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January 12, 2011 in Nation/World
Tucson prepares for Obama’s visit
Family of alleged gunman expresses sorrow over tragedy
Workers place shirts on chairs before a memorial service for the victims of Saturday’s shootings at McKale Memorial Center on the University of Arizona campus Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. Searching for unity out of tragedy, President Barack Obama will honor the victims of the Arizona mass shooting in personal terms and remind those in grief that an entire nation is with them. The president is again stepping into his role as national consoler, a test of leadership that comes with the job.
(Full-size photo)
TUCSON, Ariz. – As Tucson scrambled to prepare for President Barack Obama’s scheduled appearance at a memorial service for the victims of the weekend’s mass shooting, the parents of the alleged gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, offered their first public statement Tuesday, insisting that the attack left them as perplexed as anyone else.
From the home they shared with their son in a working-class neighborhood, Randy and Amy Loughner released a statement calling it “a very difficult time” and spoke of their deep sorrow.
“There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish that there were, so that we could make you feel better,” the Loughners said. “We don’t understand why this happened. It may not make any difference but we wish that we could change the heinous events of Saturday. We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss.”
The alleged gunman’s motives for shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and 18 others remain unclear, though he had grown increasingly paranoid, friends said. One told the Los Angeles Times that Loughner was influenced by films alleging that the collection of income tax is illegal and that the terrorist attacks of 2001 were staged by the government.
A law enforcement official said Tuesday that a note was found in Loughner’s safe that said: “Die, Bitch.”
Later Tuesday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department corrected its tally of the wounded. Nineteen people were shot, the department said, not 20 as had been reported. Six died, and 13 were wounded.
Giffords’ congressional office released photos of Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, holding hands in her hospital room. The photos were taken Sunday, Giffords’ office said.
The photos added a poignancy to Arizona’s latest turn in the national stage.
Some critics, angered by the state’s aggressive anti-immigration stand and hard-right politics, have pointed to the mass shooting as evidence that Arizona is a place of intolerance and Tombstone justice.
But there was also a rising sentiment and determination here that Arizona’s latest turn in the spotlight will be not another black eye, but a chance for a recalibration of the state’s image.
The state has mustered an immediate and unified response, for instance, to reports that a church is planning to picket the funerals of shooting victims.
Tucson’s Democratic and Republican parties joined together to organize a blockade of counter-protesters, and Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill restricting the church’s activities – a bill that sailed through the normally rancorous state Legislature with ease.
Bill Hileman, at a public appearance Tuesday at the hospital where his wife is recovering from bullet wounds, delivered an impromptu elegy not just to the shooting victims, but to his adopted state.
Hileman said he and his wife, Susan, recently retired and spent two years searching the nation for the perfect community to make their home. They picked Tucson.
Susan Hileman had taken a young neighbor who had been elected to her elementary school council to meet their congresswoman. Minutes later, the gunman opened fire. Susan Hileman, 58, was hit three times but survived. Her young friend, 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, was shot in the chest and killed.
Hileman noted that he was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital at one point when a minister wandered in from the street to offer him comfort. “That’s my Tucson,” he said.
Obama is scheduled to arrive in the city today for a public memorial. The president’s visit will come two days after Loughner appeared in federal court, charged with five federal crimes, including the attempted assassination of Giffords and the murder of John M. Roll, Arizona’s chief federal judge who was caught in the spray of bullets. Additional state charges are expected; Loughner could be executed.
The memorial service at the University of Arizona’s McKale Center is open to the public, although security will be tight. A protester brought an assault rifle to one of the president’s previous visits to Arizona, and a pastor here once prayed publicly for Obama’s death.
A crowd of as many as 14,000 was expected to join Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Sen. John McCain, university President Robert N. Shelton and others.
Amid the efforts to heal, there were also new fragments that emerged about Loughner’s life.
He lived with his parents near Interstate 10, north of downtown Tucson. The home, more than any other on Soledad Avenue, was decorated with plants native to the nearby Sonoran Desert.
Loughner’s mother, Amy, appears to have been the family’s primary breadwinner.
Jared Loughner was periodically seen walking his dog, Hannah, around the neighborhood. But neighbors said the family had grown increasingly reclusive. George Gayan, 82, a retired copper mine mechanic who lives next door, said Loughner’s father once refurbished old cars, giving them something to talk about.
But in more recent years, he said, “it got so there was less and less interaction.” Randy Loughner eventually built a wall around his house, indicating to Gayan that he wanted privacy.
Jared Loughner, meanwhile, had repeatedly exhibited unusual behavior. George Osler, 45, whose son Zachary was friends with Loughner, said it was clear that Loughner, who was picked on in high school and devastated by a breakup with a girlfriend, had distanced himself from reality and was abusing drugs.
“He was a little odd,” Osler said. “You just have a suspicion – keep a close eye on this guy in case he’s up to something.”
Osler said Loughner had become drawn to movies that delved into fringe political conspiracies, such as “America: Freedom to Fascism,” which claimed that the income tax system was illegitimate, and “Loose Change,” which claimed that the federal government had a role in the terrorist attacks of 2001.
“It was like part of him wanted to create an alternate reality,” Osler said.
Near the end of 2008, hoping to join the military, Loughner swore off cigarettes, drugs and alcohol, cut his hair, started dressing more conservatively and working out, Osler said. But the military rejected his application; Loughner was “devastated,” Osler said.
“He just slowly spiraled into madness,” Osler said.
Stocks plummet as outlook in Europe dims 
drywitt99 on January 12 at 12:24 a.m.
May God go with you, Mr. President.
maria on January 12 at 12:26 a.m.
I’ll second that
lbbnjsharpe on January 12 at 5:27 a.m.
I’ll third that…
Bill
Mead
Ninch on January 12 at 8:46 a.m.
Why are people invoking God to be with Obama? Makes no sense in this context.
johnclarke on January 12 at 9:03 a.m.
Why is Ninch asking why people are invoking God? It’s simply a nice thing to say, that’s all.
misjustice on January 12 at 9:13 a.m.
Because we want him to be safe, that’s why. I can understand why some would object to that…
I’ll fourth that…Bill, Maria, and Dry.
drsqawken on January 12 at 9:49 a.m.
Ninch, I understand where you are coming from. Why would people invoke God when everyone knows that Barry is a Muslim and doesn’t believe in God.
Allah with you Barry.
hawken on January 12 at 10:12 a.m.
As most of you probably know by now, drsqawken is a fraud, playing upon my pseudonym Hawken…
His fallacious, hyperbole is seen for what it is by anyone with half a brain. Yet, enthusiastically embraced by the far left in his attempt to misrepresent the conservative view.
“Buddie” is a term a local, liberal left attorney and I have used in the past, many times… disingenuously, of course,,, debating on this blog….
Therefore, I will need to upgrade his status from immature, college student (which I have used in the past), to “counselor at law.”
Actually, maybe I need to re-think the upgrade in this specific case. This is a tough one to call. And,,,, I do need to be open to the fact that the use of “buddie” is purely coincidental…. I think…
What is clear, either way, is that the fraud, drsqawken, is intellectually incapable of dealing with logical debate. One would think that an attorney, if this is my “buddie”, would have more intellectual capacity…. one would think.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on January 12 at 10:19 a.m.
Hawken, nobody cares and rambling posts like that only encourage idiots like that. Ignore him and he goes away instead of replying and giving him what he wants….. do what most people most people do to you - ignore it and laugh it off as crazy ramblings :-)
misjustice on January 12 at 10:42 a.m.
Hawken, what does your buddy have to do with this thread? Geez man, get a grip, this guy is jerking your chain and you’re letting him…
johnclarke on January 12 at 11:19 a.m.
Hawken is getting owned.
MrNatural on January 12 at 12:23 p.m.
Godspeed Mr. President…Go heal this national wound.
hawken on January 12 at 12:58 p.m.
liberal_in_right_wing_land
You offer good advice… And I understand that the regulars on this blog understand what you say.
Here’s the problem…. the Fraud, grossly misrepresents me and my conservative view. For those who read this blog and are not regulars, I will continue to delineate the difference.
Bottom line is that if we all agree that drsqawken is an annoyance, then why is it that more don’t condemn what he is doing?
No Clarke… he doesn’t own me… nor will I let him fraudulently hijack the conservative view that I represent. I haven’t seen you condemn this fraud to date, head up.
Actually, you use him to discredit me… as demonstrated. Did they not require integrity in the USAF?
hawken on January 12 at 1:11 p.m.
liberal_in_right_wing_land
I’m contemplating your good advice…. In an effort to do what you suggest, I’ll NOT respond to drswaken as soon as I see you and some of my other liberals opponents call him out on his fraud.
Actually, coming from you I think it might be more effective…. we’ll see.
Let’s debate our strong differences, but I for one will not stand by and let a conservative fraud misrepresent what I know well to be the liberal world view…. especially with such absurd hyperbole as used by drsqwaken. Can we agree on this?
misjustice on January 12 at 1:53 p.m.
Ahh, tilting at windmills, still, I see.
Diana on January 12 at 1:59 p.m.
Love, love, love drsqawken!
hawken on January 12 at 2:42 p.m.
Yes…. Diana, Misjudgment…. how silly of me to even think that a liberal would actually denounce what is clearly liberal fraud…. on the part of drsqwaken,,, totally silly…
Oh well,,, at least I gave it a try. Hopefully, others will again see the fraud of liberalism here, in more ways than one… But, of course, not YOU in the commune.
Diana on January 12 at 2:46 p.m.
hawken, did you just bleat something about fraud? ROFL!
ChefGus/ John Olsen on January 12 at 2:50 p.m.
Hawken, you can avoid the “confusion” ( of which there is not much with regards the parody on your postings)… by simply coming out and telling us who you really are… you can find most of us “Liberals” in the phone book without much effort… some one postulated recently that the “fear center” in the brains of Republicans and Right of Center folks is much larger than the rest of us. Stand up and share a space in the open with MisJ, Arch, Diana, Jeff Grey, Chip and myself….. You’d likely not sign the declaration of independence if it were offered to you ….. John Olsen Spokane..
hawken on January 12 at 3:02 p.m.
Gus…. there is no confusion here…. drsqawken is liberal fraud…. clearly seen and clearly understood…. If that’s not enough for you, nothing else will do.
misjustice on January 12 at 3:02 p.m.
Still name calling, I see, Hawken.
; )
ChefGus/ John Olsen on January 12 at 3:04 p.m.
Sorry…. there are Numerous other posters that are “out” but not many/any are right of center…. my view is that if you can’t “own up” to your own statements… then your statements will be afforded appropriate attention… j/gus
ChefGus/ John Olsen on January 12 at 3:06 p.m.
Pony up here Mr Hawken…. tell us who you “really are”…. you can find me any day of the week…. no name calling here…. but me thinks you might have left the first part of your name off your “pseudonym”…. who are you? and what is truly your frame of reference and expertise… Hmmm ?? J
ChefGus/ John Olsen on January 12 at 3:08 p.m.
oh… the parody is certainly “enough for me”… i get it, and actually laugh out loud at the posts…….
drsqawken on January 12 at 3:29 p.m.
Chef Gus, do not laugh at me, sir! I am no laughing matter. If you laugh at me, you are also laughing at my political soul mate, the great PATRIOT, the HERO HAWKEN. Sir, we are not to b toyed with.
Many in the lame stream media have called for a dialing back of the rhetoric, for a CHANGE in how we talk with eachother. The Mighty Hawken and myself have no use for CHANGE! Change is for limp wristed lefties, not for red blooded men like my buddie Hawken.
Hawken is right to call liberals names, I applaud him for stickin’ to his guns! He, and I, will NEVER RETREAT! So let er rip, buddie. Name calling is a great AMERICAN tradition! So don’t RETREAT!
Go Hawken, the mighty defender of truth, justice, and the AMERICAN way!
ChefGus/ John Olsen on January 12 at 3:36 p.m.
:))))) ( that is smiles not laughs) j
MrNatural on January 12 at 3:46 p.m.
…hmmm?…guy’s…gals…this here ain’t gonna turn into one o them “blood libel” thingys is it?
ChefGus/ John Olsen on January 12 at 5:00 p.m.
i don’t do Libel or Defamation…. no need, it is apparent, quite so when folks are “flashin”…. just smilin, just sayin.. j (All of my comments are edited by my personal representative.)…:))
horse_feathers on January 12 at 5:56 p.m.
boooooooorish thread
misjustice on January 12 at 6:35 p.m.
The President did an exceptional job delivering the eulogy at the memorial in Tucson. Hopefully the memorial will help the local as well as the national community to heal from this heinous act.
Elkay on January 12 at 7:02 p.m.
The President’s memorial speech was without question humble, hopeful, civil, and respectful. He seemed to deliver it without any partisanship, for which I’m grateful.
Maybe some of the bloggers here can learn to emulate him.
maria on January 12 at 7:06 p.m.
Best President Evar
Elkay on January 12 at 7:06 p.m.
By the way, I watched it on Fox.
maria on January 12 at 7:11 p.m.
I’m impressed, Elkay
maria on January 12 at 7:11 p.m.
I’m impressed, Elkay
Elkay on January 12 at 7:25 p.m.
Ah, Maria, double thanks!