Was Sarah Palins's use of "crosshairs" imagery on a map that "targeted" Rep Gabrielle Giffords irresponsible?
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M$5 Answers
Notice that there has been a quick separation from this picture by Sarah Palin's people. Some sources are reporting that she is saying that it was in poor taste. More on this will come out in the next few days. As a person taht has helped people on political movies,
There are locations, though, where this poster could still be found as of this morning. I can say that if you have to separate yourself from a choice after a tragedy like this, you made the wrong choice in the first place. I major point of politics is asking, "What if," questions. If you ask enough of these of yourself before hand, you have less of a chance of asking, "Why did I do that?" later.
In this case, people were not asking themselves about the possible symbolic meanings of the symbols. They were not paying attention to the fact that every political moviement in America rigt now has at least a handful of extremists that follow it. Extremists can take messages like this in a different way than anyone else.
I am not saying that the person that did the shootings this morning was an extremist Sarah Palin follower. I am saying that one could have taken this message in the wrong way.
I think that Sarah Palin's people have done a very good hob of keeping her in the public eye and mixing her poltical views with her celebrity status. As a person that has working in and around politics, I look forward to seeing what they do with her two plates in teh future. The target symbols, though, point to the fact that someone dropped the ball in not thinking of all of the ramifications. Now, they run the chance of a major backlash taht could be stronger than Palin has seen yet.
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M$Sarah Palin is dangerous. Her violent view of the world and her lack of education will combine for a very scary future. Luckily, her insincerity and egotistical ways have become very apparent. Even most Republicans now admit that she is totally unqualified.
The fact Sarah Palin has a hit list of American Representatives is appalling. It's ironic that she is targeting them because they voted for the Health Care Bill. She is condemning them to death because they want to bring basic health care to poor families and children that can't afford it? Ironic again that the majority of people who would benefits from this bill are poor Republicans in middle America.
Sarah Palin played with fire and got burned. Remember when she egged on supporters who were making death threats to Obama at campaign rallies? This woman is pure evil, and she WILL. NOT. CHANGE.
I speak for most Americans when I say that we would prefer if Sarah Palin and her family stuck to reality tv and left the government to the grown ups.
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M$Useing crosshairs as targeting icons, as was the case in this image, is nothing new or even out of the ordinary.
Its an effective visual to make the point that SarahPac was intending.
The crosshairs on this image were used to indicate 20 Democrats tageted by Sarah Palin's political action committee for the Nov midterm elections.
Unfortunately Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords district was one of the districts targeted by Sarah Palin's organization.
I think it is in very poor taste that there are people that are attempting to tie this to the tragic shooting that took place which has left a number of people dead and many in critical condition fighting for their lives including Gabrielle Giffords.
The expression of condolences made by Sarah Palin are just as sincere as President Obama's with regards to the victims of this horrible crime.
Suggesting that a political image such as this had any bearing on causing this tragic event is akin to suggesting that the Beatles were responsible for the Manson murders.
Very misleading and in very poor taste.
Personally I feel that had more citizens, who were attending Congresswoman Giffords event, been carrying firearms fewer people would of been shot by this lunatic.
my personal opinion
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M$
What if one of the citizens trying to shoot the shooter was mistaken by someone else as the initial shooter. Do you see how this could get confusing? Multiple people running around with a grocery store with guns shooting at each other is bad news.
During rallies people yelled such things as "kill him" and "terrorist" about Obama. Palin did not try to stop this, she only kept using rhetoric to bash him. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/mccain-does-nothing-as-cr_n_132366.html
No candidate has declared themselves yet, even the ones going down to Iowa to start campaigning. All the signs point to Sarah Palin running for President, and if she can't even see how a sign with GUN TARGETS on Representatives names could go wrong, how can she expect to make decisions as President? Even if nobody ended up being shot, targeting opposing political candidates with weapon imagery makes her seem like a VERY violent person.
From your source
-quote-
Wiley says the Secret Service did not begin looking into the matter until press reports, namely Dana Milbank's article in the Washington Post, surfaced today, because no agents at the event heard anything. "The Secret Service did not hear any threatening statements directed at targets under its protection and no threatening statements were reported to us by law enforcement or citizens at the event," Wiley told Radar. Also unclear: whether the remark was directed at Obama or Ayers if the words were actually "kill" and "him."
-end quote-
The Secret Service ran an investigation and found no evidence to support the claims.
Of course everyone knows that the Huffington Post is non-partisan.
Funny you would mention grocery stores and guns, I did my grocery shopping today and saw 2 other people I know for fact were carrying legal firearms, besides my wife and myself.
It was, like it should be, a pleasant uneventful day, no guns were drawn ,neighbors shared pleasantries.
The event which took place in Tucson just reinforces how differently a trip to the grocery store can go.
I will not huddle like a sheep while people are murdered in my space, regardless of any personal risk I may expose myself to. I will defend my space with whatever force I deem necessary if need be.
Sarah Palin would not be my choice for the next President but she certainly has the right to pursue it if she chooses.
We will not agree on this matter, which is fine...but we already knew that didn't we?
Citizens who carry legal firearms are proficient with the use of those weapons.
This lunatic would of been put down before he was allowed to systematically shoot, what is the number? 19 people.
I agree with @lvincentpoupard that with 20/20 hindsight the target symbol was a poor choice in this image..but then the world does not work with 20/20 hindsight.
As for Sarah Palin's political aspirations are concerned, well last I checked she has not declared herself as being a 2012 Candidate as of this date.
Extremists exsist in virtually any political movement and unless I have really missed something I do not see where Sarah Palin has encouraged violence within her supporters.
Do you have any believeable source to state otherwise?
I think the real issue at heart is over the use of crosshairs on the map above. In March Rep Gabrielle Giffords was interviewed and had this to say about it:
---quote---
During the interview – which took place in the midst of a series of threats and incidents of vandalism against Democratic supporters of the overhaul – Giffords also jabbed former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for using crosshair symbols to indicate Democratic lawmakers targeted for defeat, including Giffords.
“When people do that, you gotta realize, there’s consequences to that action,” she said in the MSNBC interview, which seems chillingly prescient after Saturday’s shooting.
“You look at these examples around the country, which really try to incite people and inflame emotions, then chances are they’re going to have a couple people, extremes on both sides, frankly,” Giffords said, not finishing her thought.
---quote---
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47258.html
Please explain how more people shooting at each other would lead to less people being shot. Sarah Palin has consistently egged on and encourage her already violent, extremist supporters. Now she has seen the consequences of her actions. Sarah Palin hopes to beat Obama in the 2012 election. Should she make campaign posters with a target on his face?
You are talking like this happened in Hawaii or Massachusetts which have strict gun control laws. This happened in Arizona where the law allows everyone to carry a concealed gun. It is more proof that arming people does not, in fact, ever prevent violent crime. Such an idea is strictly self delusion by gun fans! In real life guns do not prevent gun crime.
@albanian You seriously carry a gun to the grocery store? I've not been this mortified in years. I don't object to weapons that require someone to chase me down first. The day I need to carry a gun to go grocery shopping is the day I need to move to another country. Not criticizing YOU just the notion.
Back on topic, if every use of crosshairs resulted in someone's actual death then I'd be concerned. What should we do about the Target store logo? Are they next? It's not crosshairs but it's definitely an indication they WANT to be targeted, right?
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M$The left is encouraging Obama to pin this on the Tea party, just as Clinton tried to pin the Oklahoma bombing on the right during his day. Read this chilling quote, framed while some victims are still fighting for their lives and other bodies are still warm:
--/quote--
One veteran Democratic operative, who blames overheated rhetoric for the shooting, said President Barack Obama should carefully but forcefully do what his predecessor did.
“They need to deftly pin this on the tea partiers,” said the Democrat. “Just like the Clinton White House deftly pinned the Oklahoma City bombing on the militia and anti-government people.”
--/end quote--
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47294.html#ixzz1Af1WzwCd
There is so little truth to the desperate left's attempt to politicise this tragedy (as all tragedies)that even in the UK they recognize it. There is simply no evidence tying Palin or the Tea party to the shooter, period. If you believe even some of the reported news concerning the shooter, he was a drug user, kicked out of community college for bizarre and threatening behavior, refused psychiatric help, included "Mein Kampf" and "The Communist Manifesto" among his favorite books, was offended when an Army Recruiter gave him a
"mini-Bible", included flag burning on his Youtube channel, and the list goes on. Hardly a poster boy for Palin or the Tea Party, although there are plenty of organizations (left wing) where those sort of ideas and activities might be welcome.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100071004/the-unseemly-rush-to-blame-sarah-palin-the-tea-party-and-republicans-for-murder-in-arizona/
Here is one example of an Obamma supporter strategizing the blame game tragedy even before this tragedy. The left has been waiting for this opportunity, obviously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjO6NFLLE04
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M$
Disclaimer. I am an independent voter who chose Bob Barr of the Libertarian party in the last presidential election. In the 2010 mid term, I am one of few voters that voted for Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and even a Green party candidate all on the same ballot. I am a true conservative Independent who has had enough of the left's unfounded attacks on Plain and the Tea Party, and who also believes that our first and foremost thought for the victims and their families ought to be compassion, sympathy and prayer, not 'how can we score political points off of this". Perhaps in time we could investigate how this shooter got a gun and how he slipped through mental health treatment, although his illnes seems likely to have only recently reached this level. Perhaps security proceedures should be revisited. But to use this as an immediate and unfounded attack on your opponents for no other reason than political gain, that is shameful and inexcusable.
My camera has cross hairs, am I marking to kill", or simply "focusing on"? If you think Sara Palin was sending a message to assinate anyone, that is sick.
I am really not sure.
My guess is she is going to attend Arizona State University.
She got a hell of a deal on that house.
http://www.tmz.com/2010/12/24/bristol-palin-sarah-house-home-college-bound-arizona-state-university-asu-sun-devils/
I know SB, I couldn't believe the price when I saw it!
I am curious as to why you did not include a single source or example. to support the meaning of crosshairs as "marking for death". Surely you can't be insinuating that Palin was marking anyone for death, but wait, that is exactly what you are insinuating as you state "one could have taken this message the wrong way". Again, do you have the slightest evidence that either this shooter or any other shooter has EVER, even once, taken a message including crosshairs the wrong way and then shot or attempted to shoot anyone? Or is this you expert testimoney based on your own bias. Perhaps the gunman read that Daily Kos "targeted" this same congresswoman and interpreted the word 'target' to mean "go assasinate this person", or perhaps he heard Obama tell supporters to "bring a gun" becuase our opponents have knives. Your brand of racheting up violent rhetoric by making connectinos where none exist are exactlly what is wrong with politics. This was a troubled if not insane man with no evidence whatsoever to support your opportunisitc interpretation.
that and her radio host deal.
Do the Palin's have any family in Arizona? I'm just curious why Bristol bought a house just south of Phoenix.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/24/bristol-palin-buys-house-_n_801120.html