Monday, January 10, 2011

If You See Somthing, Say Something

Jared Loughner's behavior recorded by college classmate in e-mails

In early June, Lynda Sorenson, 52, had gone back to community college in Tucson in hopes of getting back on the job market. One of her classes was a basic algebra class--and one of her classmates was Jared Loughner, now identified by authorities as the man who killed six people and critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in a shooting rampage Saturday. Sorenson's e-mails to friends from last summer, provided to the Washington Post, reveal her growing alarm at Loughner's strange and disruptive
behavior in class.


From June 1, the first day of class:
"One day down and nineteen to go. We do have one student in the class who was disruptive today, I'm not certain yet if he was on drugs (as one person surmised) or disturbed. He scares me a bit. The teacher tried to throw him out and he refused to go, so I talked to the teacher afterward. Hopefully he will be out of class very soon, and not come back with an automatic weapon."

From June 10:
"As for me, Thursday means the end to week two of algebra class. It seems to be going by quickly, but then I do have three weeks to go so we'll see how I feel by then. Class isn't dull as we have a seriously disturbed student in the class, and they are trying to figure out how to get rid of him before he does something bad, but on the other hand, until he does something bad, you can't do anything about him. Needless to say, I sit by
the door."

From June 14:
"We have a mentally unstable person in the class that scares the living crap out of me. He is one of those whose picture you see on the news, after he has come into class with an automatic weapon. Everyone interviewed would say, Yeah, he was in my math class and he was really weird. I sit by the door with my purse handy. If you see it on the news one night, know that I got out fast..."
This woman knew, from Loughner's behavior, EXACTLY what was going on in his head.

Did anyone say anything to the authorities? Anyone? Anyone?

9 comments:

abdooss said...

P,
This was what I meant in http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2011/01/youngest-victim.html .

Guess you present it more lucidly.

Pastorius said...

Abdoos,
The problem, from my perspective, with the way you presented your idea in the other thread is you presented it as an idea of

the moral equivalence of Islam and Western Culture.

By any reasonable standard, there is no comparison.

1) Islamic society promotes death for apostates, gays and adulterers,
2) Islamic society promotes the virtual enslavement of women, leaving them little choice in whom to marry, whether to get an education, what to wear, with whom to associate, whether to work, drive a car, etc.
3) Islamic society promotes backwardness, with few Muslims ever innovating technologically, few patents issued to people in Muslim countries,
4) Islamic society promotes the oppression of the other, with Christian being murdered for being Christians all over the world,
5) Islamic society promotes anti-Semitism in almost every Islamic country in the world, even where no Muslim has ever met a Jew in his life.

Pastorius said...

Abdoos,
Here is what you wrote:

"My point: this is one of the terrorism we must fight together. Use whatever (legal) means possible. Maybe we have to snitch on our own relative. By all means, go ahead, maybe a few lives can be saved."


My response: This mass-murder, committed by Jared Loughner, is not terrorism.

Terrorism is defined as

1.
the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
2.
the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3.
a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

As terrorism is political in nature, it arises from political dialogue. In other words, it is a violent response to rational dialogue, and it seeks to end resistance through violence.

Loughner, as he was insane, was not participating in any rational dialogue.

Islam is.

Once again, I will articulate what Islam desires. This is the Islamic view of the world, as written in the Koran and Hadith:

1) Islamic society promotes death for apostates, gays and adulterers,
2) Islamic society promotes the virtual enslavement of women, leaving them little choice in whom to marry, whether to get an education, what to wear, with whom to associate, whether to work, drive a car, etc.
3) Islamic society promotes backwardness, with few Muslims ever innovating technologically, few patents issued to people in Muslim countries,
4) Islamic society promotes the oppression of the other, with Christian being murdered for being Christians all over the world,
5) Islamic society promotes anti-Semitism in almost every Islamic country in the world, even where no Muslim has ever met a Jew in his life.

This is what Islam wants.

Because no one else will agree to it, Muslims commit violence to achieve their ends.

Mohammed Atta, Osama Bin Laden, Sheikh Qaradawi, Sayyid Qutb, etc. these men are not schizophrenics.

There is no equivalence between Jared Loughner and Osama Bin Laden.

Do you see that?

abdooss said...

P,

I agree that Osama Bin Laden is one of the greatest monsters still alive. Whatever gives you the idea that I am his supporter all this while?

Whether Jared or Osama, if we knew their plans (and whereabout) and chose to keep quiet, we are equally responsible for lives lost. Period.

Pastorius said...

Do you understand that Osama Bin Laden is not insane and Jared Loughner is?

abdooss said...

That I concur. And both's objectives are death. Both needed to be dealt in a fast and prompt action - that is to stop them before they strike. Sure it is easy to speak on a hindsight. But there will be more in the future. Do you suggest different ways to deal with them?

Pastorius said...

The difference between

1) Osama, a sane man with a rational, intellectual agenda, based upon a religion as revealed in a book,

vs.

2) Jared, an insane man with an irrational, non-intellectual agenda, based upon the voices in his head,

could not be more different.

Do you agree, Abdoos?

abdooss said...

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything.

If I have to snitch and be a rat to stop these people from killing others, I will do so. While others intent to keep arguing in blogs and do nothing else.

Pastorius said...

Ok, so you would be willing to turn in Jared Loughner, if you knew him.