Meet Heritage’s Featured Facebook Fan, Samantha Thompson

Mike Brownfield /

Each week, The Heritage Foundation highlights one of its nearly 300,000 Facebook Fans on its “Featured Fan” page. This week’s fan is Samantha Thompson of Oracle, Arizona! Read her story below, and be sure to become a fan of Heritage on Facebook! Thanks for being a fan, Samantha!

Moments after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot at a Tucson, Arizona, supermarket, Samantha Thompson, who lives in nearby Oracle, was glued to her television set. As a lifelong Arizonan, she immediately knew a tragedy of staggering proportions was unfolding in her backyard.

Like so many fellow Americans gleaning for information during those frantic hours, Samantha had trouble getting accurate details from a mainstream media seemingly more interested in assigning blame than gathering facts about the January 8 attack. As the six people killed in the shootings are mourned, Samantha is reflecting on that Saturday’s tragic chain of events, while hoping for the swift recovery of all surviving victims, including Rep. Giffords. (more…)