According to the New York Times, several state legislatures are considering arming professors on college campuses.  In Arizona in particular, three measures are currently on the ballot that would allow professors and students over the age of 21 to carry weapons at all times.

Texas and Arizona are the most likely states to pass these kinds of measures, according to the article. Opponents of the measure argue that the universities should be employing all resources to keep guns off campus, instead of bringing more of them in. Proponents support individual rights and argue that someone needs to be ready to take action if a violent shooter enters the campus.

Christina Green, the 9-year-old girl who was killed this past weekend in the Tucson shootings, will be remembered today amongst family, friends, and classmates.  Green was born on September 11, 2001, and a flag from atop the World Trade Center will be present at her funeral, according to CBS News.

Green was one of the six people killed in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, during an assassination attempt on U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords' life. 

President Obama spoke last night at a memorial service for the dead and the wounded, and was empathetic and eloquent, according to the Guardian.  "Most affecting, [Obama] spoke of Christina Taylor Green, the nine-year-old girl born on 11 September 2001 – the president, doubtless thinking of his own daughters, seeming to brim with emotion, at one point emitting a noise somewhere between a sigh and a suppressed sob," stated the Guardian.

Green had just recently been elected to student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School. A neighbor brought her to meet Representative Giffords because of the girl's interest in leadership and politics.  She was the only girl on her baseball team. 

For more on the Tucson shootings, see below: 

* Outside McKale Center: Waiting for the Memorial

* High School Senior Reflects on Tucson Violence

* Young Faces in Tucson Shootings

by Patty Talahongva

In commemoration of the shootings in Tucson on Saturday, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are attending the memorial service tonight for the six victims. The event is called “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America.” 

22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner opened fire on a group of people in a Safeway parking lot, where U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was holding a meet and greet event on Saturday, Jan. 8.  14 people were wounded, and six were killed, according to the New York Times. 

VOICES, Inc. and City High School in Arizona are two youth organizations that are covering tonight’s events.  They have shared with us footage from the memorial service below. 

Adobe Flash Player is not installed. Please download and install it to listen to audio.

Jennifer Bloom interviewed by Joe Allen.

(download mp3)

Above: Tucson citizens wait to hear President Obama speak at the memorial service for those killed in the Tucson shootings on January 8, 2011.

Adri White/VOICES Inc., & City High School.

Hundreds of people wait to be allowed McKale Center to listen to President Obama's speech. People began lining up early Wednesday morning and have waited for hours.

 Photo: Sean Bruce/VOICES Inc., & City High School

A paper chain was created by people who visited the University of Arizona mall on Wednesday, who wrote messages on each link of the paper chain. The chain is to be presented during President Obama's speech this evening. 

 Photo: Dana Hernandez/VOICES Inc., & City High School

 JoEllen Gonzalez sits with a sign she made in protest of the appearance of the Westboro Church's planned protest at the funerals of the victims of the mass shooting in Tucson last Saturday.
  Photo: Dana Hernandez/VOICES Inc., & City High School

Dr. Carlos Gonzales, Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona, gave a Native American Blessing at tonight's memorial service.

Photo: Emma Wilford/VOICES Inc., & City High School.

Former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano quotes the Old Testament during the memorial for the victims of the shooting in Tucson on Saturday, January 8, 2011. Napolitano is currently the United State Secretary of Homeland Security in the administration of President Barack Obama.

Photo: Lauren Washington/VOICES Inc., & City High School

Students who participated in recording these videos include: Erica Gomez, 16, Adri White, 16, Emma Wilford, 16, Joe Allen, 15, Desii Armendariz, 16, Dane Hernandez, 15, Sean Bruce, 15. 

A. Greene, senior at City High School in Tucson, Arizona, met U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords at an election night event in November, while working for the Tucson Weekly at her senior internship.

Greene was supposed to collect quotes from attendees, but being new to reporting, she was overwhelmed and nervous. She stepped outside to clear her head.  That's when she saw Giffords. 

"Gabby was in the hallway with one of her assistants.  I don't think it was the one that died," she said.  "I panicked. I thought, 'This is my chance to show that I'm going to do a great job.'" 

As Giffords walked out to get some fresh air, she stopped and noticed Greene. "She looked me in the eyes and patted me on the shoulder and said, 'How are you doing? Thank you so much for coming, it means a lot to me.'"

Greene first heard via text message that Rep. Giffords was dead.  Another text a minute later said that no, Giffords was just hurt very badly in a shooting and required surgery.  She was shocked.  "I always thought she was very honest and genuine and I really appreciate people like that," she said. 

It took a while for the magnitude of the shootings over the weekend to sink in for Greene.  On the Monday after it happened, the whole school gathered together. City High School  observed a moment of silence, and their principal read a poem.  During classes, students were given the chance to discuss concerns and feelings. 

However, with her friends, Greene doesn't really talk about it.  "It's more in private moments that we really think about it, at least for myself.  I reflect more when I'm alone," she said.

Though Greene does not follow politics closely, she knows that Tucson has been the center of recent political tension.  She believes, however, that the Tucson in the news is not the real Tucson. "I wouldn't want people to think of Tucson as some violent, scary place - in fact, it's the opposite.  Tucson has been in the news because of politics, anger, and hate, but that doesn't matter because we all just care about each other in Tucson," said Greene. 

Greene knows that Tucson is a strong community, even in the face of tragedy.  "Tucson is technically a big city with one million people, but it doesn't feel that way.  You see the same faces, know everybody, and have a real connection to everyone that's here." 

As the country learns more about the lives of the people at the center of the shootings in Tucson, many of the stories are about young people. While the bullets were aimed at U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who currently remains in critical condition, snapshots of four young personalities are beginning to emerge from the tragic events. Victims Christina Green and Gabe Zimmerman, 9 and 30 respectively, were shot and killed.  The man behind the trigger, Jared Lee Loughner, was only 22 years old, and Daniel Hernandez, 20, jumped in to lend a hand, possibly saving Giffords' life.

Accused: Jared Lee Loughner, 22
Loughner is charged with shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson, Arizona, along with 18 other people, killing six.
Media sources have been looking for signs in Loughner’s background that point to mental instability or aggression towards Giffords and the government. They found several, according to the New York Times.

The Wall Street Journal reports that one incident back in 2007 apparently sparked Loughner’s hatred towards Giffords. At a public congressional event, Loughner asked Giffords, “How do you know words mean anything?” and she responded to him in Spanish.  A threatening letter to Giffords was later found in Loughner’s apartment.

2007 was also the year that Pima County charged Loughner with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, though the case was dropped. Loughner also released YouTube videos about government officials brainwashing people, and how he planned to invent a new form of currency.

In addition, Loughner was the source of substantial discomfort in his classes at Pima Community College. He would interrupt seminars with disoriented comments. According to the WSJ, his math instructor tried to remove him from class several times because he was frightening students. Eventually, the college required Loughner to take a mental health examination, and he withdrew. 

 Rescue Assist: Daniel Hernandez, 20
Hernandez had only worked with Rep. Giffords for five days before he was in a position to save her life. CBS News reports that Hernandez ran over to Giffords who was lying on the ground, and used meat smocks from Safeway to apply pressure to the wound on her forehead. He also held her upright to prevent her from choking on her own blood until the ambulance arrived.
Hernandez was identified as the man who “saved Giffords’ life," according to Yahoo News. 

Victim: Christina Green, 9
Christina’s life began and ended with tragedy. She was born on September 11, 2001 and killed in the Tucson shootings over the weekend. Her father told the Arizona Daily Star that he could have easily seen the outgoing, friendly girl as a politician one day. She was even elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School, and was invited to meet Rep. Giffords on Saturday. Green was one of a kind- literally being the only girl on her baseball team.

 Victim: Gabe Zimmerman, 30
Zimmerman worked for Giffords as her community outreach director, and had organized the public appearance on Saturday. He was also killed in the shooting.

Zimmerman was a graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz where he got a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and went on to get his master’s in social work from Arizona State University.  According to his friends, he was an extroverted person with great talent for communicating and cooperating with other people. He could deescalate conflicts between opposing groups very well.

After he finished his undergraduate studies, he worked at the Arizona Children’s Association, before going to Arizona.

The four other victims killed in the shooting include Federal Judge John Roll, Dorothy Morris, Dorwan Stoddard, and Phyllis Schneck, according to the New York Times.

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” - Christopher Reeve.

In today’s world, it's when we summon the BILL, that dreams are realized.

Students currently referred to as DREAMers have a special vision in mind: a world where students are granted legal citizenship in the United States.

A New York Times article reported last week, “The Obama administration, while deporting a record number of immigrants convicted of crimes, is sparing one group of illegal immigrants from expulsion: students who came to the United States without papers when they were children.” These are youth who would be protected and given citizenship under the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors Act).

The DREAM Act Portal website says, “Over three million students graduate from U.S. high schools every year. Most get the opportunity to test their dreams and live their American story. However, a group of approximately 65,000 youth do not get this opportunity; they are smeared with an inherited title, an illegal immigrant. These youth have lived in the United States for most of their lives and want nothing more than to be recognized for what they are, Americans.”

To find out what Arizona's new immigration law means for national organizing efforts, Youth Radio spoke to Community Empowerment Coordinator and attorney Renee Saucedo, from La Raza Centro Legal.

In Arizona, walking to the corner store, or simply driving, can lead to arrests for undocumented immigrants. Bill 1070 gives authorities in the state of Arizona the right to detain, arrest and report a person to immigration, if they suspect the person is in this country illegally. It also makes transporting an illegal immigrant a crime--and that includes giving someone a ride.

Attorney Saucedo said she and her colleagues got to work as soon as Arizona's Governor Jane Brewer signed the bill. "Immigrant advocates of course were horrified by the passage of this law. But some said, at least this might push the debate around passing some kind of immigration reform or legalization law."

But according to Saucedo, it's up to immigrants to change the course of the national conversation. She says anti-immigrants' voices are much louder right now and "if our communities--mainly immigrant communities--organized and demand that a legalization law passed as a solution, then I think it's very possible."

I never really enjoyed playing basketball at the park closest to my house in Oakland, California. There were cracks in the ground that made the ball bounce funny, no nets on the hoops, and the rims were double rims – which affect shots poorly. It used to be my court of last resort.

But now I play there two times a week, thanks to the Golden State Warriors. They installed a new glass backboard, fixed cracks and painted the pavement, and even built fences around court. Now when I make a basket, the swish sound, thanks to that new net, makes me feel good every time I hear it.

Since Arizona passed its new immigration law, which allows authorities to request identification proving legal residence, the Phoenix Suns changed their name to the Los Suns. It shows that the Phoenix Sun’s care about the people of Arizona and the troubles they have to face due to this new law.

I love to watch basketball, and knowing that the NBA actually does care about the community by giving back, means a lot to me.

Well if you ever wanted to see what one particular vision of the American Dream looks like in practice look no further than Arizona, where suspicion of being an illegal immigrant is now grounds for being detained. What's more: it looks like the new law has the thinnest of majorities backing it according to the latest Gallup poll.

While there's nothing funny about the law itself... which includes provisions that threaten schools with loss of funding for offering classes that "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals"... it's the duty of the nation's humorists to find something to laugh about even in the face of political dynamite.

Here's a few choice bits:

Seth Myers from SNL:

More, including the serious stuff, after the jump... Read more...