Arizona man accidentally impales skull

This is one of most genuinely bizarre accidents I’ve ever read about.

I’ve seen one or two in my lifetime, as well. And this one is genuinely miraculous, as well.

It has a “happy” ending!

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Arizona man impaled through skull with pruning shears

By Tim Gaynor | Reuters – 9 hrs ago –

TUCSON, Ariz | Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:27pm EDT

This CT scan of the skull of an Arizona man impaled through the skull in a freak gardening accident is shown in this photograph provided to Reuters August 30, 2011 by University Medical Center. Leroy Luetscher, 86-year-old, accidentally impaled his eye with pruning shears in an gardening accident July 30, 2011. REUTERS/Courtesy University Medical Center/Handout

TUCSON, Ariz (Reuters) – An 86-year-old Arizona man who was impaled through the skull with pruning shears in a freak gardening accident was expected to make a full recovery, his doctors said.

Leroy Luetscher dropped a pair of pruning shears while working in his yard in Green Valley, south of Tucson, on July 30, the University Medical Center in Tucson said in a news release.

The shears landed in the ground point downward. When Luetscher bent down to pick them up, he

President Obama’s State Of The Union address, 25 January 2011

Here is the text of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address as prepared for delivery at 9 p.m. ET.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner. And as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague – and our friend – Gabby Giffords.

It’s no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. The debates have been contentious; we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. And that’s a good thing. That’s what a robust democracy demands. That’s what helps set us apart as a nation.

But there’s a reason the tragedy in Tucson gave us pause. Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater – something more consequential than party or political preference.

AZ Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot: Suspect posted anti-government messages on YouTube, MySpace

Suspect Jared Loughner is another “anti-government,” right-wing nut.

Tyler Ramsier, 24 graduated from Mountain View High School one year before Jared Loughner, and described him as a loner with few friends, who sometimes wore a trench coat and frequently dressed in dark clothes like the “goth” subculture.

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot: Suspect posted anti-government messages on YouTube, MySpace

by Robert Anglen and Brennan Smith – Jan. 8, 2011 06:00 PM
The Arizona Republic

The 22-year-old suspect in the shooting of U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords and others at a Tucson grocery is Jared Loughner, who lives in the same city.

On MySpace and YouTube web pages, a man who identifies himself as

AZ Congresswoman Giffords (D) Shot in Tucson – Was Palin “Target”

AZ Democrat, Congresswoman Giffords Shot in Tucson

Was SarahPAC “target”

“Don’t retreat, reload.”
– Sarah Palin (R), Twitter post

TUCSON — Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, and 17 others were shot here on Saturday morning when a gunman opened fire outside a supermarket where Ms. Giffords was meeting with constituents for a “Congress on Your Corner” event.

Ms. Giffords, 40, was described as being in very critical condition at the University Medical Center in Tucson, where she was operated on by a team of neurosurgeons. One of the surgeons said that she had been shot once in the head, “through and through,” with the bullet going through her brain.

“I can tell you at this time, I am very optimistic about her recovery,” he said in a news conference. “We cannot tell what kind of recovery but I’m as optimistic as it can get in this kind of situation.”

An official with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said that six people had