The mother of Christina Taylor Green: "I didn't know what had happened, but I knew it was bad."

I will warn you ahead of time that this story about the death of little Christina, and how her mother and family dealt with it, is heart wrenching.

However I feel it is an important story for people to read, especially for those who have a hard time understanding the devastating effect that easy access to handguns and assault weapons have on our citizens.

From AZ Central:

To the gunman, they probably looked about the same size - Hileman, tiny at not quite 5 feet, and Christina-Taylor, the tallest kid in third grade. Maybe he didn't know he was shooting a child. It doesn't matter. He did. 

Hileman was hit three times trying to shield her young charge. Christina-Taylor was shot once. The two fell to the pavement next to each other, bleeding. Hileman looked into the little girl's eyes and, in her best mom voice, admonished, "Don't you leave me, Christina-Taylor Green. Don't you die on me." 

But the 9-year-old was one of six people killed that day. Their names are written on six white wooden crosses that stand in memorial across Ina Road from the Safeway. Christina-Taylor's name is on the fifth one. Thirteen other people, including Hileman and Giffords, were shot and lived. 

A surgeon entered then, trailed by three nurses. He was crying, and so were the nurses, and then Green knew for sure. The surgeon sat next to her and said, "We tried the best we could." His voice caught, and he choked out: "We tried the best we could. Your daughter passed away." 

Green pinched her arm again and again. It still hurt. But this wasn't real. It couldn't be real. 

"This is the worst dream ever," she thought. 

And yet, ever the mother, ever the nurse, Green thanked the surgeon, repeating his words: "I know you tried your best. It's OK. Thank you." 

She looked into the face of her son sitting beside her, his eyes searching her face. 

"Can we see Christina now?" Dallas asked.He had heard the police officer, and the surgeon, but maybe he needed to hear the words from his mother for them to be true. 

"Christina is in heaven, Dallas," Green told him, and then she cried, holding her tearful son. 

Every death caused by a handgun in this country seems senseless, but this one, at least for me, just seemed especially unnecessary.  And especially painful.

However if the anger we feel over such a senseless act of violence translated into citizens demanding that lawmakers create laws making access to handguns significantly more difficult for those people who simply should NEVER have access to a weapon whose sole purpose is the ending of a human life, then perhaps little Christina's death would serve some higher purpose.

By the way speaking of senseless acts perpetrated on the citizens of this country, and I am not saying the two are directly related, today is the third anniversary of John McCain's announcement that he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.

One cannot help but wonder how much better the country would be right now if he had NOT allowed himself to be bullied into making such a regrettable choice.

Did you see Rachel Maddow on Letterman last night? Updated to full video.

(No you are NOT seeing things I replaced the short clip with the full You Tube video of the interview,)

Libyans choose their version of the "Fantastic 4." Update.

Courtesy of Think Progress:

At the main square in Benghazi, people have been gathering to celebrate the end of the rule of Muammar Qaddafi. As euphoric Libyan rebels advanced into Tripoli on Sunday, there were scenes of jubilation in the rebels’ de facto capital, Benghazi, where thousands celebrated in the streets. 

One large sign in the middle of the square in Benghazi features a picture of the “Fantastic 4” (from right to left): Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and U.S. Ambassador the U.N. Susan Rice. The text on the sign reads: “God Bless You All. Thanks For All.”

Both Republicans and Liberals went after the President HARD for launching a military action in Libya.

To be honest I was not exactly doing cartwheels over the decision either, but I have learned with this President not to rush to judgement too quickly.

And what we are seeing today is confirmation that my "wait and see" approach was the correct one in this case.  I struggle every day to form ANY trust in a government that for eight years seemed to treat its citizens like potential insurgents and whose military strutted around the world like a gunslinger itching for a fight.

But slowly I am beginning to relax and to stop looking for conspiracies behind every action.

It occurs to me that there is very likely a LOT of things happening behind the scenes that we are not allowed to see, simply because the President is not exactly comfortable showing all of his cards to a VERY adversarial Republican party, who have already demonstrated a penchant for sabotaging his efforts to do the right thing for the American people simply for short term political gain.

Here is an interesting take on Obama's Libya decision from the Economist:

I AM on holiday for three weeks in a faraway corner of Cornwall, but the momentous news from Libya has reached even here. Barack Obama received a lot of stick for his cautious approach to the uprising in Libya. Liberals traumatised by Iraq could not believe he had started another war. Republicans mocked him for "leading from behind". But with the collapse of Muammar Qaddafi's regime now in prospect, his critics ought to eat at least some of their words. 

Like many others, I had strong misgivings (see here), for example, but the president remained supremely calm throughout and the speech he made in March looks pretty good in light of what has now happened. The intervention (Mr Obama notoriously refused to call it a war) could not have taken place without America's technological help; it was conducted mainly by allies; it had the blessing of the UN Security Council and the Arab League; and for those reasons it has generated almost no blowback from the Arab world. In short, a job well done - though I don't expect his Republican critics to be willing to admit this.

I have already seen John McCain making the case that this success could have taken place much faster if Obama had chosen to "employ the full weight of the US Air Force." But as most of us are undoubtedly aware, doing so would have brought Obama even MORE condemnation from both the Right and the Left in this country.

No I think Obama played this just right, and that this will be yet another big win, much like the taking of Osama Bin Laden, which will make the Republican's efforts to take back the White House in 2012 just that much more impossible.

(H/T to The Obama Diary.)

Update:

Leah Burton, of "God's Own Party," announces the release of her long anticipated book "God, Guns, & Greed."

Courtesy of God's Own Party:

I attribute Palin’s meteoric rise for prompting me to jump back into the world of politics. The announcement on August 29th, 2008 that Sarah Palin was the vice presidential running mate to John McCain just about gave me whiplash and knocked me from my desk chair. In a matter of seconds, I knew that I had to begin writing about the world of Political Dominionism and Sarah Palin. 

So, in honor of this woman bringing so much attention to herself – and simultaneously - to the world of religious extremism in American politics I am announcing the release of my book on the 3rd anniversary of her walk onto the world stage in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Republican National Convention September 4th, 2008. 

Here is the official announcement:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

God, Guns & Greed 

Forward by Dr. Anthea Butler, Graduate ChairReligious Studies, University of Pennsylvania 

Author Leah L. Burton 

A Dangerous Path for America 

 God, Guns & Greed is an irreverent look into the rise of religious extremism tying Perry, Bachmann Palin & Co. as not simply a handful of devout Christians. They are political Dominionists and their message is being preached from pulpits across America, reaching an enormous voting bloc of “social conservatives”. 

A debate has ensued over what to call these religious extremists. Whether you call it “Dominionism” or the “New Apostolic Reformation” this fight is real and it affects every American! Dominionists claim authority from Genesis 1:28 mandating that they take dominion and be stewards of this earth until the Second Coming of Christ. Rewriting America’s history is an integral part of their message insisting that America is a Christian Nation and their followers are drinking the Kool-Aid. 

Their efforts are made more powerful by the cross-pollination of non-Dominionists seeking to tear apart government control and regulations. Corporatist’s wealth like the Koch Brothers and Sovereign Citizens disdain for the federal government are just two of the unholy alliances Dominionists make in their common goal to privatize government. It is a win-win for all of them. 

Stepping outside the typical “political book”, Burton exposes their religious messaging and tactics. Pulling from her years of research and experience, she writes in straight forward language about this organized effort – hiding in plain sight – to destroy religious and personal freedom. 

This path for America is a place where freedoms are diminished and theocracy rules. It is a profoundly un-American place. God, Guns & Greed will help inform you what this Movement is and how we can stop it.

I have often said, and I will repeat it here again, that Leah is my "go to" source on Dominionism.  She has made the study of this terrifying branch of fundamentalism the focus of her research for many years now, and I cannot think of anybody whose input I would value more than Leah Burton's on this topic.

I have been one of the few fortunate individuals to have the ability to e-mail or call Leah when I was struggling to understand something about the movement, or trying to find the right words to describe their agenda or progress in the political spectrum.

Now all of you can enjoy that same access to Leah's knowledge base that I have found invaluable for all of these years, by ordering her new book here.

Sarah Palin flexes what is left of her flabby political muscle to deliver a veiled threat to the freshman Teabaggers in Congress.

From Sarah Palin's ghostwritten Facebook post:

Out here in proverbial politico flyover country, we little folk are watching the debt ceiling debate with great interest and concern. Today I re-read the open letter I wrote to Republican Freshman Members of Congress in November 2010, just days after they were ushered into office in an historic landslide victory due in large part to the activism of commonsense patriots who are considered part of the Tea Party movement. I respectfully ask these GOP Freshman to re-read this letter and remember us “little people” who believed in them, donated to their campaigns, spent hours tirelessly volunteering for them, and trusted them with our votes. This new wave of public servants may recall that they were sent to D.C. for such a time as this.

In other words, according to what's written between the lines here, these freshmen politicians were sent to sabotage the process and make sure that NOTHING in Washington can get done, so that the third party (Which is already forming right under the GOP's nose), can then rise up under the "Washington is broken" banner and elect MORE saboteurs to further destroy the very fabric of this nation.

Have I got that about right?

And while this unhinged fruitcake is threatening to direct her, now dramatically decreased, Palin-bot operates away from any Tebagging politician who dares to demonstrate a general understanding of, or desire to work with, the political process, her creator John McCain is practically begging these individuals to stop being assholes and do their damn jobs!

I certainly hope the American voter is paying attention to this ridiculous spectacle, and taking note of who is watching out for them, and who is trying to grab the reins of power to steer this country back to a horse and buggy days of yore.

I am really trying not to make any more comparison's to the rise of the Nazi party here, but with the obvious attempts to undermine the government, the vilification of the Muslims, and the Youth for Hitler Palin website it is getting harder and harder all of the time.

I mean for God's sake just listen to the emotionless voices on this video.



If that does not make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, I don't know what would.

Now I still do not think that Palin can get anywhere near the White House, but it is abundantly clear that her deleterious effect on this nation, though minimized, still continues.

Essentially she, and others like her, just need to be stopped completely. And the best way to do that is to keep exposing the truth about them, the truth concerning the reasons behind their support of the Tea Party, and the truth about what their goal is for the United States of America.

I am doing my part, but I certainly won't turn away any help from others.

Horrified by what he was instrumental in unleashing on America, John McCain tells the Teabaggers to get the hell off of his lawn and allow the debt ceiling to be raised!

You know I would like to give Senator McCain credit for standing up to these bullies, and giving them a long overdue lesson in politics, but I can't because they are his damn fault!

If McCain had not plucked the cross-eyed, crazy ass harpie out of the wilds of Wasilla to be his running mate, there is very good chance the Tea Party would never have received enough attention to gain the kind of political influence it is now abusing.

There were many times, including during his own reelection campaign, that McCain could have stood up to these assholes and put them in their place.  But due to his own cowardice, and fear of losing his precious Senate seat, he has been silent.

So fuck John McCain, this is too little, too late.

The question he should ask himself from this day until his last days on this earth is where was HE when his country needed him?

(H/T to the Plum Line.)

Meghan McCain's response to Bristol the Pistol. And more lies are revealed about Sarah's little girl's book.

Courtesy of Meghan's Twitter account  McCainBlogette.

My response to Bristol Palin:



Update: The Daily Beast has more excerpts from Bristol's hit piece, and our instincts that this book was just a conduit for the things Sarah Palin was afraid to include in HER book are more accurate then we could have even imagined.

On her first time with Levi:

Despite being brought up in a Christian household determined to save herself until marriage, Bristol laments the fact that her virginity had been “stolen,” and as she surveys the evidence in the tent, soon realizes that “all of my plans, my promises, and my moral standards had disappeared in one awful night in a series of bad decisions.”

(By the way I have just learned that there was another couple in the tent during this incident of "stolen virginity" and that Bristol's story is pure bullshit.)

Attacking Mike Wooten, a family tradition:

First, back in 2003, Bristol witnessed Uncle Mike shoot a Taser gun at her cousin, Payton. As Payton was recovering from the shock, Uncle Mike looked over at Bristol and said, “Bristol, you’re next.” (Pg. 25) Bristol screams, and tells her mother about the incident. Later, it’s revealed that there were a bunch of citizen complaints against Mike, ranging from boozing in his patrol car to people claiming they witnessed him illegally killing an animal on a hunting trip. Later on, Uncle Mike carries out a very public affair with Bristol’s friend Jenna’s mother.

(If you want to learn the truth about What happened to Mike Wooten, just read Geoffrey Dunn's book.)

Covering for Sarah's lies about threats against the girls in Juneau.

They began by threatening Bristol and telling her to stay away from their boyfriends, and then, things got serious when some of Bristol’s classmates posted an Internet threat against Willow. “An eight-grade girl told twelve-year-old Willow that her Samoan brothers were going to gang-rape her,” said Bristol. (Pg. 67) Later, a boy posted on MySpace: “Bristol’s a slut when she’s drunk and a slut when she’s sober.” Bristol says these early bullying incidents helped her develop a tough exterior and handle all of the gossip about her family.

(We dispelled this bullshit lie way back in December 2009.)

On knocking boots with Levi:

When the school year ended in Juneau, Bristol returns to her hometown of Wasilla in the summer of 2007, and immediately reconnects with Levi. He treats her like a princess and showers her with gifts, including “Coach purses, nice rings, Abercrombie clothes, as well as Coach and Juicy rain boots.”  The two have sex again that summer, since she felt Levi had needs and, “If I wasn’t going to fill them, I feared he’d go back to his old ways.” The couple uses condoms. When summer ends, Bristol convinces her parents to let her stay in Wasilla, and despite Levi’s unfaithfulness—she witnesses his jacket on another girl—and is soon prescribed birth control, which “meant Levi and I could stop using condoms, and I could make sure I wouldn’t get pregnant.”

Not long after her mother gives birth to Trig Palin, a child diagnosed with Down syndrome—and a pregnancy she hid from the public until she was seven months pregnant—Bristol realizes that, despite being on birth control, she is over a month pregnant when she starts experiencing terrible cramps.

Okay seriously THIS is pathological!  Sarah is using her daughter to attack the people she hates on her behalf so that if anybody defends themselves she can claim they are attacking her children again.

She also has her pimping the family mythology to back up HER version of reality, so that folks will question the truthfulness of what Frank, Geoffrey, Joe, and Levi wrote in THEIR books. Not to mention what has been revealed in the blogs.

I cannot believe anybody would give her a pass on this transparent manipulation of her daughter.  Not anymore.