If this guy’s name were Tarek Mehanna, and his hero were a jihadist rather than a Norwegian “nationalist”, we’d likely be hearing about his arrest by federal agents in our local news.
If his name were Victoria Kennedy, the Catholic bishop of Worcester would be asking why a St. John’s graduate and current Assumption College student is engaging in such thoroughly un-Catholic behavior.
And — for the record — he’s from Shrewsbury.
Dude’s obviously nuts. If Anna Maria wanted to give him an honorary degree, I would hope that the bishop would intervene. No supporters of mass murder should be honored in such a manner.
I’ve listened to the interview, and I am not convinced he’s crazy.
It’s too easy to say that anyone who espouses a radically racist viewpoint is crazy. From my interactions with those on that side of the fence, I certainly cannot say that all hardcore racists are crazy.
He’s at least incoherent: “I don’t believe that it should occur again, but I do believe that it was atrocious but necessary in that it has raised awareness for it and Breivik did that with the executions.” Maybe this is translated from the Norweigian, but it makes absolutely no sense.
Also, considering the environment that this kid comes from, it’s hard to imagine what could have “radicalized” him other than trauma. Anna Maria is hardly a hotbed of anti-Islamic radicalism. I still think the smart money is on crazy.
Not incoherent in the least, at least not to the ear (that is, if you watched/listened to the interview).
It’s not clear to me why growing up in Central Mass precludes someone from racist tendencies. I don’t think any “trauma” or mental illness needs to occur.
And to be clear: I believe that people should have a pretty wide berth in their free speech rights, Mr. Forts included.
But we just saw the conviction of a man who provided “material support” [in the form of words and writings] to terrorists.
Do we want to keep throwing a young man in prison for 20+ years every time he says something stupid? Why would this case be any different than Mehanna’s?
thought he went to Assumption