Free Republic

Please sign the on-line petition to indict Sarah Palin for incitement to violence, related to designating Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with a gun target on her websiteHere's the link to the petition: Link to Petition

Leaked govt memo: Shooter may be linked to hate groupBy Liz Goodwin 29 mins ago According to a leaked memo obtained by Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security is looking into the possibility that suspected shooter Jared Loughner was linked to a white supremacist group called American Renaissance, or AmRen. AmRen founder Jared Taylor, however, tells Fox he'd never heard of Loughner and that according to his group's records, Loughner never received AmRen publications. His group's events are all held on the East Coast, he said, far from Loughner's hometown of Tucson. According to the memo, Loughner "is possibly...

Arizona’s Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake has announced he’s not running for reelection, so several candidates have jumped into the open race to replace him. There are currently three frontrunners. GOP Rep. Martha McSally, a combat pilot who served in the U.S. Air Force, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and former Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward. Ward made a name for herself launching an unsuccessful conservative challenge to Sen. John McCain in 2016.McSally is the darling of the GOP establishment. She was elected to Congress in 2014, representing a swing district seat formerly held by Gabrielle Giffords. Senate Majority...

Can ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ Stop the Next Shooting? In the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre, Mark Kelly, husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, herself a shooting victim, said, “All we're hearing is thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers are important. They are not enough. Your thoughts and prayers aren't going to stop the next shooting.” Is he right? Yes and no. Allow me to explain. First, Mr. Kelly has every right to speak out against gun violence, since his own wife was almost killed by a demented gunman. I do not minimize his convictions. Second, I agree that praying...

Jan 8, 2011

A U.S. Navy ship named after former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will be commissioned in a waterfront ceremony in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday. The Gabrielle Giffords is an Independence-class littoral combat ship. It is the 10th littoral combat ship in the Navy, the 16th Navy ship named after a woman and the 13th ship named after a living person, according to a Navy video released on Friday.

Hillary Clinton plans to attend the launching ceremony of a warship. And not just any warship, but the USS Gabrielle Giffords, named for the liberal congresswoman who was shot in the head. For Hillary, every decision is still about wimmen and grrrls. But her decision raises the larger question about whether it is appropriate to name a warship after Giffords. After all, Giffords was viewed as a helpless victim. That doesn't make for a very intimidating name for a warship. Giffords is called a hero because she survived. Does surviving make her a hero? I think surviving makes her a...

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has raised a few eyebrows with some of the names he has picked for naval ships. Why, critics questioned, would he name a ship in honor of the late gay rights leader Harvey Milk or after former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords when there are plenty of military heroes to choose from?

Future Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) successfully completed its acceptance trials Nov. 18. The trials consisted of a series of in-port and underway demonstrations for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Acceptance trials are the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship to the Navy. During the trials, the Navy conducted comprehensive tests of the LCS intended to demonstrate the performance of the propulsion plant, ship handling, and auxiliary systems.~SNIP~ Following delivery and commissioning in Galveston, Texas, LCS 10 will sail to California to be homeported in San Diego with sister ships USS...

<p>Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says in a letter that he has the power to name warships as he chooses, in response to a former Marine and congressman who charges he has politicized the process.</p> <p>Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican and House Armed Services Committee member, wrote Mr. Mabus to question the naming of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after former Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.</p>

President Obama on Wednesday met with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an ally of the White House on gun control. The meeting, which was not on the president's public schedule, comes as he is weighing new executive action on guns in response to a series of mass shootings that have marred his presidency. Obama huddled with Bloomberg "as part of the administration's continuing push to address gun violence in America," the White House said in a statement. "The two discussed ways to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have access to them...

resident Barack Obama’s big meeting on Friday wasn’t to discuss terrorism, but to discuss gun control. He met with former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly, in what POLITCO called an "unannounced meeting" which had been planned before the terrorist attack in California. The White House certainly didn’t tip its cap into exactly what was being discussed, except for a brief blurb on its website. As part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to address gun violence in America, today President Obama met with former Representative Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly to talk about possible ways to...

Original title: Rep. Loretta Sanchez sparks outrage from fellow Democrats with proposal to boot Giffords from Armed Services Committee Behind closed doors, California Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez has proposed removing Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) until she recovers from injuries sustained after being shot in the head on Jan. 8 in Tucson, The Daily Caller has learned. The proposal sparked an outrage, according to those in the room — including from those in Sanchez’s own party. “It’s not appropriate,” Texas Democratic Rep. Silvestre Reyes told The Daily Caller, adding that there was outrage among...

On the front of Monday’s Style section, The Washington Post promoted a forthcoming biography of Michelle Obama by Peter Slevin, a Chicago-based Post correspondent covering Chicago and Obama’s career until 2012. Post reporter Krissah Thompson began with the Obamas living together before marriage until the story went inside the paper, and how Slevin is “looking closely at the role race played in shaping her worldview, particularly at Princeton and Harvard Law.” “To say that during her Princeton years she could not envision an African American president is like saying the sun rises and sets every day,” writes Slevin, who was...

Jazz already wrote the definitive take on the grisly execution-style shooting of two New York City police officers and the role that irresponsible commentary from elected leaders – particularly Mayor Bill de Blasio – might have played in that attack. Jazz is right to question the part that the mayor’s self-indulgent and unhelpful rhetoric might have played in this incident. Hours after a Staten Island grand jury’s decision to issue no-bill for the death of Eric Garner, de Blasio went on an ill-advised tear in which he impeached the NYPD based solely on his prejudices. “That should never have to...

Where was the Reverend Al when police killed Hispanic Iraq war vet Jose Guerena? Jay Stephenson GenerationSnooki.com March 24 2012 On May 5 last year, former Marine and Iraq war veteran Jose Guerena was just minding his business before police raided his Arizona home and opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in 7 seconds while his wife Vanessa and 4-year old son listened from a nearby closet. Armed with SWAT gear and an armored carrier, police no knock raided the Guerena home searching for illegal drugs that were never found. He was suspected of taking part in a marijuana...

The TTAG tipster who alerted us to PepsiCo’s financial support of Gabrielle Giffords’ 2013 civilian disarmament gabfest entered “pepsico” into the search bar at aspenideas.org. (Fiendishly clever, eh?) Up popped Brad Jakeman, President, Global Beverage Group, PepsiCo, Inc., right below none other than Gabrielle Giffords, the doyenne of disarmament. Being the seasoned journalist I am I Googled Mr. Jakeman’s name and the festival and found the YouTubery above. According to Mr. Jakeman’s full official bio the Aussie was the marketing maven behind Activision’s gun-intensive Call of Duty video game (“There’s a soldier in all of us”). Here he is below...

One reason commercial liberal talk radio’s never quite succeeded is that NPR is a network with liberal hosts, liberal guests, and liberal callers. This perfect storm of unanimity displayed itself on Thursday’s Diane Rehm Show, when they discussed the push for more gun control. There were no guests from the NRA, just moderate Richard Feldman, who wrote a book about his “confessions of a gun lobbyist.” On the other hand, Rehm brought on Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of disabled ex-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to talk up his new gun-control group, as well as an anti-gun New York Times reporter and...

Gabrielle Giffords’ Husband Pulls Daughter’s Dog Off Sea Lion In Laguna Beach LAGUNA BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Gabrielle Giffords’ husband pulled his daughter’s dog off of a sea lion in Laguna Beach over the weekend. The incident, which was captured on video, happened around 1:40 p.m. Saturday at Goff Cove Beach by the Montage Laguna Beach. Retired astronaut Mark Kelly’s 18-year-old daughter, who was on vacation with her father and Giffords, was walking the American bulldog on a leash when the 65-pound dog saw the sea lion, ran off and attacked. Nathan, who declined to give his last name, happened to...

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly launched a website aimed at curbing gun violence Tuesday, the second anniversary of the mass shooting in Arizona that left her critically wounded. "Two years ago, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded 12 others," Giffords wrote on the website. "Since that terrible day, America has seen 11 more mass shootings -- but no response from Congress to prevent gun violence." The website, titled "Americans for Responsible Solutions", also features an opinion article that the couple penned, which was published by...