This afternoon, the plea was changed to guilty. The legal process, at least the high profile public part, is largely over. There is still the possibility of charges from Pima County, and I hope that Barbara Lawall resists the urge to insert herself into this.

The news cycle isn’t over yet, so maybe we’ll hear from people who want an execution. I haven’t heard this from people who were victims that day. Far from it. Here is Mavy Stoddard, widow of Dorwan Stoddard, this weekend:

I don’t really want the death penalty. I would love to see him either put in a mental institution or life in prison with no parole. Either one of them. If he can get some help, that’s what he needs. And maybe he will find the Lord.

By the way, I have two friends that are members of Stoddard’s congregation, and they and Mavy are traveling to Aurora, Colorado to work with victims and their families there.

Here he is with his solution to the shooting incident in Colorado, posted on Facebook only an hour or so after reports of the incident hit the news (yes, that means it was posted at one in the morning):

Had someone been prepared and armed they could have stopped this “bad” man from most of this tragedy. He was two and three feet away from folks, I understand he had to stop and reload. Where were the men of flight 93???? Someone could have stopped this man. Someone should have stopped this man. Lives were lost because of a bad man, not because he had a weapon, but because noone [sic] was prepared to stop it. Had they been prepared to save lives or the lives of others, lives would have been saved. All that was needed was one Courages [sic]/Brave man prepared mentally or otherwise to stop this it could have been done. When seconds count, police are only minutes away.

Yep. If the victims were only more “courages” they wouldn’t have been killed. Oh, and the police are incompetent. We can always count on dear Russell for his sensitivity.

Of course, what Pearce is really doing here is pushing what has been a theme on the right over the last few days: if someone just had a gun, none of this would have happened.

Let’s see: the perpetrator was wearing a bulletproof vest and was armed with an AR-15, this took place in a dark and crowded theater, oh and don’t forget the tear gas. That certainly sounds like the sort of scenario where a marginally trained civilian can get a shot or two off and take down the bad guy.

By and large, I’m a supporter of gun rights and I come from a family of gun owners. I also know the difference between real life and an episode of Burn Notice.

This incident happened in a state with gun laws and culture much like Arizona. Colorado has concealed carry, for example. Who is to say no one in the place had a weapon?

Also, remember January 8th here. I don’t know if she was carrying that morning, but Gabrielle Giffords held a concealed carry permit. People in the crowd were armed. Reports of that incident said that the man that disarmed the shooter almost got shot by another civilian who saw a guy holding a gun and made assumptions. And that happened in broad daylight.

I guess Pearce had to blame the incident on a lack of gun ownership (in Colorado?) once he found out he couldn’t blame Mexican immigrants.

By the way: this weekend Jon Kyl endorsed Pearce’s primary opponent, Bob Worsley. Worsley managed to get the endorsement of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce a few weeks ago. It just goes to show that the Republican karmazyn are done with this guy. Wow, and it only took him being out of power to do it. Talk about “courages”…

After the January 8th shootings, Clarence Dupnik was dragged over the coals for what the local Tea Party said was blame for the shootings. It was nothing of the kind, but in response, we had suggestions that somehow Dupnik was responsible for the lack of mental health care in Southern Arizona.

It was a ridiculous assertion, but it made me wonder if, finally, we’d have some attention paid to our mental health system.

Not quite.

The governor, even after the 2011 massacre, is looking to gut Title 19 of the AHCCCS program. It’s one of the only avenues left for us to take care of the mentally ill that can’t otherwise afford care.

It’s one of two avenues. The other one is to wait for them to commit a horrible crime so the prison system will take care of them.

Another mass shooting with a young, alienated perpetrator. I have a feeling we won’t learn much from this one either.

He definitely crossed some lines with his comments, so much so that even the NRA is trying to get some distance. The Secret Service questioned him, and I’m sure the Nuge was disappointed to find that they didn’t bring any of those Colombian prostitutes he’d heard about.

I got a call from a relative of one of the January 8th victims the other day who was angry that Nugent would be playing at the Pima County Fair. She also pointed out that Sarah Palin’s “don’t retreat, reload” comments that she retroactively got so much grief for were made at the fairgrounds during the 2010 election. Yeah, a bit of a stretch, but given what she and her family have been through over the last year and a half, I’ll cut her some slack.

Apparently, she’s not the only one concerned about this. This is from Richard Elías’s Facebook page. The Pima County Board of Supervisors granted the Southwest Fair Commission, a private group, the right to run the fair years ago, but he’s been getting calls:

Concerned Pima County residents:

Many of you have complained about the appearance at the 2012 Pima County Fair of Ted Nugent. I am among those who deplore the reprehensible and irresponsible statements that Mr. Nugent made to the National Rifle Association about President Obama. In light of the horrific shooting spree of January 8, 2011, that took six lives and injured 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Mr. Nugent’s comments were especially hurtful and inappropriate to many of us in this community. The Southwestern Fair Commission Inc. and its employees put together the Pima County Fair. If you have strong feelings about Mr. Nugent’s offensive statements, please share them with the commission: (520)762-9100; Office@pimacountyfair.com

Sincerely,
Richard Elías
District Five Pima County Supervisor

U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WILL ATTEND SUNDAY EVENT AT UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Congresswoman will return to her hometown of Tucson to observe anniversary of shooting in which six people died

TUCSON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will attend a vigil at the University of Arizona Sunday evening to commemorate the anniversary of the Jan. 8, 2011 shooting in which six people were killed and the congresswoman was critically wounded.

The vigil on the UA Mall is one of dozens of events that will be held in Tucson and the surrounding area this weekend to observe the tragedy in which 19 people were shot last year at Giffords’ Congress On Your Corner at a shopping center in Northwest Tucson.

Giffords and her husband, retired Navy captain Mark Kelly, both will participate in the event.

Others participating include Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Rabbi Stephanie Aaron and Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of the division of trauma, critical care and emergency surgery at the University of Arizona Medical Center. Rhee was among the doctors who treated Giffords and others who were wounded last year.

Ron Barber, Giffords’ district director, will be the emcee for the event. Barber was shot twice and seriously wounded last year. Barber and his family established the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding, which will host “Reflections: Honoring the Lives of the January 8 Shooting Victims” at 3 p.m. Sunday in Centennial Hall on the UA campus.

“Congresswoman Giffords wanted to be back in Tucson for this very emotional weekend,” said Pia Carusone, Giffords’ chief of staff. “She felt it was important to be in her hometown with her family, staff members and a few close friends.”

While in Tucson, Giffords will not give interviews.

The vigil at the UA Mall will be hosted by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona and the University of Arizona Medical Center. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra will perform as will Calexico, one of the congresswoman’s favorite local bands.

Community members are encouraged to attend and show their support for the families of victims and the survivors. Those attending are asked not to bring candles. Glow sticks will be provided to all those in attendance.

Giffords, a third-generation Tucsonan, has been undergoing intensive therapy in Houston after she was shot in the head last year. This weekend’s trip to Tucson will be the fourth time the congresswoman has returned to Tucson since the shooting. She previously flew back for Father’s Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

Media wishing to cover the Sunday vigil at the University of Arizona should contact Johnny Cruz, UA’s assistant vice president for communications at cruzj@email.arizona.edu.

WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords attends vigil commemorating the Jan. 8, 2011 shooting
WHEN: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan, 8, 2012
WHERE: University of Arizona Mall