Im Fadenkreuz von Sarah Palin
USA: Bei Attentat auf demokratische Kongressabgeordnete starben mindestens sechs Menschen
Von Olaf Standke *
Mit einem gezielten Kopfschuss hat ein Attentäter im USA-Bundesstaat Arizona am Sonnabend eine Kongressabgeordnete schwer verletzt. Der 22-Jährige feuerte mit einer automatischen Waffe auch auf weitere Menschen – sechs starben. Präsident Obama appellierte gestern, in der Politik dürfe Gewalt keinen Platz haben. Das Repräsentantenhaus sagte alle Sitzungen in dieser Woche ab.
Zum Redaktionsschluss dieser Seite schien es so, als würde Gabrielle Giffords, die der Demokratischen Partei von Präsident Barack Obama angehört, den Kopfdurchschuss vor einem Einkaufszentrum in Tucson doch noch überleben. Sechs andere, die am Sonnabend zur traditionellen Bürgerstunde der Parlamentsabgeordneten (Congress on Your Corner) gekommen waren, mussten sterben. Zu den Ermordeten gehören ein neunjähriges Mädchen und der Bundesrichter von Arizona, John Roll. Mindestens ein Dutzend Besucher erlitt teils schwere Verletzungen, einige von ihnen schweben noch in Lebensgefahr. Dem Radiosender NPR zufolge konnten erst mutige Passanten den Schützen stoppen.
Laut Polizeiangaben galt der Anschlag eindeutig der 40-jährigen Kongressabgeordneten. Als Attentäter wurde laut Medienberichten Jared Lee Loughner festgenommen. Die Polizei glaubt allerdings, dass er einen Komplizen hatte und sucht intensiv nach dem Unbekannten. Am Sonntag wurde ein Bild des zweiten Verdächtigen veröffentlicht. Loughner, der eine kriminelle Vergangenheit haben soll und als eines seiner Lieblingsbücher Hitlers »Mein Kampf« angibt, war zuvor im Internet über die Obama-Regierung hergezogen, warf der Politik auf YouTube unter anderem »Gehirnwäsche« vor und forderte eine neue Währung in den USA. Auf seiner MySpace-Seite hatte er vor dem Attentat einen »Abschiedsgruß« platziert.
In Tucson verwies Sheriff Clarence Dupnik ausdrücklich auf die aufgeheizte politische Stimmung in Arizona, wo es seit Längerem einen heftigen Streit um den Umgang mit illegalen Einwanderern aus dem angrenzenden Mexiko gibt. Ein solches Klima könne psychisch labile Menschen wie Loughner beeinflussen. Sarah Palin, Galionsfigur der reaktionären Tea-Party-Bewegung, hatte das Mandat Giffords im vergangenen Jahr als eines der »wichtigsten Ziele« bezeichnet, unterstütze sie doch die Gesundheitsreform Obamas. Die demokratische Politikerin hatte sich bei den Kongresswahlen im November knapp gegen eine Vertreterin der ultrakonservativen Strömung durchgesetzt.
Wie Gabrielle Giffords damals betonte, habe Palin damit ihren Wahlbezirk regelrecht ins Fadenkreuz gerückt. »Wenn Menschen das tun, müssen sie begreifen, dass es für diese Handlung Konsequenzen gibt«, sagte sie dem Fernsehsender MSNBC. Schon im Vorjahr war ihr Büro in Tucson verwüstet worden, wenige Stunden, nachdem das Repräsentantenhaus für die Gesundheitsreform von Präsident Obama gestimmt hatte. Vertraute der Abgeordneten berichteten jetzt, es habe in der Vergangenheit immer wieder Drohungen gegen sie gegeben.
Dabei gilt Giffords, die mit dem Astronauten Mark Kelly verheiratet ist und als erste Jüdin seit 2007 den Süden Arizonas in Washington vertritt, keineswegs als linksliberale Demokratin, ist eher unternehmerfreundlich und liegt durchaus nicht immer auf Parteilinie. So machte sich das Mitglied im Streitkräfteausschuss, wo sie unter anderem für die Schließung von Militärbasen zuständig ist, seit Langem für das Privatrecht auf Schusswaffen stark und verteidigte die strengen Kontrollen an der Grenze zu Mexiko. Die zweifache Mutter war zuletzt auch als mögliche Bewerberin für einen Senatssitz oder das Amt des Gouverneurs von Arizona im Gespräch.
* Aus: Neues Deutschland, 10. Januar 2011
Spur des Hasses
Von Olaf Standke **
Wie verwirrt der Mann wirklich ist, der am Wochenende Gabrielle Giffords treffen wollte und dabei den Tod von sechs anderen Menschen in Kauf nahm, bleibt abzuwarten. Aber nach dem Attentat auf die Kongressabgeordnete bleibt ein Satz des Sheriffs von Tucson besonders im Gedächtnis: »Wir sind zu einem Mekka des Hasses und der Vorurteile geworden.« Nun mag Arizona mit seiner hysterischen Debatte um illegale Einwanderer aus Mexiko ein besonders gefährliches Klima für geistig Labile bieten. Aber Wut und Bigotterie hätten im Land längst »abscheuliche Ausmaße« angenommen, so der Gesetzeshüter.
Mitverantwortlich dafür ist auch Sarah Palin, die sich am Wochenende beeilte, allen Angehörigen der Anschlagsopfer ihr Beileid auszusprechen. Ließ doch das Sprachrohr der reaktionären Tea-Party-Bewegung auf ihrer Facebook-Seite die Wahlkreise der schärfsten politischen Konkurrenten der Republikaner im Vorjahr mit einem Fadenkreuz und der Aufforderung »Nicht zurückweichen, nachladen« versehen. Auch jenen von Gabrielle Giffords, die zum Beispiel in dem von rechts geschürten abstrusen Glaubenskrieg um das »sozialistische« Teufelswerk Gesundheitsreform im Kongress mit Ja stimmte. Ein 22-Jähriger mit bizarren politischen Ansichten nahm das möglicherweise nicht nur symbolisch und setzte nach der Niederlage der ultrakonservativen gegen die demokratische Kandidatin diese Art Wahlkampf nun mit der Waffe fort.
** Aus: Neues Deutschland, 10. Januar 2011 ("Standpunkt")
Arizona's Long Dark Night Continues
by Randall Amster ***
Perhaps not since the full-on throes of the Civil Rights
era has a single state been so beset by crisis,
conflict, and now catastrophe. Chronicling Arizona
politics has been a trying and tiresome experience on
many levels, with few points of optimism at hand to
buffet the constant blows of injustice and brutality.
The open persecution of people of color at the level of
both bodies and minds; the outright hijacking of the
state's politics by far-right figures with white
supremacist ties; the bankrupting of the economy while
private interests gain tax breaks and write favorable
laws for themselves; the decimation of the public
infrastructure including the education and healthcare
systems -- all of this and more has been front and
center for beleaguered Arizonans in recent years.
Today, with the tragic shooting of Democratic
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and a Federal Judge who
had previously been the target of anti-immigrant
protesters, among perhaps a dozen other victims, we have
before us a sobering reminder of the political "climate
of fear" that has been fostered by certain demagogic
elements here in Arizona. While I remain committed to
the challenge of finding the positive news in the daily
cycle, reality nonetheless intrudes and at times demands
our attention. This is one of those instances, and if
there is any justice to be found in this madness,
perhaps it will finally provide the impetus for us all
to move beyond the politics of fear and rage. As Matt
Bai has opined in the New York Times, "the question is
whether Saturday's shooting marks the logical end point
of such a moment [of rhetorical recklessness] -- or
rather the beginning of a terrifying new one."
Time will tell, but if recent events are any indication,
it will be an uphill struggle that is not merely
confined to Arizona. "Even before the shooting of a U.S.
congresswoman on Saturday, the state of Arizona was in
the throes of a convulsive political year that had come
to symbolize a bitter partisan divide across much of
America," writes David Schwartz for Reuters. "I feel
huge sorrow, that's just been building in southern
Arizona for some time, this hate, hate, fear, somewhat
around SB 1070, somewhat around healthcare reform. It
definitely heated up when President Obama was elected,"
said Molly McKasson Morgan, 63, who participated in
Tucson politics and knew Giffords. "It's never been this
angry, it's never been this divisive," said Alfredo
Gutierrez, a former state lawmaker.
These trends of divisiveness and open hostility have
been manifesting for some time here. Following the
passage of SB 1070 and approaching its date of
implementation last July, I observed the growing
tendency toward violence and its unabashed cultivation:
"One of the unspoken tragedies and implicit intentions
of Arizona's anti-immigrant law, SB 1070, is the
promotion of a climate of fear among certain segments of
the population. This fear-mongering strategy has been
cooked up by the bill's leading proponents and most
likely beneficiaries: the governor, rightwing state
legislators, and an unscrupulous sheriff who shall
remain nameless.... Fostering an environment of
racialized violence is the harsh reality of Arizona's
drive toward legislated intolerance. For those who might
feel saturated by the incessant news about immigration,
or who wonder `what's the big deal?' about SB 1070 and
the like, this is a reminder of the stakes involved.
Will there be a climate of escalating fear, hatred, and
violence that takes over, or will this be a tipping
point toward social justice and human dignity instead?
Politics and legalities aside, this is the basic
question that the Arizona dilemma is posing to the
nation...."
Whether or not it turns out that the gunman in the
Giffords shooting was politically motivated, the overall
climate in which it occurred cannot be dismissed, and a
recitation of some of the key background details is
essential for a fuller understanding. For one, John M.
Roll, the federal judge killed in the shooting, had been
at the center of the state's complicated political
battle over immigration. In February 2009, he received
hundreds of threats after he allowed a lawsuit filed by
illegal immigrants against a rancher to go forward.
"They cursed him out, threatened to kill his family,
said they'd come and take care of him. They really
wanted him dead," a law enforcement official told The
Washington Post in May 2009. While there is no
indication at this point that Roll was the gunman's main
target, it is telling that he was in proximity on the
fateful day and that he himself had previously been
harassed for a perceived pro-immigrant bent.
The suspect in the shootings has been identified as 22-
year-old Jared Lee Loughner of Tucson. He had an
apparent preoccupation with "literacy" rates (which
could be a veiled reference to ethnicity), and in online
profiles listed among his favorite books Mein Kampf and
The Communist Manifesto. In a recent YouTube video,
Loughner described himself as a U.S. military recruit
who had recently filled out an application to join the
Army. In a message posted on his MySpace account, titled
"Goodbye friends," he said: "Dear friends ... please
don't be mad at me. The literacy rate is below 5%. I
haven't talked to one person who is literate." In a
rambling YouTube message referring to a new currency,
Loughner stated: "I know who's listening: Government
Officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who
don't know this accurate information of a new currency,
aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I
have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have
happened." There are conflicting reports about whether
he acted alone, although Pima County Sheriff Clarence
Dupnik has noted that investigators are "not convinced"
that he did, according to a report by the New York Post.
Dupnik says that Loughner may have come to the parking
lot with another person who was "in some way involved,"
and poignantly lamented that Arizona has "become the
Mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Giffords' Tucson office was vandalized last March after
she voted in favor of President Obama's controversial
healthcare bill. She had been named as a campaign target
for conservatives in last November's elections by Sarah
Palin for her strong support of Obama's initiatives.
Palin infamously published a "target map" on her website
using images of gun sights to identify 20 House
Democrats, including Giffords, for backing the
healthcare law. The map used actual target markers on
locations where these Democrats lived, and listed their
names. "We're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the
thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the
crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people
do that, they have to realize that there are
consequences to that action," Giffords said in an
interview with MSNBC last March. "We've had hundreds and
hundreds of protesters over the course of the last
couple of months," she said. "Our office corner has
really become an area where the Tea Party movement
congregates and the rhetoric is really heated. Not just
the calls but the e-mails, the slurs."
At an event in 2009, which was similar to the one
Giffords was holding at the time of the shooting, a
protester was removed by police when his pistol fell to
the supermarket floor. Giffords' Republican opponent in
the November 2010 congressional race, Tea Party
candidate Jesse Kelly, was criticized for a campaign
event he held at a shooting range, advertised with the
words "Get on Target for Victory in November," "Help
remove Gabriel Giffords from office," and "Shoot a fully
automatic M16." Giffords narrowly won reelection to her
third term in the House of Representatives -- and during
the course of the campaign it was revealed that she was
one of three Democrats in the nation to receive
contributions from MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, resulting
in the newscaster's temporary suspension from the
network.
After the shooting, Giffords' father told the New York
Post, when asked if his daughter had enemies, "Yeah, the
whole Tea Party." He added that politicians constantly
face danger. "They always get threatened," he said,
sobbing. According to a report by The Hill, Tea Party
Nation founder Judson Phillips condemned the attacks,
but warned supporters that the Tea Party movement would
be blamed by political opponents. "While we need to take
a moment to extend our sympathies to the families of
those who died, we cannot allow the hard left to do what
it tried to do in 1995 after the Oklahoma City bombing,"
he said. The Tucson Citizen's "Three Sonorans" blog
further reports that the building housing the Mexican-
American Studies program at the University of Arizona
was vandalized at almost the same time as the shootings
occurred, and that Judge Roll had recently been assigned
to hear the lawsuit challenging Arizona's new law (HB
2281) banning Ethnic Studies. Authorities were also
called later that evening to Giffords' office as
vigilers assembled there, when a suspicious package was
removed and secured by the bomb squad, according to an
Associated Press report.
For her part, Giffords has been a strong proponent of
solar energy, and has generally been known as a moderate
to conservative Democrat among Arizona's Republican-
dominated congressional delegation. Giffords was first
sworn in as a Representative on January 3, 2007, and is
the first Jewish woman and third woman overall in
Arizona's history to be elected to serve in Congress. In
her first month in office, Giffords voted to support
increased federal funding for embryonic stem-cell
research, raise the minimum wage, endorse the
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and adopt new
rules for the House of Representatives targeting ethical
issues. Giffords also voted to repeal subsidies to big
oil companies and invest the savings in renewable
energy. She is a member of the House LGBT Equality
Caucus and has been noted as "a strong supporter of gay
rights." She also advocated for the repeal of $14
billion in subsidies to oil companies in favor of
renewable energy subsidies and the establishment of a
Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve to increase research
in clean energy, develop greater efficiency, and improve
conservation. Giffords has supported stronger border
enforcement and comprehensive immigration reform as
well. She is the only member of Congress whose spouse,
astronaut Mark E. Kelly, is an active duty member of the
military.
"I am a third generation southern Arizonan and I went
off to school, was working for Price Waterhouse in New
York City, and was asked to come home to run my family's
tire and automotive business," said Giffords in a 2007
C-SPAN interview. "I first got involved with politics
frankly because I was frustrated when I was opening up
my newspaper every single morning and seeing my great
state of Arizona continuing to be at the bottom, whether
it be poor-people funding, or mental health funding, or
making sure that we could preserve our beautiful open
spaces -- and in life you can either complain about
something or you can try to fix it so I decided to run
for political office...."
Details about this situation continue to unfold, but
some things are eminently clear. We can continue in this
downward spiral of vitriol, fear, and hatred, or we can
turn the corner and begin working toward values of
community, inclusivity, and equality. On the one hand
lies our imminent destruction; on the other our
potential salvation. If this tragedy is to have meaning
in this moment of utter senselessness, then we must opt
for the latter -- not just in Arizona, or even merely
America, but for all the peoples of the world. For
today, though, I simply want to express my deepest
condolences to all of the families affected by this
heartbreaking episode, and likewise to all Arizonans
struggling to find cause for hope in these times of
ongoing despair.
*** Randall Amster, J.D., Ph.D., teaches Peace Studies at
Prescott College, and is the Executive Director of the
Peace & Justice Studies Association. His most recent
book is Lost In Space: The Criminalization,
Globalization, and Urban Ecology of Homelessness (LFB
Scholarly 2008).
Source: CommonDreams.org, January 9, 2011; www.commondreams.org
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