Nobody Cares about yet another assassination attempt

[Beebo Brink]

I'm losing count. Is this #3?

White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting: President Trump and First Lady Evacuated After Shots Fired; Suspect in Custody as Trump Vows to Reschedule

President Trump commends law enforcement for doing a 'fantastic job' after White House Correspondents' Dinner is disrupted by a gunman now in custody.

variety.com

Trump is already bleating about how he needs a high security ballroom because somehow that would make a difference in keeping him safe... except for all those occasions when he isn't physically present in the ballroom.

Meanwhile, one has to wonder how anyone with a gun got into the event.

And of course, it's totally not a staged event to raise his cratering approval numbers.

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

FWIW, it looks like this guy was stopped just after he entered the building and well before he could get to the auditorium area. From what I've read, a lot of people in the room with Trump didn't even hear the shots or realize anything had happened until the Secret Service came in to start evacuating the VIPs. So the security apparatus in this case at least seemed to function correctly, as opposed to that shooting during the campaign.

 

[Beebo Brink]

I've heard some persuasive arguments for taking the Pennsylvania assassination attempt seriously, and I've mostly agreed that it's unlikely to have been a false flag event.

But tonight's clusterfuck? Trump uncharacteristically accepts the invitation to an event he loathes, then IMMEDIATELY after the alleged assassination attempt, he trots out his ballroom project as a security solution.

This reeks to high heaven. Not sure what to make of it all, seriously.

 

[Beebo Brink]

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

It's a little silly for an argument though.

For one thing - again, the security worked, this guy was stopped before he hurt anyone. And for another, if a heavily armed attacker tried to storm the White House, I'm sure he would be stopped there too of course, but I highly doubt any event that was taking place there would just carry on uninterrupted as if nothing had happened.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

It's a little silly for an argument though.

For one thing - again, the security worked, this guy was stopped before he hurt anyone. And for another, if a heavily armed attacker tried to storm the White House, I'm sure he would be stopped there too of course, but I highly doubt any event that was taking place there would just carry on uninterrupted as if nothing had happened.

Security worked, because this whole thing was staged! I mean, if security were so tight, how the hell did a man carrying a long gun get anywhere close to the building, let alone make it into the lobby?

 

[Cristiano]

I've heard some persuasive arguments for taking the Pennsylvania assassination attempt seriously, and I've mostly agreed that it's unlikely to have been a false flag event.

But tonight's clusterfuck? Trump uncharacteristically accepts the invitation to an event he loathes, then IMMEDIATELY after the alleged assassination attempt, he trots out his ballroom project as a security solution.

This reeks to high heaven. Not sure what to make of it all, seriously.

What could possibly be the persuasive argument for Butler not being staged? The photo op didn't give it away? Magically healing ear?

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Perhaps unusually, a suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, has survived the incident and been taken into custody. He will presumably be facing charges in due course. If it's a put-up job, what's in it for him? He must be looking at a long prison sentence (unless he joins the ever-growing ranks of people who have received pardons from Trump, or unless he commits suicide while waiting for trial, I suppose) because of his actions.

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Cristiano]

Side note what the hell happened to her face? I know she’s pregnant as hell but she looks even more plastic than usual.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Although Mrs. Beebo and I share the majority of our political views, she has no tolerance for conspiracy theories. I may circle a few rabbit holes (an affinity borne mostly of cynicism and ennui, and without any true commitment), but Mrs. Beebo is solidly grounded in reality (her perspective).

I found it interesting that her first gut-reaction to the WHCD event was that it was staged. This morning was the first time we talked about it in depth (she was immersed in the NFL Draft last night), and I was actually surprised that she would admit that misgiving. She's retreated to a more conservative "I don't know what to make of it" by today, but her initial disbelief is an interesting indicator (at least to me) of just how hinky this whole incident feels.

If it's a put-up job, what's in it for him?

This is the least challenging question, at least for me, even if we never get an answer. What's in it for some young guy who straps a bomb to himself and blows up a shopping center? There are any number of reasons that people can be persuaded to do really dumb things: Ideology, money, blackmail, martyrdom, or just being tricked into it.

It was an incredibly convenient disruption for Trump, who was already acting in an atypical manner just by attending this event. Trump was never in any real danger, he avoided the entire roast portion of the night, and he immediately tied the assassination attempt to his ballroom project (as did his legions of flying monkeys). This was a win for Trump in every way, and he's had precious few of those lately. Maybe he's just making hay of an opportunity handed to him by providence, but I'm still dubious.

Now that the suspect is in custody, the very corrupt Trump administration has full control of the narrative of who he is, why he did it, and what happens to him next. There's no link in the chain of custody that I would trust, from the FBI to the DOJ, to release accurate information. It's basically a black hole with smoke signals.

 

[Beebo Brink]

This isn't factual evidence of anything, but if nothing else, it's grating.

 

[Noodles]

"Whats in it for him" would be an easy follow the money if our press wasn't so busy wasting their time producing toilet paper to catch all the bull shit instead of newspapers.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Although Mrs. Beebo and I share the majority of our political views, she has no tolerance for conspiracy theories. I may circle a few rabbit holes (an affinity borne mostly of cynicism and ennui, and without any true commitment), but Mrs. Beebo is solidly grounded in reality (her perspective).

I found it interesting that her first gut-reaction to the WHCD event was that it was staged. This morning was the first time we talked about it in depth (she was immersed in the NFL Draft last night), and I was actually surprised that she would admit that misgiving. She's retreated to a more conservative "I don't know what to make of it" by today, but her initial disbelief is an interesting indicator (at least to me) of just how hinky this whole incident feels.


This is the least challenging question, at least for me, even if we never get an answer. What's in it for some young guy who straps a bomb to himself and blows up a shopping center? There are any number of reasons that people can be persuaded to do really dumb things: Ideology, money, blackmail, martyrdom, or just being tricked into it.

It was an incredibly convenient disruption for Trump, who was already acting in an atypical manner just by attending this event. Trump was never in any real danger, he avoided the entire roast portion of the night, and he immediately tied the assassination attempt to his ballroom project (as did his legions of flying monkeys). This was a win for Trump in every way, and he's had precious few of those lately. Maybe he's just making hay of an opportunity handed to him by providence, but I'm still dubious.

Now that the suspect is in custody, the very corrupt Trump administration has full control of the narrative of who he is, why he did it, and what happens to him next. There's no link in the chain of custody that I would trust, from the FBI to the DOJ, to release accurate information. It's basically a black hole with smoke signals.

I agree that it's not at all surprising someone should make a half-arsed attempt to shoot up the White House Correspondents Dinner for reasons that seem good to him at the time. John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan because he thought Jodie Foster, whom he'd seen in Taxi Driver, would be impressed, and Ryan Routh's account of his motives for trying to shoot Donald Trump at Trump's Florida golf course didn't make a great deal of sense, either.

What I don't understand, though, is how that meshes with a conspiracy theory.

The shooter can't have know it was a "false flag" operation, after all. So did the conspirators look for people who dislike Trump and who seemed suitably gullible and disturbed and, when they found someone who met their requirements, encourage him to be their cat's paw in all this? That strains credulity, to my mind, considerably more than does the theory that someone decided they wanted to shoot Trump (or possibly the Fake Mainstream Media?) and went ahead with the idea.

I came here to post this, which I think is relevant

The Trump shooting conspiracy theories show America has gone mad

Paranoia and cynicism are no longer just for MAGA - and that might be the president’s lasting legacy

thenewworld.substack.com

Just a few short years ago, doing this was utterly beyond the pale, left to the likes of Alex Jones and Infowars, and roundly condemned by everyone else. Now, it’s routine. A shooter can be detained yards from the president and next to a roomful of journalists – with photographic and video evidence – and people will immediately jump to conspiracy theories for their explanation.

Paranoia, cruelty and the faux-knowing cynical cluelessness of conspiracy theories all extend far beyond the Magaverse now. They are qualities routinely displayed across the political spectrum, from leftists, to centrists, to the right. This might be Donald Trump’s lasting legacy: he has already reshaped America in his own image.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I think I'm completely agnostic on this and will wait to see what develops. I'm not convinced the default, rational™ position is that Trump wouldn't fake such an attempt given he got a huge boost from the last one. ...I also don't think it's at all a stretch that someone would have seen this as an opportunity to try to shoot him. I honestly think both possibilities are relatively likely.

I'm leaning weakly towards it not being staged. I'll wait to see what else comes to light.