Climate-blaming Sheriff with climate to hide?

Speaking of television, according to a post linked by Michelle Malkin, it turns out that Jared Loughner did not watch TV. Nor did he listen to the talk radio said to have created a “climate” which was responsible for his actions.

Friend says Loughner “did not watch TV. He disliked the news. He didn’t listen to political radio. He didn’t take sides. He wasn’t on the left. He wasn’t on the right.” Over to you, Sheriff Dupnik…

Dupnik, of course, has earned notoriety for blaming Rush Limbaugh and the “climate of hate” for the shooting, without any evidence at all.

Now it turns out there is evidence — and it shows Dupnik is just plain wrong.

Bad as it is for left wing hacks to seize upon this tragedy to advance their political goals, what this sheriff has done is far worse.

If this report is as credible as it seems, Dupnik is systematically using the “climate of hate” meme as a simple coverup.

Jared Loughner has been making death threats by phone to many people in Pima County including staff of Pima Community College, radio personalities and local bloggers. When Pima County Sheriff’s Office was informed, his deputies assured the victims that he was being well managed by the mental health system. It was also suggested that further pressing of charges would be unnecessary and probably cause more problems than it solved as Jared Loughner has a family member that works for Pima County. Amy Loughner is a Natural Resource specialist for the Pima County Parks and Recreation. My sympathies and my heart goes out to her and the rest of Mr. Loughner’s family. This tragedy must be tearing them up inside wondering if they had done the right things in trying to manage Jared’s obvious mental instability.

Every victim of his threats previously must also be wondering if this tragedy could have been prevented if they had been more aggressive in pursuing charges against Mr. Loughner. Perhaps with a felony conviction he would never have been able to lawfully by the Glock 9mm Model 19 that he used to strike down the lives of six people and decimate 14 more.

This was not an act of politics. This was an act of a mentally disturbed young man hell bent on getting his 15 minutes of infamy. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department was aware of his violent nature and they failed to act appropriately. This tragedy leads right back to Sherriff Dupnik and all the spin in the world is not going to change that fact.

Via RS McCain, who adds,

Might be kind of interesting if, instead of Rush Limbaugh’s “vitriol” being to blame, the blame belongs with Sheriff Dupnik.

It strikes me that the under-reported fact of the shooter’s mother being employed by the local government might very well shed light on why nothing was done to protect local Tucsonians from a sick man so obviously in need of help.

It certainly goes a long way toward explaining the sheriff’s stubborn insistence that on-air “vitriol” was to blame — never mind that Loughner never heard it.

If these suspicions prove correct, Sheriff Dupnik is morally a lot worse than the left-wing hacks he’s pandering to.