Any cop can tell you whodunnit but it takes a supercop to tell you What It All Means about our political culture. A nagging question: Should supercop maybe have figured out that Loughner was a menace before he gunned down six people outside a Safeway? Remember, this is a guy who was so palpably disturbed that more than one of his classmates told their professor that they feared for their lives. He had five separate run-ins with the campus police at his community college, and as Moe Lane helpfully notes, at some point Dupnik himself learned that Loughner had made death threats — and they weren’t threats to Gabby Giffords. When he learned of those threats (perhaps only after the shootings?) and whether they fell under his jurisdiction are the subjects of inquiry going forward, provided any reporter can tear himself away from worrying about tea partiers to look into this.
In that vein, we’re getting lots of e-mails about this post, but I’m unfamiliar with the site and can’t vouch for its credibility. Under those circumstances I’d normally pass on it, but since America’s new standard of journalism requires no supporting evidence whatsoever before tossing an assertion into the news stream, here you go. Maybe it’s true, maybe it isn’t. The important thing is, does it serve your political agenda?
It's Loughner's fault, it's Sheriff Dupnik's fault, it's Arizona's mental health system's fault, it's the community college's fault, it's the media's fault, it's liberalism's fault, it's Obama's fault, it's everyone else's fault...everyone but the right.
But if you point out the eliminationist rhetoric, then Saturday's tragedy becomes your fault, as Sheriff Dupnik is finding out.
Maybe Arizona shouldn't have trimmed $50 million from the state's mental health budget then. Cutting back on government services has consequences.
Dupnick, for his part, isn't backing down. Hell, he went for the brass ring.
"The kind of rhetoric that flows from people like Rush Limbaugh, in my judgment he is irresponsible, uses partial information, sometimes wrong information," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said today. "[Limbaugh] attacks people, angers them against government, angers them against elected officials and that kind of behavior in my opinion is not without consequences."
Amen to that, Sheriff.
I see. So it's more important for a cop to make political points than investigate a crime. Brilliant use of logic there.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the Mike Nifong fiasco, that hack's complete politicization of the law, teach liberals anything?
And by the way, Allahpundit at Hot Air hasn't blamed Dupnik for anything. He is asking a legitimate question (I've asked it several times here). But because Dupnik spends his time blasting the right, and not investigating a crime (a cop's primary job), you go along with Dupnik's politicization of justice because it fits the same narrative and ideology you believe in, while at the same time you deliberately misrepresent what Allah said.
It's funny.
ReplyDeleteDupnik's not allowed to have an opinion.
But you are.
And oh no, a cop in America screwed up, let's blame all cops. Let's judge all police by the Duke rape case.
After you spend four days railing against anyone who dared say anything about a conservative.
Your ideological crusade will never change, Steve.
You're a punchline now.
Dupnik's not allowed to have an opinion.
ReplyDeleteSure he is. But not to the press during a murder investigation his office has yet to complete.
Let's judge all police by the Duke rape case.
I don't. I question liberal Democrats' ability to perform basic law enforcement.
Your ideological crusade will never change, Steve.
You're a punchline now.
Me and most of the American people you mean. A poll just came out showing that a large majority of Americans understand that tough political rhetoric and this tragedy are completely unrelated. Which "right wing" screed machine did the poll? CBS News. Me and the American people are a helluva lot smarter than you would give us credit for.
I'm guessing that instead of taking that information and reflecting on what you've said and what you believe, you'll double-down even more and get more hateful, spew more bile, and perpetuate more bullshit until such time that you think more people agree with you or you tire of your charade.
What you've been doing isn't a punchline. It's a sick joke.
Why don't you try having an opinion after you're done with your work day?
ReplyDeleteYou know what's sort of fascinating, Zandar? Ever since, oh, maybe when Elvis did his first hip-swivel, conservatives have been telling us hippies how damaging and corrosive the images and words in popular culture can be.
ReplyDeleteIt's so important to ensure a wholesome culture that legislative action is required, such as defining marriage in an amendment to the US Constitution as the union between one man and one woman. Because otherwise, well, allowing a couple of homos to apply that label to themselves would undermine the very fabric of our society and threaten the chiiiiiillldren.
Ditto for just about every other wingnut hot button issue you can name: God in the public square, reverence for the Founding Fathers and the circumstances surrounding the "winning" of the American West (which was sorta inhabited when we got here), sexy time and cursing on TV and in music, blah, blah, blah.
Over and over we were told -- by conservatives -- that the licentious cultural milieu was responsible for everything from unwed motherhood to hip-hop music to disrespectful punks who decline to get off our lawns.
But now, suddenly the injection of violent rhetoric and imagery by elected officials and mainstream political leaders doesn't mean shit. The fact that some conservatives are paid millions of dollars to appear on TV and radio daily to spread the notion that government is the enemy and may very well pose an existential threat couldn't possibly have any repercussions.
Like I said, fascinating.
Again with the projection. Anything I say is "sick bile". Anything you say is "fact".
ReplyDeleteI do believe I've had just about enough of you Steve. You clearly don't have anything to contribute to the discussion other than your own ideological hangups.
I concur, do your job.
ReplyDeleteEven the Arizona Republic, definitely not a right wing outfit, is tired of Dupnik's shenanigans [emphasis from original]:
ReplyDelete"With each passing hour, we learn more about the 22-year-old suspect. And everything we learn adds to the profile of a deeply troubled young man detached from reality. There is nothing to date that suggests any partisan motivation for his crimes, whether right-wing or left.
Dupnik needs to recall that he is elected to be a lawman. With each additional comment, the Democratic sheriff of Pima County is revealing his agenda as partisan, and, as such, every bit as recklessly antagonistic as the talk-show hosts and politicians he chooses to decry."
Somebody's in trouble...
ReplyDeleteOh No!
You know, there are an awful lot of Zandar comments here yesterday and today from 9-6.
ReplyDeleteAnd hey now your boss knows too.
Gosh, I guess "The Shadow" sure showed you, Zandar! I haven't seen such a devastating rejoinder since I was an elementary school child on a playground. (Or maybe the last time I saw Nellie Olsen on a "Little House on the Prairie" rerun.)
ReplyDeletePoor Zandar. Your trolls are rightly known for their mighty debating skills. I sure hope they don't go tattling to MY boss!
He'll have plenty of free time on his hands soon to discuss politics with you Betty.
ReplyDeleteAs Zandar would say "Thread over."
ReplyDelete"Nearly six in 10 Americans say the country's heated political rhetoric is not to blame for the Tucson shooting rampage that left six dead and critically wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, according to a CBS News poll."
Keep pushing this, idiot libs.
This settles the running argument we've had for the last four days rather definitively does it not?
And Zandar is the loser again!
Oh No!
I suspect you're 100% full of shit, "The Shadow." But the fact that you think it's fair game to go after someone's livelihood by tattling to his boss because you don't like what he says on his blog shows you're a sniveling, bed-wetting little worm nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteEven Democrats believe political rhetoric isn't to blame, 49 to 42 percent.
ReplyDeleteThe people have spoken, and Zandar loses again.
Oh No!
This makes the 687th threat against Zandar's livelihood posted to this blog in the comments.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet he remains employed!
Perhaps the real reason that none of Zandar's trolls can accept their culpability in the murder of a nine year old girl is that they know they're completely full of shit when they make threats, and assume all other right wing fucktards are as big a bunch of quivering pussies as they are in real life.
Seems like we're in the right according to 59% of America. Gosh, that's a larger margin than Obama got, too. He had a "mandate" because of that large margin.
ReplyDeleteAmerica has rejected the weak liberal argument again because they are the ones politicizing the deaths in Tuscon.
The backlash is growing, libs. You're about out of time.
Oops, is that "eliminationist rhetoric"?
You know if Dupnick had kissed Limbaugh's ass, done the Sheriff Joe pink undie routine, misspent money in the millions, hated the brown people enough as these are acceptable conservative behaviors he would have gotten rave reviews and clapping as a "common sense conservative."
ReplyDeleteIn today's environment, under no circumstances can anyone, I mean anyone, criticize a high paid conservative for being a down right asshole of a human being and not have the conservatives squealing and crying "It's not fair! You evil icky MEAN LIBERAL." A conservative is NEVER EVER wrong and must always be worshiped has utterly perfect.
You will never see any conservative criticize a high paid conservative without licking ass shortly after these days. That too is second nature to them these days.
So remember mature adult behavior is EVIL LIBERAL, shitty low standard behavior is acceptable conservative.
100% of Americans polled agree that the troll known as "Zandar's Credibility Problem" is a blithering jackass. (It was a poll employing highly scientific methodology too!)
ReplyDeleteSeems like we're in the right according to 59% of America. Gosh, that's a larger margin than Obama got, too. He had a "mandate" because of that large margin.
ReplyDeleteBeing a sad wanker, ZCP probably won't respond to this. Nevertheless, I'd like to point out that surveys don't really do anything to prove truth or falsehood. All they do is tell you what a group of (often uninformed, underinformed, or misinformed) people think.
55% of the American people reject human evolution in favor of a magic sky fairy making them out of clay.
72% believe that the US government is covering up "The Truth" about UFOs.
59% believe that acupuncture works.
56% don't believe that humans are causing global warming.
Being on the side of the mob does not always equal being on the side of truth. Robespierre can attest to that.
Oh, and ZCP? You're still a pathetic little coward.
Oh No!