"It makes me want to vomit"

Meet the guy who hates Gabrielle Giffords: A survivor's anger remains one yearafter tragedy

Handout photo by James Palka/AP
Jared Lee Loughner
Photo via KTAR.com
George Morris, handout photo; Dorothy Morris, courtesy of the family

America has watched and cheered on the recovery of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords since she was shot in the head in Tuscon just over a year ago. But one victim of the Tucson attack says he feels no sympathy for Giffords and blames her and astronaut husband Mark Kelly for the shooting that killed his wife.

"Every time I see them on TV," George Morris told The Arizona Republic, "it makes me want to vomit."

Morris told The Arizona Republic that he brought his wife Dorothy to Giffords' 'Congressman on your Corner' event to question her credentials as a moderate after she voted for Obama's health care plan, among other things. But before he could speak to her, a gunman fired into the crowd, fatally shooting Dorothy twice in the chest and hitting George in the back and legs as he sought to shield her.

The Arizona Republic said Morris expressed his views to them twice, almost a year apart, and aren't the emotional words of a grief-stricken man.

Morris blames Giffords and (oddly) Kelly for not having security at the event.

"I'd like to debate our dear captain astronaut [and ask] why he didn't have security," Morris said. "My wife would still be alive."

Describing himself as an "ultra-conservative," Morris worked on the campaign of Giffords' Tea Party opponent in 2010 and refused a visit from President Obama when he was in the hospital after the shooting, though he did frame the letter of condolence Obama wrote him for the loss of his wife. Morris told the Arizona Republic that he thinks Giffords should be thrown out of office, adding "I do not think she is worthy of serving."

The Arizona Republic said Morris expressed his views to them twice, almost a year apart, and aren't the emotional words of a grief-stricken man. But it still seems wrong to blame Giffords for the violent act of an alleged madman.

I can almost see how having Giffords survive while his wife died — with the media celebrating her recovery while forgetting about the other victims — could infuriate someone, and I guess I won't begrudge him his opinion. It just strikes me as incredibly sad that the lessons Americans tried to take to heart after the Tucson shooting somehow missed this survivor.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”