Gabrielle Giffords Shot

Gabrielle Giffords Shot, There was initially some question over whether Diane Sawyer’s interview with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the first since the U.S. Representative was shot on Jan. 8, would be documented on video.
ABC News puts that to rest with the first promo, which features Giffords and astronaut husband Mark Kelly sitting down with Sawyer for the Nov. 14 special.

The spot is dominated by narration, but Giffords appears to speak during the meeting, which was filmed at her and Kelly’s home outside of Houston, Texas, in October. It marks her first comments to the media since a bullet wound to the brain compromised her speaking abilities.

When the interview was first announced in September, a Giffords spokesperson said she was still undecided about being on-camera, noting the decision would come later, based on her progress. Even now, her chief of staff tells The Arizona Republic “it was not a full-length” interview.

Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords, When President George H.W. Bush came to visit in the hospital, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords could only say “Wow!” And another word he had been throwing often at the time, “chicken.”

Months later, when he was shown photos of famous people to see if he recognized faces, looked at Arnold Schwarzenegger Giffords, and answered more or less accurate: “Messin ‘Around. Babies.”

These and other details appear in a new book by Giffords and her husband, who offers the most personal and agonizing slow recovery after being shot in the head at close range.

The memoir, entitled Gabby: A story of courage and hope, Giffords describes efforts in the past 10 months to relearn how to walk and talk, and the painful discovery that six people died in the attack of 08 January from a grocery store in Tucson.

The Associated Press purchased an advance copy of the book, which goes on sale November 15.

Husband of perspective
The book is written from the perspective of her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly. However, Giffords is offered the last chapter – one page of short sentences and phrases called Voice of Gabby in which he says that her goal is to return to Congress.

“I will become stronger. I’m going back,” he wrote.

The book also reveals that the couple, who married in 2007, was trying for a baby. Giffords, 41, had undergone several rounds of fertility treatments in recent years and was hoping to get pregnant in early 2011.

The book does not say whether Giffords will seek reelection next year. Kelly said the couple did not want to rush a decision. The deadline to formally declare their intentions is in May.

The Arizona Democrat was murdered a few days after being sworn in for her third term.

Giffords surprised her colleagues by appearing in the House from 01 August to vote on the agreement of the debt ceiling, but has largely avoided public attention, spending most of their time at TIRR Memorial Hermann, a center rehabilitation in Houston.

In the memoir, tells Kelly trying to tell his wife several times that she had been shot during a meeting with voters. But she did not understand until March 12.

Giffords asked Kelly if he remembered being shot, and she said yes, but he said it was difficult to know if it really did. She described what she remembers with three words: “Shot. Shocked. Fear.”

Later that day, Kelly said six people had died. Giffords was overcome with emotion and had trouble getting through her therapy.

It was not until July, weeks after being discharged from the hospital in Houston to Kelly’s house 25 miles away, he learned that he had died: an official, a federal judge, a 9-year-old Giffords and three others did not.

Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords, Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) surprised to Congress Monday night, when the vote came the debt ceiling 11 hours on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Arizona Congressman received at least three rounds of prolonged applause from colleagues as he entered the Capitol building for the first time since he was shot in the head in Tucson in January.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Giffords acknowledged on the floor, saying she is “the personification of courage, honesty, admiration across the country.”

“Throughout America, there is a name that arouses more love, more admiration, more respect, rather than wish for our daughters to be like her the name Gabby Giffords,” said Pelosi.

Giffords was all smiles, was greeted with hugs and handshakes and surrounded by her colleagues. It’s been less than two months since her release from Houston TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital. Upon her release, doctors may take months or even years of intensive therapy for her to relearn to walk and talk.

The congressman was killed on January 8 during a meeting with constituents in Arizona Safeway. The gunman was Loughner Jared Lee, who ended up killing six people.

His return to Washington on Monday, wrote on her Facebook page, “The Capitol # looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight.”

Giffords returned to Washington to support the bipartisan bill “to prevent the economic crisis”, as its Facebook page.

She voted for the bill, which would reduce federal spending by at least 2.1 trillion and more than a decade and the debt limit will be increased at least that well.

The measure passed the House 269-161.

“I have closely followed the debate about our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed by what is happening in Washington,” Giffords said in a statement.

“After weeks of debate not in Washington, I had the pleasure of seeing a solution to this crisis emerges. I firmly believe that cross the aisle for the good of the American people is more important than political parties.”

He added: “I had to be here for this vote. I could not run the risk that my absence would block our economy.”

The bill goes to the Senate for a vote on Tuesday.

Mark Kelly Astronaut

Mark Kelly Astronaut, (AFP) – A member of the Congress of the United States was in critical condition after being shot in the head Saturday by a gunman who opened fire in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people including a federal judge.

President Barack Obama has called the attack during a public meeting “a tragedy for our entire country,” while Senator John McCain called the local shooter – that would be a white male in his early 20s – “. Arizona disgrace “a

Published media reports have suggested that the Democrat Gabrielle Giffords was dead after the shooting in a Safeway grocery store.

But the hospital where she was treated said later, they expressed the hope that it will recover despite a bullet in his brain, although the U.S. federal judge John Roll was among the dead, according Obama.

Giffords hosted a congress on your corner “event with constituents when the gunman attacked, killing six people and wounding 12, police spokesman Rick Kastigar, while Obama has said at least five deaths.

“She is in critical condition. They have finished operating on it and the period of time, I am optimistic about recovery,” said University Medical Center trauma chief Peter Rhee.

“We can not say what kind of recovery, but I’m about as optimistic as you can get,” he added.

Witnesses said the legislature was hit at close range in the shooting, for which no motive was immediately known.

National Public Radio, the suspect fled and was approached by a passerby, before being detained, and that witnesses have described as being in his late teens or early 20s.

Local media and CNN were identified as Jared Lee Loughner, 22, a white man.

Andrea Gooden, a witness who was in an office down the street, told Fox News she heard a burst of gunfire and “immediately after there were people running through the parking lot.”

Another witness told CNN he heard 15-20 shots and saw people running and screaming from the scene before police trucks and fire arrived about two minutes later.

Images of the scene showed paramedics rushing stretchers for helicopters.

The incident occurred after packages turned into a post office in Washington, DC on Friday and two government buildings in neighboring Maryland, on Thursday.

Giffords, 40, became the first Jewish woman to be elected to Congress from Arizona in 2006 and is married to Mark Kelly, a NASA astronaut.

She was a member of the centrist and so-called Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats who support the pro-business policies.

She pushed for more troops to guard the US-Mexico border and close for a path to legalization that would require illegal immigrants to criminal background checks, pay back taxes and learning English.

Obama has condemned the attack as an “unspeakable tragedy”, adding: “Such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society.”

Arizona senator and former presidential candidate John McCain said: “Whoever did this, whatever their reason, they are an embarrassment to Arizona, this country and the human race.

“They deserve and receive the contempt of all decent people and the highest punishment the law,” he said.

House Republican John Boehner Speaker said he was “horrified” by the attack.

“Acts of violence and threats against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with the Congress Giffords, its staff, all who were injured and their families. It is a day sad for our country, “he said.

Senior Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi added: “This terrible act of violence is a national tragedy, and today is a very sad day for our country.”

Several other lawmakers also issued statements condemning the attack.

The shooting took place less than a week after Congress reconvened with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and with a strengthened minority in the Senate after their term of Democrats to Obama in the November elections.

Conservative standard-bearer Sarah Palin has also offered his condolences to the victims.

“We all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice,” Palin wrote on his Facebook page.

Gifford was among those affected by the defeat of Palin because of Democratic support for Obama’s health care overhaul.

Giffords name was on a list of parliamentarians under the slogan “It’s time to take a stand” and an advertisement for SarahPAC, political action committee of Palin.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved

Mark Kelly

Mark Kelly, (AFP) – A member of the Congress of the United States was in critical condition after being shot in the head Saturday by a gunman who opened fire on a public event in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people, have announced authorities.

Published media reports have suggested that the Democrat Gabrielle Giffords was dead after the shooting in a Safeway grocery store in which a U.S. federal judge has also been affected.

Giffords hosted a congress on your corner “event with constituents in a mall when the gunman attacked, killing six people and wounding 12, police spokesman Rick Kastigar.

“Ms. Giffords is alive. She is currently in surgery. There are nine other victims of shooting at the hospital,” spokesman Darci Slaten University Medical Center told AFP.

Witnesses said the legislator was shot point blank in the shooting, for which no motive was immediately known.

National Public Radio, the suspect fled and was approached by a passerby, before being detained, and that witnesses have described as being in his late teens or early 20s.

Andrea Gooden, a witness who was in an office down the street, told Fox News she heard a burst of gunfire and “immediately after there were people running through the parking lot.”

Another witness told CNN he heard 15-20 shots and saw people running and screaming from the scene before police trucks and fire arrived about two minutes later.

Images of the scene showed paramedics rushing stretchers for helicopters.

The incident occurred after packages turned into a post office in Washington, DC on Friday and two government buildings in neighboring Maryland, on Thursday.

Giffords, 40, became the first Jewish woman to be elected to Congress from Arizona in 2006 and is married to Mark Kelly, a NASA astronaut.

She was a member of the centrist and so-called Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats who support the pro-business policies.

She pushed for more troops to guard the US-Mexico border and close for a path to legalization that would require illegal immigrants to criminal background checks, pay back taxes and learning English.

U.S. Federal Judge John Roll of Arizona has also been affected, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

President Barack Obama has condemned the attack as an “unspeakable tragedy”, adding: “Such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society.”

House Republican John Boehner Speaker said he was “horrified” by the attack.

“Acts of violence and threats against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with the Congress Giffords, its staff, all who were injured and their families. It is a day sad for our country, “he said in a statement.

Senior Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi condemned the attack.

“It is with deep sadness that we received word of the attack on Congress Gabrielle Giffords, members of his staff and his constituents,” she said in a statement.

“This terrible act of violence is a national tragedy, and today is a very sad day for our country.”

The shooting took place less than a week after Congress reconvened with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and with a strengthened minority in the Senate after their term of Democrats to Obama in the November elections.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved

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