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Entries by Topic
All topics
* stephen hawking's univers
* tiger woods * jim fur
Barack Obama, China, Hu Jintao,
Melinda Hackett, manhattan
Moshe Katsav, bbc news
new zealand miners, louise heal
Vikram Pandit, bbc news, ft
Wilma Mankiller,
9/11, september 11, emily strato
Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman, bbc
afghanistan, bbc news, the econo
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, bbc news
Ai Weiwei, bbc news
aids virus, aids, * hiv
Airbus A330, suzanne gould, bbc
airline security, bbc news
airport security, bbc news, biod
al-qaeda, natalie duval, yemen,
al-qaeda, new york city, suzanne
algeria, bbc news
amanda knox, bbc news, italy mur
american airlines, natalie de va
ancient rome, bbc news
arab spring, bbc news
arizona immigration law, bbc new
arms control, bbc news
arms flow to terrorists, bbc new
Arnold Schwarzenegger, bbc news
aung song suu kyi, myanmar, bbc
australia floods, bbc news
australia, cookbooks
australian shipwreck, bbc news
baltimore shooting, bbc news
ban aid, bob geldof, bbc world s
bangladesh clashes, bbc news
bat global markets, bbc news
bbc 2, biodun iginla
bbc news
bbc news, biodun iginla, david c
bbc news, biodun iginla, south k
bbc news, biodun iginla, the eco
bbc news, google
bbc strike, biodun iginla
bbc world service, biodun iginla
bcva, bbc news
belarus, bbc news, maria ogryzlo
Ben Bernanke, federal reserve
Benazir Bhutto, sunita kureishi,
benin, tokun lawal, bbc
Benjamin Netanyahu, bbc news
berlusconi, bbc news, italy
bill clinton ,emanuel, bbc news
bill clinton, Earth day, biodun
black friday, bbc news
black-listed nations, bbc news
blackwater, Gary Jackson, suzann
blogging in china, bbc news
bradley manning, bbc news
brazil floods, bbc news
brazil, biodun iginla, bbc news,
british elections, bbc news, bio
broadband, bbc news, the economi
Bruce Beresford-Redman. Monica
BSkyB bid, bbc news
budget deficit, bbc news,
bulgaria, natalie de vallieres,
business travel, bbc news
camilla parker-bowles, bbc news
canada, bbc news, biodun iginla
carleton college, bbc news, biod
casey anthony, bbc news
catholic church sex scandal, suz
cdc, e coli, suzanne gould, bbc
charlie rangel, bbc news
chicago mayorial race, bbc news,
chile miners, bbc news
chile prison fire, bbc news
chile, enrique krause, bbc news,
china, judith stein, bbc news, u
china, xian wan, bbc news, biodu
chinese dipolomat, houston polic
chinese media, bbc news
chirac, france, bbc news
cholera in haiti, biodun iginla
christina green, bbc news
Christine Lagarde, bbc news
Christine O'Donnell, tea party
chronical of higher education, b
citibank, bbc news
climate change, un, bbc news, bi
coal mines, west virginia, bbc n
common dreams
common dreams, bbc news, biodun
commonwealth games, bbc news
condi rice, obama
condoms, suzanne gould
congo, bbc news
congress, taxes, bbc news
contagion, islam, bbc news
continental airlines, bbc news
Continental Express flight, suza
corrupt nations, bbc news
Countrywide Financial Corporatio
cross-dressing, bbc news, emily
ctheory, bbc news, annalee newit
cuba, enrique krause, bbc news,
Cuba, Raúl Castro, Michael Voss
dealbook, bbc news, nytimes
digital life, bbc news
dorit cypis, bbc news, community
dow jones, judith stein, bbc new
egypt, nasra ismail, bbc news, M
elizabeth edwards, bbc news
elizabeth smart, bbc news
embassy bombs in rome, bbc news
emily's list, bbc news
entertainment, movies, biodun ig
equador, biodun iginla, bbc news
eu summit, bbc news, russia
eu, arab democracy, bbc news
europe travel delays, bbc news
europe travel, biodun iginla, bb
europe travel, france24, bbc new
eurozone crisis, bbc news
eurozone, ireland, bbc news
fair, media, bbc news
fake deaths, bbc news
FASHION - PARIS - PHOTOGRAPHY
fbi, bbc news
fcc, neutral internel, liz rose,
Federal Reserve, interest rates,
federal workers pay freeze, bbc
fedex, racism, bbc news
feedblitz, bbc news, biodun igin
ferraro, bbc news
fifa, soccer, bbc news
financial times, bbc news
firedoglake, jane hamsher, biodu
flashing, sex crimes, bbc news
fox, cable, new york, bbc
france, labor, biodun iginla
france24, bbc news, biodun iginl
french hostages, bbc news
french muslims, natalie de valli
FT briefing, bbc news, biodun ig
g20, obama, bbc news
gabrielle giffords, bbc news
«
gambia, iran, bbcnews
gay-lesbian issues, emily strato
george bush, blair, bbc news
germans held in Nigeria, tokun l
germany, natalie de vallieres, b
global economy, bbc news
goldman sachs, judith stein, bbc
google news, bbc news, biodun ig
google, gianni maestro, bbc news
google, groupon, bbc news
gop, bbc news
Gov. Jan Brewer, bbc news, immig
greece bailout, bbc news, biodun
guantanamo, bbc news
gulf oil spill, suzanne gould, b
Hackers, MasterCard, Security, W
haiti aid, enrique krause, bbc n
haiti, michelle obama, bbc news
heart disease, bbc news
Heather Locklear, suzanne gould,
Henry Kissinger, emily straton,
Henry Okah, nigeria, tokun lawal
hillary clinton, bbc news
hillary clinton, cuba, enrique k
hugo chavez, bbc news
hungary, maria ogryzlo
hurricane katrina, bbc news
Ibrahim Babangida, nigeria, toku
india, susan kumar
indonesia, bbc news, obama admin
inside edition, bbc news, biodun
insider weekly, bbc news
insider-trading, bbc news
International Space Station , na
iran, latin america, bbc news
iran, lebanon, Ahmadinejad ,
iran, nuclear weapons, bbc news
iran, wikileaks, bbc news
iraq, al-qaeda, sunita kureishi,
iraq, nasras ismail, bbc news, b
ireland, bbc news, eu
islam, bbc news, biodun iginla
israeli-palestinian conflict, na
italy, eurozone crisis
ivory coast, bbc news
James MacArthur, hawaii five-O
Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, biodun igi
jane hansher, biodun iginla
japan, bbc news, the economist
jerry brown, bbc news
Jerry Brown, suzanne gould, bbc
jill clayburgh, bbc news
Jody Weis, chicago police, bbc n
John Paul Stevens, scotus,
juan williams, npr, biodun iginl
judith stein, bbc news
Justice John Paul Stevens, patri
K.P. Bath, bbc news, suzanne gou
keith olbermann, msnbc, bbc news
kelly clarkson, indonesia, smoki
kenya, bbc news, police
Khodorkovsky, bbc news
Kyrgyz, maria ogryzlo, bbc news,
le monde, bbc nerws
le monde, bbc news, biodun iginl
lebanon, nasra ismail, biodun ig
Lech Kaczynski
libya, gaddafi, bbc news,
london ftse, bbc news
los alamos fire, bbc news
los angeles, bbc news, suzanne g
los angeles, suzanne gould, bbc
LulzSec, tech news, bbc news
madoff, bbc news, suicide
marijuana, weed, bbc news, suzan
Martin Dempsey, bbc news
maryland, bbc news
media, FAIR, bbc news
media, free press, fcc, net neut
media, media matters for america
media, mediabistro, bbc news
melissa gruz, bbc news, obama ad
mexican drug cartels, enrique kr
mexican gas explosion, bbc news
mexican's execution, bbc news
Michael Skakel, emily straton, b
Michelle Obama, bbc news
michigan militia, suzanne gould,
middle-class jobs, bbc news
midwest snowstorm, bbc news
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, bbc news
minnesota public radio
moveon, bbc news, biodun iginla
msnbc, david shuster, bbc news
mumbai attacks, bbc news
myanmar, burma, bbc news
nancy pelosi, us congress, bbc n
nasra ismail, israeli-palestinia
Natalia Lavrova, olympic games,
Nathaniel Fons, child abandonmen
nato, afghanistan, bbc news
nato, pakistan, sunita kureishi,
nelson mandela, bbc news
nestor kirchner, bbc news
net neutrality, bbc news
new life-forms, bbc news
new year, 2011, bbc news
new york city, homelessness, chi
new york snowstorm, bbc news
new zealand miners, bbc news
News Corporation, bbc news
news of the world, bbc news
nick clegg, uk politics, tories
nicolas sarkozy, islam, natalie
nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, toku
nobel peace prize
nobel peace prize, bbc news, bio
noreiga, panama, biodun iginla,
north korea, bbc news, nuclear p
npr, bbc news, gop
npr, media, bbc news
ntenyahu, obama, bbc news
nuclear proliferation, melissa g
Nuri al-Maliki, iraq, biodun igi
nytimes dealbook, bbc news
obama, bill clinton, bbc news
obama, biodun iginla, bbc news
oil spills, bbc news, the econom
olbermann, msnbc, bbc news
Omar Khadr, bbc news
Online Media, bbc news, the econ
pakistan, sunita kureishi, bbc n
paris airport, bbc news
Pedro Espada, suzanne gould, bbc
phone-hack scandal, bbc news
poland, maria ogryzlo, lech Kac
police brutality, john mckenna,
police fatalities, bbc news
Pope Benedict XVI, natalie de va
pope benedict, natalie de vallie
popular culture, us politics
portugal, bbc news
Potash Corporation, bbc news
prince charles, bbc news
prince william, katemiddleton, b
pulitzer prizes, bbc news, biodu
qantas, airline security, bbc ne
racism, religious profiling, isl
randy quaid, asylum, canada
Ratko Mladic, bbc news
Rebekah Brooks, bbc news, the ec
republicans, bbc news
richard holbrooke, bbc news
Rick Santorum , biodun iginla, b
robert gates, lapd, suzanne goul
rod Blagojevich, suzanne gould,
roger clemens, bbc news
russia, imf, bbc news, the econo
russia, maria ogrylo, Lech Kaczy
san francisco crime lab, Deborah
sandra bullock, jess james, holl
SARAH EL DEEB, bbc news, biodun
sarah palin, biodun iginla, bbc
sarkosy, bbc news
saudi arabia, indonesian maid, b
saudi arabia, nasra ismail, bbc
Schwarzenegger, bbc news, biodun
science and technology, bbc news
scott brown, tufts university, e
scotus, gays in the military
scotus, iraq war, bbc news, biod
sec, judith stein, us banks, bbc
Senate Democrats, bbc news, biod
senegal, chad, bbc news
seward deli, biodun iginla
shanghai fire, bbc news
Sidney Thomas, melissa gruz, bbc
silvio berlusconi, bbc news
single currency, bbc news, the e
snowstorm, bbc news
social security, bbc news, biodu
somali pirates, bbc news
somalia, al-shabab, biodun iginl
south korea, north korea, bbc ne
south sudan, bbc news
spain air strikes, bbc news
spain, standard and poor, bbc ne
state of the union, bbc news
steve jobs, bbc news
steven ratner, andrew cuomo, bbc
Strauss-Kahn, bbc news, biodun i
sudan, nasra ismail, bbc news, b
suicide websites, bbc news
supreme court, obama, melissa gr
sweden bomb attack, bbc news
syria, bbc news
taliban, bbc news, biodun iginla
Taoufik Ben Brik, bbc news, biod
tariq aziz, natalie de vallieres
tariq azziz, jalal talbani, bbc
tea party, us politics
tech news, bbc, biodun iginla
technology, internet, economics
thailand, xian wan, bbc news, bi
the economist, biodun iginla, bb
the economsit, bbc news, biodun
the insider, bbc news
tiger woods. augusta
timothy dolan, bbc news
Timothy Geithner, greece, eu, bi
tornadoes, mississippi, suzanne
travel, bbc news
tsa (travel security administrat
tsumami in Indonesia, bbc news,
tunisia, bbc news, biodun iginla
turkey, israel, gaza strip. biod
Turkey, the eu, natalie de valli
twincities daily planet, bbc new
twincities.com, twin cities dail
twitter, media, death threats, b
Tyler Clementi, hate crimes, bio
uk elections, gordon brown, raci
uk phone-hack, Milly Dowler
uk tuition increase, bbc news
un wire, un, bbc news, biodun ig
un, united nations, biodun iginl
unwed mothers, blacks, bbc news
upi, bbc news, iginla
us billionaires, bbc news
us economic downturn, melissa gr
us economy, us senate, us congre
us empire, bbc news, biodun igin
us housing market, bbc news
us jobs, labor, bbc news
us media, bbc news, biodun iginl
us media, media matters for amer
us midterm elections, bbc news
us midterm elections, melissa gr
us military, gay/lesbian issues
us politics, bbc news, the econo
us recession, judith stein, bbc
us stimulus, bbc news
us taxes, bbc news, the economis
us, third-world, bbc news
vatican, natalie de vallieres
venezuela, bbc news
verizon, biodun iginla, bbc news
volcanic ash, iceland, natalie d
volcanis ash, bbc news, biodun i
wal-mat, sexism, bbc news
wall street reform, obama, chris
wall street regulations, banking
warren buffett, us economic down
weather in minneapolis, bbc news
white supremacist, Richard Barre
wikileaks, bbc news, biodun igin
wvirginia coal mine, biodun igin
wvirginia mines, biodun iginal,
xian wan, china , nobel prize
xian wan, japan
yahoo News, biodun iginla, bbc n
yahoo, online media, new media,
yemen, al-qaeda, nasra ismail, b
zimbabwe, mugabe, biodun iginla
|
Biodun@bbcnews.com
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Brain Fluid Buildup Delays Full Rehab for Giffords
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun IginlaPublished: January 23, 2011Filed at 5:42 p.m. EST HOUSTON — The Houston hospital treating Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Sunday that her condition is improving daily, but gave no update on the buildup of brain fluid that has kept the Arizona congresswoman in intensive care. A hospital statement said Giffords would continue to receive therapy in the intensive care unit "until her physicians determine she is ready for transfer" to a nearby center where she would begin a full rehabilitation program. They said the next medical updates would be provided when that happens. Giffords was flown to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center Hospital on Friday from Tucson, where she was shot in the forehead on Jan. 8 while meeting with constituents. At a news conference shortly after her arrival in Houston, doctors said she had been given a tube to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. Everyone makes such fluid, but an injury can cause the fluid to not be cleared away as rapidly as normal. A backup can cause pressure and swelling within the brain. "It's a common problem," occurring in 15 to 20 percent of people with a brain injury or brain surgery, said Dr. Reid C. Thompson, chairman of neurological surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, who is not involved in Giffords' care. Another possible reason for a drainage tube: "After a gunshot wound to the head and brain where there is a lot of soft tissue injury, it is common to develop a leak of spinal fluid. This raises the risk of a meningitis and slows down wound healing," he said. The tube is a short-term solution that doctors usually don't use for longer than a week or two because of the risk of infection, said Dr. Steve Williams, rehab chief at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine. If the problem persists, this temporary catheter can be converted to a permanent one called a shunt. That involves an hour-long surgery to tunnel a thin tube from inside the brain down the neck and under the skin to the abdomen, where the fluid can drain and be dispersed in the belly, Williams said. That is less than ideal — those can clog over time, requiring medical attention.
Posted by biginla
at 10:49 PM GMT
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Here's short look at some of those who were wounded in the attack
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla
Posted: Sunday, January 16, 2011 12:00 am | Comments - Font Size:
- Default font size
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OFFICE OF REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDSBoth Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her district director, Ron Barber, were injured. Giffords remains hospitalized. Barber is out of the hospital. The Jan. 8 shooting left 13 people injured, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was hosting a casual "Congress on Your Corner" event outside a northwest-side grocery store. Here's a quick look at those who were wounded: Bill BADGER, 74 The retired Army National Guard colonel went to last Saturday's "Congress on Your Corner" event to say hello to Gabrielle Giffords. A bullet grazed the back of Badger's head, but that didn't stop him from helping to take down the gunman. Badger's military career included six years as commander of the Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Marana. RON BARBER, 65 Barber, Giffords' district director, was standing next to his boss when they both were shot. Barber was shot in the face and leg. He underwent two surgeries for his wounds and was released from the hospital on Friday. Barber has worked with Giffords since she first went to Washington and is a former administrator in the Arizona Department of Economic Security's division of developmental disabilities. KENNETH DORUSHKA, 63 Dorushka suggested to his wife of 41 years that they go meet Giffords since they had already planned a trip to the grocery store that morning. They were halfway through the line to meet Giffords when Dorushka saw a man pull out a gun. Dorushka threw his wife to the ground and shielded her head with his arm - the same arm that was struck by gunfire. "That would've been my bullet," his wife, Carol, recalled. J. ERIC FULLER, 63 Fuller cut short his regular tennis match last Saturday to see Giffords. The naval air veteran said he appreciates her support of veterans and her views on solar energy. When he heard shots, he looked up to where Giffords had been standing and saw in her place a man shooting. Fuller was struck in the left knee and was hit in the back with bullet fragments. He drove himself to Northwest Hospital and from there was taken to UMC, where he remained through Monday. RANDY GARDNER, 60 Gardner went to the event to thank Giffords for her vote on health care. The retired mental health therapist stood fifth or sixth in line, and struck up a conversation with a stranger - Phyllis Schneck - a Republican who respected Giffords. Soon their conversation was interrupted by a series of pops. Gardner, realizing it was gunfire, told Schneck they had to get out of there. He turned to take a step and was shot in the foot. Schneck was killed. SUSAN HILEMAN, 58 Hileman brought her 9-year-old neighbor, Christina-Taylor Green, to Giffords' event because of the girl's interest in politics. Hileman was holding hands with the girl, waiting to shake Giffords' hand, when shots were fired, said Hileman's husband, Bill. Susan Hileman was shot three times. GEORGE MORRIS, 76 Even after 50 years of marriage, the retired Marine and retired airline pilot and his wife, Dorothy, still acted like newlyweds. He was shot twice trying to shield his wife from the gunfire, but Dorothy was killed. The Morrises both grew up in Reno, Nev., and were high school sweethearts. They moved to Oro Valley in the mid-1990s to join friends who had retired here. PAMELA SIMON, 63 Simon, a community outreach aide for Giffords, was shot twice, once in the chest - with the bullet traveling to her hip - and once in the right wrist. She was released from the hospital on Thursday. Simon used to teach at the same middle school and high school that suspected shooter Jared Lee Loughner attended. She never met him, though, saying, "We walked the same halls for four years." MAVANELL STODDARD, 75 "Mavy" and Dorwan Stoddard were high school sweethearts who reconnected and married 15 years ago after their spouses died. Mavy was shot in the leg three times on Saturday and Dorwan, who covered her when the shooting started, was killed. MARY REED, 52 Reed went to the Giffords event with her daughter, who worked as a congressional page for the congresswoman over the summer. Reed's husband, Tom McMahon, and 13-year-old son, Owen, were also at the event and were nearby when the shooting started. Reed was shot in the back and in both arms. JAMES TUCKER, 58 Tucker is an environmental health and safety fire inspector for Raytheon Missile Systems. He was standing near Giffords when he was shot in the collarbone and the leg. He remained at University Medical Center Friday in good condition. KENNETH VEEDER, 75 Contacted Friday, Veeder said he wasn't ready to talk about his injuries or the shootings. Post a Comment Print Email ShareThis
Posted by biginla
at 1:43 PM GMT
Updated: Sunday, 16 January 2011 1:50 PM GMT
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Giffords begins to breathe on her own
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla Jan. 15 -- U.S. RepresentativeGabrielle Giffords, shot in the head in last weekend's Arizona shooting rampage, began breathing on her own as doctors removed her from a ventilator. She remains in critical condition. Doctors today took out the breathing tube that had run down Giffords' throat and replaced it with a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe, according to a statement on the website of the University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. Surgeons also inserted a feeding tube. "Her recovery continues as planned," the hospital said. The latest procedures "are not uncommon among brain-injured patients in the Intensive Care Unit." Doctors previously said Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat, was making major strides in her recovery, opening her eyes and beginning physical therapy.
Posted by biginla
at 9:55 PM GMT
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Obama tells Americans: We can be better
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla TUCSON, Ariz. – Summoning the soul of a nation, President Barack Obama on Wednesday implored Americans to honor those slain and injured in the Arizona shootings by becoming better people, telling a polarized citizenry that it is time to talk with each other "in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds." Following a hospital bedside visit with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the target of the assassination, he said: "She knows we're here, and she knows we love her." In an electrifying moment, the president revealed that Giffords, who on Saturday was shot point-blank in the head, had opened her eyes for the first time shortly after his hospital visit. First lady Michelle Obamaheld hands with Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, as the news brought soaring cheers from thousands gathered for a memorial service. Obama bluntly conceded that there is no way to know what triggered the shooting rampage that left six people dead, 13 others wounded and the nation shaken. He tried instead to leave indelible memories of the people who were gunned down, and to rally the country to use the moment as a reflection on the nation's behavior and compassion. "I believe we can be better," Obama said to a capacity crowd in the university's basketball arena and to countless others watching around the country. "Those who died here, those who saved lives here — they help me believe," the president said. "We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us." In crafting his comments, Obama clearly sought a turning point in the raw debate that has defined national politics. He faced the expectations to do more than console, but to encourage a new day of civility, all without getting overly political in a memorial service. Obama settled on a theme of challenging the country to have a debate that is worthy of those who died. He tapped into the raging debate about the role of incendiary rhetoric without dwelling on it. "Let's remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy. It did not," the president said. After offering personal accounts of every person who died, he challenged anyone listening to think of how to honor their memories, and he was not shy about offering direction. He admonished against any instinct to point blame or to drift into political pettiness or to latch onto simple explanations that may have no merit. The president said it was OK, even essential, for the country to suddenly be debating gun control, mental health services and the motivations of the killer. But then he added: "At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do — it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds," the president said. The shooting happened as Giffords, a three-term Democrat who represents southern Arizona, was holding a community outreach event in a Tucson shopping center parking lot Saturday. A gunman shot her in the head and worked his way down the line of people waiting to talk with her, law enforcement officials said. The attack ended when bystanders tackled the man, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, who is in custody. Obama's speech, by turns somber and hopeful, at times took on the tone of an exuberant pep rally as he heralded the men who wrestled the gunman to the ground, the woman who grabbed the shooter's ammunition, the doctors and nurses who treated the injured, the intern who rushed to Giffords' aid. The crowd erupted in multiple standing ovations as each was singled out for praise. The president ended up speaking for more than half an hour, doubling the expected length of his comments. Memories of the six people killed dominated much of Obama's speech. The president, for example, recalled how federal Judge John Roll was on his way from attending Mass when he stopped to say hello to Giffords and was gunned down; Dorothy Morris, shielded by her husband, but killed nonetheless; and Phyllis Schneck, a Republican who took a shine to Giffords, a Democrat, and wanted to know her better. He spoke at length of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the only girl on her Little League team, who often said she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues. She had just been elected to the student council at her elementary school and had an emerging interest in public service. "I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it," Obama said. The little girl was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and had been featured in a book about 50 babies born that day. The inscriptions near her photo spoke of wishes for a happy child's life, including splashing in puddles. Said Obama: "If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today." Obama hit an emotional high point when he told of Giffords opening her eyes for the first time not long after his visit to her bedside. "Gabby opened her eyes, so I can tell you: She knows we are here, she knows we love her, and she knows that we are rooting for her through what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey," Obama said. The lawmakers who were in Giffords' hospital room when she opened her eyes were three of her close female friends in Congress: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. "It felt like we were watching a miracle," Wasserman Schultz told reporters traveling back to Washington with her on Air Force One. "The strength that you could see flowing out of her, it was like she was trying to will her eyes open." Giffords is expected to survive, although her condition and the extent of her recovery remain in doubt. As finger-pointing emerged in Washington and beyond over whether harsh political rhetoric played a role in creating motivation for the attack, Obama sought to calm the rhetoric. "Bad things happen," he said, "and we must guard against simple explanations in the aftermath." He spoke of decency and goodness, declaring: "The forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us." Obama's appeal for civility played out against a deepening political debate. Earlier in the day, Republican Sarah Palin, criticized by some for marking Giffords' district with the crosshairs of a gun sight during last fall's campaign, had taken to Facebook to accuse pundits and journalists of using the attack to incite hatred and violence. Obama spoke to a crowd of more than 13,000 in the arena and thousands more listened on from an overflow area in the football stadium. About a mile away, at University Medical Center, Giffords lay fighting for her life. Other victims also remained there hospitalized. The memorial service was an important part of the mourning process for some of those who had lined up hours in advance to gain a seat. "If we don't say goodbye and have a chance to say goodbye in an appropriate way, it will linger," said Patty Sirls, 62. "So, for me, it's a closure." ___
Posted by biginla
at 12:45 PM GMT
Obama visits Giffords and others at hospital
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla
TUCSON, Ariz. – Thrust into the role of consoler, President Barack Obama on Wednesday stood at the bedside of wounded lawmaker Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and spent private moments with others who were shot in an assassination attempt against her that has unnerved the nation. He prepared to try to rally the nation's spirit in a memorial for the victims. In an unscheduled stop shortly after landing in Arizona, Obama spent about 10 minutes with Giffords and her husband in her hospital room. The president and the first lady also met with other victims wounded in the shooting rampage before moving onto the site of the memorial, where they gathered with families of those who were killed. The president was to speak for roughly 15 minutes toward the end of the memorial, devoting most of his comments to recalling the lives of the victims. In total, 19 people were shot, and six of them killed, in what police say was a brazen attempt by a gunman to kill Giffords. She was shot point-blank in the head but is expected to survive. Obama planned to use his comments to "reflect on how all of us might best honor their memory in our own lives," said his spokesman, Robert Gibbs. An overflow crowd packed the University of Arizona basketball arena for a service that was meant to give voice to the nation's shock, sadness and anger. People erupted into cheers when a panning camera flashed live video screen images of people connected to the story, including Sherriff Clarence Dupnik, and Giffords' intern Daniel Hernandez, who is credited with using his own hands to stem the bleeding from her head after the shooting. Searching for the right tone in the evening service, Obama aimed to console the country, not dissect its politics. Giffords was the target of the first assassination attempt on a member of Congress in decades. Inside the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital, the president spent about 10 minutes with Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly. He also met with four other victims from the shooting, including two of Giffords' staff members who were wounded in the rampage. A bipartisan delegation of lawmakers had accompanied Obama on Air Force One in a sign of solidarity; all branches of government were represented on site. Back on Capitol Hill, Giffords' House colleagues praised her and the other shooting victims and insisted that violence would not silence democracy. "We will have the last word," declared new House Speaker John Boehner. He fought back tears as he described Giffords' battle to recover from Saturday's gunshot wound to her head. Obama was again playing the role of national consoler that comes to all presidents and, in rare times, helps define them. He drew on his own somber experience, following the shooting rampage by one of the military's own members at the Fort Hood, Texas, Army post in 2009. Then, as expected now, Obama focused his comments on how the victims led their lives. The president fine-tuned his speech as he flew across the country. His main mission was to give a warm and honorable portrait of the six people who were killed at Giffords' community outreach gathering last Saturday. Their stories have already taken hold in a country consumed by this sad story; among those who died were a 9-year-old-girl, a prominent judge and an aide to Giffords who was engaged to be married. Obama was expected to speak about the courage of those who intervened to tackle the gunman and help the wounded. He was also assuring grieving families that the country was behind them. And to those grasping for answers, Obama was likely explore how "we can come together as a stronger nation" in the aftermath of the tragedy, as he put it earlier this week. In times of calamity, the country has long turned to its presidents for the right words of assurance. It is test of leadership that comes with the job. Recent history recalls George W. Bush with a bullhorn amid the rubble of Sept. 11, 2001, Bill Clinton's leadership after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and Ronald Reagan's response to the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, when he spoke about being "pained to the core." For Obama, the most instructive lesson may be one from his own presidency. He led the memorial at Fort Hood, trying to help a shaken nation cope with a mass shooting that left 13 people dead and more than two dozen wounded. He spent the first part of that speech naming the people who had been killed and describing how they spent their lives; he used the second half to remind everyone of American endurance and justice. The shootings, apparently a brazen attempt to kill a member of Congress, shattered a Saturday event Giffords had organized outside a grocery as a way for her constituents to chat with her. Threats against lawmakers are not uncommon, but violence is rare. The last killing of a serving member of Congress was in November 1978, when Rep. Leo Ryan, a California Democrat, was murdered in the South American jungle of Guyana while investigating the Jonestown cult. The Arizona episode has sparked a broader debate, unfolding in the media for days, about whether the vitriol of today's politics played a role. Obama has long called for the importance of more civil political discourse, but he has made no comments on that in connection to this shooting, and he was not expected to choose Wednesday night's event as the forum to do so. Police say the man accused of the shootings, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, shot Giffords as well as many in the line of people waiting to talk with her. The attack ended when bystanders tackled the man. He is in jail on federal charges as police continue to investigate. Four days after the shootings, Giffords was making small movements on her own. The three-term Democrat was expected to live. Obama was joined on Air Force One by Republican members of Arizona's congressional delegation, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. By midafternoon, the university said 17,000 people were in line for the event, exceeding the arena's intended capacity. Overflow seating was set up at the school's football stadium, with a video of the proceedings to be played on the scoreboard screen. The memorial service was an important part of the mourning process for some of those who had lined up hours in advance to gain a seat. "If we don't say goodbye and have a chance to say goodbye in an appropriate way, it will linger," said Patty Sirls, 62. "So, for me, it's a closure."
Posted by biginla
at 1:46 AM GMT
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Can Move Arms, Breathe On Her Own
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
Wounded Congresswoman reported to be alert and responding to her doctorsby Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla WEDNESDAY, Jan. 12 -- Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords continues to make progress, her doctors said Tuesday, breathing on her own and moving both arms just four days after an assassin's bullet struck her brain. "She has a 101 percent chance of surviving," Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of trauma at Tucson's University Medical Center told the Associated Press. "She will not die." Dr. Michael Lemole, Giffords' neurosurgeon, added that doctors have left a breathing tube in the 40-year-old woman to protect her airways, but she is drawing breaths on her own, and is alert and responding to doctors, the APreported. "I'm very encouraged by the fact she's done so well," Lemole said. "Given the violent nature of her injury -- a 9mm bullet through the left side of her brain -- "she has no right to look this good, and she does," the Washington Post reported. Giffords' doctors said Monday that she was able to follow simple instructions. They said Giffords responded to verbal commands by raising two fingers of her left hand and even managed to give a thumbs-up, the AP reported. They also said her brain remained swollen, but the pressure wasn't increasing --- a good sign for her recovery. By Tuesday, the doctors said Giffords could raise both of her arms. "That's why we are much more optimistic and we can breathe a collective sigh of relief after about the third day," LeMole, who described Giffords' condition as stable, said Monday. Still, experts said Giffords likely suffered some permanent damage, but it's not yet clear how extensive that damage might be. Dr. David Langer, director of cerebrovascular research at the Cushing Neuroscience Institutes, part of North Shore/Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Great Neck, N.Y., said: "She's probably going to survive in all likelihood, but months or even a year from now we may not know what her ultimate prognosis will be." "She'll likely have a deficit in the near term, but we don't know if she'll end up in a wheelchair like James Brady [President Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was injured by a bullet during a 1981 assassination attempt on the president] or a functioning Congresswoman. We can't know," added Langer, who was not involved with Giffords' care. Giffords was gravely injured, 13 others were wounded, and six people, including a 9-year-old girl, were killed when a 22-year-old man, Jared Loughner, pulled out a semiautomatic Glock pistol in front of a Safeway supermarket in Tucson, where Giffords was meeting constituents. A Democrat, she was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006. The fact that Giffords is alive is a bit of a miracle. According to Langer, 90 percent of people with gunshot wounds to the head die. "This sounds like a relatively mild form of a gunshot wound and that does happen, based on the trajectory," Langer explained. "Certainly she has the opportunity to be as best as she can, given the aggressiveness of what [her doctors] have done. She has a chance of making a good recovery, but good has a lot of different meanings." In the Tuesday news briefing, Giffords' doctors revised their interpretation of the path of the bullet, saying they now believe she was shot in the forehead with the bullet traversing the left side of the brain and exiting out the back. They had previously thought the bullet had entered through the back of Giffords' head. The latest conclusions came from a review of X-rays and brain scans and discussions with two outside physicians, the AP reported. "The trajectory [of the bullet] itself is not that different but it's reversed. Instead of being shot in the back of the head and exiting from the front, now it's shot into the forehead above the eye, which is the frontal lobe," said Dr. Anders Cohen, chief of neurosurgery and spine surgery at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City. The key in trying to forecast her recovery lies in whether Rep. Gifford is left-handed or right-handed, he added. Almost all right-handed people are left-brain dominant and the left brain controls cognitive function and some speech. Left-handed people can be dominant on either side. "If she's left-handed, odds are that the statistics are more in her favor that there'll be fewer cognitive and, perhaps, speech concerns," Cohen said. Although there's been some speculation that Giffords may be left-handed, this hasn't been reported definitively. Much also depends on the speed at which the bullet entered the brain. Speed sends off shock waves that can damage surrounding areas. There may also be bleeding or bone fragments, which exacerbate an injury, Cohen explained. "It's a series of hurdles for the victim," he explained. "Whatever part of the brain that that bullet went through, even if it was a small cylinder of trajectory, that [area] is now permanently injured [but] the repercussions are unknown. There's some permanent and some recoverable damage depending on how injured that part of the brain gets." "It's a traumatic brain injury [but] she's young and she's otherwise healthy," Cohen said. "She'll be able to recover some and, depending on the injury, her recovery can take up
Posted by biginla
at 1:33 AM GMT
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Arizona shooting: Loughner 'ran red light' before attack
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
12 January 2011 Last updated at 12:19 ET by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla The suspected gunman fr om Saturday's deadly shooting in Arizona was stopped for running a red light hours before the attack, police say. Jared Loughner, 22, was given a verbal warning by an Arizona police officer, the Associated Press reported. Fresh details have begun to emerge about the hours ahead of the attack in which six people were killed and 13 injured, including a congresswoman. Mr Loughner has been jailed pending trial for the attack. US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, remains in critical condition after being shot through the head in the Saturday attack at a grocery store where she was holding a constituent event. In Tucson, Arizona, where Mr Loughner lived and where the attack took place, investigators have said they found a handwritten note among Mr Loughner's effects bearing the words "Die, bitch", which they believe was a reference to Ms Giffords. Other notes previously disclosed read "I planned ahead", "My assassination" and "Giffords". The Arizona wildlife officer who stopped Mr Loughner the morning of the attack took his name and vehicle registration, and released him with a verbal warning after learning he was not wanted on any warrants. "He had a valid license, the car was registered, he had insurance," Arizona Game and Fish department spokesman Jim Paxon said. Continue reading the main storySuspect: Jared Loughner- Aged 22; lives with parents in Tucson
- Described by former class-mates as "disruptive" drug-user and a loner
- Reportedly posted series of rambling messages on social networking websites
- Online messages show deep distrust of government and religion, calling US laws "treasonous" and calling for creation of a new currency
- Was rejected by the US Army for drug use
"He was warned and released because we had no probable cause to hold, or do an extensive search." Also the morning before the shooting, Mr Loughner was confronted by his father, who asked why he was removing a black bag from the trunk of the family car, reports quoting law enforcement officials said. Mr Loughner, who had been expelled from a local college over concerns for his mental health and had been rejected by the US Army for drug use, fled into the desert, AP said. Police visitsMr Loughner's parents late on Tuesday released a statement saying they had been devastated by the attack and pleaded for privacy. "There are no words that can possibly express how we feel," Randy and Amy Loughner wrote in a statement handed to reporters waiting outside their house. "We wish that there were, so we could make you feel better. We don't understand why this happened. We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss." It has also emerged that police had been to the Loughner house before the attack. The Wall Street Journal reported police visited the house to investigate non-violent incidents, including a report by Jared Loughner of identity theft, a noise complaint and Amy Loughner's claim that someone had stolen her license plate sticker. Mr Loughner has been charged with several federal crimes over the shooting, and could face the death penalty if convicted. In an initial court appearance on Monday, he was remanded in custody pending trial.
Posted by biginla
at 10:32 PM GMT
Friend said shooting suspect embraces chaos
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
by Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla TUCSON, Jan. 12 -- The suspect in the weekend rampage at a political event in Tucson, Ariz., was a skilled marksman and "loves causing chaos," a friend said. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, of Tucson faces federal charges in Saturday's shooting, in which Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was critically injured and U.S. District Judge John Roll, his law clerk Matthew Bowman and Giffords' staffer Gabriel Zimmerman were among the dead. Six people died and 14 were injured. "He was a nihilist and loves causing chaos, and that is probably why he did the shooting, along with the fact he was sick in the head," Zane Gutierrez, 21, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday. He said Loughner was obsessed with the meaning and importance of dreams. The suspect also read Friedrich Nietzsche's book, "The Will To Power," and embraced ideas about the effects of nihilism, his friend said. Loughner also used the word "hollow" to describe "how fake the real world was to him, Gutierrez said. Loughner began working on his proficiency with a 9mm pistol, the same caliber weapon used in Saturday's attack, while in high school, his friend said. "If he had a gun pointed at me, there is nothing I could do because he would make it count," Gutierrez said. "He was quick." Law enforcement officials told me at the BBC that police more than once went to the house Loughner shared with his parents. Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jason Ogan also told me at the BBC that he didn't know the nature of the calls or whether they involved Loughner or another member of the household, the Times said. He said the calls were being reviewed by legal counsel and would be released after the review was complete.
Posted by biginla
at 4:33 PM GMT
Jared Loughner, Mental Illness and How Budget Cuts Have Slashed Behavioral Health Services in Arizona
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
AMY GOODMAN: While federal investigators and the news media try to uncover the motivation behind the attack, the picture emerging of Jared Loughner is of a severely disturbed 22-year-old who was behaving in an increasingly erratic manner. YouTube videos and other internet postings under his name suggest an obsession with bizarre anti-government grievances, including ramblings about currency policies and language control through grammar. Acquaintances in Arizona said Loughner had distanced himself from friends and family members in recent years. In September, he was suspended from Pima County Community College after five run-ins with campus police for disruptive behavior, being thrown out of class, students saying they were afraid, professors saying that they were afraid of him. College administrators told him he needed clearance from a mental health professional saying he would not present a danger to himself or others before he could return to classes. Pima County behavioral health officials have no record of Loughner seeking treatment in the public system overseen by the Arizona State Department of Health Services. Saturday's attack and Jared Loughner's apparent mental health problems have shone a spotlight on issues surrounding mental health treatment in Arizona. The state made drastic budget cuts to behavioral health services in 2010. The unprecedented cuts slashed all support services for non-Medicaid behavioral health patients and took away coverage for most name-brand drugs. As many as 28,000 state residents were affected. Meanwhile, Arizona is facing even bigger budget cuts this year and is facing an estimated $1.4 billion deficit in 2012. H. Clarke Romans is the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona. He's joining us from Tucson. Welcome to Democracy Now! Talk about your response to what has taken place. H. CLARKE ROMANS: Well, our response so far has just been to point out that the availability of services has diminished due to these budget cuts, and although there's no direct link, it just makes it less likely that people would be able to get services, even if they overcome the stigma of admitting or acknowledging that they have these illnesses. It just makes the availability of services even more difficult to obtain. AMY GOODMAN: What do you think needs to happen now, H. Clarke Romans? H. CLARKE ROMANS: Well, I think that the legislature has taken a simplistic approach to solving the budget crisis, with respect to mental health services, at least. What we're finding in the community is that the costs were not really eliminated; they were just pushed down to less visible areas in the community, and we're responding to the difficulties with the most expensive form of services that the community has to offer to people. That's emergency rooms, hospitalization, law enforcement intervention. So, the communities are spending the money, even though it appears that the lawmakers believe that they have actually cut the budget and saved money. It's just coming out of a different pocket down at the community level. And I think that we need to acknowledge that it ultimately is less expensive in the community to offer necessary services. And this is all without respect to the devastating impact this has had on people's lives. AMY GOODMAN: What had been the effect of the budget cuts, specifically? H. CLARKE ROMANS: Well, I can give a number of examples, but in particular, people who have a serious mental illness diagnosis beginning last July were denied any further coverage in a number of areas-case management, brand-name medications, access to support groups, transportation subsidies, and more recently, housing subsidies. So these individuals who have the most serious forms of mental illness were essentially, except for generic medications, were basically pushed out of the system. And these are individuals who have a serious illness, who, in many cases, were managing with a support network, are now being pushed to the point where they can't manage. So they're decompensating. There's suicide attempts. There's one woman that we know that's very ill, but she's been managing OK. She's now been hospitalized for 36 days over the last six months. AMY GOODMAN: These budget cuts under Jan Brewer-she, in particular, the Governor, must understand, with her son Ronald in a state mental facility for, what, 20 years after being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman, but was by reason of insanity, was the ultimate verdict. So she knows and was a mental health activist herself, the Governor. H. CLARKE ROMANS: Yes, she was. And frankly, to my surprise and many other of my colleagues, I don't think she put up a strong enough battle to, you know, at least protect or minimize the effect on mental health services. I think she succumbed to the-kind of the ideologues who were pushing a different agenda. And she did make some statements that she wanted to protect mental health services, but ultimately I think she succumbed to the other political pressures. AMY GOODMAN: What about your own story, H. Clarke Romans, how you got involved with the Alliance on Mental Illness? H. CLARKE ROMANS: Well, I'm a member of a club that no one wants to belong to. And people become members when things happen to them like happened to my family. My son Kenneth was a smart, athletic, good-looking, popular young man, when his behavior became a little unusual. And we didn't know what was going on. And eventually-we were living in Belgium at the time-a school counselor at the International School of Brussels called us up and said, "Gee, I think maybe Ken should be out of school for a while." And we were like, "What?" So we went to the school. Ultimately we took Ken to the doctor, a psychiatrist. And the doctor told us Kenneth is suffering from the symptoms of schizophrenia. Well, I'm a highly educated, intelligent man. I couldn't spell "schizophrenia," let alone have any idea what a devastating effect that was going to have on Kenneth, on the family, and for the rest of his life. And so, even though my son was killed by a drunk driver here in Tucson on September 11th, 2001, I'm still involved, because I think the indignities that Kenneth suffered in his life were not right, and I don't want to see that happen to other people. AMY GOODMAN: What about schools reporting? I mean, the teacher who alerted you, that's very important. But here was Jared Loughner in college. Every classroom, it seemed, the kids, the students, the professors were concerned. They were scared. He was very disruptive. What does it mean for a school to get involved? And why don't they? I mean, in this case, Pima County Community College says they did. They kicked him out. H. CLARKE ROMANS: Well, I think there are two levels here, and the rules of the game are very different. When students are in high school and they're minors, the school and the parents have a little more control. I mean, a few articles that I've read so far in the local paper indicate that some of these behaviors were already manifesting themselves in the-in high school. I mean, I read some of his high school classmates reported, you know, unusual behavior. The difficulty for secondary schools is that if the teachers bring things to the attention of the parents and the parents take it to heart, that the school becomes financially responsible for a lot of assistance that the student might get. And due to budget cuts, a lot of principals and teachers, more or less, are instructed: don't get involved, because if you do, the school is going to be financially responsible. And the schools are under tremendous financial pressure. So I think that's a negative influence on the teachers. Even though school counselors and teachers deal with these students every day, they're under kind of physical constraints. When you get to college, it's a different story, because, you know, by that time, generally the students are considered adults. The parents really don't have any specific legal authority to force the person to do any particular thing. And only if a person is petitioned into the hospital due to their persistent behavior, there's no way to force them to get treatment. They can be persuaded, and the college and the parents, I believe, have a role, a potential role, in persuading an individual to get help. I don't know if the college did anything other than react to the negative behavior. AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Pima County Sheriff Dupnik, he made the comment about the hate-filled language coming out of TV, radio, the talk shows. You have Jesse Kelly, the opponent of Congressmember Giffords, who put out a slogan that said something about targeting, taking on Giffords and bringing your M16 to a rally for Kelly. H. Clarke Romans, what this kind of explosive language does? H. CLARKE ROMANS: Well, I think that it doesn't help, particularly people who may have thought disorders or mood disorders, the part of their brain that would exercise caution-I mean, anybody that hears that kind of language may react to it. But people who are suffering from these mental process disorders don't necessarily have the part of their brain that would set the boundaries. The cautionary or the commonsense parts of their thinking are not functioning properly. So, this kind of language has a much greater impact on individuals who are in that situation than on the average person who has, you know, the control of their thought processes and has in place the normal cautionary and restraining parts of the thought process. Many of these individuals, that part of their brain is not functioning properly, with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. There's all kinds of thoughts going on, and the normal constraints and rational thinking processes aren't there. So when you pour gasoline onto a hot situation, the likelihood of a fire is a lot greater than if-you know, if things are not so, you know, combustible. AMY GOODMAN: Just to be exact, what her opponent, the Tea Party-backed opponent of Congressmember Giffords-and let's remember that Congressmember Giffords' father said-walked into the hospital and said that the Tea Party was her enemy, that he blamed the Tea Party. But Tea Party-backed candidate, Jesse Kelly, said, "Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly." H. Clarke Romans, I want to thank you for being with us, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona.
Posted by biginla
at 1:06 AM GMT
Family of accused Arizona shooter expresses sorrow
Topic: gabrielle giffords, bbc news
By Rochelle van Amber, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla TUCSON, Arizona | Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:46pm EST - Family members of a 22-year-old man charged in an Arizona shooting spree that killed six people and injured 14 expressed sorrow on Tuesday and said they didn't understand why the rampage happened. In an eight-sentence statement that never mentions the accused gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, his family says the shooting's aftermath was a "very difficult time" and asked for privacy. "There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish there were, so we could make you feel better," read the statement, attributed to "The Loughner Family." Two young men emerged from the one-story brick home mostly enclosed by hedges in a middle class neighborhood of Tucson and handed out the statement to a throng of media waiting outside. "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," it said. "We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss." Jared Loughner has been charged with five federal counts, including the murder of a federal judge and the attempted assassination of Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, the apparent target of Saturday's rampage, remained hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head. A neighbor, Wayne Smith, told a local TV station on Tuesday that Loughner's parents, Amy and Randy, were devastated by the shooting and the allegations against their son. "Their son is not Amy and Randy, and people need to understand that. They're devastated. Wouldn't you be if it was your child?" a teary-eyed Smith said. "They're hurting bad. She's really bad ... it's a sad thing, and he told me to tell you guys that when he gets to where he can, he will make a statement himself," he said.
Posted by biginla
at 12:46 AM GMT
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