We cannot fight what we don't understand. Background helps us understand and look for similarities in our own lives. Please keep reporting even if the person is controversial.
2
the best jury does not know the person, their history, or the event, but judges the facts prevented to them. Not everybody reads the NYT, but a lot of people, can not help but have formed impression and judgements.
While I want to find out more about Ms. Heyer and her standing up for her beliefs only to be killed so senselessly and want to honor her memory, I do more so want to find out about what would motivate someone to drive a car into a crowd a people, so that we may understand and possible help prevent more such tragedies in the future. I don't want to condone the behavior of haters and racists, but we risk "otherizing" them the same way they have done historically with the target of their hate and prejudice, causing ever greater rift in our society.
Their rhetoric is designed to inflame and bait outrage and inspire hate, not just in their supporters, but in their targets too. Please do not give in to that.
Their rhetoric is designed to inflame and bait outrage and inspire hate, not just in their supporters, but in their targets too. Please do not give in to that.
1
You have to be taught to hate and fear,
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear,
You have to be taught from year to year,
You have to be carefully taught...to hate
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear,
You have to be taught from year to year,
You have to be carefully taught...to hate
1
Usually, the public investigation into the personal background of terrorists reveals what a loser they really are. This is true of most Islamic terrorists and is certainly true of James Alex Fields, Jr.
10
The lead story after describing the terrible incident should have been about the victims, Heather Heyer and Virginia State Police Officers H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates, all innocent people and victims of the violence caused by hate, bigotry, racism and intolerance.
While it's important to identify and put a face to Heather's killer, it's not as important to first talk about the three exemplary lives lost that day and the mission of their lives; one to denounce injustice and bigotry and two others sworn to protect and serve, all whose lives were cut short by hate.
While it's important to identify and put a face to Heather's killer, it's not as important to first talk about the three exemplary lives lost that day and the mission of their lives; one to denounce injustice and bigotry and two others sworn to protect and serve, all whose lives were cut short by hate.
3
..."I have lost track of how many of them I have reported ( 'crucial, if early, guides to understanding events in their fullest context. ) after tragedies across the country"...
It is crucial to know what impact these painstaking journalistic endeavors have on the people concerned--particularly, interdisciplinary team of experts.
As a mental health professional myself, I am not sure. It is a sad state of affairs, if I am right. More so if the media experts themselves don't realize it, even after so many tragedies.
It is crucial to know what impact these painstaking journalistic endeavors have on the people concerned--particularly, interdisciplinary team of experts.
As a mental health professional myself, I am not sure. It is a sad state of affairs, if I am right. More so if the media experts themselves don't realize it, even after so many tragedies.
The video shows that Fields didn't swerve from side to side to hit pedestrians walking on the side of the row, but seemed intent on ramming into the back of a sedan that had a plate that read “GODKPME,” or "God Keep Me." The passengers in the car could have been members of the religious groups that showed up to counter-protest. Religious leaders were among the counter-protestors who blocked the protestor’s designated entry way into Emancipation Park. When protestors tried to push aside police barriers blocking an alternate entry, the police declared the rally an illegal assembly. The chief of police said later they shut down the protest because the protestors had agreed to enter the park only through the designated entry. Unite the Right leaders blamed the barricade at the designated entry for initiating the violence and are bitter that the police allowed the counter-protestors to block the entry. Fields might have specifically target the car because he identified the passengers as being among the religious leaders who blocked the entry. It’s still murder, of course, but we are trying to understand the motivation behind the crime.
1
Some people, it seems, don't understand, or perhaps reject, the concept of "news." When an event happens, however terrible, it is a newspaper's responsibility to report on it and the background of the people and issues involved. This article in Reader Center is too defensive. Reporting the news should require no defense. The job of the press is not to make people feel good but to report the truth.
4
The facts about what happened in Mr. Fields's family history were compelling to me. I work with family systems and help people uncover the hidden dynamics they carry through the (often unconscious) inheritance of unresolved trauma, grief and difficult fates that were experienced by their family members, grandparents and ancestors. I've rarely heard of anyone with a more painful and tragic family story. I've seen posts on social media about his mother's lack of emotion in talking about the events, and wonder about her ability to be a single mother and feel anything after her parents' murder-suicide and her husband's killing by a drunk driver, plus her own disability. These overwhelming energies of grief and loss are likely still held in the family, and have now spilled over into the lives of those in the attack as well as the US and global consciousness. No one exists alone; we're all connected to each other.
1
Perhaps profiling him before he got to this point might have stopped him Of course, that would be violating his constitutional rights.
It's obviously important to understand where these urges come from. We should also note that Fields was brought up in Kentucky, Mitch McConnel's state. I have a colleague whose family lives there and he has said for years that the youth there are angry, poor, and disenfranchised. We need to do more to address the issues in middle America, instead of concentrating on the coasts. McConnel and company would do better investing our country's resources in programs that help build up our heartland instead of trying to squeeze every last dime so wealthy contributors can fatten their own wallets.
1
Yes, coverage of Fields was necessary.
But the explanation offered here did not answer the question regarding coverage of the background and life of Ms. Heyer.
Would it not have been more useful for our nation to have equivalent coverage of Ms. Heyer's life and background, perhaps even in side-by-side columns? Certainly such coverage would have been instructive and thought provoking to compare, I would say, anyway, the best and the worst of us.
Maybe such coverage would have been too painful and intrusive for Ms. Heyer's family at this time, or perhaps there are other reasons why this could not have been done. But lots of Americans would have been proud of the New York Times for presenting the entire reality of the matter in that way.
In any event, the question remains unanswered.
But the explanation offered here did not answer the question regarding coverage of the background and life of Ms. Heyer.
Would it not have been more useful for our nation to have equivalent coverage of Ms. Heyer's life and background, perhaps even in side-by-side columns? Certainly such coverage would have been instructive and thought provoking to compare, I would say, anyway, the best and the worst of us.
Maybe such coverage would have been too painful and intrusive for Ms. Heyer's family at this time, or perhaps there are other reasons why this could not have been done. But lots of Americans would have been proud of the New York Times for presenting the entire reality of the matter in that way.
In any event, the question remains unanswered.
No less than seven articles on this incident, there's much more going on in the world beyond this protest, how long are we going to milk this story?
This type of thing happens every other month, get over it.
This type of thing happens every other month, get over it.
1
Where is all this reasonableness when the person committing the crime is a brown person of another faith? Just another example of white privilege.
I am a Black woman, I don't need a profile of this person to understand and know that hate exists. It always has for me. Please stop acting as if this is something new. It most emphatically is not.
Please do a better job of acknowledging this.
I am a Black woman, I don't need a profile of this person to understand and know that hate exists. It always has for me. Please stop acting as if this is something new. It most emphatically is not.
Please do a better job of acknowledging this.
3
As long as a profile of a guy like Fields makes clear that he is a delusional loner and loser, it is helpful to understand how to recognize that kind of personality, so that such a person's opportunity to wreak havoc on society can be limited or eliminated.
I would like to see some news on the other 19 victims, so they too may be honored. Outside of one man who's leg was broken pushing his fiancée out of the way of the car, I've seen nothing on any of the others.
It is obviously important to understand the motivation of people like James Fields. However, the pattern that typically emerges is confusing. The often quoted "You Have to Be Carefully Taught" lyric from South Pacific is false. People don't have to be taught to hate. James Harris Jackson who took a bus to New York to kill a black man—any black man—where it would draw the most media attention grew up in a Quaker family and attended a Quaker high school. He told police that the Quaker’s incessant harping on tolerance and nonviolence planted the seeds of hatred in his brain. Devon Arthurs was a neo-Nazi who converted to Islam and became jihadist. His stabbed his college roommates to dearth because they ridiculed Islam. Only a tiny percent of extremist groups resort to violence. Many of the white nationalist who protested at Charlottesville were armed, but none of them fired their weapons, even though some could have claimed self defense. There is something going on in the minds of people like James Fields that can't be explained by indoctrination alone.
.
.
The profiles are important. It's not enough to condemn evil. We have to understand where it comes from.
The young man's life was going nowhere (he flunked out of Army Basic Training). That's key I think. He wouldn't find the Nazi's so appealing if he was on a path in life that was really going somewhere.
The young man's life was going nowhere (he flunked out of Army Basic Training). That's key I think. He wouldn't find the Nazi's so appealing if he was on a path in life that was really going somewhere.
35
For me, the most important items in the story of a criminal act is the social history of the person who initiated the act. These are often impulsive actions that grow from some pattern or events in the person's past. This understanding can guide individuals, professionals and organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters in taking actions that can lessen the social chain reaction of trauma.
I disagree. The killer had been Fascist throughout high school, per articles interviewing his classmates and students. This did not start with his dismissal from the US Army.
In any large crowd of people pushing all the limits like these weaponized so-called "nationalists" there will be someone that just takes the next logical step. Isn't the murder the natural conclusion of everything the alt-right stands for? It's only in the daylight that they pretend otherwise and scurry back under their rocks. They are heating the water to boil the frog, the killers only fault from the nationalist point of view is turning up the heat a bit too quickly.
We must remain vigilant. See the guide the SPLC has produced.
In any large crowd of people pushing all the limits like these weaponized so-called "nationalists" there will be someone that just takes the next logical step. Isn't the murder the natural conclusion of everything the alt-right stands for? It's only in the daylight that they pretend otherwise and scurry back under their rocks. They are heating the water to boil the frog, the killers only fault from the nationalist point of view is turning up the heat a bit too quickly.
We must remain vigilant. See the guide the SPLC has produced.
It is important too, to note that this man abused his wheelchair bound mother to the point 911 was called three times. A common thread in those who commit public violence is a previous domestic violence crime.
The first time 911 was called he was a young teen. We need programs to help teach kids with anger problems effective ways to deal with their tempers. We need science based treatments to help them grow up to become adults with self-control. It's not about normally developing people who suddenly become violent.
The first time 911 was called he was a young teen. We need programs to help teach kids with anger problems effective ways to deal with their tempers. We need science based treatments to help them grow up to become adults with self-control. It's not about normally developing people who suddenly become violent.
30
The caption of the lead-in photo to this "bulletin board" reads as follows:
"A driver smashed into a line of cars, causing a chain reaction that that killed one person and injured at least 19 others demonstrating against a white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday".
I wonder if this bulletin and the caption is a transitional attempt to partially retract some of the rhetoric that soon followed news reporting of the clash between 2 extreme groups.
Early reports from not only the NYT but other mass media outlets, portrayed the death of Heather Heyer more like an intentional "hit and run" case, but this bulletin indicates Fields deliberate reckless driving smashed into other cars, causing the chain reaction resulting in the death an injuries.
Regardless, of how the events in Charlottesvillve were reported accurately or not does not change the fact that Heather Heyer, who was a special person by all account, needlessly died, 19 other injured and 2 police officers also died in the line of duty when the helicopter crashed while monitoring those events.
This bulletin also represents a side story, side stepping away questions some people are raising today to why more attention to President Trump's statements was (and still is this evening) being given air time and news print space than to the actual perpetrators (in my view both sides) that caused the clashing protesters turn into a tragedy.
"A driver smashed into a line of cars, causing a chain reaction that that killed one person and injured at least 19 others demonstrating against a white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday".
I wonder if this bulletin and the caption is a transitional attempt to partially retract some of the rhetoric that soon followed news reporting of the clash between 2 extreme groups.
Early reports from not only the NYT but other mass media outlets, portrayed the death of Heather Heyer more like an intentional "hit and run" case, but this bulletin indicates Fields deliberate reckless driving smashed into other cars, causing the chain reaction resulting in the death an injuries.
Regardless, of how the events in Charlottesvillve were reported accurately or not does not change the fact that Heather Heyer, who was a special person by all account, needlessly died, 19 other injured and 2 police officers also died in the line of duty when the helicopter crashed while monitoring those events.
This bulletin also represents a side story, side stepping away questions some people are raising today to why more attention to President Trump's statements was (and still is this evening) being given air time and news print space than to the actual perpetrators (in my view both sides) that caused the clashing protesters turn into a tragedy.
Because he's the President.
2
I believe it's important to profile these disturbed individuals. Someday even maybe the world will want to mine the background of such people for clues to why they go so wrong. I have a brother whose anger mirrors that of such violent people. He espouses conspiracy theories, enjoys being threatening and intimidating, believes he's always right -- there's no talking to him. A saving grace is that he's adamant about being non-violent.
Still his rage spooks my entire family. As a child, I also witnessed the abuse and poor parenting he especially endured (Our parents believed they were doing the right thing but they were not). As someone who has to a large extent overcome such devastation, I feel like I see it as the basis for much of the rage and horror in news stories like Charlotte.
For example, I see James Fields' early fixation on Adolph Hitler as arising from rage that exists in someone with the shattered psyche and empty soul that probably comes from childhood treatment similar to that my parents inflicted on my brother. It's not an excuse for James Fields but an understanding of an inevitable cause-effect. The world pities the poorly raised child but abhors the ugly result of child mistreatment in an adult.
Still his rage spooks my entire family. As a child, I also witnessed the abuse and poor parenting he especially endured (Our parents believed they were doing the right thing but they were not). As someone who has to a large extent overcome such devastation, I feel like I see it as the basis for much of the rage and horror in news stories like Charlotte.
For example, I see James Fields' early fixation on Adolph Hitler as arising from rage that exists in someone with the shattered psyche and empty soul that probably comes from childhood treatment similar to that my parents inflicted on my brother. It's not an excuse for James Fields but an understanding of an inevitable cause-effect. The world pities the poorly raised child but abhors the ugly result of child mistreatment in an adult.
20
profiling a monster encourages other monsters to arise. It is a proven fact. Lonely, angry white mid-aged men seeking a meaningful existence in idiocracy want recognition, and their claim to fame regardless of death and destruction they cause. It should be the law that the name of a perpetrator is never mentioned in the media, no picture, absolute blackout about the poor creature until convicted. Then, still it should cover a very minimal statement. Violence is a virus spread by media, some worst case examples are the Nazi's and Rwanda where the radio personality was convicted and jailed. If there was no notoriety there would be many fewer examples of these mindless tragedies. You provide the notoriety. The major publication should be only of the lovely Heather, her cause, her care and concern of equality and justice. Full pages and discussion should concern compassion for the victim, let that virus spread.
3
It's important to provide information to readers that help us understand the world we live in. That includes profiles about people who harm, or in this case kill, others who do not agree with the wrongdoer's political views. We need to understand how such a tragic event could occur and address the causes.
It is equally important to profile the Charlottesville victims. There is a stark contrast that should speak for itself.
It is equally important to profile the Charlottesville victims. There is a stark contrast that should speak for itself.
21
It seems to me that this is exactly what the NYTImes should be doing.
33
Insight into Trump supporters is useful.
29
A guy from Ohio - his age fits just between my own two kids - decided to ram his car into a crowd of people, deliberately and lethally.
My kids are in school, working summer jobs to help pay for that school - not great summer jobs, not elite internships, just paying jobs - and keeping themselves afloat. Same age, different worlds.
So, yes, I want to know how he got where he is. I want to know how many are in his situation, and likely to join him, rather than fill time stocking shelves as my kids have done. Not fitting in the army or national guard, at loose ends and deciding his situation is the fault of someone else. Liberals, blacks, Mexican immigrants, gays, elitists, whatever.
I want to know about Heather Heyer, to do her the honor of knowing who I mourn. But I want to know about James Alex Fields so I can be part of figuring out how to reduce the number of people who turn into him.
My kids are in school, working summer jobs to help pay for that school - not great summer jobs, not elite internships, just paying jobs - and keeping themselves afloat. Same age, different worlds.
So, yes, I want to know how he got where he is. I want to know how many are in his situation, and likely to join him, rather than fill time stocking shelves as my kids have done. Not fitting in the army or national guard, at loose ends and deciding his situation is the fault of someone else. Liberals, blacks, Mexican immigrants, gays, elitists, whatever.
I want to know about Heather Heyer, to do her the honor of knowing who I mourn. But I want to know about James Alex Fields so I can be part of figuring out how to reduce the number of people who turn into him.
64
I don't care to read about him. I don't care about him. His views and actions are beyond the pale. I don't care to read about them because there is no accepting them.There is no defending those views. There is no accepting those views. I am sick of what Trump has unleashed in this country.I care that my country is disintegrating.I care that few politicians are acting like leaders. I applaud the Merck CEO who quit the Trump council.
7
you can't fight what you don't understand.
20
I am surprised that this is even a question. I subscribe to NYT in order to be informed. If you decide to self-censor those stories that involve viewpoints that might be morally objectionable you are doing a disservice to your readers.
44
Our commitment to free speech is fragile. We must hang on to it for dear life, as much depends on it.
Please don't pay any attention to those who did not think it appropriate to tell us about Mr. Fields. We need to understand Mr. Fields, whether we want to or not. If we are to figure out what motivates such incidents, we must understand those who engage in them.
I read your coverage of Mr. Fields. My simplistic take away is that America is not providing any treatment for the mentally ill. Prisons are now the only safe place for the mentally ill. An informative follow up to your coverage of Mr. Fields might address this question: In a supportive society--such as Norway or Denmark--would anyone have helped Mr. Fields after he was discharged from the military? That seems the critical juncture when we failed Mr. Fields.
Stick to your journalistic standards.
Please don't pay any attention to those who did not think it appropriate to tell us about Mr. Fields. We need to understand Mr. Fields, whether we want to or not. If we are to figure out what motivates such incidents, we must understand those who engage in them.
I read your coverage of Mr. Fields. My simplistic take away is that America is not providing any treatment for the mentally ill. Prisons are now the only safe place for the mentally ill. An informative follow up to your coverage of Mr. Fields might address this question: In a supportive society--such as Norway or Denmark--would anyone have helped Mr. Fields after he was discharged from the military? That seems the critical juncture when we failed Mr. Fields.
Stick to your journalistic standards.
26
So he's "mentally ill"? Did you use the same description for the Muslim couple in San Bernardino, and the Orlando shooter?
10
Anyone fascinated by guns and violence is mentally ill by definition. However, that does not excuse them.
1
I don't know if he is mentally ill, but I DO know that we are not providing treatment for the mentally ill in this country.
Have you read anything about Mr. Fields? Here's one report about him: "James Alex Fields Jr. was barely a teenager in 2010 when his mother — who uses a wheelchair — locked herself in a bathroom, called 911 and said her son had struck her head and put his hands over her mouth when she told him to stop playing a video game, according to police records. On another occasion, records show, he brandished a 12-inch knife. Once, he spit in her face."
NYT coverage reported that Fields spent 4 months in the military and was discharged.
Surely we can agree that Mr. Fields is "troubled." If we don't provide treatment, we don't even know the nature of the problem let alone are we doing anything to help the person cope with their anger in a less violent way,
Have you read anything about Mr. Fields? Here's one report about him: "James Alex Fields Jr. was barely a teenager in 2010 when his mother — who uses a wheelchair — locked herself in a bathroom, called 911 and said her son had struck her head and put his hands over her mouth when she told him to stop playing a video game, according to police records. On another occasion, records show, he brandished a 12-inch knife. Once, he spit in her face."
NYT coverage reported that Fields spent 4 months in the military and was discharged.
Surely we can agree that Mr. Fields is "troubled." If we don't provide treatment, we don't even know the nature of the problem let alone are we doing anything to help the person cope with their anger in a less violent way,
I agree with the choice to profile this loser, the personification of "the banality of evil."
25
Cockroaches scatter in light. Good job.
34
One of the very worst things mass media does is provide 15 minutes of fame to the infamous. Let this man, and all future mass murderers, terrrorists, etc rot in anonymity .
3
Believe me, he will rot in anonymity.
Much as it disgusts me, you did it -- and the media does it all the time -- because you get more clicks, period.
In other words, it's both you and us. Stop beating yourself up.
In other words, it's both you and us. Stop beating yourself up.
1
This short article doesn't clarify enough how far the Times has gone in its coverage of the life and family of Heather D. Heyer. Can you say more?
4
Your quoting Derek Weimer, who taught Fields in high school, struck me as irresponsible. That Fields researched Nazism as a high school freshman should not be considered germane to the profile. When you did print the information, Weimer's lack of professionalism in publicizing the work and interests of a student should have been noted. Think of how this might inhibit students from thoroughly researching subjects about which they are curious. They might self-censor if they felt their future might be affected. Weimer should have dealt with the school professionals to oversee and direct Fields' interest.
3
It is true that junior-senior high school teachers need to be part of an academic and social support team. There are too few mental and emotional support services in our schools and too few trained adults to take the time to focus on a child in a troubled situation. Growing up without a father and with a mother who must have had to depend on her son or others for some assistance in daily living is a complicated situation.
This is not an excuse for behavior but a path for understanding.
This is not an excuse for behavior but a path for understanding.
Totally agree. And exactly why should a teacher be allowed to comment on the work and habits of his/her students. Shouldn't teachers, like doctors, have some kind of ethical client relationship. I suspect that other teachers had this guy studying butterflys, or economics...none of which was germane to the media's incredible push to get this guy certified as a neo-nazi, and neither was his study of Nazism. The media has to have a simplified story (neo-nazis) to run with, and they needed to skewer Trump, because they don't have the intelligence to write of anything else.
Personally, I didn't find the profile anything but informative. What makes/made a person commit such horrific acts? Can those who raised him shed any light as to what tripped that switch? Will it raise awareness of those who may know someone showing signs of such behavior?
Important questions that need to be asked, and profiles like this do so.
Important questions that need to be asked, and profiles like this do so.
34
I found the profile information very helpful and don't see in any way that Heather Hyer should have been profiled. From now on there will be many, many columns, commentaries and even books on this wonderful young woman. She is in a class by herself!!! I can even see a statue of her in Charlotesville.
3
I read your profile almost the moment you published it. This is because it was the only article that might help answer why would a person do such a thing. That is the puzzle. I assume most supremacists are prone to violence. I don't assume they are going to use a car as a weapon on a crowd for a protest over a statue. Also, he was going to be caught as the car was his not some stranger's. It was not an anonymous crime. So in one moment he also ended his own life as I don't see him leaving prison for a very long while. Had you furnished a similar profile on adam lanza when he did stoney hook, I would have read that too. I was not surprised this man never had a father. That would have been my first question.
9
The inevitable detailed journalistic profiles of terrorists are a longstanding beef of mine, and I avoid them. I believe they spring from a misdirected, unsuccessful search to understand where such hatred could come from, as both a way of distancing ourselves from the hate (because perpetrators are different from us) and to consider what we could do to reach out to such individuals to prevent this in the future.
I fear most that they glorify abhorrent behavior with publicity which becomes a source of celebration for supporters and encourages more of the same from other disaffected individuals who want to leave their mark on society at any cost. It's far easier to achieve notoriety by driving a car into a crowd than to achieve fame by truly making the world a better place.
I share the desire expressed by other dissenters: I wish writers would do more to explore the backgrounds of the victims and make them human and mostly ignore the accused.
I fear most that they glorify abhorrent behavior with publicity which becomes a source of celebration for supporters and encourages more of the same from other disaffected individuals who want to leave their mark on society at any cost. It's far easier to achieve notoriety by driving a car into a crowd than to achieve fame by truly making the world a better place.
I share the desire expressed by other dissenters: I wish writers would do more to explore the backgrounds of the victims and make them human and mostly ignore the accused.
1
I respect the readers' concerns but believe it is absolutely right to profile such people, no matter how heinous their acts. We have to try to understand them. And quoting family members doesn't imply support; I don't understand that logic at all.
14
I think you did the right thing. The profile was offered in order to help us all understand the madness around us, and if we stop trying to understand, we hurt our chances of moving forward.
16
I'm afraid I don't understand those who believe the Times should not report on who Spencer is - and what may have motivated him to do what he did. I want to better understand what prompted this kind of hatred, and I appreciate the Times' report. That's what journalism is for - to help us understand.
9
As a retired newspaper reporter and editor I agree totally that such stories are important and necessary. Of course we readers should know as much as we can about people like James Alex Fields Jr. I want to know what motivated him, how he became what he is, how he could be so misguided as to hurt so many people while effectively ending his own young life. Fields Jr. gets no points from me when I read the truth about him, but perhaps I understand a little better the danger presented by those whose hate made him what he is.
14
Ignorance is not bliss.Get real people.Bios are an important discovery into anyone's mind that produce hate or compassion.
18
Tim Johnson must die. It is up to Atticus Finch, who when he was young, Miss Maudie tells Jem and Scout, was the best shot in the county, to kill Tim Johnson with a single shot. Atticus has no choice. Tim's condition is incurable. He presents an enormous and unacceptable danger to all around him, dogs and humans alike. As a lover of dogs, I recognised this moral imperative even as a young child reading TKAM for the first time.
Many in human form there are, especially in the USA it seems, who become a rabid Tim Johnson on two legs. There is something in the water, in the soil or in the air that breeds madness in America. Perhaps it is the inevitable Divine Punishment, that according to the Greeks is delivered by the Furies, for the American genocide of the First Peoples, for the enslavement of millions of men, women and children.
We need to know who has been driven insane by their fanatical fervour. We need to know why.
And then we need to follow the example of Atticus and do what is needed to end the madness.