired after a couple of news networks reported that Giffords had died.

"It was a tough situation. My mother screamed; kids started crying," Kelly said. "I just got up, walked into the airplane's bathroom and, you know, just broke down. And it was a difficult period of time. But, in hindsight, looking at it, that was the low point. And it's all been pretty positive since then."

Giffords has made what doctors call a miraculous recovery since the shooting.

Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Dong Kim, recently told CNN that Giffords' thought process is normal -- a remarkable feat for someone with the kind of injuries she suffered. She is currently able to answer questions with a few words or a short phrase.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/23/politics/giffords-kelly/index.html

[Dos Equis]

Giffords to return to Tucson for shooting anniversary
Posted by
CNN's Kevin Liptak

(CNN) - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, still recovering from head wounds incurred at a shooting in Tucson last year, will attend a vigil marking the anniversary of the massacre that left six people dead, her office announced Wednesday.

The ceremony will take place on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson on Sunday, and is one of several events taking place over the weekend to mark the anniversary of the shooting.

- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

Giffords will attend the event with her husband, retired Navy captain Mark Kelly.

"Congresswoman Giffords wanted to be back in Tucson for this very emotional weekend," Pia Carusone, Giffords' chief of staff, said in a statement. "She felt it was important to be in her hometown with her family, staff members and a few close friends."

Giffords, a Democrat, was shot January 8, 2011 in a parking lot outside a grocery store in Tucson as she was holding a constituent meet-and-greet. Jared Loughner, 23, is accused of wounding Giffords and 12 others and killing six people. Loughner has since been diagnosed with mental illness.

Giffords has been undergoing therapy in Houston, but has returned to Tucson four times since the shooting, according to her office.

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Rabbi Stephanie Aaron and Dr. Peter Rhee, one of Giffords doctors, will also participate in Sunday's event. The emcee will be Ron Barber, Giffords' district director who was shot and wounded in last year's incident.

Giffords' office said the congresswoman would not give interviews during the anniversary weekend.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/05/giffords-to-return-to-tucson-for-shooting-anniversary/

[Dos Equis]

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to resign from Congress
Published January 22, 2012
FoxNews.com

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announced Sunday that she has "more work to do" on her recovery after an assassination attempt and will resign from her congressional seat this week.

In a video release posted on her website and tweeted from her Twitter handle, the congresswoman said that she is getting better but wants to do what's right for her constituents.

Nov. 14, 2011: In this undated photo provided by ABC, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly are interviewed.

"Arizona is my home, always will be. A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that, but I know that on the issues we fought for we can change things for the better: Jobs, border security, veterans. We can do so much more by working together," she says in the two-minute video.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week," she says.

Giffords, D-Ariz, was shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, while holding a town hall meeting in Tucson outside a grocery store. She was one of 13 people injured. Six others, including her aide, Gabe Zimmerman, were killed in the assault. The alleged gunman, Jared Loughner, is being treated with anti-psychotic drugs in a prison hospital to determine whether he will become fit to stand trial.

The attack on Giffords led to calls for more civility in Congress, including from President Obama who attended a memorial service in Tucson for the fallen. Giffords returned to Congress just once during the last year -- to vote on a debt ceiling deal that had bitterly split the Congress and White House.

Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, had announced recently that Giffords would decide soon whether to run for reelection. In a note to Giffords' staff and obtained by Fox News on Sunday, Kelly said, "While Gabby was hopeful that she would return to work this year, she has recently determined that it will take more time."

"We wish things were different," he added. "We wish the tragedy of January 8th hadn't happened. We wish that six innocent lives weren't lost. ... But it is our mission to remain positive and reflect on just how lucky our family is better. Gabby is getting better and her can-do spirit will lead her towards a life of success and happiness."

News of Giffords' decision spread quickly. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying that Giffords "has been a true bright star."

"Gabby's message of bipartisanship and civility is one that all in Washington and the nation should honor and emulate," said Pelosi, who was informed of the decision ahead of the announcement.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., one of the congresswoman's close friends on Capitol Hill, issued a statement noting that Giffords demonstrated to the world that she is "an extraordinary woman of fierce drive, determination and courage."

"Gabby made the right decision for her and her family, but this is just the beginning of the next chapter of her story," Gillibrand said. "I know that Gabby will find other ways to fulfill her calling of public service and continue to lead and inspire the nation."

Republicans also expressed their appreciation for Giffords.

"We salute Rep. Giffords for her service, & for the courage & perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed," tweeted House Speaker John Boehner.

In the video, Giffords is seated, wearing red. Interspersed in the video of her addressing the camera are shots of Arizona and her talking to constituents as well as pictures of her walking with Kelly.

"I'm getting better. Every day my spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country. Thank you very much," she says.

In a formal statement released by her office, Giffords, who was elected in November 2006, said she was proud that her district included Tombstone, the "town too tough to die."

Giffords will submit her letter of resignation later this week to Boehner and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. Brewer will set the date for a special primary and general elections within 72 hours of Giffords' resignation. Both votes will likely be held by the end of June. Another regularly scheduled general election will be held in November.

As one of her last acts as a member of Congress, Giffords will attend the State of the Union speech Tuesday evening at the Capitol.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/22/giffords-to-resign-from-congress/

[Soul Crusher]

Palin's website is now down:

http://www.sarahpac.com/

BUMP 

[240 is Back]

BUMP 

SO?

She got a shitload of traffic and/or removed that target map that had giffords on it?

SHOW ME where I blamed palin.  Show me, motherrrrfcccker.   

[240 is Back]

show me where I blamed palin for the giffords shooting, 333386. 



Show me.  You called me out for it.  back that shit up or say "okay, maybe you didn't blame her, have a beer and relax 240..."


Show m.