Two Minnesota Lawmakers Shot

[blastula]

He's been captured.

The man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after surrendering to the police

Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two of attempted murder.

apnews.com

 

[laughing dog]

More good news - the Hoffmans are awake. And they are expected to recover.

 

[southernhybrid]

I was so relieved when I woke up this morning and read that they captured the killer, although a bit surprised that he was charged with 2nd degree murder instead of 1st degree murder. Then again, I don't have a law degree, so maybe someone who does can explain why such a premeditated crime is 2nd degree. Will they try to use insanity as a defense? Anyway....glad he's no longer a danger to others.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I was so relieved when I woke up this morning and read that they captured the killer, although a bit surprised that he was charged with 2nd degree murder instead of 1st degree murder. Then again, I don't have a law degree, so maybe someone who does can explain why such a premeditated crime is 2nd degree.

Great question. I had to look this up because it seems there is probable cause for a 1st degree charge.

It turns out that it's a Minnesota thing. In Minnesota, charges that can result in a life sentence must be made by a grand jury. So, someone who seems to have committed 1st degree murder would first be charged with a lesser crime, such as 2nd degree, which has a 40-year sentence. Then, the grand jury reviews evidence and upgrades to 1st degree if the evidence is there.

 

[Elixir]

The fucker is insane, by any sane definition.
He needs to be institutionalized for sure, but -
Is prison where we want a put such poison personality? Prison, the place where he is most likely to find sympathetic or even enthusiastic support for his heinous behavior?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

“John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,” Yvette Hoffman said in a text that Klobuchar posted on social media. “He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.”

9 bullets and almost out of the woods?!

And then Trump is telling ICE to target undocumented immigrants in US cities because it is the political base base of the Democrat Party. He keeps pouring fuel on the fire.

 

[laughing dog]

The fucker is insane, by any sane definition.
He needs to be institutionalized for sure, but -
Is prison where we want a put such poison personality? Prison, the place where he is most likely to find sympathetic or even enthusiastic support for his heinous behavior?

This maniac fired 9 bullets into Mr Hoffman and 8 into Mrs Hoffman. I don’t care where he ends up as long as he cannot get out for a long long time.

 

[Toni]

Why do you Yanks hate each other so much?

There are two main reasons, in my view, for the growing division among Americans.

First, the role of algorithms in social media and online news feeds has been deeply corrosive. These systems are designed to show users more of what they already engage with, which often leads to increasingly polarized content. Traditional news outlets had already been capturing this divide in niche markets, creating ideologically targeted programming—liberal vs. conservative. As a result, this previous division has become magnified.

Second, Donald Trump has actively exploited the division. Through misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, he’s deepened societal fractures and used the resulting chaos to consolidate political power consistent with authoritarian strategies.

At a deeper level, both of these forces seem rooted in a broader problem: the influence of oligarchic interests. Wealthy elites and powerful corporations benefit from a divided public, and they’ve shaped the media and political landscape in ways that serve their pursuit of profit and control, often at the expense of unity, truth, and the public good.

I’m not at all certain that it was Trump ( or Trump by his lonesome) who exploited the division. Unfortunately, hostile foreign powers deserve some of the credit. But bang on for the rest.

 

[blastula]

He also killed the Hortmans' dog.

Suspected Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter also allegedly killed state rep’s beloved rescue dog in grisly murder

The gunman who shot and killed Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home also killed their family’s beloved rescue dog, according to a fellow lawmaker.

nypost.com

 

[Toni]

doesn’t matter if the shooter clipped Trump’s ear or missed by a foot, it was still a STAGED attempt on Trump’s life.

FIFY.

It smells staged, for sure but a recent conversation with a family member ( somewhat to the left of me) in the military who had just come back from his arms qualifying duty told me that it is virtually impossible for anyone to have deliberately hit the monitor screen at that distance, or to have intended to ‘miss’ Trump in an apparent assassination attempt.

It IS interesting that we know nothing much about the gun man, though.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

doesn’t matter if the shooter clipped Trump’s ear or missed by a foot, it was still a STAGED attempt on Trump’s life.

FIFY.

It smells staged, for sure but a recent conversation with a family member ( somewhat to the left of me) in the military who had just come back from his arms qualifying duty told me that it is virtually impossible for anyone to have deliberately hit the monitor screen at that distance, or to have intended to ‘miss’ Trump in an apparent assassination attempt.

As far as I can tell, as much as I found the Parallax View to be a compelling and believable conspiracy set up, the evidence suggests the shooter in the Trump situation was looking to make a point about himself and going out with fanfare, and Trump was the closest of the candidates in the area. He was a mediocre shooter and managed mediocre results, killing another person by accident.

 

[blastula]

He went to two other homes of politicians that day.

Prosecutor says suspect in Minnesota shooting went to 4 homes as he sought to kill lawmakers but some were not home - WTOP News

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutor says suspect in Minnesota shooting went to 4 homes as he sought to kill lawmakers but some were not home.

wtop.com

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

He also killed the Hortmans' dog.

Suspected Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter also allegedly killed state rep’s beloved rescue dog in grisly murder

The gunman who shot and killed Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home also killed their family’s beloved rescue dog, according to a fellow lawmaker.

nypost.com

He probably heard Kristi Noem's voice in his head.

 

[laughing dog]

President Trump said it would be waste of his time to call Governor Walz to offer condolences. At first I thought it was just another example of his boorishness, but then again why should he pretend to be a decent human being?

 

[Elixir]

why should he pretend to be a decent human being?

Doing that would be political death.
His lemmings like the the cruel unthinking brutality that reflects their own anger at the world, which has placed itself beyond their grasp - both physically and mentally.

 

[Gospel]

Why do you Yanks hate each other so much?

There are two main reasons, in my view, for the growing division among Americans.

First, the role of algorithms in social media and online news feeds has been deeply corrosive. These systems are designed to show users more of what they already engage with, which often leads to increasingly polarized content. Traditional news outlets had already been capturing this divide in niche markets, creating ideologically targeted programming—liberal vs. conservative. As a result, this previous division has become magnified.

Second, Donald Trump has actively exploited the division. Through misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, he’s deepened societal fractures and used the resulting chaos to consolidate political power consistent with authoritarian strategies.

At a deeper level, both of these forces seem rooted in a broader problem: the influence of oligarchic interests. Wealthy elites and powerful corporations benefit from a divided public, and they’ve shaped the media and political landscape in ways that serve their pursuit of profit and control, often at the expense of unity, truth, and the public good.

I’m not at all certain that it was Trump ( or Trump by his lonesome) who exploited the division. Unfortunately, hostile foreign powers deserve some of the credit. But bang on for the rest.

I’d just add that American culture’s obsession with immediate rewards doesn’t help either. It fuels impatience, discourages critical thinking, and reinforces echo chambers. People want instant validation, simple answers, and someone to blame, all of which polarization conveniently provides. That mindset makes it even easier for bad actors, media manipulators, and opportunistic politicians to exploit the divide.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Why do you Yanks hate each other so much?

There are two main reasons, in my view, for the growing division among Americans.

First, the role of algorithms in social media and online news feeds has been deeply corrosive. These systems are designed to show users more of what they already engage with, which often leads to increasingly polarized content. Traditional news outlets had already been capturing this divide in niche markets, creating ideologically targeted programming—liberal vs. conservative. As a result, this previous division has become magnified.

Second, Donald Trump has actively exploited the division. Through misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, he’s deepened societal fractures and used the resulting chaos to consolidate political power consistent with authoritarian strategies.

At a deeper level, both of these forces seem rooted in a broader problem: the influence of oligarchic interests. Wealthy elites and powerful corporations benefit from a divided public, and they’ve shaped the media and political landscape in ways that serve their pursuit of profit and control, often at the expense of unity, truth, and the public good.

I’m not at all certain that it was Trump ( or Trump by his lonesome) who exploited the division. Unfortunately, hostile foreign powers deserve some of the credit. But bang on for the rest.

You're right, both sides have exploited and encouraged the division for a couple of decades. That's why it is so bad now.

 

[Toni]

Why do you Yanks hate each other so much?

There are two main reasons, in my view, for the growing division among Americans.

First, the role of algorithms in social media and online news feeds has been deeply corrosive. These systems are designed to show users more of what they already engage with, which often leads to increasingly polarized content. Traditional news outlets had already been capturing this divide in niche markets, creating ideologically targeted programming—liberal vs. conservative. As a result, this previous division has become magnified.

Second, Donald Trump has actively exploited the division. Through misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, he’s deepened societal fractures and used the resulting chaos to consolidate political power consistent with authoritarian strategies.

At a deeper level, both of these forces seem rooted in a broader problem: the influence of oligarchic interests. Wealthy elites and powerful corporations benefit from a divided public, and they’ve shaped the media and political landscape in ways that serve their pursuit of profit and control, often at the expense of unity, truth, and the public good.

I’m not at all certain that it was Trump ( or Trump by his lonesome) who exploited the division. Unfortunately, hostile foreign powers deserve some of the credit. But bang on for the rest.

You're right, both sides have exploited and encouraged the division for a couple of decades. That's why it is so bad now.

Well, that’s not what I wrote but yes, both sides have sown division. Likely we disagree about the worst offender

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Why do you Yanks hate each other so much?

There are two main reasons, in my view, for the growing division among Americans.

First, the role of algorithms in social media and online news feeds has been deeply corrosive. These systems are designed to show users more of what they already engage with, which often leads to increasingly polarized content. Traditional news outlets had already been capturing this divide in niche markets, creating ideologically targeted programming—liberal vs. conservative. As a result, this previous division has become magnified.

Second, Donald Trump has actively exploited the division. Through misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, he’s deepened societal fractures and used the resulting chaos to consolidate political power consistent with authoritarian strategies.

At a deeper level, both of these forces seem rooted in a broader problem: the influence of oligarchic interests. Wealthy elites and powerful corporations benefit from a divided public, and they’ve shaped the media and political landscape in ways that serve their pursuit of profit and control, often at the expense of unity, truth, and the public good.

I’m not at all certain that it was Trump ( or Trump by his lonesome) who exploited the division. Unfortunately, hostile foreign powers deserve some of the credit. But bang on for the rest.

You're right, both sides have exploited and encouraged the division for a couple of decades. That's why it is so bad now.

Well, that’s not what I wrote but yes, both sides have sown division. Likely we disagree about the worst offender

Hopefully we do agree that it has been going on for decades.

 

[bilby]

I would have hoped that the clear and obvious example currently playing out before our noses would have made people embarrassed and ashamed to have ever said "Both sides ..." in the Trump era of politics.

But it appears that some people really don't ever fucking learn anything.