Eugene Robinson:
There’s profit for the pundits, and perhaps personal advantage for some politicians, in calling President Obama a “socialist” and calling Judge Sonia Sotomayor a “racist Latina” and claiming that Democrats want to “take away your guns”—in creating and nurturing a sense of grievance among those inclined to be aggrieved. But what about those who might not understand that it’s all just political theater?Update: Toles has an excellent cartoon:
The Homeland Security memo made the assessment that “lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent right-wing extremist ideology are the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States.” It recalled an April 4 incident in which three Pittsburgh-area police officers were killed, and said “the alleged gunman’s reaction reportedly was influenced by his racist ideology and belief in anti-government conspiracy theories related to gun confiscations, citizen detention camps, and a Jewish-controlled ‘one world government.’ ”
It’s clear that James von Brunn was a firm believer in this whole insane scenario long before the financial meltdown or Obama’s election. Maybe it was his personal financial situation that allegedly pushed him over the edge. Maybe he reached a point of no return years ago, when he made a bizarre attempt to take members of the Federal Reserve Board hostage.
What we don’t know is whether all the blast-furnace rhetoric coming from the right is giving validation and encouragement to some confused, angry man or woman with a rifle or a truck full of fertilizer—the next “lone wolf,” preparing to howl.
5 comments:
It occurs to me that sending a white supremacist type to jail doesn't so much treat their disorder if the skinhead gangs are just going to be their family inside. I don't know if that has relevance to this case or whether that issue has the prevalence in federal prisons as opposed to state facilities, etc., or whether my knowledge of the situation is unduly influenced by inaccurate portrayals.
Well... if he's sent to one that has a majority of Hispanics or blacks, that could make his life ... uncomfortable. But you're right, we don't want him to feel like he's landed in good company and reinforcing his cracked pot ideas.
Isolation would work. How about Gitmo?
I was referring more to his history and stint after the federal reserve thing. At this point he's 90 or so and doubt he's getting out again.
Apparently he was over the edge long before he was jailed, but yes, prison is truly a reeducation program for criminals.. on how to become better criminals.
Will they give him the death penalty after they worked so hard on making him survive the head wound?
The death penalty is absurd and would only make him a martyr to his fellow dipshits.
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