Nobody is saying that the perp had connected or organized 'political' thoughts.
The override is that an atmosphere was created in which such an individual would be somewhat more likely to turn to irrational violence(this is Arizona, remember) because the concept of irrational violence has been constantly adverted to by the screwball right-wing.
Conversely, I could blame the Left wing blogs that "targeted" Rep. Giffords for insufficient fidelity to their policy goals. I could assert that a certain prominent politician gave him permission when he told his supporters "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun."Originally Posted by 91bravojoe
I would be wrong to do so. As is anyone who asserts that somehow this tragedy is the fault of people they disagree with politically.
As more information emerges, the perpetrator looks increasingly likely to be suffering from schizophrenia. If that is the case, then he interprets any speech, writing, or interaction in any form in his reality, not ours.
News reports say he isn't cooperating. If he is, indeed, schizophrenic, it's more likely that he's blocked any recollection of his actions, so we'll probably never know what happened in his reality to lead him to this violence. If that ever does come out, it won't be political, it will be something along the lines of "Buddha used the CIA mind control ray to tell me to kill Rep. Giffords because her unintelligent use of grammar was keeping me from nirvana." Because that is, unfortunately, how the schizophrenic mind works.
Last edited by J Wolfsberger; 01-10-2011 at 01:29 PM.
John Wolfsberger, Jr.
An unruffled person with some useful skills.
You would not be wrong. You would be right. Radical thoughts on the left and the right can act as triggering events when dealing with disturbed individuals.
So can Jodie Foster.
PH Cannady
Correlate Systems
Sure can. That is why the stalking element is so prevalent in these types of cases. They begin to obsess on certain people.
Agreed. Which leads to: Are there, or should there be, any law enforcement protocols for how those behaviors trigger an in depth investigation or evaluation of threat potential?
Last edited by J Wolfsberger; 01-10-2011 at 03:01 PM.
John Wolfsberger, Jr.
An unruffled person with some useful skills.
There are such protocols but as the Arizona Sheriff said yesterday the traditional route from long ago would have been to refer them to mental health and possible long term incarceration. But money for such programs no longer exist(started with Regan and has been building for some time) and that is a huge part of the problem and with the mood in DC to cut budgets the situation will likely get worse.
Slap, the point I was making is that anything can be a triggering event. As Presley points out, it could be Jodie Foster. As I pointed out, it could be Buddha speaking to him. Or he could have decided that he was called to prove that no one was safe at Safeway. It isn't possible to predict.
Claiming he was motivated by political speech, left or right, is applying normal standards of reasoning and behavior to his very private reality. That's not possible, either.
John Wolfsberger, Jr.
An unruffled person with some useful skills.
Jay, gotta leave for a while. Will respond later.
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