Free Republic

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Jared Lee Loughner was not mentally competent to stand trial on charges of opening fire Jan. 8 at a constituent event for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, of Arizona, killing six and injuring 13, including Giffords. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns means Loughner, 22, will be sent back to the federal medical center for prisoners in Springfield, Mo., until Sept. 21, when a hearing will be held to determine whether he understands the 49 federal charges against him and can help in his defense. Doctors will try to medicate Loughner to see...

PHOENIX – A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage that wounded U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is mentally incompetent to stand trial, putting the criminal case against him on hold indefinitely. The decision by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns means Jared Lee Loughner, 21, will be sent to a federal facility for up to four months in a bid to restore his competency. Loughner, dressed in a khaki prison suit and sporting bushy, reddish sideburns, was removed from the hearing after an outburst and had to watch part of the proceeding on a TV screen...

(WPRI) - Patrick Kennedy continues his campaign for support for brain research -- with empathy for the suspect in a serious case of violence: Jared Loughner, the man accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing six others in a rampage earlier this year. Kennedy, the former Rhode Island representative who stepped down last year, wants to eradicate the stigma attached to mental health disorders. In an interview that aired this weekend on CNN -- an hour-long program called "Patrick Kennedy, Coming Clean" -- he told the news channel's Dr. Sanjay Gupta people with mental problems have been ignored for...

The suspect in the January mass shootings in Tucson has been cited by former Congressman Patrick Kenndy as an example of discrimination against the mentally ill. Kennedy, the son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, mentioned Jared Loughner during an interview on CNN Sunday night to discuss his past problems and addictions and his campaign for recognition of brain disease. Loughner, 22, is charged with shooting 19 people, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in a Tucson parking lot in January. Six people were killed. Giffords was shot in the head and is currently in a rehabilitation center in...

On May 16th, 2011 RebelPundit attended a MoveOn.org protest staged in Chicago outside a Paul Ryan luncheon. The protesters were unfriendly and hostile, as well as confused about their message. They also questioned MoveOn members and organizers about their opinion regarding racially offensive comments made by former progressive radio talk show host and radically liberal blogger Greg Morelli.

A group of union goons and MoveOn.org thugs crashed a tea party rally in New York and started screaming at the protesters. Capital Confidential reported, via Free Republic: Assembly Republicans organized a rally calling for the imposition of a two-percent cap on local and school property tax increases, but it was crashed by a coalition of liberal and labor groups who want a “circuit breaker” adjustment to property taxes, in which higher income taxes are used to provide tax relief to less-affluent individuals. Joe Seeman, a local leader of MoveOn.org, engaged in several shouting matches with cap supporters yelling “Tax...

A judge has denied a bid by defense lawyers to keep confidential information about Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner's behavior while in federal custody. District Court Judge Larry Burns, in a ruling made public on Thursday, said there is no reason to prohibit the U.S. Bureau of Prisons from releasing to law enforcement and federal prosecutors psychological records and other information about the 22-year-old college dropout. Loughner's lawyers said such a release would violate the federal government's own guidelines and Loughner's constitutional right to protection from self-incrimination and due process. "The Court finds that neither the psychotherapist-patient privilege nor the...

Its hard to believe but John Burton - the State Democratic Party Chairman said Governor Jerry Brown should "try shooting" a Republican to convince them to vote for taxes. In an interview with Bay Area News Group, Burton said Brown "can try shooting somebody and tell the next guy, You don't want that to happen to you, you better step up and vote. ... What's Jerry going to do unless he took out a gun?" He reportedly made the comment on the eve of the state party's convention kickoff.

Local police arrested a woman who appears to be former liberal radio network Air America host Nicole Sandler while she was disrupting Rep. Allen West’s Tuesday town hall event in Fort Lauderdale and harassing the Congressman’s wife. According to video obtained by Florida blogger Javier Manjarres, known better online as The Shark Tank, police charged Sandler, who revealed her name on camera, with trespassing after they removed her from the event and she “continued her tirade and used an expletive to address a police officer.” With Air America now defunct, Sandler hosts a self-described “progressive talk radio” show at RadioOrNot.com....

Arizona State Senator Ron Gould, who represents Lake Havasu City, received a death threat letter Tuesday from an anonymous sender in Flagstaff. According to the Arizona Republic, the letter was very short and did not specify why Gould was being targeted. [The letter] states, "You and Jared have your Glock 9. I have Rem. 270. Be very ready." Gould has gained notoriety in Arizona due to the fact that he is always armed and has sponsored several immigration and firearms bills that have been controversial. Gould believes that the reference to "Jared" in the letter refers to Jared Loughner, who...

Death threats to congressman get N.E. man 2 years A Northeast Philadelphia man was sentenced Thursday to 2 years in prison for issuing videoed death threats to U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R., Va.) Norman LeBoon, 38, threatened the lives of Cantor and the congressman's family in several rants posted to the video sharing site, YouTube. In Mar. 2010, LeBoon posted a video in which he said: "My Congressman Eric Cantor, and you and your cupcake evil wife . . . Remember Eric, our judgment time, the final Yom Kippur has been given. You are a liar, you're a Lucifer,...

Madison - A 26-year-old woman was charged Thursday with two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts for allegedly making email threats against Wisconsin lawmakers during the height of the battle over Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill.Katherine R. Windels of Cross Plains was named in a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Criminal Court.According to the criminal complaint, Windels allegedly sent an email threat to State Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) March 9. Later that evening, she allegedly sent another email to 15 Republican legislators, including Senate Majority Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau).The subject line of the second email was: "Atten.: Death Threat!!!! Bomb!!!" In...

PHOENIX (AP) -- An Arizona judge has ordered the suspect in Tucson's shooting rampage to undergo a mental evaluation at a specialized facility in Springfield, Mo., as soon as possible. In a ruling late Monday, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns says that the evaluation will be videotaped and provided to prosecutors and defense attorneys.

It's been more than two months since the tragedy in Tucson stunned the nation. It was a moment when we came together as one people to mourn and to pray for those we lost. And in the attack's turbulent wake, Americans by and large rightly refrained from finger-pointing, assigning blame or playing politics with other people's pain. But one clear and terrible fact remains. A man our Army rejected as unfit for service; a man one of our colleges deemed too unstable for studies; a man apparently bent on violence, was able to walk into a store and buy a...

The death threats have been pouring in to Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, and now Truth About Bills has found a threatening letter to Wisconsin Republican Senators. ( via 620 WTMJ ) On March 9th 2011 this letter containing death threats was sent from a group of people to the Republican Wisconsin Senators, after passing a bill to end union bargaining rights on Wednesday night. At this time the sender has been kept anonymous pending further police investigation. From: XXXX Sent: Wed 3/9/2011 9:18 PM To: Sen.Kapanke; Sen.Darling; Sen.Cowles; Sen.Ellis; Sen.Fitzgerald; Sen.Galloway; Sen.Grothman; Sen.Harsdorf; Sen.Hopper; Sen.Kedzie; Sen.Lasee; Sen.Lazich; Sen.Leibham; Sen.Moulton;...

The following is a shocking, scary e-mail sent to Wisconsin GOP senators last night at around 9:30 pm, shortly after the Senate passed an anti-union bill. Not only does the e-mail threaten the senators with death, but it also vows “your familes [sic] will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks.”Local station WTMJ in Milwaukee obtained the e-mail, and has redacted the sender’s name pending an investigation by the police (emphasis added and spelling and grammar mistakes have not been corrected): From: XXXX Sent: Wed 3/9/2011 9:18 PM To: Sen.Kapanke; Sen.Darling; Sen.Cowles; Sen.Ellis; Sen.Fitzgerald; Sen.Galloway;...

ACCUSED gunman Jared Lee Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 felony counts, including murder and attempted murder, in connection with a January shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded 13, including a congresswoman. Loughner, 22, smirked through much of Wednesday's proceedings, held at the same federal courthouse where one of those killed, US District Judge John M Roll, had worked. Loughner is accused of targeting Arizona US Representative Gabrielle Giffords at a January 8 event outside a Tucson supermarket. Investigatory documents unsealed on Wednesday said authorities found a note at Loughner's home that said: "I planned ahead! My...

PHOENIX -- The suspect in the Tucson, Arizona, shooting rampage has been indicted on new charges that include the murders of a federal judge and a congressional aide. The charges filed Friday were added to other federal counts that 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner already faced in the Jan. 8 shooting. The shooting occurred at a political event held by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords outside a Tucson grocery store. The latest indictment charges Loughner with murder in the deaths of U.S. District Judge John Roll and Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman.

Sometimes there is a complete lack of balance in the world. An 11 year old Arvada Colorado boy who was being treated for Attention Deficit Disorder was told by a teacher to draw pictures when he was upset instead of disrupting the class, so the boy did just that. He was arrested and led away in handcuffs later in the evening for his drawing. He had drawn a stick figure picture of himself shooting a gun at four others and had written on it "teacers must die" and "music sucks" His therapist said that drawing was a means for the...