@stephen@ephemera.vital.org.nz
Post #1829099
2026-04-26 11:17 UTC
Replies (3)
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@BobLefridge@mastodon.nz 2026-04-26 19:47
I've seen suggestions this morning that the Secret Service *might* have written the shooter's manifesto, which includes this line. "I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes." Trump's Secret Service would never have written that line and there's no doubt who the target was. I understand peoples' deep distrust of the US regime, but I'd rather the misinformation and conspiracies were left to the bad guys. @stephen
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@isaacfreeman@cloudisland.nz 2026-04-26 21:08
@stephen Disappointed, but not exactly surprised here. We're all vulnerable to us-versus-them motivated reasoning. It's an effective mental shortcut to deal with the inconceivable complexity of the world by assuming that what your side does is generally good, and bad things are most likely done by the other side. Even people who pride themselves on being objective regularly fall into this trap, assigning extra credibility to anyone who mouths centrist platitudes before delivering their unfounded opinions. When I hear about a shooting, I have to admit that there's a part of me that immediately thinks “I hope the shooter wasn't someone I agree with”. It's a short step from “I hope” to “I bet”, and I could easily take it if I'm not careful.
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@psychoticscroodlebum@mastodon.social 2026-04-27 02:19
@stephen I googled and found Obama had a good number of attempts on his life too; he just didn't make a circus out of it. Conspiracies can go hang, personally. hehe.