To be fair, richardhutnik is just parroting the line that this was an unusual, dangerous, and unacceptable approach that was repeated constantly on CNN and MSNBC; and probably was unaware that most national parties, in most elections, use a similar approach with a similar metaphor around the world.

I don't think it's so much politics, but your politics tend to colour who you blame.

I think it's more hoping there is some conspiracy connection because that makes more sense and in a crazy way more reassuring, because if some batshit insane person can just walk up and kill a bunch of people and shoot a congressmen, honestly what's stopping some crazy guy from shooting you?  Nothing.  If someone wants you dead, you are going to be dead.

Of course, people don't realize the comforting fact that they're way too unimportant for a crazy person to try and kill. 

As Lincoln said... if someone wants you to die, you are probably going to die.  That's why he knew he'd be assassainated.

Though, ironically Lincoln is the one case where there WAS a conspiracy!

A lot of the safety most people get from these unstable people is that most unstable people show obvious signs of it and people avoid/shun them; and this limited exposure limits the likelihood that they would be the victims of their potential extreme acts. Of course, this is what makes the unstable people who are best able to hide it so terrifying and dangerous ...

Years ago I worked as a security guard and one of the guys I worked with was a semi-retired prison guard. We once had a discussion about this and he told me a story about when he was a rookie at the prison. I don’t remember all of the details but apparently one of the prisoners there was convicted of murder but initially he didn’t believe it because there wasn’t another prisoner that was as well behaved or personable. Older prison guards warned him about how dangerous this prisoner was, and he took their warnings seriously, but he always had his doubts. Eventually, one day he came into work and learned that this man used a dumbbell to smash the head open of another prisoner who was working out at the time because he had somehow been offended.

I think in light of this incident, people may want to give thought to what is going on here, and see what language is being used.  There is a pretty big Red-Blue divide going on, that is getting larger.  And, left with a void, people will plug om whatever theories that are there.  My concern is drives for partisanship, and bile talk are not helping here.  Maybe now is a good time to take a step back and assess things.  I had posted, in my original message, concerns I had.  In the end, it is some sort of loon who was unhinged and borrowed from all over the political spectrum.  Problem I have with the Palin sign, is that those were crosshairs, not like the other ones.  Well, Palin is pro-gun rights, and does hunting, so it makes sense.

So, what happens here is this incident is again a political football, likely to be used both to blame the tea party and also argue for more restrictive gun laws.

hard to blame the teaparty when it was a crazy commie guy that did the shooting.  Of course they are going to try and get more restrictions. I can't wait for the Brady crowds reactions all day tomorrow.

Yet they keep doing it.  I've yet to hear or see a report that doesn't suggest a tea party person or sarah palin fan was responsible.

The shooter strikes me as a dumb anarchist. Same type of guy who shot Mckinley back around 1900. He apparently was taking pre-algebra in a community college, so not the brightest of assassins.

Found his picture:

Don't retreat, reload!

He sure makes a lot of grammatical mistakes for a person who calls everyone else illeteraite.