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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMissouri man flies to California, sets 13 wildfires, then tries to fly home, cops say
Missouri man flies to California, sets 13 wildfires, then tries to fly home, cops say
A Missouri man flew to California, spent two days setting wildfires, then tried to fly home, officials say. He was arrested Monday.
Freddie Graham, 68, hopped on a flight from Missouri to San Jose last Thursday, KPIX reported. After renting a car, he spent the next two days setting fires as he drove the narrow, windy roads between Ed Levin Park and the Calaveras Reservoir in the foothills near San Jose, Deputy District Attorney Bud Porter said.
https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article235503592.html
marybourg
(12,584 posts)hlthe2b
(102,105 posts)Sneederbunk
(14,275 posts)That's the problem with red states. They export their sh*t.
RockRaven
(14,886 posts)No sympathy from me if it turns out that way. People could have been killed!
brewens
(13,536 posts)WWII and we got pretty excited about that.
ffr
(22,665 posts)It makes sense then that the RW Fu-go bomber's purpose was to create havoc, dampen American morale and disrupt the U.S. resistance effort, very similarly to what the Japanese had hoped for when we were at war.
ecstatic
(32,641 posts)Do the dates coincide with Graham visiting the area?
Either way, throw the book at his ass!
Lulu KC
(2,560 posts)Last edited Sun Sep 29, 2019, 01:13 PM - Edit history (1)
"California man returns to set fire"
Arsonists live in every state, and this guy had previous offenses in at least Missouri as well. Categorizing individuals' intents by the color of their state on a voting map is inaccurate.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)Categorizing people's residence by where they live is accurate.
Collimator
(1,639 posts)The source of the man's destructive behavior was twisted grief. In a sense, he was trying to "burn down the world" because he could no longer share it with his wife.
I hate what the man did; but there is no evidence present to tie his actions to political ideology. Believe me, I was all prepared to go for the snark and write: "What, there was nothing to burn down in Missouri?" But after reading the story, that point of view changed.
Far too many people take their grief, pain and fear and turn it into a vendetta against some particular "other". I'm not a trained mental health professional, but even if such behavior doesn't fit a specific diagnosis of mental illness, it is never a sign of a healthy personality.
Single logic indicates that we cannot pin this on Right Wing politics or the Orange Blob-Beast in the White House. They--and he--are guilty of enough real crimes. Let's not misdirect our own legitmate fears for the future of the world.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)Collimator
(1,639 posts). . .so be it.
Unless you can lend me your strap-on, I'm afraid that I will not be able to join in.
Good one!
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)That guy was perfectly willing to put someone else in a position to have his grief. What he did could have killed people, what if one of the fires killed someone's child, or spouse, or parent, can't you see the suffering those innocent people would then have to endure? Look, the guy was full of hate, his wife died and that hate got turned on the world. I bet if his life is studied, the guy was a hateful person in how he dealt with others that he had no use for.
Collimator
(1,639 posts)Save for the one clause:". . . can't you see the suffering those innocent people would then have to endure?"
Can't you see that nothing I wrote was dismissive of the possiblity that others could suffer due to the man's actions?
I have spent my entire life trying to understand my own emotions and that of those around me. I KNOW that it is better to live and struggle with the pain of one's own trauma rather than trying to transfer that pain onto others.
Ask virtually any mental health professional about the psychology of child sexual abuse. Over and over again, it is confirmed that abusers suffered their own abuse when they were young and powerless. Rather than confront their rage and work through it, they "recreate" similar scenarios in which they appease their pain by becoming the one who has the power in the experience.
Because I have made an effort to understand the pathology behind sexual abuse of children, are you now going to suggest that I don't want child molesters stopped and imprisoned?
As a very conservative, religious former friend once pointed out : There is a difference between an excuse and a reason.
I don't think that the reason for the arsonist's actions had anything to do with the current political issues of our country. That does not mean that I excuse them as anything less than dangerous and criminal.
The reason that I refuse to blame the "Maga[t]s" for the man's crime is because it is an affront to logic and honesty. Being honest, using logic, and leading with compassion are a big part of my personal definition of what it means to be a Liberal.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Well played!
calguy
(5,290 posts)All you need is a thick broomstick, sand paper, and glue.
Problem solved!
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)calguy
(5,290 posts)but I DID see done in a movie.
(just kidding)
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Collimator
(1,639 posts)And here I was thinking that I would just buy a dildo and a pair of men's underwear and Gorilla tape the base to the inside of the pouch.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,462 posts)He's a piece of shit. Ugly too. Needs to be locked up for the crimes he did that threatened peoples lives,animal lives he committed a crime that is not only wrong but dangerous. So mourning is his excuse. Fuck him. I lost my best freinds, my cats, I was devastated but at no point did I think, I'm going to California and set a bunch of fires because the cats I adored died. People are capable of controlling themselves even through grief.
He has no excuse.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)You might find I also have zero fucking sympathy for school shooters.
I don't give a fuck what their excuse is because there is no excuse.
My sympathy ends when the shooting starts.
Same with the fire-starter.
Thanks for listening.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I recently learned here that if you mow your lawn before 9am, then you must be a republican.
Collimator
(1,639 posts)Of course I agree that the man's actions were inexcusible; where I disagreed was in the reasons for those actions.
To springboard off of your comment, the next time that I am faced with a Republican, I am not going to accuse them of trying to set fire to California.
I will, however, suggest that they are trying to drag us back to the 1830's. (Or whatever their idea of a "Golden Age" is.)
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Now, I have a few republican acquaintances that are decent people, but they are a rarity.
Lulu KC
(2,560 posts)I started thinking I was the only one noticing this. I was really wondering about DU.
Timewas
(2,190 posts)Could bring the entire west to their knees by setting a lot of forest fires ... they would inundate our fire fighting resources in no time ..
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,710 posts)Fortunately they weren't successful.
Timewas
(2,190 posts)Tried floating balloons in... If someone started driving the logging roads all over Ca. OR and Wash. with a load of road flares and just started lighting and throwing them out the window they could devastate the west coast...
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)If we are not with them, we are their mortal enemy. We need to meet them full square and return decency and civility to this country.
ffr
(22,665 posts)Let me see if I wrote this correctly:
On 9 May...A few hours later, Mr. Giuliani publicly canceled his trip, claiming that Mr. Zelenskyy was surrounded by enemies of the (U.S.) President...and of the United States."
Just who is he referring to as enemies of the United States, a delegation of democrats visiting Zelensky?
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,462 posts)I wish they'd just dissapear.
NCjack
(10,279 posts)It was a "spy", who saw nothing. Just circumstantial evidence. Means nothing. His confession should not be allowed. We know how to deal with "spies."
JI7
(89,239 posts)more info below. fuck this piece of shit asshole.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mercurynews.com/2019/09/27/milpitas-arson-suspect-reportedly-lit-fires-then-went-to-high-school-reunion-and-seemed-happy/amp/
LiberalFighter
(50,767 posts)I'm leaning towards execution.
Doc_Technical
(3,521 posts)arch rival of Andrew Hill HS
(our schools were mirror images of each other)
He turned out to be a conservative, I turned out to be a liberal.