Conspiracy Theories on What Motivated a Shooting

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar giving us his take on the most recent violence the United States has experienced. By the way, I lived in Michigan. I did not see what is being said. If anything, the state was controlled by automotive, One squeak of relocation is bound to whip people into obedience. The other thing to keep in mind and unrelated. Quite a bit of PFAS in the water.

MAGA Blame Game Erupts Moments After Mormon Church Shooting (Daily Beast)

SUMMARY: MAGA is bursting with conspiracy theories regarding the motivation for a shooting at a Mormon Church on Sunday.

Authorities have identified Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, as the gunman who opened fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and later set it ablaze, killing at least two people and wounding eight others.

Sanford, a Marine veteran, was killed after a gunfight with two officers. Authorities are investigating the shooting, and the motive remains unknown.

But MAGA had already drawn conclusions before law enforcement released new details Sunday afternoon.

MY TAKE: Here are some of MAGA’s instant theories offered, as always, without any evidence:

• “‘Hate against Christians is widespread in places like Michigan because the entire state is being taken over by Muslims who refuse to assimilate,’ far-right influencer and noted 9/11 Truther Laura Loomer wrote of a state where less than 3 percent of the population identify as adherents of Islam, citing zero evidence the shooter was Muslim.”

• “A Truth Social post from Trump himself decrying ‘yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America’ was shared just hours after the tragedy.” [NOTE: White House spokesperson Leavitt issued a statement saying that Sanford “hated Muslims.” Even if that were true, that’s not an attack on Christianity but a specific group. Just because someone hates roses doesn’t mean they hate all flowers.]

• Other comments echoed similar flaky beliefs that were based on, well, nothing:
  • Patriots go to Church, they don’t shoot them up! This is a setup to frame MAGA conservatives. There is no way a conservative did this act of evil.”
  • “Deep ties to the Trans Cult? Or something darker at play, Democrats?”
  • “If it turns out to be some crazy liberal and honestly I’d be shocked if it didn’t, someone has to deal with them, militarily. These are terrorist cells.”

When there is a mass shooting, the first reaction of human beings with a conscience and a rational mind is to grieve the loss, feel compassion for the victims’ families, and to wait for the facts to come in before forming any conclusions. But that must seem naively quaint in light of the politicians and pundits who rush to exploit and monetize tragedy by placing blame.

There’s money to be made and votes to be gathered pandering to those eager to get worked up at their perceived enemies. Getting worked up is so much more satisfying than reading, weighing facts, forming logical opinions. That’s a waste of time when one can feel righteous indignation without ever having to think at all. Just be told what to think.

It’s weird to imagine the people who make these comments going through their day thinking they are good people with good hearts when they are really cultural Typhoid Marys. Their insistent irrationality and crude thinking is like a contagious disease infecting our culture, dumbing us all down.

Oh, how these same people are scrambling now that more information about shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford has emerged. (“Mormon church gunman was marine ‘who supported Trump’”):

• There are images of a Trump/Vance sign on the fence outside Sanford’s home last June.

• A 2019 photo from Facebook depicts Sanford wearing a Trump 2020 campaign shirt.

• He posted several times mocking Joe Biden and “socialism,” praising Trump and Turning Point USA, and complaining about the use of surgical masks.

None of that matters. Yes, Trump has encouraged a culture advocating violence as the default way to solve problems. But Sanford clearly had mental health issues that were beyond his control. He killed those people not because he was a Trump supporter, not because his parents were conservatives, but because he was sick. Those on either side of the political spectrum using this horrific event for political or ideological gain reveal a dark moral void at their core. Sadly, like Sanford, they are too far gone to care.

FYI: Perspective Check: During the same weekend of the shooting at the Mormon church, in North Carolina a different 40-year-old Marine veteran who served in Iraq allegedly fired shots that killed three people and wounded five others. In Texas, a shooting at Kickapoo Lucky Eagle casino left two dead and five injured. In New Orleans, four people were shot, with one dying. As of Sunday, September 28, there have been more than 320 mass shootings in the U.S. Where are the Loomer and Trump tweets about gun violence? Where is their outrage over those deaths?