Jared Loughner
In Arizona’s wake, gun control for the mentally ill?
Much has been made of Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner’s troubled state of mind by police and former classmates. But if Loughner’s mental issues were a factor in Saturday’s attacks, does it follow that we should screen people for mental illness before allowing them to purchase guns? Is this even possible? And more importantly, do […]
A Novelist’s Take on the Arizona Tragedy
As events unfolded in Arizona this week, novelist Walter Kirn turned to Twitter to express what he was seeing and feeling. Kirn tells Kurt how Jared Loughner resembles a character he created for his novel, The Unbinding, and how he fears that our digital world is breeding characters who are similarly unhinged from reality.
A country of guns: assassination throughout history
The weekend’s shooting reminds us how common assassination attempts on politicians are in our country. And while people spar back and forth about whether Jared Loughner is crazy or whether he is political, there’s another conversation to be had: Why does radicalism become attractive to people? And how has the brew of high-voltage rhetoric, accessibility […]
Who is Jared Loughner? Investigation into Arizona shooting continues
As details from the investigation into the shooting of Congressman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 other people emerged this weekend, government at both state and national levels reacted with outrage, sorrow and confusion. Marc Lacey, reporter for The New York Times has the latest. Evidence suggests that Loughner planned his alleged assassination attempt. FBI agents found […]
The misinterpretation of metaphors
Back in March Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords made a statement responding to Sarah Palin’s anti-healthcare reform campaign, saying, “we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list. But the thing is the way that she has it depicted has the cross hairs of a gun site over our district.” Could metaphors in that statement have had an effect on […]
A Novelist’s Take on the Arizona Tragedy
As events unfolded in Arizona this week, novelist Walter Kirn turned to Twitter to express what he was seeing and feeling. Kirn tells Kurt how Jared Loughner resembles a character he created for his novel, The Unbinding, and how he fears that our digital world is breeding characters who are similarly unhinged from reality.