No snark, no real analysis other than that there are fucking crazy people out there. My sympathies go out to everyone involved.
Apparently two more hostages have been freed; no news on whether any more remain in the building.
***Update***
Standoff ends, suspect in custody, nobody hurt. A long relationship with court-ordered psychiatric care to begin shortly.
Punchy
I think this is all an orchestrated ruse to demo how lacking mental health care is in this country; thus, how necessary The Clintina’s Plan is.
$10 say “the old man with mental issues” is Carville on a 3-day bender.
Krista
I’ve heard that all of the hostages have been released — it’s now a standoff, with the guy asking to talk to Hillary.
Incertus (Brian)
Should we start a pool betting on which wingnut would be the first to suggest this is a ruse to get Clinton some free press?
Teak111
Is it OK to assume rightwing nutter of somekind. The debate and now this, my goodness. But, could be any wacko, really.
Krista
We wouldn’t even have time to place our bets, Brian. Fox News is already wondering out loud if Hillary will benefit from this. Especially after that “CNN debate plant” crap, it won’t take much of a mental stretch for wingnuttia to start claiming it to be a Known Fact(tm) that she staged the whole thing. They figure she’s soft on terror (despite being a murderer — I’ve never quite understood THAT leap in logic), so there’s no other rational explanation for this situation to be winding down without any chaotic bloodshed (knock wood).
Dennis - SGMM
Cue Wingnuttia insisting that if everyone, including the infant, in that office was packing heat this wouldn’t have happened.
Faux News
The wags at Wonkette think the perp is some Paultard who arrived via a blimp.
Tim F.
The inevitable advantage that people will try to get from this – was the guy a Republican? A Democrat? A Muslim? Who did he give money to? – makes me sick. The guy is obviously unbalanced. If this story plays out like they usually do he has a history of disturbing behavior, off his meds, he probably just experienced some sort of trauma the the bomb is most likely a clock radio. Bombs aren’t that easy to make, and somebody screwy enough to do what he did isn’t in the right state of mind to make one.
He’s just a crazy person. They happen.
Punchy
Michael Moore drove this guy to Clinton’s HQ?
Pb
So… whose health care plan would be best here?
Gus
Incertus, you’re way too late. Check out freerepublic.
jenniebee
Please let this not be what we can expect for the next year.
demimondian
According to firedoglake (I was there for business related purposes earlier today…don’t ask), it took less than two minutes for FreeP to have the first question about whether she’d planted this herself.
jenniebee
ZOMG Gus! Freepers on Hillary Hostage Situation
The second comment says it was a plant, the sixth worries about the political fallout if it was one of their own, and the eleventh, somebody calling himself FrdmLvr says:
Perry Como
Don’t know what you’ve been smoking, but I can make a bomb out of a bottle of Gatorade (over 3 oz.) and an iPod. Just give me 5 minutes alone in an airplane lav.
canuckistani
Way to keep America safe from terrorists, Preznit Bush!
Jen
Holy cow….this was a freeper comment…
Cyrus
The linked article refers to events happening at 3:20 p.m. today. (At least, it did when I first looked at it at 3:58 p.m.) Wow. Each paragraph cites a different source, most of which are CNN affiliates. And the story amounts to nothing more definite than saying that two hostages were released (how many are left? Any? Were the two hurt? Has the nut made any demands?) and quoting people who were evacuated for color.
There’s no real point to this, other than to note (a) it’s bad writing, although anything at all so quickly is surprising, and (b) anything other than the most basic facts about what’s going on is unreliable.
Z
ABC news is reporting the suspect has a history of mental illness. (sigh) It never ends.
Face
And to the suddenly newest member of the No-Fly List, I say well done.
4tehlulz
Well, they are the perpetual victim of the Roman JudeoMuslim African-Latino liberal conspiracy. It’s not unreasonable to think that.
Perry Como
As long as I’m not put on the No-Fry List, I’m all good. They can take my lardons out of my cold, dead hands.
Jen
I know, I know, I just don’t actually venture over there much since I’m not bulimic. Is it *hard* to contort your brain into the cognitive dissonance necessary to maintain these positions, do you think?
Ninerdave
More from the Freeps
No..actually it says a ton about you.
demimondian
Actually, PC, I think you’ve gotten yourself a prominent place on the “quick fry” list. It’s kind of like the waterboarding list, but with boiling oil…
Jake
If you wish to engage in comment picking they fRightend have covered all of the bases. I think next we’ll have:
1. Ha ha, wimpy Dems, scared by a homeless guy.
2. Get a job dirt bag!
3. OMG! We need to lock up all crazy people!
Jen
Um, does it say anything about *you*, dipshit?
Jen
D’oh, Ninerdave types faster.
demimondian
I would say that it says a lot about projection and refusal to shoulder responsibility.
Dreggas
How much you wanna bet the next step for the republican party is that when you register as a republican you get a tattoo saying as much…
28 Percent
I can do it for about 15 minutes at a time, 20 tops. After that, the giggles take over.
Uh, I mean, you all think you are so sure but you do not know if Hillary planted him or not. Keep and open mind that you are so proud of until you know the FACTS.
Duke Lacrosse!
Jen
Boy, MST-ing the freepers could be a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Yes, I am a female MST fan, please no marriage proposals, thx.
John Cole
Of course the guy is unbalanced. What remains undetermined is whether he blogs at Red State, Hot Air, or the RNC.
There. Thought I would do my part to elevate the debate.
Jake
Perhaps an abstract representation of an eagle, to symbolize America of course. Or maybe a cross of some sort to symbolize they are a Christian party.
Ninerdave
You forgot Malkin. She probably sent some citizen journalists over to scout the office first.
28 Percent
Hilary’s campaign office has granite countertops.
demimondian
I thought you were Godmin-ing us for a moment, but then I realized that you were actually referencing the Roman Legions.
Well done.
Dennis - SGMM
Mark of the Beast! Mark of the Beast! Run away! Run away!
Notorious P.A.T.
Wow, who would have thought that something like this would happen in a country where A) people with serious mental health issues are pretty much left to fend for themselves, and B) we are encouraged to solve problems with anger and violence, and C) any nutjob can walk into a gun show and come away with military-grade firepower.
MikeL
How about just your membership number? The forearm would be a good place…
Zifnab
Nah, someone will discover he donated $50 to LBJ’s Presidential run and he’ll be branded an America-Hating Liberal Double Super Secret HRC CIA Agent Plant from Tehran.
libarbarian
Rick Moran said something like this: “Ok, so the picture was a fake, but what does it say about Code Pink that I thought it could be real?”.
In their defense, in moderation statements like this are just references to the lesson of “The Boy who Cried Wolf”: Reputation matters and it is perfectly justifiable to believe rumors that a known bullshit artist is slinging even more bullshit – even if you find out later that the rumors werent true.
On the other hand, some people can’t seem to keep themselves from just believing anything matching their prejudices even when those prejudices are not well founded at all.
Dennis - SGMM
MSNBC just said that the suspect is a white male in his forties. Thank fate that he isn’t an illegal immigrant, the din from wingnuttia would have been deafening.
Prospero
He is just channeling his inner Moran.
Jen
Isn’t the suspect *always* a white male in his forties, aside from those affirmative action heroes, the Beltway snipers?
Zifnab
Wow. See, this is some deep and insightful commentary. I’m really missing out by skipping FreeRepublic as often as I can.
stickler
Jenniebee has a very good point:
Well, Jenniebee, the two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination are a white woman, and a black man. Oh, and the woman is named Hillary Clinton (a name which causes involuntary frothing-at-the-mouth in approximately 28% of the adult American population).
The conservative movement is swirling down the drain, the Iraq war is likely to get nastier before it gets over, and the economy is cracking up. George W. Bush, the wingnut’s steely-eyed Rocket Man, has turned into a collossal disappointment even for wingnuts.
In this environment, wingnut loons can be expected to lash out. I just hope we don’t get a repeat of the excitement of 1968.
Jake
Don’t take your fingers out of your ears just yet. He might turn out to be a GodlessHomosectyouall. Or a registered Democrat. Or have once slept on the steps of a mosque. Or spoken to an illegal…
Um. Has anyone heard from JWW lately?
Ninerdave
RIP Evel Knievel.
Lesley
MSNBC just said that the suspect is a white male in his forties.
OK, so there won’t be any calls to send the guy to Gitmo and waterboard him because of TEH IMMINENT THREAT!!!111!
4tehlulz
This crossed my mind, too. I have a very bad feeling that this year will make ’68 seem mellow by comparison.
yet another jeff
Is it ok if I fell in love with you in the CNN threads?
Michael D.
Calm down, guys. Remember:
Bombs don’t kill people. People kill people.
Michael D.
Justening to CNN. Apparently, the hostage taker “is upset with the state of mental health care in the United States.”
Ya think?
yet another jeff
And people with bombs…
Zifnab
Fixed
canuckistani
My wife won’t let me propose to other women, but all that will change when President Romney gets elected!
Jen
Very understandable, yes, but you mighta missed the ones about having kids and being a lawyer.
That outta keep ’em away…
demimondian
I don’t remember what interview I heard with someone, a Black hair stylist in South Carolina, who said “I won’t vote for [Obama]. If he won, they’d just shoot him like Martin.”
Zifnab
Wait, real lawyer or Allie McBeal lawyer? Because Portia de Rossi and Jane Krakowski were hot.
demimondian
Wow. Jen — do you think it was your comment or mine that killed the thread?
(BTW, what’s MST, and why would it draw geeks to you?)
yet another jeff
Hell, all I said was that I was in love with you, I didn’t say I wanted to marry you. ;)
Lesley
I worry about that too. I’m still supporting him right now, but I think about that a lot.
Jen
Demi, I’m gonna go with 5:00 Friday killing the thread.
MST is the colloquial name of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a Comedy Central / Sci-Fi channel series that ran some time back. A guy and two robots who are stranded in a satellite in outer space must sit through old cheesy movies, and the occasional earnest ’50s filmstrip, and mock them. It is more or less the pinnacle of geekiness, but it is also funny. You can Netflix some of their episodes. I’d go with “Mitchell” to start.
Okay, real lawyer or Ally McBeal lawyer? Are you asking me if I play a size 0 lawyer on TV? No.
Jen
Wyclef Jean, “President”
If I was president
I’d get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
They’d go back to work on Monday
Dreggas
stickler,
I am watching for a complete implosion of the Republican party come Jan 09, if the looming economic recession/crisis doesn’t do us all in first. Think about this Sears has seen their retail profits drop 99% and that includes K-Mart. If K-Mart is seeing sales down then you know we are in trouble.
Dreggas
Fixed.
Punchy
WTF? Are you trying to tell me some Venus Flytrap or Yucca stalked the HQ and prevented others from…leafing….the center?
RSA
Oh, please, Mike is so much better than Joel.Geek? Me? Why, not at all!Jen
Yes!! Threadjacked to MST3K! Nobody’s here any more anyway. I really loved Joel, but Mike was o.k. Some of the monster ones bore me, I like Mitchell the best of any out on DVD. One of my very favorites was a Canadian piece of crapola called the Final Sacrifice, but they never released that one.
Lesley
Yeah, Joel was better.
Lesley
Although, you know, Mike’s still at it. He opened a company called Rifftrax.
RSA
Rowsdower!
Davebo
Gateway Pundit, on top of it as usual.
These aren’t comments to the post, it’s the post itself.
Jen
Holy cow, even on the internet I wouldn’t have thought it would be easy to find someone who’s seen the Final Sacrifice.
Kind of reminds me of an episode of the Office where Ryan sets up a “blog” for Creed. Wanting to protect the world from Creed’s thoughts, he sets up a Word document. “I read some of it. Even for the Internet, it’s pretty shocking.”
Okay, just to get back to the topic, it looks like 3 hostages have been released now.
Did anyone notice that this is a town of just 30,000 people with Clinton, Edwards, and Obama offices all within a few blocks of each other? I guess that’s what living in a primary state is all about. I live in a red state, nobody ever campaigns here.
Dreggas
There was a time, not long ago, when it was the wingnuts who were against gov’t and were conspiracy theorists…9/11 really changed everything. Oh wait, he’s in NH, and in the North East conservatives are still like that, or many are.
Xanthippas
Gateway practices the tried and true right-wing blogger technique of throwing as much shit at the wall as possible to see what sticks. That is of course because they are all in heated competition with each other to reveal critical information about this case, like what some guy down the street said to his neighbor, as reported to the authorities by another guy who overheard it, related to us via Sean Hannity. For GP, the “cell phone??” is the vaunted “feather in the cap” as they like to say.
Dreggas
I heard he was kidnapped by Aliens and they did something too ‘um somethin…..seckshual…
Grand Moff Texan
Guy’s got a history.
.
Lesley
What? How does the information lead them to conclude he’s likely a Democrat? Maybe he is, maybe he’s not.
I think what’s really important, though, is what kind of countertops he has.
DougJ
I’m really dreading what the wingnuts will say about this. I think we can expect Malkin to guess his political affiliation based on the kind of counters in his house.
stickler
I think the information we have so far is enough to condlude that the guy has mental problems. And that’s about it, really. What kind of nimrod assumes party affiliation from that alone?
Wait. Silly question.
Dreggas
I bet he knows scott beauchamp…
cleek
i think we need to wait for Frist and Krauthammer to give their official diagnosis before we assume anything about the suspect’s mental status.
Ninerdave
Nah I doubt we’ll have to wait that long, I’m sure Malkin is going through his garbage and medicine cabinet as we speak looking for any medications he was on.
Dreggas
why so she can bogart ’em for herself?
Ninerdave
Or give ’em to Limbaugh.
yet another jeff
Doesn’t the term “Bogart” in a cigarette/drug sense just mean to let it burn without inhaling?
Grand Moff…who is Leeland Eisenberg?
Lesley
The actual name of the guy who took the hostages. HuffPo got it wrong initially.
Dennis - SGMM
“Bogart” means to selfishly keep whatever is being smoked to yourself.
From the fine old song, “Don’t Bogart That Joint”:
Don’t bogart that joint my friend
Pass it over to me
Don’t bogart that joint my friend
Pass it over to me
Roll another one
Just like the other one
You’ve been holding on to it
And I sure will like a hit
yet another jeff
Ah, wrong name…got it.
See, the song doesn’t contradict what I believe to be what is meant by bogarting, and my theory is based on the song as well as the filmography. ;) Bogart would always have a lit cigarette he’d gesture with or just hold far more than he’d smoke it…so to me, bogarting means just letting it burn wastefully.
Lesley
For some reason, I went to Gateway Pundit myself, and realized that “Democrat” thing was likely a joke. He’s referencing a poll that got released today indicating that Republicans are more likely to report excellent mental health than others.
D-Chance.
3-day? It wouldn’t take Carville 3 HOURS. Cajun metabolism.
jake
Yes! The new line of fRightWingThink.
If you consider the “possility” something might be true, it must mean something because the haphazard neural firings of a Wingy are far too important to be mere thoughts, they must be a reflection of reality.
Jesus fucking Christ good luck figuring out who’s crazier: a guy with a fake bomb strapped to his chest, or the magical thinking mother fuckers of Central Wingnuttistan.
stickler
Dreggas:
Sears posts a 99% drop in profit, true, but it’s at least not (yet) losing money.
And yet your larger point is spot-on. I’m hearing bad, bad things about this holiday shopping season. The after-Christmas sales are going to be dynamite, for the shopper anyhow. For the retailers, this December is looking ugly.
chopper
yeah, count me in as wondering what kind of countertops he has. anybody blogging from the dude’s bushes?
tBone
What kind of nimrod wouldn’t assume party affiliation based on that information? You loons living in Outer Moonbattia need to wake up and realize that waiting for “facts” and “credible reporting” and “truth” is pre-911 thinking.
Krista
I have yet to see anything that beats (or trumps, if you will) Pod People. Although Deathstalker II had my favourite line: “I sprained my dress!”
Is it sad or cool that this blog has attracted not one, but two (and possibly more who have yet to speak up) girls who are fans of MST3K?
John's Minions
MST = “Mountain Satndard Time?”
Was our first thought, our second was “mmmm, sexy.” Mostly because genric henchmen only seem to come in the male flavor (pst it’s “flavour” now, that he’s a lib. -ed.) and that makes anything sexy compared to the sausage-fest that is our day-to-day rote.
But ahh, “Mitchell” We saw that back in the early 90’s, our first intro to MST, or MST3K as we thought it was acronymed. It was almost as good a “Cave Dwellers.”
RSA
My top five on DVD (I think) are all from the SciFi years: Prince of Space (“I like it very much”), Space Mutiny (“So in the future there’s absolutely no shame”), Time Chasers (“Castleton!”), Final Sacrifice (“By the way, I hates that rabbit”), and Track of the Moon Beast (“corn, green peppers, onions. . .”).
Yellow Journalism
Count me as a big MST3K fan!!! My best friend in high school and I would pop some corn and watch it together, sometimes, but she stopped watching when Joel left the show. Some of my favs are “Mitchell”, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”, “The Amazing Colassal Man” and “Alien from LA”.
Nothing, though, nothing beats the classic, the hands-down best episode featuring “Manos, Hands of Fate”. Of course, that one’s not for the faint of heart. You need to really appreciate the show before watching that one.
You know what’s scary? I’ve seen each of those movies without the MST3K commentary. It’s really freaky.
PeterJ
Maybe Free Republic should check if any of their posters are missing first. Doesn’t anyone remember Chad Castagana?
Anyway, the hostage taker and the fact that there still are people posting over at Free Republic are both signs that the mental health care system needs to be fixed.
RSA
MST3K is one of the very few TV shows about which I won’t say, “Nah, I’ve seen this one more than once–let’s watch something else.” They’re like the Firesign Theater in that way, comedy that’s rewarding on repeated viewing/hearing.
libarbarian
This isn’t necessarily as illogical as it sounds. If, like the Boy Who Cried Wolf, a person is a serial liar then theres no reason to feel bad for failing to believe him the one time he happens to tell the truth.
As I also said though, that kind of cynicism regarding Hillary is hardly well grounded.
Still, there are times Bush is telling the truth but I dont feel bad for not believing him because he lies so often.
mitch
@ yetanotherjeff
Despite your sound logic, you’re wrong and Dennis is right. Neener neener neener.
jake
Geek Out!
If you all ready have one of these I do NOT want to hear about it.
Shaddup.
Psycheout
Thoughtful analysis of this bizarre episode demonstrates conclusively that this is where liberalism ultimately leads. Incidentally, as it turns out, the event also definitively proves the existence of G-d.
I bet you didn’t see that coming.
Psycheout
Regarding MST3K, I’m afraid Krista is right about Pod People. “It stinks.” Although Mitchell is up there on the list. I also was kind of partial to Teenagers from Outer Space. MST3k was a great show, I just had to filter out the anti George H.W. Bush and Sununu jokes.
You can find several full length episodes of MST3K over on teh Googal, you kids seem to like so much these days.
When I found out awhile back that Frank Conniff had gone to work for the unbearable Ranty Rhodes over at Err America, it broke my heart. TV’s Frank, noooooooooo!
I am not a geek.
Krista
Horseshit. Utter and complete horseshit. If it had been the office of any Dem candidate, they would have been claiming it was a publicity stunt. If it had been Edwards, they would have said “Look how desperate he is, to do something like this!” If it had been Obama, they would have thought it to be evidence that this guy, whose name rhymes with Osama, is an untrustworthy Muslim.
There is absolutely NO way to win with these vultures. If that man HAD hurt or killed someone, it would have been “proof” that Hillary can’t handle terrorists. Because he didn’t, it’s “proof” that the whole thing was a stunt.
Why does ANYBODY even listen to them anymore? They’re like America’s half-senile, grab-assing, bigoted great-uncle.
Psycheout
I have to side with Krista over some of the bad apples over at FR on this one. The first thing I thought when I heard about this was, oh no, not Mike Stark again…. Kidding!
I thought, oh no, not another nutball. The last thing on my mind was “plant” or “stunt.” But, in their defense, I think they were just dealing with the stress of a scary situation in their own way.
There’s a lot of hyperbole thrown around at FR and the locals know that. It’s not as bad as it might seem to an outsider. Gallows humor is way of relieving stress. They were just blowing off a little steam.
You see the same kind of thing on Democratic Underground. So don’t sweat it, unless you enjoy the self-righteous outrage. If that’s the case, knock yourselves out.
RSA
I’ve got a Castleton sweatshirt. Sorry about that.
jcricket
It’s the fault of the concern trolls (Broder, Klein, etc.). They have Democratcs convinced that there’s some candidate they can run that the Republicans won’t smear. Or that if they just roll over and work “with” the Republicans, everything will be fine.
Democrats need to get over this pathological need to believe Republicans are rational, honest, “good faith-arguing” people. They’re not. Republicans are in it for only themselves, and only to win – fucking over anyone that stands in their way.
Democrats need to basically disengage from the Republicans. No longer accept, parrot or respond to the Republican framing on anything. Mock and deride Republican “crises” (Social Security) or faux-scandals (Edwards haircut). And start attacking the Republicans – they’re out of touch with the issues affecting us in reality, stand for perpetual unnecessary war, etc.
As soon as we start doing that, Republicans will start losing en masse.
canuckistani
You need repeat viewings, because you laugh so hard you miss the jokes.
Put me down as a “Mitchell” fan.
D-Chance.
From an AP story entitled: Clinton Calm in Hostage Crisis
Well, gee, yeah, I guess when you can sit in front of your living room TV in your favorite jammies while the whole ordeal is taking place, you may well indeed be able to stroll out of the house “the picture of calm”.
And, BTW, what “face of crisis”? She didn’t surface until AFTER the event had taken place and the guy arrested. It’s not like she was actually there in the office eye-to-eye with the hostage-taker.
Man, some are really trying hard to make a Johnna Wayne out of Hillary, aren’t they? Our HERO~! Indeed. This is her 9/11 moment, and she now has her credentials.
binzinerator
Fixed.