Look if you want to do crimes you just got to be a bit smarter. It's been this way ever since someone invented the hand-cuff. Every generation of criminal has to be a bit smarter than the last. I think that's a good thing. Someone I know did some crimes about 1 statute of limitations ago and it was definitely a tough gig from what they say. Today it is obvious that so many things would have had to be done differently because of the dang cameras and Stingray and freaking planes flying above cities taking high resolution pictures every second 24/7. Now they got millimeter wave scanners and trackers in every dang prescient that can track your smart phone location. They encrypt their radios and have military surveillance gear.
Big Brother is already here and the criminals are the ones that will eventually lead the revolution if it becomes necessary. They are the ones probing weakness and devising solutions to complex problems created by our new surveillance state.
Of course none of this matters if you are going to die at the end of your trip. Suicide bombers have to be stopped by psychology, once someone straps a bomb on its pretty hard to stop them.
It took an hour and twenty minutes to travel from Brooklyn to Times Sq.? Did he stop anywhere else along the way or is this a typical early morning NYC commute?
Several years ago an oil company exec. went missing in New Orleans during a convention. His body was later found a couple of miles from the hotel along the banks of the Mississippi River. Surveillance cameras showed his entire path from the hotel's bar to a small pier along the river where he apparently fell, hit his head, and slipped unconscious into the river where he drowned.
I tell my family that nowadays anything you do in public may be recorded, and act accordingly. It may be CCTV, etc., or the multitude of cell phones. Don't ever think you're "alone" out there.
terrorism is a big issue .however in this incidents its more like a political way to get vote then the attack itself. because if you analyze the video of this person he bring bomb inside the subway platform. And the bomb blast wasn't spread as its seems nobody get hurt its a good thing on the other hand the guy who bring it get hurt badly or maybe die. All of this happened before the election Day.
Absolutely fascinating.
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The death penalty was made for crimes like this.
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Please allow me to Congratulate the foresighted officials who placed the CCTV’s in its,correct position.
The Strategic placement that captured the Bombers enroute to his infamous act is a remarkable feat of prescient vision,encompassing 360 degrees tracking of the Bomber.
It gives no chance to the well meaning defence attorney to defend the indefensible.
Public money thus spent,wisely, is truly exhilarating in both spirit & financially.
Now for the Bomber,i hope he ruminates for the rest of his life over his ruinous actions in one of those heart warming areas called as Correctional Penitentiary.
For the US State department it’s a clarion call to get its acts on line to prevent such shady characters with murderous intent into the land of Liberty.
Psychological profiling has to begun on an war footing.
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RE: "His defense claims Mr. Ullah was only trying to harm himself. "
Well, he has certainly managed to do that.
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Additionally, kudos to the first responders for the professional way they approached the alleged terrorist! It's obvious from the footage in the passageway, that they are highly trained! We should be thankful that we have such brave and compenent men and women willing to risk their lives for our safety!!!
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I wonder if the camera's can be trained to spot bomb devices under the clothing, and then taser the suspects before they can detonate?
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Amazing footage!
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Aren't we surveilled more by big tech and big retail?
Every totalitarian State relied on a surveillance system to keep it's people in line . East Germany had the Stasi, Russia had the KGB. It seems innocent until the ruling party is against something that is essential to your being, like christianity, sexual orientation, abortion orperhaps just a plain old desire to save the earth from Capitalism - those are the people getting spied on and arrested in the US. Its' all good for law and order until it isn't.
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@Grace Thorsen
" Its' all good for law and order until it isn' "
Have you considered one of your children being the victim of such attack and how much you want the perpetrator to be found and prosecuted ?
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@Grace Thorsen
I don't fully understand your post. Do you think that surveillance is not a good thing? Unless you're doing something illegal there is nothing to fear.
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@Margo Channing I think that surveillance everywhere is a slippery slope - societies often prosecute their citizens for things they decide are illegal but you might not think so, such as christianity, homosexuality, abortions, other religions in general, and as is currently happening in america, protesting pipelines through sacred lands, these protesters have been spied on and arrested by our government. So I don't know how I can be more clear - You used the word 'illegal' ..Can you think of a time and/or a place when it was illegal to be jewish? How about illegal to read while black? Or vote while black ? Or love someone of your same sex..ug..tired..what is so hard to understand..?
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This individual was intent on doing damage with his bomb. I was raised near the Kensington neighborhood he rode from on the F train from Brooklyn and grieve that this evil sort has settled in what was once a wonderful family neighborhood with people of all backgrounds. Many from immigrant backgrounds living peacefully and raising future middle-class professionals with an education provided by the NY public school system. The surveillance cameras are essential for tracking from whence this sort of evil malcontent, malicious type is coming. It seems the Kensington-Ditmas area is ripe for this sort of malcontent bent on evil. Its a good thing for surveillance and all the public defenders to be watching for all of New Yorkers.
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@Soleil I lived in Kensington in the early 80’s and visited there a few years ago. It used to be a multi-cultural neighborhood, but it is now majority Muslim and I felt unwelcome and uncomfortable there.
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Cameras in public places do not constitute invasion of privacy.
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@JG
Do you notice that these surveillance systems are never used to prosecute civil liberties violations?
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I'm confused as to why an individual who considers 'infidels' so unworthy would emigrate from an islamic theocracy to the US.
The ineptness of this attack suggests that this man acted on his own, and was not part of a conspiracy.
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Wow, amazing video. What a chilling document. Guy looks so normal, but he's a sociopath and a killer.
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@Little Doom Just like Bowers I imagine.
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@Little Doom The banality of evil!
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You may be under surveillance, but as others have pointed out, it's almost always only relevant after the fact. There's no single source for this information, so in order to put something like this together, you need to go to each individual system to get the data - a time-consuming undertaking where you need to know exactly what you're looking for.
Surveillance state it is not - more like the blind eye that can be made to see given the perfect incentives.
Often when people complain about surveillance, what they really don't like about it is enforcement. They would prefer continuing lax enforcement of laws (e.g., red light cameras are fascist, speeding cameras are like the Stasi, surveillance of public property is a police state, et cetera). It's worth asking why you might be uncomfortable with broader, more consistent, more analytical enforcement of the law?
The reality is that you may just be expressing a preference for weak law enforcement - where checks are random and sometimes capricious and excessive. Are you sure that's the world is better for everyone to live in?
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@Vince Klortho no, we just can see the slippery slope into a surveillance state that outlaws things that seem essential to our beings - it has been done OFTEN, so just regard history. The state can outlaw homosexuality, many across the world do - tanganika gays are in hiding as we speak. So no, it is not for lax enforcement, but for fear of a society that would turn against us, pass laws that we cannot live with - and then enforce them with spy cameras..What is repubs continue to reign,and decide to prosecute women who want abortions, across the land? Or what if the state requires us to worship a christian god, every day - as north korea does..I mean, really, you can't have that little imagination to seehow so easily this could turn on us.
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@Grace Thorsen
Grace, we do not outlaw homesexuality and our Constitution is pretty strong.
I WANT there to be more cameras and more police, and if (hypothetically) I am observed and caught doing something illegal such as going through a red light, then so be it.
What all previous waves of immigration had in common is the willingness to embrace America. Now we have to be careful and exclude candidate immigrants those that don't.
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Check what is happening in China. Soon it WILL be us.
This article seems to justify and vindicate the 'surveillance society' in which we now live (on the day before an election).
The problem is that these same techniques can be used to harass the innocents. Ask most minority groups in America, and they're tell you there's a very fine line between law enforcement and police intimidation. These surveillance techniques provide a very powerful way to harass people.
Note also that all of this surveillance did not change the end result one bit. The crime still happened, and the guy still got caught.
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@W
Your reasoning is faulty.
1) Technology isn't to blame for harassment, humans are.
2) Of course it changed the end result. It provides proof for the way our justice system is set up.
3) You basing your argument on this one incident (where there is seemingly one perpetrator and most everything is left at the scene) is thin when that rarely ever happens in crimes committed.
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@BlackMamba
The problem with these surveillance systems is that they assume that the written laws will be enforced fairly, in a non-prejudicial manner. However, the human factor is always present and cannot be avoided. It is easy to install these technologies, but it is virtually impossible to eliminate the dark side of human nature.
It must be assumed that every surveillance system is under the control of a vigilance committee, operating outside of the written laws. This means that every surveillance system will automatically result in a violation of our basic civil liberties.
We're seeing this happen today in the news. The security system alerts us to the possibility of an 'immigrant caravan' heading toward our southern border with Mexico. This has caused armed militia groups in the U.S. - vigilance committees - to meet them at our border. All of this will automatically disrupt lawful commerce with our law abiding neighbors in Mexico.
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@W
I agree with BlackMamba: your reasoning is faulty.
I am pro-human, technology/government/organization doubter, but to me the essential thing is:
a camera in a place where a policeman could be, and nor deliberately hidden or obscured is simply a cheap technology alternative to ordinary policing: if you can have 30 cameras putting a policeman's eye on potential crime scene for the cost of one policeman, it's a no-brainer general benefit to everyone that's not a criminal...or has something else to hide, like they weren't really at the gym like they told their girlfriend. Either way, no violation of 'public' vs 'private' expectations was caused, just lower cost.
And I agree, abusive police can abuse this, same as they can their eyes, their gun, their car...but only if they are abusers
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Because he lived, he can be convicted and prevented from doing this, or worst, again. That is what I have to think when I watch this and think how futile it all seems to watch this after it all unfolded. It's only because he was a failure at this that all those innocent people weren't killed, which was his intent. Hopefully, he gets a life sentence.
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I'm just not crazy enough to understand how blowing yourself up helps your religion.
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Great sequence, fascinating and somewhat morbid.
But if G-d forbid he was successful, then what good are the videos? To retroactively identify the perp after he/she kills and maims? Not good enough. We need a facial recognition algorithm as well, to stop something like this in advance.
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Why do the police have their guns drawn? The man (who could well have been a victim) is lying flat on his back with empty hands and arms out, not moving.
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@Jonathan Katz Nope, he's moving. Totally the right call.
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@Jonathan Katz You'd be quite surprised. There have been times when people still are able to move and fire a weapon after sustaining major injury
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@Jonathan Katz Presumably the police have their guns drawn on the off chance that Mr. Ullah would reach for a weapon or to detonate another explosive device. (And his feet and legs do move in the video clip.)
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"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Franklin, quoted by Steve M (Boulder, CO)
So you would prefer no surveillance? And why do you conflate security cameras (which offer protection) with 'giving up essential Liberty'?
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As we have seen, both here and in Europe, cctv is a great tool for following up to attacks and identifying people but it isn't nearly as useful in real time prevention. That requires identifying people like mr ullah and preventing them from coming to this country and identifying those already here before they strike. A much harder task.
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@AlIt has also been shown to have some deterrent effect. Sometimes it just deters bad / illegal behavior . I have spoken to UK residents who admit to thinking twice about public behavior because of CCTV. Not to say it is unvarnished good. Just to note it can lend a few different kinds of benefit to these crowded public places.
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@Nell. True, but the suicide killer is probably less worried about being IDd than your average jay Walker.
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In the subway pedestrian tunnels I use, I am glad if would-be pickpocketers are deterred, or if folks hold back a shouting match from turning into a brawl, or even choose not to pee late at night by themselves. And if someone does mug somebody, or runs from a crime with a victim, I’m glad law enforcement can learn about the behavior or have proof to justify arrest/trial.
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“O Trump you fail to protect your nation.”
There you go: a reason for care and scrutiny when dealing with islamic radicals. The riots in Pakistan and attacks on secularists in Bangladesh make it clear that once a critical mass is reached, there is no way back.
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@Kai. The left will never acknowledge the problem with importing fundamentalists ( as long as they aren't Christians). You'd think, importing people from countries where secular ideals, democracy, tolerance, separation of church and state and democracy are not only not part of the political environment but are often illegal would raise some red flags, but they never do.
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@AI the right would seem to have a problem with acknowledging and red-flagging home-grown fundamentalists of the white nationalist variety, who in recent years have been responsible for more deaths in the US than Islamic extremists.
Too bad the subways don't work as well as the cameras.
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Can someone help me, is this fellow a left-wing or right-wing extremist? His mantra "“O Trump you fail to protect your nation.” seems to be a headline from a left-leaning newspaper or CNN, his actions are of an extremist, and his first few words "O Trump.." seem to be the start of a prayer from a right-wing rally. Or maybe he is someone who is simply intolerant of any group that does not buy into his religion, which describes just about every polarized group in the political spectrum.
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@Observer
I think it's pretty clear that he's neither left nor right.
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@Observer, he hates America and Americans, left or right, perhaps all westerners, doesn't matter which one!
Why ponder about left and right?
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I'm just glad chain migration was available for this guy to come here. It's not like we have enough home grown murderers and crazies now.
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The number of cameras and cell towers in NYC mean if law enforcement wanted to they could catch almost all criminals. But the police could always have done better if it was a priority to catch criminals. Twenty years ago a man reported his car stolen with his son in the back seat. The car was recovered in 20 minutes. There was no son and the man was charged with filing a false report. What this proved was, if the police wanted, to they could catch criminals but it wasn't a priority. It really hasn't changed. There are 35,000 police in NYC for 9 million residents. That's one cop for every 260 people. The biggest barrier to more policing is a lack of courts and prisons. If the police arrested or ticketed every person they saw breaking the law, the system would be overwhelmed.
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@Mike - You may find this hard to believe but cops are human. There are only 25% on duty at any given time. deduct those on administrative and command duties, there are only 20% on duty at any time. That is one to 1,300 residents. NYC is 302 sq. miles. there needs to be a few in squad cars in the outer reaches - that's how they caught the guy who stole the car so quickly.
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The people who declare themselves "not guilty," like the Tree of Life killer and, yes on another level, but still horrible, the 13 Idaho elementary school teachers who dressed up like Trump's MAGA wall and Mexicans, seem to have so much mundane and ingrained resentment within themselves, they are shocked that others see malicious intent in acts that, to them, are justified or a mere lark.
If Ullah only meant to harm himself, there were lots of alternative places for him to do this - even in NYC. The defense's statement here seems like a mockery of our legal system. I look forward to a swift conviction.
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Wow, extraordinary. Thank you cameras, thank you law enforcement. I am happy to sacrifice privacy for this kind of protection!
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@Allen Polk ...how were we protected, exactly? The bomb still went off, there was no quick IDing of suspicious behavior or anything that permitted law enforcement to intervene before he acted. These cameras are only useful to gather evidence after the fact.
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"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
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The cameras in the subway and outside the apartment building were all in public places, so legally they do not violate anyone's privacy. The cameras in the corridor and lobby of Mr. Ullah's apartment building were placed there for the safety of the residents, including him. It's up to those residents to decide whether those interior cameras infringe on their privacy.
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I'm so glad this surveillance technology prevented an attack before it happened. Thank goodness we gave up our liberty for security...oh wait...
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@PlayNiceKids How about this scenario: he places the bomb on the floor and walks away before it detonates. The video captures this, and he is apprehended the next day before he places more powerful bombs in Grand Central station. Sometimes you need to think more than 1 step ahead in life.
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@kj I don't believe that anything like that has ever happened, and probably never will. I don't like the extent to which we're subject to surveillance, but I accept it and don't let it interfere with my life.
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@Bob Rossi the Boston Marathon bombers were caught thanks in large part to surveillance camera footage. We don’t know what they had planned to do next but without that footage they likely never would have been found as quickly as they were.
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The video showing the explosion shows it occurring a good 6 feet ahead of Mr. Ullah blowing debris and shrapnel back onto him. He does not even remove his hands from his pockets before we see the detonation. How is that accounted for?
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@Himsahimsa
The device was on the front of him and was detonated through his sweatshirt pockets. All debris is forward of him, nothing behind as seen in the last video clip.
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@ Matt
I'm very interested but confused. In the detonation screen the blast appears to be coming from quite a bit in front of him not on his chest. I don't understand your comment...but want to. I'm no expert. Just seeking understanding.
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@Himsahimsa I thought the same thing. The blast seemed to come from ahead of him, and then coming back onto him.
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We knew we were under constant surveillance, but it's still frightening to see it in action.
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What you're seeing is only part of what exists.
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@WSB If you are carrying a mobile phone you are constantly under surveillance.
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@WSB: Why are you frightened? The cameras protect folks who are not involved in crime.
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Good surveillance after the fact. But you know, they say that in Beijing, the city authorities can find any person within five minutes. It doesn't look like New York is anywhere close to that capability.
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@Bobo - thank God NYC isn't capable of that ..... that surveillance comes at a cost. Similarly, privacy comes at a cost. I'd rather pay the cost of privacy ......
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Since when are you entitled to privacy in public?
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@Mark Shyres
Exactly, not even your garbage is private once you put in on the street.
Wow, both impressive and scary how much surveillance coverage there is.
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@Ben this is not actual surveillance where they are following you but simply a public space cameras thus nothing wrong really and for safety in public places I would place them every 10 to 20 meters throughout the city and use them for catching crazy car drivers who pass through red lights, speed like crazy (for this I would switch to kilometers which actually show larger numerical value but result in slower speed eg 35km/hr is lower than 35 miles/hr and get rid of miles from speedometers), drug dealers, thieves praying on old ladies and thuggs and rapists
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Why is it so important that the public be made aware of the detailed security measures in our country. Are we not educating people like Ullah of our methods so their activity can circumvent disclosure?
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@John O Crouse Because transparency. What was revealed here, anyway, that we haven't known now for a long time: that CCTV cameras are everywhere?
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I am surprised how many people, like you, did not think all the surveillance we see around us every day could be amassed and used in this manner. You can criticize our law enforcement and related agencies, but they are not totally inept.
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@John O Crouse It was made public because Ullah chose to go to trial and the government introduced it as evidence.
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Good reporting and an excellent blend of video and text. A,dozen cops approaching suspect en masse seems right out of Hollywood. Looking forward to trial and conviction.
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life in prison seems about right, perhaps with a condition requiring hard labor . . . there's no place in a civilized world for a sociopath of this kind . . .
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I agree.
But I am eager for the day when white terrorists bred in our heartland are also treated like Muslim terrorists, and when black terrorists bred in our cities, who kill our policemen and others, are also treated like Muslim terrorists.
You shoot up a Planned Parenthood clinic; you shoot up a synagogue, mosque, or church; you open fire on cops trying to protect a poor neighborhood; it's really all the same: moronic hatred and the zeal to destroy.
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