They are the stuff of TV dramas and the fictional nemesis of Hannibal Lecter. They are the profilers, detectives skilled in the art of psychological portraiture. They track down serial killers and thrill us with their acumen when the perp is finally revealed to match the sketch they drew for us. So enamored of their skill are we that anyone with a working knowledge of criminal psychology can join the Legion of Talking Heads in the 24 hr. news cycle.
That is until last week’s arrest of the two suspects in the DC area sniper case…
My first glimpse of the suspects caused my jaw to drop. I was expecting Timothy McVeigh, Lee Harvey Oswald or Perry Smith and Dick Hickock.
Why? Because that’s what I’d expected to see. That’s what the “experts” had told me I should expect to see.
But it wasn’t a couple of alienated white guys high on crystal meth. It wasn’t someone who knew the area. It wasn’t someone who had a beef against the suburban retail economy. There wasn’t even a white van. Everything the pundits and the profiling gurus told us was wrong.
Should I shrink from thinking as I did? My only consolation (if indeed it is one) is that I wasn’t alone. Matt Labash of the Weekly Standard quotes America’s favorite psychic superstar mom Jackie Stallone: “I don’t see black men involved at all…I see white, and I only see one. He’s about 5’11”. Normal weight. Sort of an all-American collegiate looking guy. Better looking than the guy next door, because most of them are ugly. And he likes blue.”
To the extent that it works at all, profiling works only on psychotics, and really TWISTED psychotics at that.
Dean,
This discussion harkens back to our debate over Islam. Many of us were sitting around privately prediction that the sniper(s) were Muslim. The victims were random, completely. The Capital was the choice of locations. The method was militant.
Now we know that Muhammed shot at a synogogue in Washington.
Bill O'Reilly had a former Nation of Islam minister on his show this evening. He said that he left the group because of all of the angry, dangerous, and militant fringe members. He said one fundamental belief of the entire groups was that within their lifetime, they would basically overthrow the US government.
The fact that you were so surprised at the conclusion of the investigation is evidence that you are in denial.
If this isn't a religious issue, what is it?
Cheers.
Er, first off, it was Paul Fallon was the article of this "Sniper 1 Pundits 0" article, not me. You may not have noticed, but this is turning into something of a meta-blog, and other people besides me are authoring articles now.
Second, the Nation of Islam is as far away from mainstream Islam as voodoo is to mainline Christianity.
I, for one, was kind of expecting this sniper to be a Muslim radical.
Pay attention you guys...
Haven't you heard of the NOI splinter movement called the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths?
Dean,
I guess I wasn't paying attention to who posted the article. However, I think our discussion previously was pertinent. And I'm not sure that your voodoo analogy is accurate. In the US, NOI members probably approach 20% of the population of Muslims in the US.
Hell, Farrakhan is practically a mainstream leader - and he's certainly a household name.
The six fundamental tenets of the Nation of Islam, as put forth by their founder Elijam Muhammed, are as follows:
1) Islam as the true religion of Black people, and Christianity as the religion of their opposite and enemy, the White people.
2) Allah (God) is in reality a Black man and the Black man is God
3) Black people are a Chosen People who are righteous by creation and righteous by nature.
4) The White man is the devil himself.
5) The separation on the social and political level of Black from White is a divine imperative.
6) There is an imperative need for racial and Islamic solidarity throughout the world.
Did ya find any of that in your search through the Surahs?
How about this: White people were invented by a perverse breeding and genetic engineering experiment by an evil and insane scientist named Yacub whose purpose is to defile and destroy the black race.
That's in the Koran too, right?
The Reverend Farrakhan has, amongst other things, spoken of the time when a giant spaceship piloted by Allah will come to pick up his followers and take them to heaven. That might also tell you something.
The fact that Islam has no such title as "reverend" might also be a wee bit of a red flag, come to think of it. "
If you don't like the comparison to voodoo, fine. Then let's just say that these people are as close to mainstream Islam as David Koresh was to the Episcopalians.
The fact that they see themselves as being in solidarity with other Muslims around the world is not surprising. That other Muslims think of them as wingnuts is equally unsurprising.
As linked elsehwere, I recommend reading this article about Malcolm X that was written by mainstream Western Muslims, and perhaps reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X while you're at it. Both are entirely worth your time, I can assure you.
You should really read the Autobioraphy of Malcolm X some time, Dean.
This is to whomever tried to say that the sniper was a member of the nation of Gods and Earths.
I dont know who the hell John Allen is but he aint john Muhammad. Muhammad dont do that shit.
And if you didnt notice he killed all people not just whites so dont try to make this a black muslim against white people thing,
Johnny was a maniac on his own he just used the name muhammad so leave me and my bretheren alone.
And people who believe this need to be rounded up and shot!
And farrakhan isn't