Before he was seated next to First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight's State of the Union speech, Daniel Hernandez was at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' office, where a group of 9/11 first responders delivered a signed flag to Congreswoman Gabrielle Giffords. They'd inscribed on the flag: "Congresswoman Giffords: When you return to Congress, it will be a beautiful day"—a reference to the U2 song that Giffords had picked to wake up the astronauts on a space shuttle flight commanded by her husband, Capt. Mark Kelly, according to Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin.

Hernandez, who performed first aid on Giffords until paramedics arrived on the scene of Tucson's Jan. 8 shooting rampage, turned 21 today.

Karamargin sent out a second photo that features UMC's Dr. G. Michael Lemole Jr., Dr. Randall Friese and nurse Tracy Culbert meeting with Giffords' staff today.

• Three members of the University Medical Center team that cared for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords visit with Giffords’ staff members in the congresswoman’s Capitol Hill office. From left are Dr. Randall Friese and nurse Tracy Culbert; Giffords’ staff members Jim Dennany, Lauren Alfred and Peter Ambler; Dr. G. Michael Lemole Jr.; and Giffords’ staff members Elaine Ulrich, Larry Meinert and Gavi Begtrup.

President Barack Obama launched the speech with a mention of the shooting rampage that began 2011 in Tucson:

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.

We are part of the American family. We believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people; that we share common hopes and a common creed; that the dreams of a little girl in Tucson are not so different than those of our own children, and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled.

That, too, is what sets us apart as a nation.

The latest update from the Cactus Drive-In Theater Project's Charles Spillar:

Good news! We filed the paperwork for our nonprofit corporation last week. It is the Cactus Drive-in Theatre Foundation, Inc. Fundraising will be able to commence soon. The new website should be up within the next two weeks if not sooner. Things are beginning to move forward. I am working on a business plan at present.

I will keep you up to date with our progress. We will need lots of help getting the funding needed so be putting on your thinking caps for ideas that can generate large amounts of money at one time. The sooner we can get the capital needed the sooner our drive-in will happen.

Charlie Spillar

PS Also the more supporters we have on our facebook account the easier it will to obtain funding. The WestWind Drive-in that reopened in Goleta (near Santa Barbara) had over 7,000 facebook supporters. Some other drive-in sites have over 10,000 and these are located in smaller communities than Tucson.

The project's Facebook group page is Cactus Drive-In Theater Project.

The Associated Press is reporting that a South Carolina woman was charged with animal cruelty after hanging a dog and burning its body because it chewed on her Bible:

When questioned by police and animal control officers, Miriam Smith told them the female dog named "Diamond" was a "devil dog" and she feared it might harm neighborhood children, according to an incident report from the county's Environmental Enforcement Department.

It probably didn't help that the dog was chained outside, or that she left her Bible on the porch.

Apparently, the ribbons that some attendees of the State of the Union are planning to wear to honor Rep. Giffords and the others wounded or killed in the Tucson shooting will eventually lead to a "sing-a-long" according to Rush Limbaugh.

Also, the color choice is seemingly an issue, and as best I can tell, you can't be a true Republican and wear it. But, hey, I guess the guy has to fill his airtime somehow.

[Mediaite]

This quote from Indiewire reinforces that Banksy is one of my favorite living human beings:

“This is a big surprise,” he states of the nomination. “I don’t agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I’m prepared to make an exception for the ones I’m nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me.”

If you don't have anything to do for the next hour and a half or so, you can stream the entire Oscar nominated film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, via Hulu below the cut.

Mother Jones has a rundown of what's happening in Egypt today including real-time news sources, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand freedom.

What's happening? Inspired by the recent protests that led to the fall of the Tunisian government and the ousting of longtime Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Egyptians have joined other protesters across the Arab world (in Algeria, notably) in protesting their autocratic governments, high levels of corruption, and grinding poverty. In Egypt, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets.

While it's a little strange to hear a French inflected Chuck D impression, this guy is quite good at what he does.

[Daily What/Mistehonk]

From Jeff Rogers, Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party:

The right to free speech and peaceful assembly are sacred and should be cherished. But in this difficult time as our community heals, we would like to encourage a spirit of togetherness. We would like to celebrate that which unites us rather than highlight that which divides. This is an opportunity to come together to be the change that we want to see in our community. We hope that the politics of personal destruction that have marred the public dialogue for far too long will give way to a renewed sense of charity, compassion and community pride.

It has been brought to our attention that a rally supporting the recall of Sheriff Dupnik is planned for Friday, January 28th. Today we ask that all of the Sheriff’s supporters who would like to “counter-protest” do so in a manner that helps those in need in our community.

The world is watching and we know that the people of southern Arizona will rise to the occasion.

The Arizona Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross is currently recruiting O Neg, A Neg and B Neg donors. We highly recommend contacting the local Red Cross office at (520) 230-7295 to schedule an appointment to donate.

Contributions for the Community Food Bank may be dropped off at any of the dozens of locations listed online or at Pima County Democratic Party Headquarters, 4639 E. First St., Tucson, AZ 85711.

John C. Stone was fired from his job at a Chevrolet dealership in a Chicago suburb for wearing a Packers tie:

Stone said he wore the tie at Webb Chevrolet on Monday — one day after the Packers beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game at Soldier Field — because he’s been a Packers fan since Ahman Green became a star running back for the Packers in 2000. He also said he wore the tie in honor of his 91-year-old grandmother, a Packers fan who died this month.

Stone said that when he showed up at work, general manager Jerry Roberts called him over to his office and told him he would be fired if he didn’t take off his tie. Stone said he thought Roberts was joking and went back to work.

An hour later, Stone said, Roberts came to the showroom floor and again demanded he take off the tie. When he didn’t, he was fired, Stone said.

“I didn’t know you could get fired for wearing a tie,” Stone said. “I’m supposed to dress up. I’m a car salesman.”

Asked by a WGN-Ch. 9 reporter if he’d fired Stone for wearing a Packer’s tie, Webb Chevrolet general manager Jerry Roberts said, “Correct.”

[Chicago Tribune]

Not sure how I missed this before, but one of my favorite writers, Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski, put together an incredible heartwrenching article in the Jan. 24 issue of that magazine about the Green family:

Christina had gone with neighbors to meet Giffords because she thought she might like to get into politics. That's how the Greens do things. They follow their hearts. When John was a low-level Orioles scout he was invited to a team party, where he saw club president Larry Lucchino standing alone. The other scouts kept their distance. John walked up to the boss and said, "Pretty nice spread, eh, Larry?"

Everyone says Christina had Roxanna's grace and John's spirit. Of course she played baseball, the only girl on her Little League team. Of course she was elected to her student council. Outside Mesa Verde Elementary her schoolmates would put up a memorial for Christina with teddy bears and ballet slippers and posters. One friend, Paige Carlin, simply wrote down words that described Christina. BASEBALL. READING. PRETTY. ANIMALS. POLITICIAN. MATH. FUNNY. The biggest word on the page was HAPPY.