She already had something to be scared of; the militia leaders call to tear up peoples offices got her office torn up, and when responding to that she noted that Palins imagery engendered other concerns. If that's blood libel after someone tries to kill her it was blood libel then, yes; I'm glad SOMEONE finally got my point. Maybe when Palin goes to Giffords' hospital bed to make the accusation to her face ya'll can split a cab.

No, she shouldn't accept all or anywhere near most of the blame, Loughner was a nut who decided to shoot someone and that's his responsibility first and foremost. HOWEVER, it seems absurd to say the climate of militant hatred Palin and others have stirred up since Obamas election doesn't encourage such behavior, or that this guy was so disconnected from the rest of the world that he was unaware of it. That doesn't make Palin or anyone else who provides triggers for this kind of behavior perpetrators of it, but it doesn't leave them blameless either.

They are, but to use so many of them so casually is irresponsible and asking for trouble, and if that makes me guilty of blood libel it makes Giffords no less so. Maybe we should wait until she's walking and talking again before we punish her great crime though, eh? And while I don't visit Kos and haven't seen them using bullseyes in the same way, I did notice references by others to the same kind of irresponsible behavior there and condemn it equally (irresponsibile inflammatory language isn't exactly surprising from Kos, but that makes it worse, not better).

Six people are dead and thirteen others injured but Palin's playing the victim and talking about blood libel; you really wanna talk about who "dares to invoke" what words? You wanna invoke Brady? Brady prompted a law requiring background checks prior to gun purchases so nuts like John Hinckley Jr. couldn't get them two days after leaving the psych ward, but thanks people like Palin and Loughner insisting that law somehow infringed on their rights, it sailed off into the sunset six years ago, so "John Hinckley III" had no trouble getting a gun two weeks ago. He had SOME trouble getting ammo; the first Wal$Mart he visited thought he was too freaky and wouldn't sell it to him--so he went to another and they were happy to sell it to him. So let's be consistent; if we're gonna blame it all on the victims, it's Brady and Giffords' fault and Loughner and Hinckleys hands are as clean as Palins.

When people use inflammatory violent language against their political opponents they shouldn't be shocked if those opponents feel threatened, nor accuse them of libel for stating those fears--especially when literal ensuing violence puts them and a dozen others in the hospital while six people lie dead.