Free Republic

Federal Judge John Roll was killed in Tucson trying to save another man’s life. As soon as madman Jared Lee Loughner finished his attempt to murder Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, he turned his gun on the people to his left, then the people to his right. Recently released video shows his first target to the right was Ron Barber, Gifford’s district director, who was standing next to Justice John Roll. Barber was shot in the arm. Judge Roll then pushed him down and, shielding Barber with his own body, steered him to shelter under a nearby table. While under the table,...

"A video of the massacre revealed that Judge Roll literally laid his life down to save another. The judge was shot in the back as he knocked down and then shielded congressional aide Ron Barber from more of the bullets fired by Loughner. According to a sheriff's department employee who viewed the video, Judge Roll placed himself over Barber while Loughner continued firing. . . . "We all wonder what we would do under such circumstances, but I am convinced that Judge Roll's Christian faith played a major roll in his actions on Jan. 8. I know this because Judge...

...I am truly sorry to place such a terrible event in what appears a cynical, calculatedly political context but truly, democratic politics is about moral leadership and persuasion as much as anything else. A critique of the quality of Mr Obama’s speech is not a frivolous show business review: it is central to the concept of free debate and how it is to be conducted. So how did he do? There had been much speculation about whether he would criticise those on his own side who have exploited the tragedy for opportunistic purposes – accusing the Right of creating a...