I can think of few things more disconcerting than news of a trusted protector going rogue- the bad cop, the predatory clergy member or teacher, the abusive spouse... they have the power to inspire fear that a mere 'bad hombre' doesn't have. And then there's this guy: the Coast Guard officer who was planning what's euphemistically known as a 'mass casualty event'. Never mind the fact that the guy had an arsenal in his apartment, this asshole had bigger plans: "I am dreaming of a way to kill every last person on earth."
Now, THAT is some serious nihilism, all in the service of a white nationalist homeland. Sometimes, in his estimation, a guy's just gotta kill white people in order to pursue a white homeland: "Much blood will have to be spilled to get whitey off the couch. They will die as will the traitors who actively work toward our demise." What is it about fanatics that makes them never think through the implications of their nefarious plans?
In a display of the banality of evil, the guy had a non-evil set of goals along with his kill list:
"Get out of debt!!!! Buy van to convert, diesel, Buy land for family out west or possibly NC mtns." He also adds that he needs to "come off" tramadol, a narcotic painkiller. "Clear my head," he says.
It's surreal, the cognitive dissonance behind a 'buy eggs, kill Nancy Pelosi and Joe Scarborough, pick up dry cleaning' bucket list hints at the inner turmoil of this creep.
There is a danger of certain military personnel becoming radicalized due to disenfranchisement, financial difficulties, unresolved mental health issues, and drug problems. Our government has long failed our military service members, but any criticism of 'the troops' is roundly condemned. At least the media is describing this particular plotter as a domestic terrorist, but that's probably due to his putting media figures on the 'hit list'. If he had just been threatening Democratic politicians, he would have been dismissed as a disgruntled 'lone wolf' figure.
It's pretty clear that nobody has any notion of how to help them. The military has no plan to reduce rape, because too many of the ranking officers in the chain of command are guilty of it. Nobody has any idea of how to reduce the epidemic of suicides among our active duty and veteran populations. Recognizing PTSD is seen as weakness and lack of leadership ability. Besides which, rehabilitation programs work only for a small percentage of people who need it. 5% has been the accepted success rate since before the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. I have no answers, but ignoring the difficulties is really not constructive either.
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